Lights Out at Midnight

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, DRedmond said:

We are on the Eurodam.  We were very surprised to find out all the bars were closed at 12:00. Couldn’t find a drink anywhere, not even a Diet Coke. The casino was open but no drink service there either. I was really surprised everything was closed so early, very disappointing 

Welcome to the world of HAL!  That strategy certainly fits with many folks getting drink packages.  

[canadianbear]

I do miss the old Crow’s nest when it was party time with dancing and a lot of fun.  

[BetsyS.]

albingirl - I agree with you that the bar staff must get tired after a long day,

especially on packed ships. The crew work hard.

[Florida_gal_50]

Maybe they should close all restaurants at 6pm. They’ll pack up your to go box and you can eat it in your room 😛.

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes, take it to your room and party there and keep people up.  Hopefully they’ll be next to your room and not mine.  You don’t need to have a blasting band in a bar.  

I said to order two drinks at closing and sit at the bar/venue and visit with your friends.  In no way would I expect or suggest that someone have a party in their room after Midnight.  I hope you are kidding or being sarcastic.🤔 

[Florida_gal_50]

5 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

I said to order two drinks at closing and sit at the bar/venue and visit with your friends.  In no way would I expect or suggest that someone have a party in their room after Midnight.  I hope you are kidding or being sarcastic.🤔 

You said there is a minibar in your room.  Sounds to me that you suggest people drink in their room.  Let’s just close everything and pretend it’s March 2020 and sit in our rooms.  I don’t think people grasp that if people don’t like hal, hal will die.  The crew will be without jobs, but they won’t be tired, just unemployed 🙄.  Follow the chain of events.  Like I said it doesn’t effect me, but I do get it’s not all about me.

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

And didn't our Mama's say "nothing good every happens after midnight?"

 

That's why it's my favorite time of day! 🤣

 

 

[cruisemom42]

36 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

albingirl - I agree with you that the bar staff must get tired after a long day,

especially on packed ships. The crew work hard.

 

That's why in other places they use a novel concept called "working in shifts".

 

 

[Hlitner]

51 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

I do miss the old Crow’s nest when it was party time with dancing and a lot of fun.  

We also used to love our late nights in the Prinsendam Crows Nest.  Captain Gundersen would usually show-up (with his wife if she was aboard), we would often have the beverage manager, a few other senior officers, some of the shop staff and entertainers, and usually fewer than 10 passengers (out of nearly 800).  It was a fun late night venue, we made some long lasting friends, and learned a lot about the ship and the industry.  DW reminds me of late one night, while off of Italy, when we spotted some lights in the distance (obviously on an island).  I asked the Captain, "what are those lights?"  Captain "Halle" just laughed and told the bartender to give him the phone.  He called the Bridge and said, "It's me, what are those lights off the starboard bow?"  In a few seconds he hung up the phone and told us the name of the island.  I looked at him and said, "you had to ask?"   He answered, "I wanted to make sure the Officer of the Watch knew where we were!"  And such were the evenings in the Crows Nest.  

 

Hank

[Bookited]

Just curious, how late is the casino open?

[KroozNut]

7 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Obviously HAL are concerned that pax will go over their 15 drinks limit with HIA and are trying to protect both cruisers from the expense and the Front Desk staff from the abuse of those who have  inadvertently gone over the 15 limit. 😉

 

(is there a 'tongue firmly in cheek' emoji?)

 

'Inadvertently' is right... because after 15 drinks, who could possibly keep track? 😳

[KroozNut]

4 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Some of the forward staterooms are within the sound range of the bands in BBKIng and Rolling Stone.  Those people are probably glad that the party ends at Midnight.

 

In terms of cabin location, you get what you choose and pay for..

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

There is a minibar in your room.  You can keep beer in your cooler/fridge.  You can order two drinks at a time.  Do the bartenders actually make you leave the area?   Order your two drinks and sit there and visit with your fellow travelers until you are ready to call it a day.  

 

Some of the forward staterooms are within the sound range of the bands in BBKIng and Rolling Stone.  Those people are probably glad that the party ends at Midnight.

The mini-bars are not included in the drink packages and also do not serve the purpose for folks who might want a late night cocktail.  And most night owls (I have been known to fall into that category) enjoy socializing with other folks.  As to late night noise, most ships (including HAL vessels) are designed with at least 1 or 2 venues that are located so that they do not cause a noise problem with cabins.  That was always a nice feature of the Crows Nest and the various HAL Piano Bars.  The casino is also usually isolated from passenger cabins, so there is no reason to close its bar at an early hour. We have cruised on 16 cruise lines (an upcoming Explora Journeys cruise will be line 17) and we have never, ever, been on another cruise line that did not have at least 1 late night venue opened until well after midnight.  I recall one Seabourn cruise (part of the HAL Group) where I asked a bar tender "when do you close" and got the proper response, "when the last passenger is gone."

