Why are the Princess theaters so small?

They only have 1 floor of seats and very low ceiling, unlike other cruise lines (Royal, Celebrity, Costa) where they got a first and second floor balcony to seat more people.

In our recent cruise in Majestic Princess, people would line up for evening shows 1 hour before, and when we arrive 5-10 minutes before the show starts the close the doors and block other people from entering. People who insist on merely standing at the back to witness the performance still cannot enter. So they got small theaters limited seats, and yet they are gonna block people off from entering :(

Seems like adequate number of seats we do come about a half hour before show. They do sometimes offer production shows 3x a night which works well so everyone can see the show

They only have 1 floor of seats and very low ceiling, unlike other cruise lines (Royal, Celebrity, Costa) where they got a first and second floor balcony to seat more people.

 

In our recent cruise in Majestic Princess, people would line up for evening shows 1 hour before, and when we arrive 5-10 minutes before the show starts the close the doors and block other people from entering. People who insist on merely standing at the back to witness the performance still cannot enter. So they got small theaters limited seats, and yet they are gonna block people off from entering :(

Not only are they small but unsafe.....every Princess ship we have been on you have to get there very early (at least 45 minutes early) to get a seat and just waste time. Also, there is almost never any Princess staff in there to prevent trouble over saving seats and then they let people sit on the stairs in the aisles which makes it difficult to navigate....one of the few faults we find with Princess....:cool:

In our recent cruise in Majestic Princess, people would line up for evening shows 1 hour before, :(

Those are passengers who are familiar with the way Princess does things.

If this was your first Princess cruise, welcome! Next time you will know how to have good seats for the Princess Theater.:D

Remember that different cruiselines do things differently.

Yeah this is our princess cruise, do they close their theatres all the time?

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Yeah this is our princess cruise, do they close their theatres all the time?

 

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If the theater was full then I would guess that some form of Fire Regulations require it.

This is the trend with all cruise lines. Carnival newest ships (Vista/Horizon and mostly like the Panorama) theater is only one level, a few years ago they demolish the multiple level theater on Carnival Sunshine/Destiny and they might do the same for Carnival Triumph next year

All of Norwegian newest ship (Breakaway, Getaway, Escape,Bliss) also has a one level theater layout too.

The problem with a muti level theater is it does not produce revenue (sales) for the cruise line. Only for bingo sometimes and any bar sales. the cruise line will like to use that extra space to either cram in more cabins or other venue that produces money

They really do have enough capacity to allow everyone on the ship to attend one of the performances but it might not be the one you prefer.

The only solution is not to spend so much time talking at dinner when there's a special show you want to see at a specific time.

It works for us all the time.

Unlike some other cruise lines, there are multiple entertainment options throughout the evening in different theaters, lounges, bars, etc. Plus, you don’t have to pay or make a reservation.

We don't go to a lot of shows. I'm just not a huge fan. However, when we do, it's always the second show. I can't remember not being able to get seats and we arrive, at most, 15 minutes early.

They only have 1 floor of seats and very low ceiling, unlike other cruise lines (Royal, Celebrity, Costa) where they got a first and second floor balcony to seat more people.

 

In our recent cruise in Majestic Princess, people would line up for evening shows 1 hour before, and when we arrive 5-10 minutes before the show starts the close the doors and block other people from entering. People who insist on merely standing at the back to witness the performance still cannot enter. So they got small theaters limited seats, and yet they are gonna block people off from entering :(

Because Majestic has some awesome shows not to be missed.....the flying drones,...180 degree visuals around the theater, video mapping...so cool....

I have seen all Broadway shows on RCI...they are just like Broadway,..

Fantastic Journey at least from my cruise experience, is very unique.

BTW the first time I have ever seen a fight in a Princess theater was on Majestic...maybe that is why they close the doors....

