Really miss the Lincoln Center experience

[cruzer0007]

We recently completed an 11 day new england cruise on Zaandam, and overall it was a good experience, but we left with a somber attitude about the future of holland america cruising due to the lack of the Lincoln Center experience. We are not classical aficionado's, we just really enjoy live music, and the quality, and caliber of musicians the Lincoln Center experience provided was simply unmatched by any other cruise line in our experience.  We realize the audience might be a little smaller relative to the total number of cruisers on the ship, but over the course of the whole cruise, I think a fair number of folks would attend Lincoln Center shows, and all the interaction I ever had with fellow cruisers about Lincoln Center was always positive.  It was the one thing (for us) that truly separated Holland America from practically every other main stream cruise line, nobody else had that, but now it has practically vanished.  We were able to experience a "Classical Duo" on Zaandam, and to be clear, they were fabulous, gifted, and a pure joy to listen to them play. We did miss the quartet, but the quality of the duo was very much there.  The real disappointment was that we learned from several other passengers who had been sailing other Holland ships that almost none of them offered this classical duo program, only one other ship was known to have it (maybe Volendam ?), and all other ships have none.  There is a Lincoln Center program at the main theatre, but that is once (or twice) a cruise, where the original format was daily programs, and multiple of them, so even with the main theatre offering, its just not the same.  Am hoping Holland will recognize the uniqueness, and the value in having such a quality experience that nobody else offered ... and that they would re-visit this and restore the format to their fleet.  Hoping there are other Cruise Critic voices that might feel similar, and might help express thoughts in that regard.  I do realize Holland needs to be profitable, and all things are on the table now days, it was just such a unique, and high quality, experience that I really left that last cruise rather deflated to know we won't be enjoying it any longer.  This change does very much affect my cruise shopping preferences, and I will most certainly be cruising other lines more often in search of quality live music now that I cannot count on the Lincoln Center experience with Holland anymore.  

[lyndarra]

6 minutes ago, cruzer0007 said:

 

With you all the way with that one. I'm a 60s R&R and R&B fan (play guitar) but also enjoy the live classical music in Lincoln Centre. You not only hear the music but also feel it.

[tregatti]

100% agree. Lincoln Center was always a highlight of our cruises, and we booked a transatlantic this spring with the expectation it would be on the Rotterdam, but it was canceled in March. I really emphasized how much we wanted it back in our post-cruise survey and from talking to others I suspect I wasn't the only one. It's encouraging to hear that there's a classical duet on at least some (one?) of the ships. I really hope they will increase the presence of classical music across the fleet.

[Blackduck59]

Your comments are interesting. We just came off of Zaandam in early September. We didn't take in any of the classical performances, we did walk by and heard some of them and the venue was full. I'm not sure if they ever had "Lincoln Center Stage" on Zaandam. I find it ironic that you will now shop "other lines" most of which have never had a classical music format like Lincoln Center. I think with time the space formerly known as "Lincoln Center" will be used again for classical music without paying the "Lincoln Center"  licensing fee. Entertainment is evolving on HAL and what is now will definitely change through the next few years. We don't have another cruise booked until March 2025, 14 days on Westerdam from Auckland to Sydney. I suspect whatever is happening on Westerdam now as she prepares to transition from the Alaska season to her down under home via Japan and the Pacific Islands. Will be completely different then.

[2LoveBikes]

I agree also 100%.  I often attended  Lincoln Center performances while cruising and I cruised often with HAL.

It seems the same thing is happening with the BB King All Stars too using the BB King 2.0 with the Rolling Rock band.  They are good but things are changing too fast without and feedback from HAL Mariners and guest

[Blackduck59]

8 minutes ago, 2LoveBikes said:

I agree also 100%.  I often attended  Lincoln Center performances while cruising and I cruised often with HAL.

It seems the same thing is happening with the BB King All Stars too using the BB King 2.0 with the Rolling Rock band.  They are good but things are changing too fast without and feedback from HAL Mariners and guest

Unfortunately if HAL waited for feedback from "HAL Mariners" and the lowly guests they would have empty venues with no music for some time. As it is they will have to proceed as best they can and perhaps end up with a live music mix that appeals to the majority of their guests whether it is their first HAL experience or their 40th.

[cruzer0007]

33 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

I find it ironic that you will now shop "other lines" most of which have never had a classical music format like Lincoln Center. I think with time the space formerly known as "Lincoln Center" will be used again for classical music without paying the "Lincoln Center"  licensing fee.

