Entertainment on Celebrity

[Tony UK]

Whenever I read reviews on Celebrity the weakest point is often the entertainment.

 

What do other lines do better? What would you change, what improvements would you make?

 

Angie

[uktog]

I see these comments and I wonder what is it that people want given the confines of working on a ship. We have seen some less good acts on Celebrity but we have also seen off nights in Vegas.

I see the entertainment as an extra, I cruise for the destinations and the comfort/food/ service so whilst I might not mark it 5/5 I would not want to pay much more for my cruise to see the entertainment made more glitzy and/or some of the food or service budgets reduced to also help achieve this

 

I look forward to hearing others thoughts on this one

[Diane Rose]

Interesting question. One of the reasons that I chose X for this cruise this time is because of the choice in entertainment options. Being a shorter cruise DH and I want to be able to enjoy a variety and it appears that the Summit will provide us with this. We don't expect it to be a Vegas show either, just enjoyable. I have no doubt that it will be.

 

Diane

[frankdp]

Not sure why folks believe that. I guess the bigger RCI ships, Freedom and Oasis class, have bigger glitzier Broadway productions, but I find the Celebrity shows to be more than adequate. I definately think that the small musical acts that appear throughout the ship to be very good. On my most recent Solstice cruise there was a young lady that sang and played guitar and I must say she was awesome.

[kendon]

Based on my recent Summit experience (perhaps unfairly, I will not return to Celebrity). The food was awful, ship was dirty, and the service inexperienced and lacking. HOWEVER, I thought the entertainment was terrific. The entertainment should be the least of your worries, IMO.

[pete_coach]

We have sailed on Solstice twice and thought the entertainment to be, well, unmemorable (if that is even a word LOL).

What we did miss while onboard (cruises were 11 days and 12 days) was opportunity for dancing. I don't mean the 30 minutes worth at 7PM in the Entertainment Court on deck 4 but in the wonderful space called the Sky lounge. On many days it was only a few people and one bartender up there. One night of a DJ and one night with a band just did not seem appropriate. Yes, there was entertainment all over the ship, but you had to chase it. 30 minutes of piano at Michaels, 10 minutes a Capella in this foyer or 20 minutes of strings in that foyer.

A regular nightly dancing venue or a consistent piano bar would be welcomed. I loved my time on board but to me, after an early dinner at about 8:30, the chase for entertainment was on.

[shoreham01]

We have only been on Eclipse once, but we did find the entertainment to be superb. The shows in the theatre were amazing, far better than Princess or P&O. The other entertainers were good too, although we did not get to see them all as we too found ourselves chasing entertainment. We are booked on the Eclipse again next year and hope that they will not have exactly the same entertainment and entertainers then as it is good to see different people performing.

[sunshine nana]

On our last Princess cruise (2011), there was very good entertainment almost every afternoon with locals getting on board with music before sailaway. Also, every night there was good music or comedy in areas other than the theatre or bars. Celebrity had a few entertainers in bars, but they were not very good. As others have said, on port-intensive cruises, that is not the most important thing, it just added to the Princess overall.

[Tony UK]

I have mostly found plenty to keep us occupied both in the theatre and in other spots. I think it is dependant on the cruise director - on some cruises - a minority, there were blank spots and then lots of things at the same time. Others were really well organised.

 

Personally I dont like the one person shows, I'd rather have sone variety.

 

I just wondered what if anything we were missing - doesn't sound like much!

 

Angie

[librarylady19]

We have only been on Eclipse once, but we did find the entertainment to be superb. The shows in the theatre were amazing, far better than Princess or P&O. The other entertainers were good too, although we did not get to see them all as we too found ourselves chasing entertainment. We are booked on the Eclipse again next year and hope that they will not have exactly the same entertainment and entertainers then as it is good to see different people performing.

I thought entertainment was very good on Eclipse. There were 2 different comedians and both were excellent. CD Mike Gibbs was a riot! Don't miss the masquerade party the first night....so much fun!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[paulajj]

I agree with Pete. The entertainment was all over the place for very short periods. I found, with the exception of the circus show, the main shows were very cheesy and not well done on the 11 night equinox. We actually skipped one and sat in a lounge and had drinks one night.

