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Carnival entertainment goes even further downhill


golfadj
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As a boomer myself, our outlook is different in many ways. We cruised for the shows, the dining, the midnight buffet galas. The newer cruisers like the outdoor movies, the casinos, the water areas etc. It's basically a whole new breed of cruisers, and their priorities do not include looking forward to what we did. If they don't attend shows, it doesn't necessarily mean it's because they don't like them, many have not even been to one. So, I don't feel attendance being down is all about people not liking them. There are far more options out there to stay occupied. As for Hasbro, it's geared to people and kids who think it's a big deal to get on stage and have their pictures taken doing something not available to them in life. It's enjoyment to families mostly, not for us boomers who have other priorities to keep ourselves entertained.

 

Thankfully you did not say old anywhere in there.....;)

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As a boomer myself, our outlook is different in many ways. We cruised for the shows, the dining, the midnight buffet galas. The newer cruisers like the outdoor movies, the casinos, the water areas etc. It's basically a whole new breed of cruisers, and their priorities do not include looking forward to what we did. If they don't attend shows, it doesn't necessarily mean it's because they don't like them, many have not even been to one. So, I don't feel attendance being down is all about people not liking them. There are far more options out there to stay occupied. As for Hasbro, it's geared to people and kids who think it's a big deal to get on stage and have their pictures taken doing something not available to them in life. It's enjoyment to families mostly, not for us boomers who have other priorities to keep ourselves entertained.

 

For Hasbro it is a nice thing for younger families but should not be the only evening entertainment in main lounge. Seems to me it should be offered during the day on a sea day.

 

When I mentioned this to JH btw he agreed with me.

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Al here,

 

For people who sale Carnival for the supposed $$ savings...

 

This is an FYI for "low info cruisers"...

 

Ruby and Caribbean Princess has a Jan 24 eastern sailing with GT and Princess Cay from Fort Lauderdale -

--OV obstructed cabin for $1370 total with $100 OBC.

Also they're not "alcohol ****s" re. carry on at gate

 

Cheap as one can expect!!!

 

Al out......

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As a boomer myself, our outlook is different in many ways. We cruised for the shows, the dining, the midnight buffet galas. The newer cruisers like the outdoor movies, the casinos, the water areas etc. It's basically a whole new breed of cruisers, and their priorities do not include looking forward to what we did. If they don't attend shows, it doesn't necessarily mean it's because they don't like them, many have not even been to one. So, I don't feel attendance being down is all about people not liking them. There are far more options out there to stay occupied. As for Hasbro, it's geared to people and kids who think it's a big deal to get on stage and have their pictures taken doing something not available to them in life. It's enjoyment to families mostly, not for us boomers who have other priorities to keep ourselves entertained.

 

I am a boomer and one of my priorities on a ship is not to keep myself entertained. My priority is to be entertained...

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I have yet to see the playlist productions. A co-worker of mine took his first cruise on Carnival Glory a couple of months ago with his GF and I was curious as to what they thought of the playlist productions on Glory. I didn't tell him about the complaints I had been reading on CC. He came back and said they loved it. He loved everything about his Glory cruise and is now caught the cruising bug just like me:D. Apparently not everyone is as down on them as some are here on CC.

 

As it was their first cruise, it seems to me that they would not have a point of comparison to comment on a decline. No way to know if they would have liked the previous approach to entertainment better. This is a thread about how it currently is as opposed to how it was.

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We are 39 and and 41, and our kids are 13 and 15. My 27th Carnival cruise is in 4 days. We went to the shows on the first ten or so cruises, but my husband only went to indulge me. My kids have no interest in them. I think Carnival is realizing that only a small portion of guests attend the shows, hence the limited showtime options and the reduction in money put into the shows.

 

When we first cruised in the late 90's, there wasn't a whole lot going on around the ship after dinner other than those production shows and the midnight buffets. If you didn't gamble, you went to the show. Now there is nightly karaoke, expanded comedy options, live musicians playing different styles of music around the ship, deck parties, etc. When we look at the Fun Times, we usually see so many things going on that we don't even consider the show. Hell, on our last two cruises, we spent most evenings at the Alchemy Bar or Red Frog Pub from dinner until bedtime - so much more fun for us than sitting in the lounge watching a show.

 

I've read great things about the shows on Disney and RCL, so if shows were a real priority for us, we might consider one of those lines. For us, Carnival has evolved in a way which suits us and suits our kids, and we're really happy with the options available to us on each cruise.

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I agree. I went to one of the Hasbro game things and the crowd was just having a spectacular time, you'd think they were all winning thousands! Parents and families cheered very loudly for "their" contestant.

 

I guess being able to try to get on stage or actually being up there was the biggest draw...since whatever the game was, was so dumb. I couldn't watch any longer and left. I don't watch game shows at home and didn't understand the draw.

 

New cruisrs don't know what the Vegas style shows were like.

 

I went to the beginning of Epic Rock. Some guy, who looked like he was rescued from a deserted island wearing very tattered clothes, walked onto a blank stage and starting screeching out some noise on a guitar. After 10 minutes I couldn't stand it a moment longer. Hope it got better...