 

Not sure what to offer on that, I was simply expressing my preferences.  I didn't say I was shopping other lines for classical music, I said I was shopping other lines for quality live music. It just so happens that I considered Hollands classical (the Lincoln Center) offering among the highest quality live music experiences I have had in the cruising world.  Yes, Holland has other live music offerings, but on the recent Zaandam cruise, and most of the other Holland cruises we have sailed, they pale in comparison to the quality offered by the Lincoln Center (and the Classical Duo on our most recent cruise). We've been cruising for 25+ years, multiple other lines in our background, but had been exclusively Holland in last 4 cruises due to our preference for the Lincoln Center.

Edited October 2, 2023 by cruzer0007

[SeaWatch12]

On our Rotterdam cruise 7 night cruise in March 2022, we thoroughly enjoyed the Lincoln Center Stage musicians. Even though they didn't bring them onboard until halfway thru the cruise, there were several performances that were very well attended.

Hopefully, HAL will bring regularly scheduled classical performances back, especially on transatlantic sailings with all the sea days. 
 

From what I understand, Oceania still has a string quartet every day at afternoon tea and other times during their sailings. I look forward to that on my Vista cruise in January. 

[sambamama]

I've sailed on HAL a long time. Before they had Lincoln Center, they always had a classical trio called Adagio. I always, always loved Adagio, but Lincoln Center was a huge step up. Each group was so angling and had so much personality, and of course, played fantastically. There never was an empty seat. I hate that they are gone, and haven't given any replacement. I believe you are dead wrong - many, many people are upset the group is gone. It was especially popular on long cruises with lots of sea days like transatlantic cruises. They would play afternoon concerts on sea days. 

[neeuqdrazil]

When I was on Zuiderdam in early September, the only live music was the Billboard Onboard (dueling pianos), the band in Rolling Stone Lounge, and a solo guitarist who was doing contemporary (Dylan, etc.) a couple of times in the main theatre. No classical music at all. The former Lincoln Center Stage area was completely unused - it sat empty the entire week. 

 

Even Cunard, who don't have a "formal" classical music program, generally have a pianist who does classical recitals, a string quartet, frequently a harpist, plus the band/orchestra for the Queen's Room, and the rock band for the club. There is live music all over the ship, at multiple times a day. 

[foodsvcmgr]

So are most cruises still featuring a couple of classical shows in the theater as HAL claimed they would do, or is it mostly nothing?

Any consensus?

[sevigny]

One of the best experiences we had on HAL was listening to the classical music in the explorer’s lounge after dinner every night.  Occasionally the quartet, then a trio, then a duo, would do afternoon concerts, and we would always go to those, also.  I miss having classical music on board, and feel it really diminishes the HAL experience.  I am hoping our transpacific cruise next spring has classical music every day on board.  Why take away something so many passengers enjoy?  

[tupper10]

Agree with this @cruzer0007. We did the 14 day Alaska cruise and we really missed Lincoln center. We will absolutely note this in our post cruise survey. 

[whogo]

I think that classical music fans are a small percentage of HAL cruisers. I thought it was nice of HAL to have Lincoln Center, not that I was interested in listening. The Lincoln Center performances I saw were in a small area along a sometimes noisy corridor. I won't miss the classical quartet, trio, duo or soloist. 

[sambamama]

I disagree.  There are many, many classical music fans on HAL, but it also may depend on what kind of cruise you are on.  I doubt there are a huge number on Alaska cruises, and maybe not on alot of the short Caribbean ones, but many, many on  transatlantic, Panama cCanal, etc.

[57redbird]

21 hours ago, 2LoveBikes said:

I agree also 100%.  I often attended  Lincoln Center performances while cruising and I cruised often with HAL.

It seems the same thing is happening with the BB King All Stars too using the BB King 2.0 with the Rolling Rock band.  They are good but things are changing too fast without and feedback from HAL Mariners and guest

On the K, I didn't like the open arena concept of both BBK's & the RSRR....neither, IMO, was conducive to just sitting, listening & having a drink or 2.

[Blackduck59]

I thought BB Kings was gone? I enjoy live music, overly loud music? Not so much. Many bands will try to disguise lack of talent with volume. I'm all for HAL dropping all the "brand names". Use the money saved to hire better talent in the markets they are sailing in. I think there are plenty of musicians in all these markets who would be happy for the work.

