Stateroom free movies eliminated

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

The last time we were on Celebrity (May), there were only a hand full of free movies playing.  We download Amazon Prime movies onto my iPad and watch those should we need to.  Is there a way to hook an iPad up to the stateroom TV's so that we can watch on a larger screen?

I have not tried this but it might be possible to pack an HDMI cable and run it from your lap top to the TV and use it as a monitor.  This works at home anyway.  Perhaps others will comment.

[Bo1953]

22 minutes ago, Nymich said:

No doubt Bo it is however people need to know Celebrity has made all movies on demand an upcharge according to Equinox Guest Relations Desk.   It is a big change when competitors like HAL offer 20 newer movies at no charge.   We sail them both for different reasons.

I am still waiting for someone on any X ship right now to verify this.

m -  thank you very much for the info.

 

Personally, I was not aware of the 'free' in-room movies, but the news channels and X's infomercial and daily channel.

 

I trust there is a resolution for this issue so all who want and use this service can be satisfied accordingly.

 

bon voyage

[cruisestitch]

No free on demand movies on Reflection-as of now 9/2019

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Nymich said:

No doubt Bo it is however people need to know Celebrity has made all movies on demand an upcharge according to Equinox Guest Relations Desk.   It is a big change when competitors like HAL offer 20 newer movies at no charge.   We sail them both for different reasons.

I am still waiting for someone on any X ship right now to verify this.

Yes, HAL does offer some movies for free.....but on the other hand, this line has recently eliminated all their Production Shows!  Perhaps they feel that offering movies is an acceptable alternative to live entertainment!  HAL remains the only cruise line that we have cruised that sometimes calls a documentary nature movie their main entertainment!  So sure, if you want movies then HAL might be a good choice :).

 

Hank

[Iamthesea]

54 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I have not tried this but it might be possible to pack an HDMI cable and run it from your lap top to the TV and use it as a monitor.  This works at home anyway.  Perhaps others will comment.

 

I have an iPad, not a laptop. 😞

 

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, HAL does offer some movies for free.....but on the other hand, this line has recently eliminated all their Production Shows!  Perhaps they feel that offering movies is an acceptable alternative to live entertainment!  HAL remains the only cruise line that we have cruised that sometimes calls a documentary nature movie their main entertainment!  So sure, if you want movies then HAL might be a good choice :).

 

Hank

 

Really!  I had not heard about this.  We cruise HAL back in December and had free movies and entertainment in the theater.  Have they just discontinued the singers and dancers, or all forms of entertainment like guest singers, piano players, etc.?

[Fouremco]

6 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

I have an iPad, not a laptop. 😞

Lightning to HDMI adapters are readily available.

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

 

I have an iPad, not a laptop. 😞

 

 

Really!  I had not heard about this.  We cruise HAL back in December and had free movies and entertainment in the theater.  Have they just discontinued the singers and dancers, or all forms of entertainment like guest singers, piano players, etc.?

Our understanding is that they have now discontinued all the singers and dancers.  They are gone from the ships, their cabins are available to cram-in a few more passengers, etc.  They have apparently been replaced with more Guest Entertainers (who generally must perform on 2 nights) and some dance troupes (not sure if this is on all the ships).  We have not been able to determine if this is a temporary thing, a permanent policy shift, etc.  It might be interesting if CC would get a Senior Executive from HAL to come on CC (to answer questions) to address this and other issues.

 

Hank

[mahdnc]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

I have not tried this but it might be possible to pack an HDMI cable and run it from your lap top to the TV and use it as a monitor.  This works at home anyway.  Perhaps others will comment.

 

This subject comes up from time to time, but the answer in general is yes, you can connect to the stateroom's flat panel television HDMI port to connect a blu-ray player, PC, PlayStation, and even an iPad (with a special Lightning to HDMI converter cable). 

 

Sometimes the TVs are set to Hotel mode which prevents you from accessing the TVs controls to switch to a different video source (e.g. HDMI 1) and sometimes the TVs can be switched with no problem.

 

PlayStation connected to stateroom television on Infinity.  Dec 28 2016

Edited September 9, 2019 by mahdnc

[Lilikins]

Well that’s disappointing. Yes, it’s a small thing but it’s the little touches that make a difference. When royal started charging for room service it was enough to make me book elsewhere. Sure in the grand scheme of things $5 for room service or a movie charge isn’t a lot when you are spending thousands on a trip but it still matters.

[billslowsky]

Is this for on-demand movies only or the channel that shows movies like Transformers at unpredictable times?

[PRH]

Found that Netflix, dish and amazon sometimes didn’t work because the internet source was “foreign” and was denied access.  Wouldn’t affect downloaded movies.

[Bo1953]

53 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, HAL does offer some movies for free.....but on the other hand, this line has recently eliminated all their Production Shows!  Perhaps they feel that offering movies is an acceptable alternative to live entertainment!  HAL remains the only cruise line that we have cruised that sometimes calls a documentary nature movie their main entertainment!  So sure, if you want movies then HAL might be a good choice :).

 

Hank

Thank you for '...the rest of the story' as it were...

 

bon voyage

[Cyber Kat]

2 hours ago, Nymich said:

ok MSNBC, FOX NEWS,  HGTV , food network,  ESPN,  and ESPN 2 and CNBC that I can remember 

 

They also have just as many celebrity channels in hopes of generating sales.

 
Thanks I guess he will find something from those - he likes the Food Network.  Wouldn't be his first pick, but it will do!

 

[bEwAbG]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

Really!  I had not heard about this.  We cruise HAL back in December and had free movies and entertainment in the theater.  Have they just discontinued the singers and dancers, or all forms of entertainment like guest singers, piano players, etc.?

