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Art Tour

Strathmore

By Strathmore,
in Holland America Line

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
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Do people really take the self guided audio art tour on HA ships? I would consider it if it is really well done, or does it just gloss over stuff? Anyone ever try it?

 

If you are taking an IPOD or and IPHONE you can download it in advance and have it with you - or HAL will give you one. Is it worthwhile? definitely - there is a lot of history behind a lot of these pieces of art. Depending on the ship you are on - it can be very worthwhile. the older ships have incredible pieces.

 

Have some sea days? Some time? I'd do it. they are beautiful pieces on the ships - and the descripton is quite good. JMVHO though:D

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Sea42

Sea42

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We enjoyed the audio art tour on the Nieuw Amsterdam this past January. I wouldn't say it was in-depth but gave a very good overview of many of the pieces. It was an enjoyable way to spend some time on a sea day.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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where would one go to acquire this...

 

Just go the front desk - that's where they were on one cruise - but seeing the library post - I don't want to give incorrect info - if they don't have them they will tell you where to go (nicely) If you are taking an Ipod or iphone with you - you can download it directly and listen to it when you get there:) btw - the Iphone tour is free:D not sure if you have to do a deposit or not until it's returned but it is complimentary:D

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bobalink

bobalink

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I did the Art Tour while on the Zuiderdam in May. It was a fun way to get to see the beautiful artwork and explore the ship.

 

I reserved an iPod from the Librarian. It required a 24 hour notice because she had to charge the iPod.

 

I loved the Stephen Card artwork. The tour took about an hour, and it was very enjoyable.

 

Some photos of the art:

 

7984368644_d4326c0a32_c.jpg

IMG_0198 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

7984360479_758c2fcee4_c.jpg

IMG_0194 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

7984366866_635c926e35_c.jpg

IMG_0196 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

 

7984380017_776184f3fd_c.jpg

IMG_0204 by BobalinkToo, on Flickr

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spacepotatoes

spacepotatoes

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We did the tour on the Zuiderdam in July and enjoyed it. The narration is a bit cheesy but it was very interesting. Gives you a new appreciation for the ship and it's design. We downloaded the tour to our ipods before we left but as others have said, you can also borrow from the ship's library.

 

The downloads are here (click on "Art Tours" from the menu on the left):

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Activities.action

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Aruba

Aruba

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I find the narration for the Prinsendam quite annoyingly cheesey. Was just a preview as I won't board the ship for another 6 weeks.

 

I hate to tell you this but the rather long introductory portion that you find cheesy (and I concur) is the same on every one of the art tours.:rolleyes:

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Loreto

Loreto

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I have a degree in art, and appreciate the ipod art tour. I take it on every ship. It is amazing the art treasures that are tucked about the ship that one would miss if not for the tour!

 

I also agree that the commentary is somewhat contrived (and the same on every ship,) but you can fast forward if you don't want to listen to it. I too love the Stephen Card paintings!

 

A couple of years ago HAL sent me a copy of their book "The Art Of Cruising" as a thank you for a letter I wrote after a cruise. It has many of the artworks featured in the ipod tours.

 

Karen

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KirkNC

KirkNC

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Do people really take the self guided audio art tour on HA ships? I would consider it if it is really well done, or does it just gloss over stuff? Anyone ever try it?

 

We did it on the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was great. It points out a lot of things we never would have noticed on our own.

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wldflr

wldflr

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I've also done the art tour on sea days for those times when hubby wants some private time to himself to nap or read and I want to stretch my legs for an hour or so. Keep in mind that you will go up and down several flights of stairs (or take elevator) and travel from the very front to the back of the ship. It is a workout if you want it to be.

 

I download the narrative to my ipod before the cruise so I'm ready to go whenever.

 

Done the tours on the Zuiderdam, Zaandam and the Eurodam. Looking forward to doing the Noordam in January!

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Aruba

Aruba

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I find that taking an iPod art tour forces me to slow down and look closely at beautiful pieces of art that I may have passed by half a dozen times and never even noticed. Ive done the art tours on every HAL ship I've been on...although by now I've learned to fast-forward past the intro.

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Cruising-along

Cruising-along

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I find that taking an iPod art tour forces me to slow down and look closely at beautiful pieces of art that I may have passed by half a dozen times and never even noticed. Ive done the art tours on every HAL ship I've been on...although by now I've learned to fast-forward past the intro.

 

Me too. It's amazing how much we miss when not really looking.

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bobalink

bobalink

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I don't remember the narration being cheesy, I just remember the beautiful artwork.:)

 

I went to the Getty Villa in Malibu today and used the FREE iPod Self-guided tour. Wow! What an outstanding museum and the self-guided tour was excellent.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1705008

 

Went to see the special exhibit, The Last Days of Pompeii.

https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/pompeii/index.html

 

If you are in the Los Angeles area, go check it out. It is like being in Italy!

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