Bummed - Booked Cruise is now Themed Cruise

[tlund]

Read an article here on Cruise Critic that the cruise we booked for January 3rd on the Nieuw Amsterdam has now changed to a Dancing with the Stars theme cruise (to close out the Dancing with the Stars on the ships). Although I like a little bit of ballroom dancing, I don't want my whole cruise to be geared toward that.

 

Also, I booked a lower category cabin with the hopes to upgrade at a low rate. With the current pricing for that cruise, the fact that several of the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam cruises in January and February have now been chartered and this new theme established, my chances are going to be slim.

 

I thought that I read somewhere that theme cruises could be turned into charters if they have a large amount of bookings. Is this true?

 

Might have to look at other sailings for that day considering I have my airfare already booked. BUMMER!!

 

Anyone sail on a theme cruise when they weren't really interested in the theme?

[CowPrincess]

I think we've been on three cruises that had the Dancing with the Stars thing going on. It had no effect on us. It wasn't really a "theme" as much as "entertainment" .... though we don't find it entertaining, it didn't get in the way of anything we wanted to do.

[sammygoose]

I agree with Cowprincess 100%. I wouldn't be worried in the least based on our experiences on a DWS cruise.

[tlund]

The majority of the ships have the dancing with the stars and we have been on those. The issue with this cruise is that it is a special sailing for the end of the relationship with Dancing with the Stars. They are going to have some of the dancers from the show as well as some stars on this cruise. I do not anticipate it being just a general cruise with some dancing with the stars. It is now billed as a "Theme Cruise".

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6473

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/pageByName/Simple.action?requestPage=DWTS

 

I do not want all of the entertainment geared toward DWTS.

[dakrewser]

I thought that I read somewhere that theme cruises could be turned into charters if they have a large amount of bookings. Is this true?

 

 

You're confusing a theme cruise with a large group (Rotarians, say). Theme charters (like the always-sold-out Blues Cruises, twice a year) are charters from the get-go.

 

This theme will affect the shows in the theater, but I doubt it will have any other affect on the ship.

[POA1]

I think you'll be fine. There's always been Dancing with the Stars for the past few years. You'll have better dancers, but other than that, you'll have a pretty standard experience. It's not like you're on a charter.

[Krazy Kruizers]

All of our last cruises HAL has had the Dancing with the Stars and very few people participated in it.

[ellieanne]

I'm sorry your cruise is now a Theme Cruise, but like the others, I doubt it will have any impact beyond the entertainment.

 

Also, I booked a lower category cabin with the hopes to upgrade at a low rate. With the current pricing for that cruise, the fact that several of the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam cruises in January and February have now been chartered and this new theme established, my chances are going to be slim.

 

As far as trying to get a deal for minimum investment, you will probably lose that gamble. I don't feel bad about this practice not playing out in your favor. My advice is always to book the minimum category in which you will be happy, and anything above that is a bonus. (Personally, I always book an ocean view cabin because I know I would not happy with an inside cabin or one with portholes.)

[StartrainDD]

I doubt this "Theme" will seriously affect the onboard experience and you may actually find things to be a bit fun. The first week of January is nearly as hard for the cruise lines to fill as early December. This theme may earn HAL a few additional bookings and as a stockholder that is a good thing.

 

I would not despair on the chances of an upgrade. After final payment, about 60 days out (early November-ish) you may find you can bump up a bit for little additional expense. Remember the rates currently shown are with the "Explore 4" so they are higher. Explore 4 expires 10-31, so that coincides nicely with the schedule.

 

We don't really mind insides ourselves, but will gladly upgrade if the difference is small. When we are in an inside I turn the TV on to the bridge cam and it stays there the whole cruise - that is then our window.

[idiebabe]

Read an article here on Cruise Critic that the cruise we booked for January 3rd on the Nieuw Amsterdam has now changed to a Dancing with the Stars theme cruise (to close out the Dancing with the Stars on the ships). Although I like a little bit of ballroom dancing, I don't want my whole cruise to be geared toward that.

 

Also, I booked a lower category cabin with the hopes to upgrade at a low rate. With the current pricing for that cruise, the fact that several of the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam cruises in January and February have now been chartered and this new theme established, my chances are going to be slim.

 

I thought that I read somewhere that theme cruises could be turned into charters if they have a large amount of bookings. Is this true?

 

Might have to look at other sailings for that day considering I have my airfare already booked. BUMMER!!

 

Anyone sail on a theme cruise when they weren't really interested in the theme?

 

We're booked on the NA, January 10th DWTS Finale Cruise. We did the Finale Cruise last year and had a lot of fun!

 

There was a lot geared toward DWTS with the Elimination Shows in the afternoon, Dance lessons by some of the DWTS cast, A Meet N Greet Photo Op with some of the Stars, Fashion Show and, of course, the big Finale on the last night.

 

Much of everything is still going on though out and about the Ship so if you're not interested in the DWTS, I don't think your Cruise will be impacted.

 

They had a Production Show the one night with the DWTS Stars and the HAL Dancers which was just excellent and one of the best shows we've seen to date!

[tlund]

Decided to keep our cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I'm sure we'll find other things to do if we don't want to take part in any of the DWTS festivities.

 

We will hope for the possibility of an upgrade to a suite from our balcony cabin later but will be content with the cabin we have.

 

Was contemplating moving over to the Regal Princess but have not heard good things about that ship. Would rather stay with this ship and this cruise line.

 

Let the countdown begin!!

[Fouremco]

Decided to keep our cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I'm sure we'll find other things to do if we don't want to take part in any of the DWTS festivities.

 

We will hope for the possibility of an upgrade to a suite from our balcony cabin later but will be content with the cabin we have.

 

Was contemplating moving over to the Regal Princess but have not heard good things about that ship. Would rather stay with this ship and this cruise line.

 

Let the countdown begin!!

Good choice. Great ship and I'm sure you'll find plenty to do. Enjoy! :)

[legalslave]

We were on a HAL cruise this past January where they had the actual performers from Dancing With the Stars and it was a themed cruise. They were the main entertainment in the show lounge on 2 nights. I can't begin to tell you how much we enjoyed their performance. They had beautiful costumes and their dancing was a thrill to watch. They also had a comedienne who was hilarious. I would not worry about this at all. We never saw them anywhere else on the ship. Wish I were on your cruise to see them again.

 

Diane

[blueboro]

We were booked on the Eurodam two years ago and found out well before final payment there was a gospel group aboard. HAL would not divulge the size of the group so I found their website. I got concerned when I was reading that they had private shows each evening in the main show room and other daily things booked which made many parts of the ship off-limits for "regular" passengers. I called the reservation line for the group and found out they had about 1,000 people, so over half of the ship. We immediately cancelled and booked X. So, do some research.

Edited August 12, 2015 by blueboro

[Sirdar]

DW and I were on the back to back DWTS cruise from Boston to Bermuda and then Boston to Quebec in June. We are not fans of the show and had not seen a single episode. Nevertheless, we completely enjoyed the experience. Celebrity guests on board, Florence Henderson and Carson Kressley were very entertaining and accessible. The dance exhibitions that the professional dancers put on were terrific. I think you will enjoy the experience and otherwise find that it does not impact your usual cruise experience.

[cb at sea]

Your whole cruise will not be "themed"...no worries!