No shows after dinner? Really?

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

...and I can't seem to find a more recent one that addressed the issue. I was going to try an email Mr.Prince a note and link to this thread.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=751046

 

 

Won't seem to hurt any.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[Mary Ellen]

Why not just have three shows and make everybody happy.

Same idea I had. We're probably being too logical. ;)

[sail7seas]

Funny how two shows a night has worked for decades. Three are not necessary....just more logical timing for the two.

 

Unless this is the harbinger of all dining is going to be AYW, it makes no sense to have rearranged the timing for the shows. I wouldn't be shocked to read in the near future something like: "Due to the overwhelming approval of most of our guests, we are listening and will do as most have requested. For the comfort and convenience of our guests, all dining on HAL ships will be AYW. WE are responding to the overwhelming majority. "

 

Interesting that we never actually see the tally of the 'vote' they took.

 

It is out of the question to think there will be 3 shows IMO Just way too hard on the entertainers. Not possible.

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I was talking to my TA yesterday about this subject and the first words out of her mouth was they are attemtping to copy Princess. OK my guess is becuase Princess does well with on board revenue, OK I am except that but one thing HAL is missing is good entertainment in their bars and lounges to keep us their drinking and spending money. If they want to copy Princess then they are going to half to follow thru all the way. The problem is they have no where to house additional Entertainers so they are just plain stuck attmepting to do something Half A*s

HAL is the only cruiseline I know that uses their same musicians for every single venue with a small exception. So if you do not like this weeks HAL Cats you are just out of luck:mad:

I love HAL as many of you know and have been accused of being one of their biggest cheerleaders but sadly this is their weakest link and between this and taking away the Oosterdam or at least regular 7 day cruises out of San Diego there is a definitely possiblity they will lose quite a few other loyal cruisers that do spend plenty of money on their ships.

[Mary Ellen]

Funny how two shows a night has worked for decades. Three are not necessary....just more logical timing for the two.

Yes, two shows did work for decades. Too bad HAL decided to mess with that. Part of my reasoning for three shows is that HAL is now adding more passengers/cabins. With three shows, there will room for those extra passengers and everyone could find a decent seat without having to 'stake out' seats early.

 

Two shows and logical timing also works for me. But since HAL seems more interested in accommodating the 'open' seating passenger, three shows is an option.

[mancunian]

I really do not think it has anything to do with AYW. If you book your open sitting you can only get two early times or two late times. Far fewer people who turn up on spec can in fact get in at the middle times anyway, and they have to decide whether they wish to do shows or not.

 

In fact if you book for open at 7.45 pm which is one of the times offered you cannot go to a show before dinner unless you walk out before the end.

 

Orient Line introduced shows before second sitting dinner about three years ago. It was more subtle in that they put half before dinner and half after and said it was to give everyone of chance of what they wanted. They incidentally are not open sitting. By the last time we went with them in October all the shows had become before second sitting - so needless to say we did not go to them.

[Sailor Gal]

This will be our first time on HAL and the more I read the less excited I am about trying this line. This is a cruise - there should be options for all passengers - and they shouldn't all involve drinking and their purpose be solely for profit! What HAL isn't getting is that they may lose repeat passengers if they keep taking away all the advantages of cruising. If attendance is poor at the shows - maybe they need to improve the shows.

[Jade13]

Maybe we would all flood Bill Prince's mailbox with our comments. Wonder if it would have any impact?

 

Post the e-mail address.

 

The 10:30pm show was full in the Med last year.

[RuthC]

Post the e-mail address.

It was posted in reply #47.

[RuthC]

IWe found on Rotterdam recently that after dinner we ended up sitting in Explorers with a drink listening to music. Trouble is they pack up just as you are arriving!!!

On my (fairly) recent Rotterdam cruise that frequently there was no music in the Explorers Lounge as I left the dining room. Timing, I guess, is everything. Many nights I would head there after the show to find they were done for the night by 10:45. :eek: It used to be a midnight closing for them.

When I was exiting the show the musicians in the Ocean Bar were just starting their break. Lousy timing, as far as I was concerned. There was no reason to stop walking and head on in. So, I continued to the Piano Lounge. He had just started his break, too. Then on to the Explorers---I already reported what I found there.

There were still many post-dinner shows when I was on the Rotterdam, but not every night. It's been that way for several years now. Once in a great while I would go to a pre-dinner show. But it had to be good.

I'll miss the after-dinner show, but I won't be changing my routine to accommodate pre-dinner shows every night. So, I hope there's something going on in the lounges when I'm ready for fun.

[british betty]

The 10:30pm show was full in the Med last year.

 

We've cruised 4 times, 2 x Princess, MSC and Celebrity and had late sitting each time.

 

All the late shows were well attended to overflowing.

 

Our first HAL is in December and we were really looking forward to seeing what their entertainment was like, but there is no way we want to sit in a dark theatre when the caribbean sun is still shining, plenty of time for that when we are back home! :(

[kryos]

The 10:30pm show was full in the Med last year.

I don't know what the age demographic was on your cruise, but on the 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific in January 2006, there was room in the show lounge during the second show to comfortably walk in a couple of minutes before curtain up and get a fairly decent seat.

 

However, like you, I've seen the second seating show play to a packed house on shorter cruises such that if you walked in five minutes before the curtain was set to go up, you would be hard pressed to find a seat, even if you and your companion were willing to split up.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Williebill]

I wonder what HAL will think when most of their past clients have gone to other cruise lines. They better start listening to all who love to cruise aboard Holland America!

