musicpro442

"She was pretty good but her skills are definitely those of a soprano. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by her rendition of Proud Mary."

I also went to the show tonight.    She had two standing ovations at the show I attended, and the house was about 80% full.   Her resume includes opening for some big pop names and Carnegie Hall. 

I'm certain she has to perform some soprano repertoire to keep the guests happy who love classical music.  But what was classical-like was done in a way everyone could enjoy.  Clearly they enjoyed it, hence the aforementioned double standing ovations.

If the theater wasn't busy, the fault rests with the management for not promoting her show as multi-genre.  And you'll never hear another singer on ships perform Bohemian Rhapsody straight through with all the voices.

I'd say she was more than pretty good.  

16 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

i didn't see it mentioned but Ezra has been a bartender on Princess for a couple of years.  Her proud mom posts on at least one FB and possibly here - hard to tell since no one uses their real names on CC.

 

@azbirdmom, Ezra is most definitely not, and has never been, a bartender on Princess.  She was one of the initial Fortuna Luck/Pirate Queens on the first Medallion class ships.  She also graduated from that to becoming a Princess Influencer on TikTok with an astounding amount of followers.

I'm not sure where you got your information.  Try again.

On 10/22/2021 at 1:01 PM, CineGraphic said:

I've read here that this has been quite common lately. I keep my medallion in one of my pockets anyway, so it really doesn't matter.

It's just a shame that they have so much trouble getting simple things right pre-cruise.

Thankfully, the service on board seems to more than make up for the pre-cruise screw-ups.

Meh.  Just borrow an extra fine point Sharpie from the cruise staff and color around the Sea Witch. Keep 'em all guessing and make your own status that way.  😁

On 1/7/2020 at 6:07 PM, mellon1 said:

You read my mind.  I was just wondering if we would be @ 4 or 21 on our first turnaround.  We usually do Walgreens after our first leg and get whatever we need.  Do you know how many miles pier 21 is to Walgreens?  

You'll probably want to taxi or Uber to Walgreens from 21.  It's at least 2 miles and though walkable, not a terribly convenient or safe walk with all the port traffic. You'll also have to pass through the port security coming back in. 

Ubers are fairly cheap though - $5-7 for a quick one way there.

Hope that helps.

3 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

These are people that are on a cruise ship, on vacation.  I live in California and I’ve been around a lot of entertainers; I’m so sorry if I haven’t been in the right environment , lol.

I didn't write the RIGHT environment.  I wrote THAT TYPE of environment.  

Big difference.

But, if you would like to talk about a "right environment", when you can actually stand on a stage and be trained to perform some of the hardest music to sing or play, perhaps you'll be more qualified to judge a classical judge from their perspective. Perhaps that's why they called her to be on the panel, to lend a legitimate, classically trained perspective.

If you don't know the whole story, just sit back and enjoy, as most cruisers on vacation do, instead of finding some minutiae to pick someone you've never met apart about.

On 10/13/2019 at 12:19 AM, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I honestly don’t know why it matters if someone comes from a small town or a large city because hard work is hard work.  I wasn’t impressed with her because while she was one of the judges for the Voice of the Ocean show she gave her critique and she  commented on how they didn’t pronounce certain letters correctly.  She did this not once but twice.  Both times the singers were from Japan and I found her comments to be quite rude. I was embarrassed for her.  I thought about saying something to Matt O but I never had the chance.  

 

Matt, if you’re reading this will you please say something to her.

If an English singer sings in a foreign language, they're expected to sing the language's correct diction.

Ms. McCulloch is a highly skilled, highly trained opera singer, and having also been an instrumentalist in a conservatory environment, and the rigors and critiques that are put upon musicians and vocalists in that setting, I can say that her criticism, regardless of intention, is part of her training and was perfectly valid.

Perhaps you haven't been in that type of environment to understand where she's coming from.  And, having met her several times, I can say she is a lovely, kind person who most likely had no ill intent other than making sure the English language was properly sung.

On 8/21/2019 at 5:10 PM, tjcletzgo said:

Can anyone tell me what shows are on the Royal?  What is good and what isn't?  Is Silk playing?

Thanks so much!

I would recommend going to everything for a few minutes and stand in the back.  If it's not your cup of tea, at least you gave it a try.  If you do enjoy it, go find a seat and have fun. 

Also, word is that Secret Silk will not be running for several months.  I heard from the current entertainers onboard that the creative team is reworking material that violates a very specific and niche intellectual property rights issue.  Which may involve more original Schwartz songs.  That's a positive, at least. 

On 8/21/2019 at 7:11 PM, XBGuy said:

 

is Encore, the one that includes operatic arias?  I'll be on the Royal Princess in September, and that might motivate me to catch one of the Princess Theater shows.

It does feature a few operatic arias, mostly by the guest soprano, but there are other enjoyable numbers as well.  Something for everyone, I feel.  

