Each of our cruises had a variety of activities in the evenings. I think the biggest difference between the two ships was the amount of music venues. On the Eurodam, your choices were Rolling Stone Lounge, Billboard Onboard (piano players), Ocean Bar, and Explorers Lounge (classical music). On the Koningsdam, you had all of those plus the BB King’s Blues Club. On each ship, we were partial to the Rolling Stone Lounge bands.
Both ships also offered Game Nights and were well-attended. These games included the ever-popular Game of Love (how well do you know your other half?), as well as Secret Identities, La La Land, Build the Scene, Poorly Explained Movie Plots, and Call My Bluff – just to name a few.
Both ships showed movies but only the Koningsdam showed movies at night. It has a big screen in the Lido pool area and you can relax on the padded loungers. During the movies you can get food such as chicken wings and sliders from the NY Deli and Pizza venue. Fresh popcorn is prepared on the Lido deck. Some of the movies shown during our cruise were Arthur the King, Song Sung Blue, The Senior, and Eternity.
On the Eurodam, you can watch movies, but they were shown in the afternoons at the Rolling Stone Lounge. Fresh popcorn was served. Some of the movies shown were Nobody 2, Materialists, and Love Hurts.
Note: You can find all the movies that they show on the big screens available on your TV in the stateroom. There are many other movie titles to choose from also.
Chuck and I almost always went to the World Stage shows. Those 45-minute shows are held at 7:30 and 9:00. We would usually go to the 9:00 show as it was less crowded than the 7:30 show.
We saw comedians:
and Singers/Musicians:
and the shows performed by the HAL Singers and Dancers:
I was very impressed with the HAL singers and dancers on both ships. There was a time that I could not give that praise. They were so amateurish, it was embarrassing to watch. Eventually, HAL did away with them and hired the Step One Dance Company. They were okay for a while, but they didn’t change their shows and we stopped going. HAL has once again employed their own singers and dancers, and we thought they were very good.
NOTE: HAL asks the audience not to videotape performances. Not hard to see who ignores that request when the phones light up. You can probably look up on You Tube and find some clips of these performances.
Both ships sponsored the Lido Fun Fair one evening. Games such as ring toss, tic-tac-toe, and hole-in-one golf putt were set up around the Lido pool. Participants collected raffle tickets and prizes were given to those who held the lucky tickets. Nice prizes too – dinner at the Canaletto, a stuffed Lewie the Lion, a HAL flower vase were some of the items I heard were won.
Both ships hosted the Orange Party one evening. Orange is the national Dutch color. It represents the legacy of William of Orange, the House of Orange-Nassau, and the Netherlands’ fight for independence. Everyone is encouraged to wear something orange that evening. You will see all manner of orange attire. Don’t worry if you forgot to bring something orange to wear – the shops have plenty of orange items to sell you – including wigs, hats, feather boas, and oversized glasses.
Typically, the popular Bar Hop (a fee) also happens that evening and all the participants end their night doing a conga line at the Party. Lots of dancing and the Orange Party venue gets very crowded.
The Koningsdam had a special evening on one of the dressy nights – the Koningsdam Ball by the Lido pool. The Rolling Stone Lounge band played and officers and HAL singers and dancers danced with the guests. It was a very nice evening.
Chuck and I spent time in the Casino too. However, on the Koningsdam, we found the Casino very crowded in the late evenings, so we tried to go only in the early evening. One night, during one of the special drawings, Chuck’s name was selected and he got some of the free play money. On the Eurodam, we partnered with our Canadian friends and had a good time laughing and cheering each other on.
When all the activities for the evening were over, I usually ended my night with a hot cup of Sleepy Time tea while looking at the stars from the balcony.
Next up: Ports of Call