 

They have stopped producing the standard version of a cruise ship show.  Hardly anything to be up in arms about, unless you like super cheesy entertainment with variable quality.  Theirs were better than Celebrity's, but that's not saying much.  The model for entertainment is changing across the industry.  HAL is also focusing a lot more on their live music options.

 

 

[GateGuardian]

15 hours ago, Muushka said:

 

PS We did a 2 week holiday cruise on HAL.  The movies were amazing.

And of course, the unlimited laundry package at $7 a day per cabin.

 

+1. I was on the Koningsdam and Statendam and they pretty much ad the latest digital releases for movies and they were all free!

[mikkelhansen]

3 hours ago, Nymich said:

ok MSNBC, FOX NEWS,  HGTV , food network,  ESPN,  and ESPN 2 and CNBC that I can remember 

 

They also have just as many celebrity channels in hopes of generating sales.

When was this? We cruised on Equinox in January, and this matches the available channels quite well. Was your cruise more recent than January?

I remember Food Network literally showing the same 3-4 episodes of The Kitchen, Worst Cooks in America, Guy's Grocery Games and Trisha's Southern Kitchen and a few other series throughout the day, so a movie from time to time would be a nice alternative.

Edited September 9, 2019 by mikkelhansen

[DYKWIA]

1 hour ago, Lilikins said:

Well that’s disappointing. Yes, it’s a small thing but it’s the little touches that make a difference. When royal started charging for room service it was enough to make me book elsewhere. Sure in the grand scheme of things $5 for room service or a movie charge isn’t a lot when you are spending thousands on a trip but it still matters.

 

On the infinity 2 weeks ago on demand movies were $14.99 (or thereabouts).  There was only one free choice  that was not on demand and changed daily - like it or lump it.  This was significantly less than previously on the Eclipse, which were also on demand. The system has always been glitchy though in our experience.

 

Wife and I decided we would bring our laptop next time - we have 1000s of films and TV programmes on our home Network so it's easy for us to bring a good selection with us.

[C 2 C]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, HAL does offer some movies for free.....but on the other hand, this line has recently eliminated all their Production Shows! 

 

Hank

Celebrity removed them several years ago and replaced them with amateur hour....  😉

[CruisinNole]

16 hours ago, Nymich said:

Sure thing they showed new releases like Footloose and Wizard of Oz up there.

The movie showing the day we booked an Alcove on Equinox was "Casablanca"! It was kind of fun watching it on the big screen.

Edited September 9, 2019 by CruisinNole

[Cruise Raider]

15 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

 

 

Please do not count on Unlimited Internet bringing you Prime and Netflix.  The signals are simply not good enough for a clear signal during your movie or to sustain a connection for that long.  As I mentioned earlier, I download movies onto my iPad before we cruise.

 

 

 

I believe it may (and I use the term 'may' loosely) depend on the signal strength of where are cruising at the time.  We had the unlimited internet on the Equinox once and I streamed tv and movies on my iPad all the time.  Never lost my connection once.  In Alaska ... I think that is an entirely different story, though.  

[Iamthesea]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Lightning to HDMI adapters are readily available.

 

Thanks!

 

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Our understanding is that they have now discontinued all the singers and dancers.  They are gone from the ships, their cabins are available to cram-in a few more passengers, etc.  They have apparently been replaced with more Guest Entertainers (who generally must perform on 2 nights) and some dance troupes (not sure if this is on all the ships).  We have not been able to determine if this is a temporary thing, a permanent policy shift, etc.  It might be interesting if CC would get a Senior Executive from HAL to come on CC (to answer questions) to address this and other issues.

 

Hank

 

I like the guest entertainers the best.

 

48 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

I believe it may (and I use the term 'may' loosely) depend on the signal strength of where are cruising at the time.  We had the unlimited internet on the Equinox once and I streamed tv and movies on my iPad all the time.  Never lost my connection once.  In Alaska ... I think that is an entirely different story, though.  

 

Oh, you were the guy in the stateroom next to me that was using up all of the nearby signal!  LOL  Seriously, trying to get a strong signal in the Mediterranean, for example, is challenging.

[finny2]

4 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

This subject comes up from time to time, but the answer in general is yes, you can connect to the stateroom's flat panel television HDMI port to connect a blu-ray player, PC, PlayStation, and even an iPad (with a special Lightning to HDMI converter cable). 

 

Sometimes the TVs are set to Hotel mode which prevents you from accessing the TVs controls to switch to a different video source (e.g. HDMI 1) and sometimes the TVs can be switched with no problem.

 

PlayStation connected to stateroom television on Infinity.  Dec 28 2016

Anybody tried this on the Edge?

[Nymich]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, HAL does offer some movies for free.....but on the other hand, this line has recently eliminated all their Production Shows!  Perhaps they feel that offering movies is an acceptable alternative to live entertainment!  HAL remains the only cruise line that we have cruised that sometimes calls a documentary nature movie their main entertainment!  So sure, if you want movies then HAL might be a good choice :).

 

Hank

Fair enough but you fail to mention the PROFESSIONAL musicians HAL has at BB Kings and Rolling Stone Rock Room.  By far the best I have seen at Sea.  It isn't even close btw.  First time I ever saw a band on land or sea open with Hendrix "Hey Joe"

[Nymich]

5 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

No free on demand movies on Reflection-as of now 9/2019

Thanks for the update stitch.

[Nymich]

3 hours ago, mikkelhansen said:

When was this? We cruised on Equinox in January, and this matches the available channels quite well. Was your cruise more recent than January?

I remember Food Network literally showing the same 3-4 episodes of The Kitchen, Worst Cooks in America, Guy's Grocery Games and Trisha's Southern Kitchen and a few other series throughout the day, so a movie from time to time would be a nice alternative.

Yes the Aug 31 sailing