On 8/21/2019 at 7:53 PM, Bwana Tom said:

We just got off the Royal on a b2b cruise to Alaska this month. We found the entertainment to be severely lacking. The comedian A.J. Jamal was great, but we went to most of the shows and found the others to be much less entertaining than on our previous cruises. Barbi the opera singer spent a great deal of her time bragging about how great and wonderful she was, 

I've seen Barbi's show many times on several ships and I beg to differ.  I think she presents a very inspiring show of what someone from a small town can achieve with enough dedication.  If anything is ever mentioned about how "great and wonderful" she is, it's only to emphasize the above and to motivate others to do the same.  

I don't believe you saw the same show DW and I have seen of hers over the course of several cruises  on Royal and other ships.  

She's quite humble in person if you met her, by the way.  She told a couple in front of us in line, "If I gave you what you needed, I fulfilled my purpose tonight."

I'd hardly call that bragging.

Solomon Jaye is outstanding.  I enjoy the fact that he tap dances in his show but DW and I agreed his genre choice is somehat limited and his show is too long.  Barbi McCulloch (the correct spelling I believe) does a solo show which is completely different from Encore.  We've seen her as a headliner on several ships.  Nothing opera.  Everything from the alien song from The Fifth Element to Whitney Houston and Bohemian Rhapsody.  Her genre and vocal range is unbelievable.  DW and I loved the tribute to her grandmother.  Very inspiring show and nothing like it I've seen on ships, more like what I'd see at 54 Below in New York City but in a large theater. 

Jennifer Singer is, in my opinion, a lackluster vocalist with the exception of one Celine Dion number at the end of her show.  DW and I have seen her before and nothing to write home about.  Worth skipping for a game show or trivia with Matt O any day of the week.

AJ Jamal is always funny.  I find myself laughing every time I see his show, even if I know the punchlines.  

Secret Silk is temporarily withdrawn due to an intellectual property/ rights issue fleetwide.  Not sure when it'll be back.  But Encore is a great classical crossover show in my opinion.

Colors of the World was also withdrawn but will be returning soon.  Princess is also going to test out a smaller production show with Fee Fee and the Sentiments as the stars.  Rumor has it they will be on the Sky with this show.

Those are my recommendations and agreements.  Everything is worth seeing once, in my opinion.  Some more than once.

My insiders tell me they're doing it next month on the Star and that a potential reality documentary might possibly be in play but that's all I'm allowed to say at the moment.  

Nominees for 2019 are Doug Funk, Phillip Brown, Kieran Powell, and my favorite, comic impressionist Mike Wilson.  

Yes they do.  I'm doing another SB on Royal because the deal was just too good to pass up and they handed me an extra Patter for DW at the front desk when I asked.

This, by the way, is the new Patter format for the Medallion ships.  I like it.  Easier to read.

On 7/22/2019 at 7:43 AM, Winesome said:

Upcoming Alaska cruise Aug 3 - 10, wondering what shows there are

Just left Royal.  Shows on offer were:

Sweet Soul Music, Colors of the World, Encore featuring the fabulous soprano Barbi McCulloch (whom we have seen many times on many ships), and, if all goes according to plan, the new version of Secret Silk with two new songs by Stephen Schwartz and Team will open soon.  

I was just onboard and got to know quite a few of the entertainers so perhaps I can ask to confirm anything new closer to the date.

Have fun!  She's a lovely lady.

1 minute ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Is he the Captain?   🤔

Just happy to be back as the second ranked CD in the fleet, I'd gather.  

For all you Matt O' fans:

He's back and apparently just arrived today.  With a new haircut, lots more sway in his hips when he walks, and a new style of spectacles.

Lucky me for booking this cruise!  This will be good.  😁

16 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

I have been patient and it been ages since we last saw anything new.

Maybe the Beatlemaniacs  was the last new show they've had.....and today it can't be considered new any longer.

Maybe we cruise to much to expect anything really new.

But overall is cruising too much a bad thing?  😁

2 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

All I can say is that Princess certainly isn't taking much of a gamble with their guest entertainers over the past 15 to 20 years. 

Most businesses don't.

Would you if you had to spend thousands per week on new talent that you don't know will be well received? 

Be patient.  There are great new acts coming up every year.  But they have to first prove themselves to be all over the fleet.

10 hours ago, MissP22 said:

Understood, but they certainly could bring in some different guest entertainers from time to time instead of the same old ones that haven't changed their routine in 20 years. They consistently reuse the same ones over & over. I'm sure there must be some different performers who would like to perform on a cruise ship for a change.

Oh, well, that's a different set of old and tired vs. the production shows.  They do bring in new acts every year (in fact, I'm told there is a booker in Santa Clarita who does just that) but hiring new guest entertainers is a risk for the line because a) they've only seen a 15-minute showcase or a 5-minute reel before they booked them and b) the performers are rarely polished their first few shows trying to learn each demographic for each specific line.  And if their shows aren't well received or attended, the ship's and the entertainers' ratings might suffer, which, if you don't know how the system works, could be their death knell before they've ever even begun.

It's a gamble and it's hard to predict what each cruise of passengers will want.  Someone's always going to be disappointed.  And if you don't go to every single solo show because, "oh, I don't like soul/Broadway/instrumental/classical" then you can't really complain about the acts being old and tired because, in my experience, there's usually at least one new act onboard I haven't seen before, even if it's not my cup of tea.   