As to the subject of this latest in a long long list of threads lamenting the loss of "Lincoln Center Stage" I'm not sure whether there is that huge of a market for classical music. All these threads have the same posters posting the same things. Even though the classical venues seem to be full, let's keep in mind they are actually quite small and represent a very small portion of the guests on board. Also on our cruise on Zaandam with the open to the passageway format, those that dared to pass through that space got the stink eye from the faithful, the "How dare you walk through here". Of course you have to go that way to get to the dining room, because the other side passes through the casino where people are smoking. Like I posted earlier everyone will need to wait and see while HAL works towards a new entertainment package. They have to be aware that they are losing market share because their entertainment is lacking on all fronts.

[stagedog]

It is simple economics... that venue uses a lot of space and produces little income. Hopefully they will put it to good use like an upgraded Canaletto or a Dutch Cafe. 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, stagedog said:

It is simple economics... that venue uses a lot of space and produces little income. Hopefully they will put it to good use like an upgraded Canaletto or a Dutch Cafe. 

 

Well, it's been sitting empty since April or thereabouts on most ships. If they were intent on monetizing or better using the space, what are they waiting for?

 

[rj59]

The problem I had with Lincoln Center was that every group on every ship played the exact same program. While "Stairway to Heaven" in a quartet is cute the first time, it's awful after that. All the HAL ships used to have an Idagio duo, often from Ukraine, so a big help to the musicians who fed families for a year with a contract. It sounds like Zaandam and Volendam have that now, since they never had a Lincoln Center stage, fortunately. The larger problem is that lack of a production show, which every other line has, and Celebrity new ships have 2 production companies and 7 different shows per week in 3 different venues. Like Lincoln Center, they had Step One Dance, usually with the same two shows every cruise, on every ship.  On Eurodam they seemed to have replaced even that, with 4 lame singers. The looks I saw on fellow passengers were "I got dressed up on formal night for this?" I suffered through 2 songs before walking out. If HAL is going to charge premium prices, then they should not only provide premium food and service, but also premium entertainment. Not having a production show in the main theater is not acceptable, since even Carnival pays for a production cast, and NCL and Royal, lower-cost brands, have actual Broadway shows. It's especially galling on the newer ships, with the fabulous LCD screens and theaters and nothing worthily to put on the stage, just singers and lectures and a nature documentary. 

[acruisingcouple]

We are going on our first HAL cruise in December on the Rotterdam.  I was really looking forward to the Lincoln Center Experience so of course I was very disappointed to hear that it is no longer offered.  I like many genres of music from Classical all the way to EDM as long as it is good quality.

 I am still very much looking to trying HAL and look forward to trying the other venues.

[Boatdrill]

23 hours ago, stagedog said:

It is simple economics... that venue uses a lot of space and produces little income. Hopefully they will put it to good use like an upgraded Canaletto or a Dutch Cafe. 

Pre LCS, that area used to be the Explorers Room bar and lounge. The bar was taken out and replaced by the LCS stage  It had a classy intimate ambiance, with low lighting, comfortable couch seating and tables, plus a few stools at the bar. It was quiet with no music, and perfect for having conversations. The bartender would make Harbor Light cocktails, complete with a small flame on top. 

 

Flaming Harbor Light Drink Recipe

Best Glass for "Flaming Harbor Light":
Shot glass, Layer
Method:
Ignite flame
Pour into low ball glass before drinking
Ingredients in Flaming Harbor Light:

• 1/3 oz. Kahlua
• 1/3 oz. Tequila
• 1/3 oz. Barcardi 151 Rum

 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Boatdrill

[Roz]

@cruzer0007, paragraphs are your friend. 😉

 

Long posts without breaks are hard to read. 

[Blackduck59]

On 10/24/2023 at 1:34 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Well, it's been sitting empty since April or thereabouts on most ships. If they were intent on monetizing or better using the space, what are they waiting for?

 

Think along the lines of designing the space, fabricating the millwork and the waiting for a refit to install everything. Or they may just drop the "name brand" and leave it as a music venue.

[cruisemom42]

15 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Think along the lines of designing the space, fabricating the millwork and the waiting for a refit to install everything. Or they may just drop the "name brand" and leave it as a music venue.

 

I was simply trying to make sense of claims of those who say HAL desperately needed to monetize the space, hence abrogating the LCS groups so abruptly back in April. Surely if they'd had another use in mind, they'd have begun implementing it by now. 

 

It didn't take them very long to get the "restored" libraries up and running....