 

Hank

[oakridger]

9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

where I asked a bar tender "when do you close" and got the proper response, "when the last passenger is gone."

 

That was the answer I got on HAL when I first started sailing on them!  I'm a night owl too and the bartender did stay there until I left! I stayed as long as there were any other people too.  I didn't feel right making him stay up for just me, but he would have!  There should always be at least one late night venue available.  

 

`Nancy

[Laminator]

47 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

That was the answer I got on HAL when I first started sailing on them!  I'm a night owl too and the bartender did stay there until I left! I stayed as long as there were any other people too.  I didn't feel right making him stay up for just me, but he would have!  There should always be at least one late night venue available.  

 

`Nancy

I would think one bar should remain open until 2am.

[Maverine]

15 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Obviously HAL are concerned that pax will go over their 15 drinks limit with HIA and are trying to protect both cruisers from the expense and the Front Desk staff from the abuse of those who have  inadvertently gone over the 15 limit. 😉

 

(is there a 'tongue firmly in cheek' emoji?)

We have seen an officer doing a "naughty talk" to passengers that were over the 15. But as they also count soft drinks and coffees this might happen to me, too. 🤪

[Cruiz'nBaers]

19 hours ago, tuolumne couple said:

What about the mini bar in your cabin? ..or you can order a bottle of your favorite libation...

 

It’s not about sitting alone in your cabin drinking, it’s more about socializing.  I also like to pick up a coke on our way back to our room.  I know, I can get one from the mini bar in our room, but we usually purchase the HIA package, so why would I want to pay for that package and then pay for a mini bar purchase?

[Cruiz'nBaers]

17 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

The HAL operating hours fits our lifestyle......I'm fine with a midnight closing of a bar....And I have never witnessed "last call" on a HAL ship. 

 

And didn't our Mama's say "nothing good every happens after midnight?"

What about those of us that stay up a bit later?  

[albingirl]

12 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

That's why in other places they use a novel concept called "working in shifts".

 

 

Thats nice if it works.  On the NS, I saw the same bartenders going from bar to bar.  It didn't seem like they had enough bartenders.  They were slammed.  Easy to say for them to work in shifts, but I think they already do.

 

[BobbiSox]

Next week will mark my 30th cruise on HAL. I don't remember EVER haveing noisy neighbors late at night. I've had other problems, but not that. If someone wants to 'party' after hours, it could mean they would just like to enjoy their drink in the privacy of their cabin, while listening to low volume music or tele. HAL can't keep one bar open until, say, 2:00am? Years ago, the Crow's Nest had late night dancing and the bar was open. I don't stay up late anymore,  so I don't know what goes on past 10:00pm, lol.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, albingirl said:

Thats nice if it works.  On the NS, I saw the same bartenders going from bar to bar.  It didn't seem like they had enough bartenders.  They were slammed.  Easy to say for them to work in shifts, but I think they already do.

 

 

They go from bar to bar on most lines. But no other line I know of closes all bars at midnight.

 

If the competition can do it, why not HAL?  

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

What about those of us that stay up a bit later?  

 

If it was me and I did not like something that HAL was doing, I do/did the following:

 

• include the feedback on my post cruise survey
• send an email to HAL w/my comments
• when onboard, send a navigator message to guest services
• and I might go to Guest Services and ask them "where can I get a drink after midnight?"

 

If it was something that was very important to me and impacts my vacation greatly, I'd consider taking my $$$$ and my vacation elsewhere......

 

Good luck w/keeping the bars open after midnight.......for us, it is not important but I understand it is important to other folks. 

 

[AncientWanderer]

Perhaps this was just a one-off situation?  Crew members down with bugs, so not enough to go around?  Or test it to see if many people miss cocktails after midnight?  I haven't seen this reported from any other ship.

[KroozNut]

31 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

Perhaps this was just a one-off situation?  Crew members down with bugs, so not enough to go around?  Or test it to see if many people miss cocktails after midnight?  I haven't seen this reported from any other ship.

 

I don't think it was one-off. Last April on Zuiderdam, we and several of our friends were having a great time at the Seaview Bar one night, and yep, promptly at the stroke of midnight, the bar closed. Needless to say, that put a quick damper on the festivities that night. 😕

[Colorado Klutch]

9 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

I don't think it was one-off. Last April on Zuiderdam, we and several of our friends were having a great time at the Seaview Bar one night, and yep, promptly at the stroke of midnight, the bar closed. Needless to say, that put a quick damper on the festivities that night. 😕

 

The bars are a very significant source of revenue for a cruise line. If the bars are closing at midnight when there are still people around to buy drinks, it's very likely there simply aren't enough bartenders.