 

I also agree that there is not enough dancing. We went to the on deck 80's party that was fun but over at 11 I think. We went to the dance bar and waited until after midnight for music to be played. I think they should have it closed off and music playing every night after 8.

 

I also wish they had more classes/contests etc to keep busy during the day.

[dln929]

We loved the production shows on the Solstice this summer. Now as to your question about what the comparison is with other lines--I can speak only for RCI. On the Voyager entertainment was fine. Nothing sticks in my mind as being spectacular, though. I'd rate it a good solid B. Now the Indy. Man o man, that was fabulous entertainment! Their production shows were so elaborate and wonderful and I could go on and on. They set the bar really, really high. Grade? A+++ On the Brilliance? Dismal. There wasn't a single show that I stayed to watch in its entirety. And I consider myself very easily pleased when it comes to shows. Grade? D. And that's being generous. So I can only conclude from my limited cruise experience that entertainment is in the eye of the beholder and to add to that, it varies widely even within the brand.

[Islandgirl4242]

We've been on several cruise lines and several of the ships within each line and have found a variety of entertainment on each cruise. When you consider that a ship is trying to please 2000-3000 passengers with a mix of nationalities, it is a rather daunting task. Did we enjoy each and every show that we've attended...no. But to the dancers and singers who have performed when the ship was rocking and rolling, to the musicians who played one song "several" times during an evening trying to keep one couple smiling on the dance floor, and to the comedians and other performers who gave performances that not all in the audience even understood, I truly applaud you!! It is doubtful that a ship or line is going to keep the magnitude of cruisers happy 100% of the time and some cruisers have created too high of a bar of perfection within their own expectations.

~~Judy

[TLCOhio]

Whenever I read reviews on Celebrity the weakest point is often the entertainment. What do other lines do better? What would you change, what improvements would you make? Angie

 

Don't think I agree that Celebrity entertainment is the "weakest" based on many reviews I have read and our experience on the Solstice last year and with three other cruise lines.

 

In fact, I was fairly impressed with the staging set-up that the Solstice-type ships have, plus in spending time on one of our tours with the music director on the ship.

 

Below are some of my visuals to back up what we liked. It's not Broadway or the West End in London. BUT, in the time period, things worked well, were enjoyable, etc. See more details below on the Solstice, its facilities, offerings, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 98,545 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

For entertainment in the Solstice Theatre, it was called “Solstice -- The Show” featuring a European-style dance, air acts, music, etc. Very dramatic and interesting as they swing, twirl and soar over the audience and stage. It is a “state-of-the-art” theatre with these "Cirque-type" dancers being able to “do their thing”. Here is one example of the “air show” put on by the show performers.:

 

 

 

And, another example of performers soaring over the stage, etc.:

 

 

 

Earlier on our cruise in the Solstice Theatre, there was a show called “Pulse” that featured the great ship orchestra, plus much dancing, singing, entertaining, etc. Lots and energy and good talents on the ship.:

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s an example for some of the “swinging” action to band on the 4th floor, central court area nearby the Solstice's main glass elevator bank. There were not large numbers dancing, but those that did, had fun and we enjoyed watching the "show"!:

 

 

 

Super loved it when there were times at the pool in the afternoons on the Solstice last June when the “party band” was going at it with great tunes. This added to the fun and excitement around the pool area of our ship. Just like done by some famous California pop groups, we were hearing “fun, fun, fun” underneath the sun!!:

 

[travellerin1984]

On our Equinox cruise we enjoyed the entertainment, loved the Capella group and the female singer at Ensemble bar. Had lovely voice and was charming! The shows were good but not really our cup of tea. We saw almost every show but weren't excited. It was good quality but just not really our style. Surely because we are younger than the average (in our 30s) and not from US or UK. Did not recognise the "hits" they were playing on shows. We did enjoy the 60's and 70's shows when the dancers were dancing and singing in the elevators and people dancing everywhere. Great fun.