Bill

[Toad]

So please help me out here. Is there no more late shows on any ship or just on certain ships on certain cruises?

[Copper10-8]

So please help me out here. Is there no more late shows on any ship or just on certain ships on certain cruises?

 

It (no more late show) is being mentioned on several ships in the fleet. Not sure if it's a done deal at this point or still being done on a trial basis while awaiting pax' reactions to it

[prescottbob]

So please help me out here. Is there no more late shows on any ship or just on certain ships on certain cruises?

 

Ahoy!

 

...is being implemented / reported on most of the 'bread & butter' / routine cruises. Don't know if it's 'set in stone' on the longer / Grand Voyage sails. Time & further input will tell.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[Toad]

Copper/Prescott: Thanks for a quick reply, but please say it isn't so! DON"T WANT IT!

[Copper10-8]

Copper/Prescott: Thanks for a quick reply, but please say it isn't so! DON"T WANT IT!

 

By the sounds of it, neither do a lot of folks here! Unfortunately, Cruise Critic is but a very small part of HAL's passenger totals. If the majority of HAL's pax is OK with the current changes and says so in their onboard surveys, guess what? It will stay! Money talks, the stinky stuff walks:rolleyes:

[mick70]

Well after all the years I have worked my way up to the big buck cabins (SA) first it is dinning and now this!! It might be a time to go Celebrity.

[sail7seas]

Don't fret. Folks in "SA" cabins are promised the dining time of their choice so you will have which of the dining times is your preference.

 

[Mijuraad]

Nobody is happy about HAL's changes. First, no more cruising to the Caribbean from New York in winter. Then, no more late shows for folks who love staying out on deck until sundown and eating late. Our complaints to the Captain and Cruise Director during Cruise Critic and Mariner receptions resulted in stiff jaws and resigned shrugs. I'm not happy with these changes, nor is anyone I've met on board a HAL ship.

[juliecat]

Showtimes on the Oosterdam last week were 7:00 and 9:00. This was a 3 night Coastal cruise with a younger than average demographic. There wasn't anything on that I was interested in seeing, but neither time would have been very convenient with an 8:00 dinner time.

 

Overall the cruise was a disappointment; if it had been my first time on HAL, I'd probably never go back.

 

J

[Tricia724]

On my (fairly) recent Rotterdam cruise that frequently there was no music in the Explorers Lounge as I left the dining room. Timing, I guess, is everything. Many nights I would head there after the show to find they were done for the night by 10:45. :eek: It used to be a midnight closing for them.

When I was exiting the show the musicians in the Ocean Bar were just starting their break. Lousy timing, as far as I was concerned. There was no reason to stop walking and head on in. So, I continued to the Piano Lounge. He had just started his break, too. Then on to the Explorers---I already reported what I found there.

 

This is the same experience we have had on almost all of our HAL cruises with 8:00 pm dinner seating....there was often nothing available in any of the lounges right after dinner. I never quite understood their timing. The only time we were able to enjoy the music in the Explorer's Lounge was the time that we ate in the Lido....and I don't particularly enjoy doing that. So we would just stretch out our dinner in the restaurant, talking with our tablemates, and then head to the late show. Where in the heck are we going to go now? We bop in and out of the casino a little, but we won't be spending a lot of time there.

 

I'm really starting to get a little sad thinking about our holiday cruise to Antarctica with this new show schedule. We have always enjoyed the shows, but if they are all early, we probably won't make many....if any. That sure doesn't sound too festive to me. This isn't exactly what I had in mind when we booked this cruise last year.

 

As for the comment about HAL following Princess.....I don't know what most of the Princess ships do, but on the 20 days we sailed on the Tahitian last year, all of the shows for the late seating passengers were after dinner....except for the nights they brought locals aboard for a special show, and then there would be one show either in the lounge or on deck.....and the shows on deck were at 10:00 pm.

 

I'm starting to regret buying the Future Cruise Credit on Maasdam last year.

[sail7seas]

Nobody is happy about HAL's changes. First, no more cruising to the Caribbean from New York in winter. Then, no more late shows for folks who love staying out on deck until sundown and eating late. Our complaints to the Captain and Cruise Director during Cruise Critic and Mariner receptions resulted in stiff jaws and resigned shrugs. I'm not happy with these changes, nor is anyone I've met on board a HAL ship.

 

 

Complaining about these sorts of things to the Captain won't do any good. Captains have no part in decisions such as at what times the shows will be presented. Those sort of decisions are made in Seattle and we all should be sending our complaints there. That is the hope for being heard by someone who has the ability to make changes.

 

I think some of the on board crew/staff is at least as unhappy as some of us with some of these changes.....some of them even more unhappy. The on board crew is working so hard for us to have the best possible cruise and when they are presented with these changes, it becomes harder and harder to please us. They will never please all of the people all of the time, but they try so hard to do so.

[ekerr19]

Don't fret. Folks in "SA" cabins are promised the dining time of their choice so you will have which of the dining times is your preference.

 

 

I still haven't figured out how we ended up with 5:45 on our last cruise... I'm going to have my TA check into it.

 

I think we're going to go back to main seating for the next few cruises. We shouldn't have a problem getting it. Ever since we switched to 8:30, we've had problems...