Not only are they small but unsafe.....every Princess ship we have been on you have to get there very early (at least 45 minutes early) to get a seat and just waste time. Also, there is almost never any Princess staff in there to prevent trouble over saving seats and then they let people sit on the stairs in the aisles which makes it difficult to navigate....one of the few faults we find with Princess....:cool:

It's funny that they seem adamant with their single floor low ceiling theater design

They only have 1 floor of seats and very low ceiling, unlike other cruise lines (Royal, Celebrity, Costa) where they got a first and second floor balcony to seat more people.

 

In our recent cruise in Majestic Princess, people would line up for evening shows 1 hour before, and when we arrive 5-10 minutes before the show starts the close the doors and block other people from entering. People who insist on merely standing at the back to witness the performance still cannot enter. So they got small theaters limited seats, and yet they are gonna block people off from entering :(

The photo below was taken at 7:27 PM on the Regal Princess 11 day Halloween Cruise on November 2, 2017

We were a family party of eight and we ate dinner at 5:30 PM in order to arrive at the theater in time to obtain seats for all of us. Notice the expression on the face of a passenger sitting next to my two and a half year red head granddaughter.

She never lasted the entire show but wanted to go for the experience.

Showtime for the first show was 8 PM and the theater filled up rapidly and if you arrived 10 minutes before showtime you were unlikely to find a seat.

Once all the seats were filled the doors should be closed as standees and those attempting to sit on stairs in the aisle created a fire hazard.

On a over three thousand passenger ship not every passenger can fit into a theater.

One must carefully plan their mealtime and entire evening accordingly.

It was a wonderful cruise, the first for our three grandchildren and their next cruise is already booked.

Howard

In the old days of cruising you only had First & Second Dining times . Shows were scheduled to match. Even though the ships were older , they built the showrooms to match 1/2 total guests.

Don't you think that now with multiple dining choices as well as things like Anytime Dining , guests are free to (try) to attend the show time that they wish. This creates the current seating problems. One time more popular than the next (usually one is overflow while the other has lots of seats.

The photo below was taken at 7:27 PM on the Regal Princess 11 day Halloween Cruise on November 2, 2017

We were a family party of eight and we ate dinner at 5:30 PM in order to arrive at the theater in time to obtain seats for all of us. Notice the expression on the face of a passenger sitting next to my two and a half year red head granddaughter.

 

She never lasted the entire show but wanted to go for the experience.

Showtime for the first show was 8 PM and the theater filled up rapidly and if you arrived 10 minutes before showtime you were unlikely to find a seat.

Once all the seats were filled the doors should be closed as standees and those attempting to sit on stairs in the aisle created a fire hazard.

 

 

 

 

On a over three thousand passenger ship not every passenger can fit into a theater.

One must carefully plan their mealtime and entire evening accordingly.

 

It was a wonderful cruise, the first for our three grandchildren and their next cruise is already booked.

 

Howard

First, your granddaughter is darling. Love her hair!

This photo really shows how “in-the-know” Princess passengers cope with the seriously undersized Princess Theatesr...they bring a book or tablet or phone and read or play games for at least 30 minutes before the start of every show. (Or, if they’re my husband, they talk to anyone with an ear to listen). I understand that Princess limits the footprint of their largely non-revenue producing theaters for a reason, but several hundred people reading iPads for 30 minutes aren’t generating revenue either, especially on the newest ships that lack a surface to hold drinks.

My concern, from other reviews and comments, is that with the decreased number of dining room staff, and waiters being stretched thin... I am hearing that it can be almost impossible to be seated, served, and finish your meal before the theater is full. We generally like to have supper before seeing a show.

We are hoping for a table for two, and to be able to have the staff expedite the service, instead of drawing out each course.

But, I wonder if we would have to consider other dining and give up our MDR seating to be sure to get halfway decent seats for a show???

I just love the photo, Howard!!!

Looking around, everyone has out their devices, a book, is talking or waving to others, etc...

Both of that couple next to your little granddaughter seem to have nothing better to do to pass the time than to scowl at everyone/thing around them!!!!! They look like a lot of fun!!!

