What are the production shows like on RCCL?

[Sen]

I recently sailed NCL 2 years ago and I had discovered that their production show was very poor quality. The first part was that the singers and dancers all wore very skimpy outfits that you would see in Las Vegas. The singers also could not sing as well so that ruined the other part of it.

 

What are productions family friendly? What do the performers dress like?

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

The type of costume does not really dictate the quality of the show. I have seen very entertaining shows with skimpy costumes and very poor ones. But I also know that some folks do not enjoy shows with skimpy costumes. I once saw a family on a Carnival ship race out of the prodiction show as if they had just seen something so revolting and so objectionable they couldn't spend another second. Their faces were filled with disgust. But I found the show quite mild...certainly not like some racy Las Vegas revues.

 

Also the quality of the production show often depends on the ship. I have found on RCI, that the better, more elaborate shows tend to be on the bigger ships because they have bigger stages and more sophisticated equipment for putting on a high level of production show.

 

Actually what folks consider to be a "good quality" show is very much a matter of taste. Perhaps the OP should look into a Disney cruise if he prefers tamer family fare.

[royalcruz]

RCCL productions are the highest quality that I have ever seen at sea. Like all ship productions, the dancers lip synch to recordings and there are usually 4 principle singers that are very talented. Some of the costumes are skimpy, depending on the scene they are performing. For example, I believe there is a scene from Chicago where the girls are in black merrywidows. You can always sit further back so that the view isn't so close up and personal and you can leave unobtrusively if it is offensive to you.

[jorapp]

DH and I were not terribly impressed with the "revue" we watched on the Serenade, but it was not bad enough to drive us out either.

 

On the other hand, we heard wonderful things about Charo, yes Charo!, who performed with her guitar several nights later. Evidently she is a serious classical guitarist and the performance was excellent.

 

So, like most things on a cruise ship...some will be to your liking and some not.

[Scotty G]

RCCL productions are the highest quality that I have ever seen at sea. Like all ship productions, the dancers lip synch to recordings and there are usually 4 principle singers that are very talented. Some of the costumes are skimpy, depending on the scene they are performing. For example, I believe there is a scene from Chicago where the girls are in black merrywidows. You can always sit further back so that the view isn't so close up and personal and you can leave unobtrusively if it is offensive to you.

I don't believe that I have seen any lipsyncing in any production shows. I have observed mike failures which indicates that is not happening. The RC Orchestra is also playing live. All shows are high quality and the performers are the best. Have never seen any really skimpy costumes, just normal Broadway type costumes - not Las Vegas style. The only complaint is that shows run too long before they are replaced with new ones. We actually compare new casts to previous ones we see the shows so often. Not complaining as they are still great!

[BecciBoo]

Didn't make the production shows last week on Voyager, but as usual, did the Ice Show which as usual was spectacular. Equally as great was Revolution, a tribute to the Beatles. A rockin out time was had by all....fantastic show! Best I've attended since the ABBA review, both terrific...don't miss em!

[luvscruising2007]

We have always enjoyed all the production shows. For me there is nothing better than live entertainment. The casts of these shows work really hard and I would never leave a show and disrespect them.

Sometimes however the music is not something we would choose to listen to but that is a very personal thing. Some of the featured singers are better than others but again that is personal preference.

I think the shows are very family friendly.

I also think RC beats Carnival on the production shows.

[50cruiser]

Iv been on over 35 cruises in 40 years . I havent see what Id call skimpy . Most have skin tone clothes under costumes , Hal seems to have the least reveling costumes but carnivel seemed the most . Celebrity and RCL about in middle . Production shows seem all over the gamet. Iv seen great one night and poor the next. On HAL to Alaska 2 months ago one singer read from a song book while singing , She did a 40 min. solo on songs from the 50s and 60s . She still didnt sound good . She kept losing her place . She finally gave up . Ive never seen that before , I take the shows as entertainment not a symphiny concert . I see the entertainment budgets getting lower the last few years . Less higher name entertainment more ship staff entertainment and cruise passenger participation . CARL

[jewopaho]

This is as subjective a topic as food. Frankly, we're not fans of cruise ship production numbers. Royal Caribbean's doesn't seem to be any better or worse than the others we've seen, since they all attempt to please about 3000 passengers ... certainly understandable, but it does place limits on what can be done. The performers are generally pretty talented kids ... but the content is usually inane. We didn't find any of the costumes objectionable. No, they're not Las Vegas-style reviews as advertised ... but they're a reasonably pleasant way to pass the time before or after dinner. We don't expect much, and are thus rarely disappointed.

[Hasthagotnowtmoist]

I generally find the quality of the entertainment doesn't match the quality of the surroundings.

 

Top class food, finishings, bars, everything - then for entertainment the standard drops massively imho, some of it very cheesy and would not out of place in a holiday camp.

[bigque]

On the Serenade this past October, we went to the Stage to Screen show. It seem to be a big prduction that was well put on. However it was not our cup of tea. We had a busy day in the sun and humidity while on an excursion and was actually starting to nod off. As I am a snorer, we decided to leave! :(

[bionicman97]

We have enjoyed almost all of the production shows we have seen, but by what you have written, I don't think you would probably enjoy them any more than the shows on NCL.

[Garycruz]

The production shows are entirely subjective as others have stated. I personally enjoy most of the them, but some are just over-the-top corny even for me. I think the quality is actually fairly high as the production shows seem to have a relatively large budget and the performers really do work hard and most of them are quite talented. I think it really comes down to whether it's your cup of tea or not.

 

Having said that, one has to keep in mind that the quality will not be up to Vegas or Broadway standards despite what the cruise lines might claim in their marketing.

 

One of Simon Cowell's favorite criticisms on American Idol was saying "That's the type of performance I would see on a cruise ship".

 

So it's probably a good idea to go into it with realistic expectations.

[Sen]

I am talking about some of the outfits that the performers wore suprised me. The women's outfits were short shorts and sometimes fluffy jackets which made them look like prostitutes. The guys also wore nothing but a vest which I felt was a little inappropriate for a family style cruise. I have heard that RCCL tries to be more classy than that. For example, I am very impressed with what they are doing with the bigger ships with the dreamworks experience for kids. On NCL, they didn't have that.

[WhiteSoxFan]

I don't believe that I have seen any lipsyncing in any production shows. I have observed mike failures which indicates that is not happening. The RC Orchestra is also playing live. All shows are high quality and the performers are the best. Have never seen any really skimpy costumes, just normal Broadway type costumes - not Las Vegas style. The only complaint is that shows run too long before they are replaced with new ones. We actually compare new casts to previous ones we see the shows so often. Not complaining as they are still great!

 

When we did the backstage tour on the Freedom they explained how it all works. There is a master timing track that is used for the show which is used for all the music and lighting cues. The computer has backup tracks for every instrument and singer that can be used in case someone is ill or loses their voice, etc.

[sjcruiser]

The shows are OK, singing is sometimes hit or miss, but the Ice Show is the one not to miss

[Cruising89143]

The Oasis takes this area up a another level. A much better experience overall.