Been away for awhile and was wondering...

[elycelynne]

I had switched to Princess for my last three cruises because I got really bored during the day (even on sea days) on my last HAL cruise (Zuiderdam partial Panama Canal, winter of 2016, I think).  Are daytime activities still lacking, or had things picked up?  Also, I was wondering about the variety of nighttime entertainment.  I don't really gamble, so the casino isn't a destination for me.  I assume there's still a mainstage show.  I also know that piano bars have given way to the Billboard lounge, and of course there's B.B. King and Lincoln Center Stage.  Is there anything else, like "game shows" or karaoke?  

 

I know that there are many of you who don't need to be "entertained" and that's great, but as a solo I feel like I need to take part in some organized activities.  Thanks in advance!

 

Elyce

 

[Mary229]

It is probably about the same.  After the pandemic I would imagine many things may suffer cutbacks and entertainment may be at the top of the list.    I think much of it depends on itinerary and ship.  I do tend to think Princess has more activity  but on HAL’s longer voyages I find we have more social engagement with other passengers especially if I join the roll call ahead of time and arrange joint activity.

 

my sister long ago told me to enjoy a cruise do everything and I do.  On sea days we often find ourselves dividing to conquer the schedule.  Some we like, some we don’t but all we will tend to find some form of engagement, even if it is only to giggle about it later 

[aliaschief]

Too early to tell. Plus none of us know what to expect when cruising returns.

[elycelynne]

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

Too early to tell. Plus none of us know what to expect when cruising returns.

I know that the future can't be predicted, but I was hoping for answers based on pre-pandemic experience just to get a general idea.

[Crew News]

Daily activities are very subjective so I will attach a link below of the When and Where programs for my last 7-day Caribbean cruise for your evaluation.  I did discover the daily afternoon tea and was impressed with the quality of free snacks. 

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/caribbean-ms-nieuw-statendam-7-day-including-cozumel-when-where-2019

[elycelynne]

48 minutes ago, Crew News said:

Daily activities are very subjective so I will attach a link below of the When and Where programs for my last 7-day Caribbean cruise for your evaluation.  I did discover the daily afternoon tea and was impressed with the quality of free snacks. 

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/caribbean-ms-nieuw-statendam-7-day-including-cozumel-when-where-2019

Thanks!  That was very helpful. 😄

[Crew News]

6 minutes ago, elycelynne said:

Thanks!  That was very helpful. 😄

Here is a link to the When & Where programs for Alaska on a sister ship to your Ms Zuiderdam experience:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/westerdam-alaska-2019-when-where-northbound

[MARYVB]

Just wanted to say that reading these schedules made me CRAVE my next cruise. I can't wait until November!

Thanks for the post.

[carolyn22]

I got bored on my last HAL cruise (2017), and I can’t believe that I am saying that. I had been on numerous HAL cruises before then and had always found plenty to fill my days and evenings. In 2017 there were few activities I was interested in on sea days.  It didn’t use to be that way.  Even the evening entertainment was severely lacking. I thought perhaps it was because I had been sailing some of the Royal Caribbean ships, which are chockablock full of things to do. Then I did a Celebrity cruise in 2018 and was never bored for a second. 
 

Everyone has different things that are important to them on a cruise. For some people it’s all about the food. For others it’s the service. For me I guess it’s the activities and evening entertainment. Unless HAL gets back to what they used to be in that area, I will probably look at other cruise lines. Which is sad, because HAL used to be my go to cruise line. 

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, carolyn22 said:

I got bored on my last HAL cruise (2017)

Just curious what ship?  We prefer whenever possible to sail on the larger, newer ships because of the added entertainment (BB King, Rock/Roll Room).  We usually go on port-intensive cruises and like to use sea days as rest/catch-up days.  But I do like entertainment at night.

[elycelynne]

11 hours ago, Crew News said:

Here is a link to the When & Where programs for Alaska on a sister ship to your Ms Zuiderdam experience:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/westerdam-alaska-2019-when-where-northbound

Thanks again.  Westerdam was my first HAL ship!

[albingirl]

The entertainment we really missed was the three piece band in the Ocean Bar for Happy Hour.  We really enjoyed the music and watching the talented guests who loved to dance.  When they eliminated that, it tended to be a very boring afternoon before dinner.

 

[carolyn22]

52 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Just curious what ship?  We prefer whenever possible to sail on the larger, newer ships because of the added entertainment (BB King, Rock/Roll Room).  We usually go on port-intensive cruises and like to use sea days as rest/catch-up days.  But I do like entertainment at night.

I believe it was the Eurodam. BB King was where I ended up most nights, but I do like a little more variety rather than hitting the same venue most every night.  Lincoln Stage was just OK t me, although I know a lot of people like it. So many people were standing around for that because of limited seating and the fact that there wasn’t much else to do in the evening unless you went to BB King or the casino. I used to cruise on the Maasdam a lot on the 10/11 night cruises out of Norfolk about 15 years ago, and I never got bored during the day or evening. 