The main reason is that theaters probably do not generate enough revenue. The philosophy of the cruise companies is that if a space does not generate enough revenue, close it down and use it for something else.

DON

table for 2 here also - one time when we wanted to see a show - we asked our waiter if it was possible to be out in an hour...he stated yes, but he may have to bring more than one item at a time - so we got our app and salad, together, followed quickly by the main - skipped dessert and it still took us about 55 minutes - which was fine...

The Princess Theater on the Grand class ships seats about 750 which with two shows would accommodate about 58% of passengers on the smaller Grand class ships and about 48% on the larger Grand class ships. The capacity was expanded to about 1,000 on the Royal which with two shows would accommodate about 55% of passengers. The original design had no aisles along the wall and seats had to be removed to provide better access which significantly reduced capacity.

I doubt many are unable to attend so the capacity appears to be close.

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I like to sit in an aisle seat. To make sure that I can set where I like I do show up 30 minutes before the early show. Theater tends to be relatively empty then, but fills soon after that and is often full 15 minutes before the show starts.

The late show usually has fewer attendees. Can usually get an aisle seat 15 minutes before the show and often seats are not filled when the show starts.

As with most people on Princess wanting early dining, it also appears that most want early shows as well.

While I used to see some ships that allowed people to stand or sit on the stairs, I have not seen that allowed in the past 2-3 years.

In the old days of cruising you only had First & Second Dining times . Shows were scheduled to match. Even though the ships were older , they built the showrooms to match 1/2 total guests.

Don't you think that now with multiple dining choices as well as things like Anytime Dining , guests are free to (try) to attend the show time that they wish. This creates the current seating problems. One time more popular than the next (usually one is overflow while the other has lots of seats.

I 100% agree, I think this is a main cause. With Anytime dining more people want to attend the early show and the theatre fills up. If you go to the late show there is always open seats

DH and I learned a few cruises ago that if we want to see a show and get decent seats that we needed to be there 30 - 40 minutes before showtime.

We plan our dinner early enough (anytime seating) usually 2 1/2 hours before the showtime so that we can have a leisurely, pleasant dinner and we usually sit with others. After dinner, its restroom, bar for refreshments and then find a seat in the middle, middle of the seating. We use to sit near the aisle but got tired of having to move for others to go down the aisle for a seat. I bring my phone for entertainment (play Word Connect) before the real entertainment.

We usually go to the late show as its not as busy. We tried once going to the first show and then dinner but we felt rushed to get out of the dining room as it was near closing time by the time we got our desserts. Did not care for that.

In the old days of cruising you only had First & Second Dining times . Shows were scheduled to match. Even though the ships were older , they built the showrooms to match 1/2 total guests.

Don't you think that now with multiple dining choices as well as things like Anytime Dining , guests are free to (try) to attend the show time that they wish. This creates the current seating problems. One time more popular than the next (usually one is overflow while the other has lots of seats.

I 100% agree, I think this is a main cause. With Anytime dining more people want to attend the early show and the theatre fills up. If you go to the late show there is always open seats

This became a much larger problem on the Caribbean Princess and Crown Class when they did not increase the size of the theatre but added 500 more passengers. I have not been on the Royal Class.

It was never a big issue on the Sun Class and original Grand class ships.

I think Princess made a huge mistake by not increasing the size of the theatre when they built larger ships and added more people. Their solution was to do 3 shorter shows as opposed to 2 longer shows which didn't work well either. Not sure if they still do the 3 shorter shows now.

I 100% agree, I think this is a main cause. With Anytime dining more people want to attend the early show and the theatre fills up. If you go to the late show there is always open seats

I agree. It's like people don't realize that there is a second seating. Still, I know for us anyway, there can be another activity that is only available during the second show time slot. So we end up mostly going to the first seating in the theater. Still, it's not that bad to wait a bit. It gives us a chance to wind down after the dinner. Look at the bright side.