backwerd

We have just come off the Zuiderdam (Friday). We too love to dance, but unfortunately in 14 days we managed maybe three dances in the B.B. King room and that was attempting to foxtrot to music that was less than ideal for the purpose. There  is no music at all in the Ocean Bar on the Zuiderdam. There is a piano in that room but sadly no pianist. We voiced our disappointment very strongly in the questionnaire HAL sent us. We cruised twice in four months on the Veendam recently because the music in the Ocean Bar was terrific. I don't hold out too much hope for dancing on Holland America ships in the future, so we may have to look elsewhere.

Drew

We came off the Oosterdam on 24th May. There were always two pianist playing in the Billboard piano area. They did not take requests while we were present, but confess we weren't too impressed so were not there often.

They play set programs with titles like The 80's, Icons, British invasion, Hot Country, etc. It is not at all like the old piano bar.

They also now have a solo pianist in the Ocean Bar playing light classical and popular music.

D.

How far in advance will we know the Piano man on a cruise?

 

We will be on the Oosterdam in February 2017 in the Caribbean. The piano bar is always a highlight of any cruise. We have had great ones in Stryker and Jimmy Maddox in the past. Would love to know who we get this time.

Sadly, there won't be a Piano Man on your February 27 2017 cruise. The Piano Bar on the Oosterdam has been replaced by the Billboard Twin Pianos set-up. It does not come close, in our estimation, to the fun and professionalism of the Piano Bar experience. (The two young singers currently on the Oosterdam we thought were mediocre at best).

Our biggest disappointment on our recent Oosterdam cruise was the removal of the dance floor and dance music in the Ocean Bar. Had we known that there was to be no ballroom music (or at least very little) on our cruise we would have cancelled. That was always our favourite venue on HAL. We like the B. B. King Band, and can boogie with the best of them, but it isn't the same as "real" dancing.

Does anyone know if there is still dance music on the smaller HAL ships?

D.

I was perhaps a little tardy in offering the link I did without re-reading it. I wasn't aware that it didn't describe some of the people involved as experts.

However, there are a number of articles available on the internet that do describe the tasters (at least in many cases) as experts.

The 54 who didn't notice that the red they were drinking was the white they had tried earlier dyed red are described as experts in this article:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis

I have been drinking and enjoying all kinds of wine for more than sixty years. So I have certainly had the practice, although I must concede to being a slow learner.

Maybe another couple of decades will do it. I still have no idea what the wine scribes are describing, and I sure as hell don't feel like spending any more time trying to make sense of it. I will, however spend much more time enjoying my cheap plonk and will leave the better stuff to the discerning few on this board who feel they can tell the difference. I hope HAL listens to your requests for a better wine list, I am content with what is there, but I am not so pig-headed as to think opinions like mine are the only ones that matter.

Now if someone wanted to start a thread about the merits of single malts versus blendeds, I might be arguing from the other side of the table.

I will leave this discussion now and drift into the lurking mode which has been my practice for a few years,

Slangevar, D

Vineyard View

Agreed, different wines do have different attributes and this does affect pricing.

However, regardless of any of the attributes you mention, what really matters is what is in the glass after the wine is poured.

If, and as the article I linked to, and others available on the internet suggest, even wine experts cannot tell the expensive from the cheap, it surely makes little sense to purchase $90 wine if you are unable to appreciate what went into making it a $90 bottle.

I am sure there will be many wine drinkers who will adamantly claim that they can tell the difference. But, put to the test, I wonder how many really can.

I have a good reason for not buying $90 wine, I can't afford it. If I could afford it and bought it in spite of my inability to appreciate it, I would indeed be a wine snob.

I enjoy wine, but like the people in the test I linked to, I probably couldn't tell that the red I was drinking was in fact a dyed white.

I do understand your point that HAL should offer a wider selection of wines for those that would appreciate them. I, however, am quite happy with the status quo.

Cheers, D

I often read the threads on CC but as my miserable numbers will attest, I rarely post. Thought I might add my two-cents worth here though.

I drink a fair amount of wine at home. But have not paid more than $12 for a bottle since watching a TV item some years ago where three alleged wine experts could not tell a $7 bottle from a $60 bottle when the labels were hidden.

I admit I cannot tell the difference between expensive wines and cheap ones, but I can tell the difference between good wine and bad wine.

If I like it it is good wine, if I don't like it it is bad wine.

Price, winery, country of origin, reputation have no bearing whatsoever.

HAL wines are fine by me, although I doubt I could tell you the name of even one of them at this moment.

It would appear, based on recent and not so recent "tests" I am not alone in my inability to tell expensive from cheap. Check the following link. It is an old link, but I believe it still works.

http://www.smh.com.au/money/saving/its-only-plonk-if-you-look-at-the-price-tag-20130702-2p8a9.html

Cheers, D