MS Oosterdam, Karaoke

I thought I’d give you all some respite from the blue skies, turquoise waters and lush green tropical island vegetation that is so typical of the South Pacific and talk about the serious subject of karaoke.

We couldn’t have been more fortunate to discover there was a karaoke competition on board the Oosterdam.  Lucky for me because I love to watch other people make fools of themselves and lucky for Carl because he’s not afraid of behaving like a fool.

Karaoke is held in the Queens Lounge that has a stage with razzle-dazzle lighting and there’s comfortable lounge-room type seating and if you’d prefer more of a raised view, you can sit at stools around the bar.


The first night of competition was relentless in exposing all that is good and bad about karaoke.  It seemed the worse people performed, the more the crowd got behind them and the louder the applause (and laughter).  Carl sang that karaoke favourite, ‘My Way’ and made it through to the finals.

On final’s night Carl thought he’d like to sing Suspicious Minds but rules are rules and he was only allowed to sing the song he sang in the first heat so it was ‘their way’ as he again sang, My Way.

He did received very good feedback from the judges with one saying he sounds exactly like Elvis and another saying he has a voice he could listen to all day but he didn’t win.  But he was given a Holland America Line baggage tag for his efforts as well as a lapel pin, again, more HAL merchandise.  Better than going home empty-handed I guess.

The winner was an American woman who is a ‘professional actress’ as opposed to an ‘actress’ who said she had just come from ‘an off-Broadway show’.  She sang Caberet and walked away with a $300 painting.

And did I sing?  Well someone had to be at the bar and ordering the drinks – that’s the sort of sacrificial person I am.

Here’s some very amateur video footage of all that went down…

Heat 1:  My Way Elvis style…

Heat 2:  New York, New York, Sinatra style…

And it’s so hard sometimes getting people away from the stage.  Here he is, having not won ‘Karaoke Champion’, singing with the HAL Cats (cruise ship band), singing Suspicious Minds…

And there was more, more, more than what I’m sharing but I think enough is enough.  I hope you can see that we did more than just snorkel amongst the coral!

These evenings were so much fun I miss them very much.

You can read about our other experiences on the Oosterdam here:

MS Oosterdam – Pacific Treasures Cruise

MS Oosterdam – An Overview

MS Oosterdam – The Pinnacle Grill

MS Oosterdam – The Dining Experience

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Comments

  1. Honestly, he has the best voice, Charlie. That CD in the car was played until Pete finally banned it after Christmas! Such a treat to listen to Carl sing again, thank you for sharing these! 🙂 xxx

  2. I think I’d be the one giving it my all at the bar too; I must say kareoke has never been on my list of things to do! In fact, I’ve never done it. It does look like you have your hands full with Carl! I’m really glad you had such a good time, thanks for sharing it with us.

  3. Well really I think Carl should have won, not fair of a ‘professional’ to enter the comp. At least he got to sing Suspicious Minds with the band. Loved his Elvis version of My Way.

  4. Goodness Charlie, your Carl has a fabulous voice! What a pity Archie wasn’t with you, they could have had a Karaoke-off and I’m sure the father-son story would have beat the ‘professional actress’ 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  5. I am always impressed at people who have the courage to do karaoke. I don’t, but then I also have no singing ability – which Carl clearly does have!

  6. I have done a lot of karaoke in my day and none is more fun than the kind you find on cruise ships!

  7. You’ve got to do something in the evening after a day in the sun. I vote for enjoying some good drinks and watching other people show off their musical talents. Kudos to Carl for continuing on to the finals.

  8. He even sang with an American accent! So tell us, does he sing you to sleep at night? You lucky woman. 🙂

  9. I did not expect to be serenaded this a.m. What a fantastic voice Carl possesses. He should have won.

    My son recently sang Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” during a karaoke competition. He has the perfect deep voice for that song, which was one of his favs as a young lad. I wish I had been a mouse in the corner.

    What fun this cruise was for your family and what memories built.

  10. Wow – Charlie, Carl sounds FANTASTIC! Yall sure had some wonderful evenings!

  11. Hehe, I have always wanted to do karaoke! Maybe I will add that to my bucket list! 😉 xo

  12. Well Carl would definitely have got my vote and I would have to help you at the bar – me and singing, well they just don’t go together.
    Have a wonderful weekend Charlie.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  13. Love the “serious” post on karaoke!

  14. That’s so far from any karaoke I’ve ever heard. Carl was fantastic, very impressive. You will NEVER get me on the karaoke stage, so I suppose it’s ordering the drinks with you then. GG

  15. Wow…I am impressed. Carl has a great voice. I think I could attempt karaoke only if I was the one ordering drinks and drinking them! I’d have to have a few under my belt before getting on stage, but then I don’t have a voice like Carl’s!

  16. Having seen Carl perform live, the man has talent. I do imagine you telling him that he has to come home with a trophy though! 😛

  17. If I could sing like Carl I’d sing and sing till I drove everyone mad. pity he didn’t win

  18. I’m so glad to know that you took the responsible position at the bar – it is very important to keep the voice (and the listener) well lubricated. 😉

  19. Carl’s got talent! What a great voice and a little bit of Elvis always goes a long way. Shame about the ‘professional’ actress winning though.

  20. That is a blast!

  21. So fun to hear Carl perform! He is really terrific! I agree with one of the other comments mentioning how fun it would have been for Archie to perform, too! I think there will be other cruises in your future. The two of you make the most out of the experience!

  22. Your whole family is so talented, Charlie. And Carl sounds amazing!

  23. What a fun night indeed! I definitely think Carl sound have won, even better if Archie was there and they could have sung a duet 🙂 A nice way to start the day with a song xox

  24. Oh wow go Carl! What a voice 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  25. Damn Charlie 🙂 I’m reading this post at work so I can’t exactly load the videos yet but I’m sure Carl sounds fantastic and actually I didn’t know he sung because I always thought it was just Archie who was into the music! I see it runs in the famiilly xx

  26. fantastic karaoke

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