[elycelynne]

9 minutes ago, carolyn22 said:

I believe it was the Eurodam. BB King was where I ended up most nights, but I do like a little more variety rather than hitting the same venue most every night.  Lincoln Stage was just OK t me, although I know a lot of people like it. So many people were standing around for that because of limited seating and the fact that there wasn’t much else to do in the evening unless you went to BB King or the casino. I used to cruise on the Maasdam a lot on the 10/11 night cruises out of Norfolk about 15 years ago, and I never got bored during the day or evening. 

I used to hang out in the old piano bar at night after the early mainstage show ended.  You could usually count on lots of singing along and other fun interaction, which was ideal for me as a solo cruiser.  Now it seems like it's limited to choosing which music you want to just sit and listen to night after night ("lather, rinse, repeat").  Is that pretty accurate?

 

(I also used to hate that daytime trivia was scheduled smack dab in the middle of lunch at 1:00, but that's another story.)

[rsldonk]

Honestly noticed this as well. But HAL does tend to have an older clientele so I think they may be part of it. I would have loved karaoke though and wondered why they didn’t have it, considering it’s not a huge investment for them 

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, elycelynne said:

I also used to hate that daytime trivia was scheduled smack dab in the middle of lunch at 1:00,

 

Yes.  The timing for some of the activities were terrible.  

 

22 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Too early to tell. Plus none of us know what to expect when cruising returns.

 

I agree that what "has been" may not be "what will be".  The President of the company has been changed and who knows how many of those Executive Vice-Presidents in charge of "whatever" have left.  Who knows what the expectations for HAL be that comes out of Corporate in Miami?  

 

My most two recent HAL cruises on the Volendam and the Eurodam in December, 2019 and January, 2020 were most encouraging in the improvement of my cruise experiences.  Better entertainment, better menu selections, better preparations of what was being served in the dining venues:  I disembarked the Eurodam with the feeling that HAL was on another upswing.  Then, Covid hit.  

 

There has been one constant that has remained for decades: the crew and their service and friendliness.   

[elycelynne]

21 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Yes.  The timing for some of the activities were terrible.  

 

 

I agree that what "has been" may not be "what will be".  The President of the company has been changed and who knows how many of those Executive Vice-Presidents in charge of "whatever" have left.  Who knows what the expectations for HAL be that comes out of Corporate in Miami?  

 

My most two recent HAL cruises on the Volendam and the Eurodam in December, 2019 and January, 2020 were most encouraging in the improvement of my cruise experiences.  Better entertainment, better menu selections, better preparations of what was being served in the dining venues:  I disembarked the Eurodam with the feeling that HAL was on another upswing.  Then, Covid hit.  

 

There has been one constant that has remained for decades: the crew and their service and friendliness.   

Either 1:00 or 3:00 right at tea time! 🙄

 

I've been on Princess for my last three cruises.  There was definitely more to do, both daytime and evening, and I do like that they give solo cruisers double cruise credits since we have to pay double.  The availability and variety of food is also slightly better than HAL.  However, HAL's cabins (except for the closets -- Princess has one long hanging bar) are definitely roomier and the food quality is just a bit better.  I'm going to pay attention to feedback once cruising starts up again to see if activities have improved enough for me to give HAL another shot.

Edited May 29, 2021 by elycelynne

[rkacruiser]

1 minute ago, elycelynne said:

  There was definitely more to do, both daytime and evening,

 

It takes much more time to read Princess Patters than it does HAL's When and Where.

 

2 minutes ago, elycelynne said:

However, HAL's cabins (except for the closets -- Princess has one long hanging bar) are definitely roomier and the food quality is just a bit better.  

 

Roomier on HAL?  It depends on the category and on which Class of vessel.  That comment also probably applies to a Princess ship.  It's a difficult comparison.  My mini-suite on Coral Princess was wonderful.  Did it compare to a Vista Suite on HAL?  No, and I didn't expect it to do so.  Never have been a "fan" of the closet and how one needs to store one's hanging clothes on Princess.  The best that I can say about it is:  it works.       

[elycelynne]

3 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

It takes much more time to read Princess Patters than it does HAL's When and Where.

 

 

Roomier on HAL?  It depends on the category and on which Class of vessel.  That comment also probably applies to a Princess ship.  It's a difficult comparison.  My mini-suite on Coral Princess was wonderful.  Did it compare to a Vista Suite on HAL?  No, and I didn't expect it to do so.  Never have been a "fan" of the closet and how one needs to store one's hanging clothes on Princess.  The best that I can say about it is:  it works.       

I've only sailed on standard balcony rooms on both lines.  Definitely roomier on HAL.  Tiny showers on Princess.  On Princess I like that the closet is set off from the cabin itself and you don't have to worry about getting whacked by a closet door on your way to the bathroom.  (I do hang a lot of clothes, so I appreciate not having to squeeze them into two fairly narrow "wardrobes" (for lack of a better word).  

 

Anyway, there are tradeoffs all around!