Piano Bar

[rwstout]

Does anyone know if HAL has a good piano bar? we will be on the zaandam for Christmas.

[startwin]

Does anyone know if HAL has a good piano bar? we will be on the zaandam for Christmas.

 

The piano bar is usually my favourite place to spend the evening on any HAL ship.... of course, much depends on who the pianist is, but it's usually a great evening. We were on the Zaandam last year, can't remember the pianist's name but they rotate ships anyway.

Edited October 26, 2012 by startwin

[rwstout]

Is there a place to see who is on the ship?

[Krazy Kruizers]

I see that you found your Roll Call.

There aren't any links to see who will be playing in the Piano Bar.

[Crazy Gramps]

it's the piano player that makes it good or bad.

I've had both.

 

Gramps

[RuthC]

The Zaandam doesn't have a true piano bar; the ship has a piano lounge. The atmosphere difference between the two is real.

The room is small cocktail tables, with chairs and couches. That set-up encourages small group chatting, rather than interaction with the piano player and the larger group.

 

Which is not to say it can't be a fun time in there---it can. As the others have said: it depends totally on the musician in there.

[LUV2CRUZalso]

I totally agree with Ruth! Your enjoyment is LARGELY dependent upon the pianist and his/her personality. We loved Perry Grant on our Celebrity Constellation cruise! We also loved JP Nadeau on a prior HAL cruise. We liked these guys so much that we expected to spend most of our evenings in the piano bar/lounge on future cruises.

 

Unforunately, our first visit on one cruise cured us of that thought as the "artist" was very abrasive and not real enjoyable "to us". He may have been the cup of tea for others. Soooo, it really depends on the entertainer. We will give them all a try!

 

Hope you find a good one also!!!!!

 

Cheers and Happy Cruising... Denny (& Karen) :rolleyes::)

[KirkNC]

Yes it can be dependent on the piano player, we have had some that are great and some not so.

Edited October 26, 2012 by KirkNC

[PathfinderEss]

Totally agree with LUV2CRUZ. We will be on the Zaandam the 1st of December, will let you know if the piano player is any good. With Perry Grant over on Celebrity and JP Nadeau in South Korea we have not had many piano players that hold our attention in any of Hal's piano bars of late, sorry to say.

[startwin]

Totally agree with LUV2CRUZ. We will be on the Zaandam the 1st of December, will let you know if the piano player is any good. With Perry Grant over on Celebrity and JP Nadeau in South Korea we have not had many piano players that hold our attention in any of Hal's piano bars of late, sorry to say.

 

Oh Melodie, what about Jimmy Maddox on the Zuiderdam in April?? The piano bar was packed every night.

Edited October 26, 2012 by startwin

[JJ33328]

Oh Melodie, what about Jimmy Maddox on the Zuiderdam in April?? The piano bar was packed every night.

 

Jimmy is one of the best in the business. You can keep up with him at his web site http://jimmymaddox.com/Welcome.html he usually lists which ship he is scheduled to play on.

 

To us the Piano Bar is the place to be on a HAL ship in the evening.

[rwstout]

Thanks and can't wait to hear who is on the Zaandam Dec. 1

[Krazy Kruizers]

It has been the same for us. And lately we haven't found any piano man that we liked.

[George C]

We have enjoyed the piano bar on all 3 of our HAL cruises ( all in last 2 years).

[RMLincoln]

We had Barry from Boston on Maasdam last spring in the Caribbean and he returned To Maasdam for the Voyage of the Vikings. he was wonderful and packed the place every night.

 

I was on Celebrity Constellation and was one of many who did not enjoy Perry Grant but many did, os to each their own. m--

[Globaliser]

Jimmy is one of the best in the business. You can keep up with him at his web site http://jimmymaddox.com/Welcome.html he usually lists which ship he is scheduled to play on.

There are also at least a couple of Jimmy Maddox threads here:

• Piano Man Jimmy Maddox
• Jimmy Maddox

[PathfinderEss]

Oh Melodie, what about Jimmy Maddox on the Zuiderdam in April?? The piano bar was packed every night.

That may be Startwin, different taste for different folks as the saying goes. I went there a few times and was not over impressed with his singing. I will say he played the piano well, but he certainly did not make me want to be there night after night.

I would say Randall was better then Jimmy but that is not saying much either. It just a shame that Hal does not pay enough to their entertainers to get better ones. We had an excellent guitar player on the Oosterdam, Gather a few year ago, but I see he did not stay around.