Maybe you haven't seen the new-ish ones like Solomon Jaye, Jassen Allen, Lou Gazzara, Barbi McCulloch, Divas3, Andrew Diessner, Ashlie Amber Harris, etc., but they are phenomenal new acts, many with great resumes on land, who are getting a shot alongside the veterans.

Again, booking new talent is always a gamble with new acts, and the industry is trying to redefine itself to suit the influx of newer, younger cruisers.

Patience.

9 hours ago, cattman said:

 

 

.... old tired shows instead of the new Stephen Schwartz shows we saw on the Regal, boring menus, lousy selections in the International Cafe). Also, the Royal's elevators seemed painfully slow - something we never noticed aboard the Regal.

You do know the Royal is slightly older than the Regal and that two of those "old, tired shows" are identical on both?

You also know that shows have to run an average of 5-10 years before companies spend millions to have them replaced, don't you?

If not, now you know.

Yet, they did replace a show. Encore just launched on the Royal in late 2017 and a year before that in 2016 on the Island and Coral.

I'd hardly call that show old.  

#TheMoreYouKnow

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Many of us warned people that this ship is not a good choice for Alaska. We did not know the exact route but I based on a dozen trips to Alaska - I could not imagine this ship would be a good choice for a variety of reasons. And I was not the only one who advised against this.

Feh.  It's just a day or so.  Rather like any missed port due to weather conditions but slightly better than a missed port.  If you know the drill, choose the smaller ships.  Problem solved.

Royal will be fine.  It'll have to.  Too many plans and itineraries otherwise.  As we say in our family, don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed. 

On 5/5/2019 at 5:37 PM, 1emerald1 said:

 

 

Question - on my post cruise survey I listed several crew members for commendation.  Does anyone know if the crew member is made aware of the passengers name who made comments on the survey?

Yes for the most part.

Santa Clarita reads every comment and everything is forwarded back to the ship for commendations/improvements.  Many crew members will get better assignments onboard and in the future based on positive reviews, and new projects/ideas by staff and management will continue to be implemented and repeated if there's positive feedback.

Also don't forget the officers and guest entertainers as well.  Officers are always wanting to be promoted to better positions and for the privilege of opening ship inagurals.  Guest entertainers, while passengers, are still independent contractors with Princess, and based on positive feedback, will get more bookings on more ships, and thus be considered for the annual Entertainer of the Year finals.

Every single comment to everyone you see working for Princess helps.  Positive, negative, or in between feedback as long as there is a substantial reason for it, and not just an opinion, are valid.  One sentence negative opinions without a reason or explanation are generally ignored, from what I've been told.

I make a point to praise every employee I enjoy because too many people complain and not enough praise.  The praises matter as much as the complaints.

Feedback really changes lives onboard.  Glad you took the time to do it.  

Quote

 

On 5/7/2019 at 1:29 AM, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Your thread title may be a little unfair. As you have said, Emerald is your first Princess cruise so on what basis do you pronounce her "the ugly sister of the fleet"? You haven't yet seen any of the other ships as yet. All the older ships such as Sea, Sun, Golden and Star surely get a look in.

 

If you are comparing Emerald to QM2 or Harmony of the Seas, you may have a case for Princess not being up to scratch compared with the cruise lines of those ships. However, you then should then also compare her to Rhapsody and Vision or with the Oriana and Oceana to see which cruise line actually comes out on top.

 

You may or may not have a case, but your review is too idiosyncratic to be very useful to anyone else.

Hear hear.

Also I add this.

In my family we have a saying:  "Don't expect much and you won't be disppointed."

You could also substitute the word "compare" as well.

Try Regal or the upcoming Sky when they're in Europe if you want all the bells and whistles Princess has on their newer ships.  

Could be the Panama Canal as it's Panamax width and occasionally scrapes the Canal in its many transits.

13 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

It is a Princess filter in place to control in part information flowing off the ships. Many of the sites blocked use a great amount of bandwidth, those are blocked to allow Princess to offer services with less total bandwidth and save money. Some sites are block becasue know to involve illegal activities, others becasue these have done things against Princess or can effect the cruise line.  It is but no means a standard filter. But many lines do these same actions, it is not just Princess. Again if you use a VPN.

 

VPN Virtual Private Network sets up a  private network across a public network or the network you are using, and enables you to send and receive data without the host net work knowing what it is. Can be used on laptop, desktop, smartphone giving the user functioning use without blocking, security, and management of the private network. Most are also Encrypted for added safety.

 

Also, Firefox Focus for smartphones is a very private internet browser and I've been able to view blocked sites on many different networks with it.  Quite fast as well. 

54 minutes ago, billco said:

I was going on two things prior to the cruise:

1. Princess promotes MedallionNet as the industry standard with speeds as good or better than hotel WiFi. We sailed on the Celebrity Millennium several years ago from Vancouver to Yokohama with unlimited internet of speeds around 2 Mbps.

2. People on CC have been posting screenshots of speeds much higher than what I have seeing.

 

 

 

Yes but were the screenshots of speeds on similar transatlantic cruises?