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We are 39 and and 41, and our kids are 13 and 15. My 27th Carnival cruise is in 4 days. We went to the shows on the first ten or so cruises, but my husband only went to indulge me. My kids have no interest in them. I think Carnival is realizing that only a small portion of guests attend the shows, hence the limited showtime options and the reduction in money put into the shows.

 

When we first cruised in the late 90's, there wasn't a whole lot going on around the ship after dinner other than those production shows and the midnight buffets. If you didn't gamble, you went to the show. Now there is nightly karaoke, expanded comedy options, live musicians playing different styles of music around the ship, deck parties, etc. When we look at the Fun Times, we usually see so many things going on that we don't even consider the show. Hell, on our last two cruises, we spent most evenings at the Alchemy Bar or Red Frog Pub from dinner until bedtime - so much more fun for us than sitting in the lounge watching a show.

 

I've read great things about the shows on Disney and RCL, so if shows were a real priority for us, we might consider one of those lines. For us, Carnival has evolved in a way which suits us and suits our kids, and we're really happy with the options available to us on each cruise.

Spot on, great post.

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I was on the Liberty April 4, 14 the band Music Boardwalk played in the casino bar and they were great. I did read on John Heald's blog that the beard's are picking up on the complaints concerning the lack of entertainment or just bad entertainment on the ships but John did not was going to be done about it. Has anyone heard the same ?

 

Gary

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Spot on, great post.

 

Why thank you! I see you've been on both the Dream and the Magic - we sailed the Magic and are going to be on the Dream in 4 days. Did you like the Dream and feel it was close in quality/fun to the Magic? We'll miss the Red Frog Pub, but otherwise it looks very similar.

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Why thank you! I see you've been on both the Dream and the Magic - we sailed the Magic and are going to be on the Dream in 4 days. Did you like the Dream and feel it was close in quality/fun to the Magic? We'll miss the Red Frog Pub, but otherwise it looks very similar.

 

We loved the Dream. As with most class of ship follow on's, there are some things that they add to the newer ships in the class (your mention of the Red Frog is a perfect example, which by the way is what we think is one of if not the best things Carnival has added since we started sailing them - which is a while back:o). I think you will have a blast on the Dream. Let us know your thoughts when you return. If you have not done so, you def need to try the Breeze as well.

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I agree. I went to one of the Hasbro game things and the crowd was just having a spectacular time, you'd think they were all winning thousands! Parents and families cheered very loudly for "their" contestant.

 

I guess being able to try to get on stage or actually being up there was the biggest draw...since whatever the game was, was so dumb. I couldn't watch any longer and left. I don't watch game shows at home and didn't understand the draw.

 

New cruisrs don't know what the Vegas style shows were like.

 

I went to the beginning of Epic Rock. Some guy, who looked like he was rescued from a deserted island wearing very tattered clothes, walked onto a blank stage and starting screeching out some noise on a guitar. After 10 minutes I couldn't stand it a moment longer. Hope it got better...

 

After the screeching the show actually started and it was the only one of the four production playlist shows we liked.

 

However thinking we liked it because of the songs they did not because of the quality of the entertainers.

 

Having said that, they did do an excellent job on Bohemian Rhapsody. So much we went back and saw this one a second time.

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The biggest thing to determine if entertainment is actually going downhill is comparing the latest playlist productions to the original 4 that debuted with the Breeze to the ones that came on the Sunshine and Freedom. If the newer ones are better, then it's useful to cut Carnival a little slack since they are learning how to make use of their new setup. Carnival probably jumped the gun in deploying the original 4 to all of the 2.0 ships, but, since the new version allows them to swap out shows without going into drydock, they have the opportunity to quickly correct their mistake.

 

I haven't seen these new productions yet, but I'll see them in October. I'm not looking forward to a lack of live band, but I'll see what these are all about.

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As it was their first cruise, it seems to me that they would not have a point of comparison to comment on a decline. No way to know if they would have liked the previous approach to entertainment better. This is a thread about how it currently is as opposed to how it was.

 

 

The OP didn't like the Playlist Production. My co-worker did. Entertainment is subjective period....no matter what you are comparing it too. I personally have always found CCL's Production Shows to be lacking behind the other lines I have sailed. But the lower quality of entertainment never impacted my enjoyment of the cruise. It is just something I came to expect when cruising CCL, and accept as part of what I am paying for. If I specifically wanted to cruise for better entertainment then I would not choose a CCL ship. I was pleasantly surprised when I would hit a show on CCL that was better.

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Not a real show critic but cruising since 1978 (70+ cruises) just off the Freedom and thought the new concept was great.

 

The more I hear reports like this, the more I'm beginning to think that Carnival has started to figure out the new concept and how to deliver more entertaining shows. It could just be a learning curve thing and a large misstep by converting theatres to the new big screens before they had good shows.

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The more I hear reports like this, the more I'm beginning to think that Carnival has started to figure out the new concept and how to deliver more entertaining shows. It could just be a learning curve thing and a large misstep by converting theatres to the new big screens before they had good shows.

 

One thing is for sure, they are trying something new. We will see how well it is received over time.

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