 

[startwin]

That may be Startwin, different taste for different folks as the saying goes. I went there a few times and was not over impressed with his singing. I will say he played the piano well, but he certainly did not make me want to be there night after night.

 

I would say Randall was better then Jimmy but that is not saying much either. It just a shame that Hal does not pay enough to their entertainers to get better ones. We had an excellent guitar player on the Oosterdam, Gather a few year ago, but I see he did not stay around.

 

 

I'm sorry you didn't like him - the place was packed every night, it was so much fun, especially the music trivia.

[Oceanwench]

There is no one better than Jimmy Maddox.

Randall doesn't come close.

 

Jimmy is talented -- AND he has personality. He gets everyone involved. When we sailed with him on the Westerdam, it was standing room only every night in the piano bar. We would go an hour early to be sure of a seat! And we closed the piano bar every night.

 

We not only enjoyed his music, but also the bits of trivia and music history he shared with us. He has been in the business a long time, and he knows his stuff.

 

We've sailed twice with Randall in the piano bar and found him to be a little too arrogant for our taste.

[JimnKaren]

Several years ago, we were on Ryndam from San Diego into Sea of Cortez. Great female piano person who was from Canada. Generally there were about 15 of us, we might have scared away others who tried to get into our group. Many hours spent there, even the bartender knew our preferences.

 

Jim

[Krazy Kruizers]

Unfortunatey we have never had any Piano "Men" like Jimmy Maddox, Perry Grant (former HAL), or Barry from Boston. Thus lately we have only walked into the Piano Bar -- stayed a couple of minutes -- weren't impressed - and left.

[PathfinderEss]

I'm sorry you didn't like him - the place was packed every night, it was so much fun, especially the music trivia.

.......and there is the rub Startwin I actually like to go listen to a good pianist and singer, not to play games.

[PathfinderEss]

There is no one better than Jimmy Maddox.

Randall doesn't come close.

 

Jimmy is talented -- AND he has personality. He gets everyone involved. When we sailed with him on the Westerdam, it was standing room only every night in the piano bar. We would go an hour early to be sure of a seat! And we closed the piano bar every night.

 

We not only enjoyed his music, but also the bits of trivia and music history he shared with us. He has been in the business a long time, and he knows his stuff.

 

We've sailed twice with Randall in the piano bar and found him to be a little too arrogant for our taste.

 

I don't disagree with your analogy of Jimmy, he does play the piano well and he does get passenger involved with all the games he does, name that tune and trivia but he really can't sing. JMO ofcourse.

Unfortunatey we have never had any Piano "Men" like Jimmy Maddox, Perry Grant (former HAL), or Barry from Boston. Thus lately we have only walked into the Piano Bar -- stayed a couple of minutes -- weren't impressed - and left.

Totally agree with you KK. In the last 2 or 3 years that is exactly what we have done.

[Oceanwench]

.......and there is the rub Startwin I actually like to go listen to a good pianist and singer, not to play games.

 

Then you should go to the Vista Lounge or some other venue.

 

A piano bar is meant to engage the audience. That's why there are sing-alongs, games, etc.

A piano bar is all about interaction - and that is why people enjoy it. It's a different form of entertainment.

The first night Jimmy Maddox played, people were all in little groups, others were sitting around the bar. Before the night was over, people were mingling, laughing together, dancing together ... it was a blast.

 

On one cruise, aboard the Volendam, we encountered a singer in the piano bar area (not really a separate bar) who only wanted an audience to listen. He did not encourage participation -- in fact, he'd change up lyrics and the rhythm so people could not sing along.

 

Believe me, it was never crowded in that venue. We went once -- then never again. When we'd pass by later in the week, we'd see only a few people sitting there listening.

 

A good, successful piano man doesn't have to have an outstanding voice. That's not the point of the venue.

It's to get people singing, laughing, interacting ... and Jimmy does that time and again. It's why he was on that cruise when I met him about 5 years ago -- and why he's still on HAL today.

 

Each to his own taste. :)

Edited October 28, 2012 by Oceanwench

[RuthC]

A good, successful piano man doesn't have to have an outstanding voice. That's not the point of the venue.

Truer words were never spoken. (or typed)

 

Frank Gusto was probably the worst singer I have ever found in a HAL piano bar. But the man knew how to create a party. And party it was! We had fun in his bar every single night. We closed the joint down at 2:00 AM only because the stewards had to get to bed.