[Lois R]

Whenever I read reviews on Celebrity the weakest point is often the entertainment.

 

What do other lines do better? What would you change, what improvements would you make?

 

Angie

 

Hi Angie:) I rarely go to the shows anymore but that is just me.

I do have to say though, when I was on Equinox in May I went to

1 with friends and saw a singer in the main theater. Before going

in I told myself to keep an open mind as I had never heard of him

and did not know what type of show it was going to be......

I ended up loving it:D I wish I could remember his name.....

He was VERY FUNNY and had a great voice too. I can honestly

say, I am very glad I went to that show:)

 

Hope you and Tony are doing well:)

[Teresa Price]

Pete you are so right! Just back from Eclipse [great cruise] chasing down the short bursts of entertainment. Some of the entertainment was very good but some not so, wouldn't spoil my cruise.

[Tony UK]

Thanks everyone for posting ......and Hi Lois!

 

We go to the shows as my daughter likes them! We sometimes catch musical acts as they travel around. We usually stay in one place and they all seem to turn up eventually. Last cruise the masked balls and shows in the foyer were great.

 

Sounds like there are similar offerings on other lines. Maybe Celebrity cruisers are a little more demanding and this shows in the ratings?

 

Terry thanks very much for the photos.

 

We are cruising from Singapore this time to Australia and NZ. It will be interesting to see what changes in the entertainment this might bring.

[MoYerclan]

My favorite entertainment has been when the ship brings in (perhaps dated, perhaps past their prime but still good) singers/groups that give me a chance to relive some good old music of their own rather than an unknown cover band doing someone else's old hits.

I know RCCL seemed to circuit in and out a variety of headliner entertainers during a cruise. The CD said the entertainers get on and off at various ports ships as they travel around. I've enjoyed a few known names that I wasn't expecting on the cruise and wondered if the cruiselines ever announce in advance who the big show entertainers will be? Where would I find this info?

[sarafinadh]

I suspect that entertainment, much the same as food, is a very subjective subject.

 

On the Millennium we enjoyed the nightly dance bands in rendezvous, and while they weren't the Glenn Miller Band, two of the tthree combos laid down a pretty good dance beat.

 

The rotating performers, Caesarios, was a skilful classic guitarist. If you enjoy flamenco you will enjoy him.

 

The acapella group, North by Northwest, was competent and performed short sets that were enjoyable.

 

The stage shows seemed amateurish to us the first night when we went to the "sampler" performance. Costuming was dreadful and dancing and singing both were flat.

 

And our CD, while a really nice person was so loud and brash and gauche it was a bit painful to watch and listen to her.

 

We skipped the theatre for the rest of the week based on what we saw the first night. But I think it is worth going the first night to see if it is your cuppa tea.

[dkjretired]

Just commenting on what has been posted on these boards and not giving an opinion on the entertainment. Since this board started in the mid 90s, Celebritys entertainment has always been considered the weak point of the their cruises. Posters always rated the food great and the entertainment poor. Often this carries over to reviews by various magazines, etc.

[dolittle]

I think it has been better than it was years ago it seems they went to shows that are more like other lines . Which is a good thing , I think most of the shows are good but so many people are cruising over and over again and have seen it all. It is the most subjective of all things on board .Many people like cirque de whatever shows I dont care for them at all, many people like rock and cant stand anything but so it is hard to please all of these tastes.I would like to see shorter stagings of muscials like R.C.C.L. is doing on the two mega-liners this way you get a little plot and some great songs. Plus you will have a lot of old shows you can bring back, my vote for that would be ''Annie get your gun" not much plot and lots of great songs from the great Irving Berlin.

[FortyNinerLiz]

I did not read the entire thread, but we had excellent entertainment recently on Silhouette. Paul Baya could sing anyone off the stage and he was particularly wonderful with Lindsay Hamilton. The production shows were fine and we really enjoyed the entertainment.