Demi Lovato concert

[philpcruiser]

We watched a portion of the Demi Lovato concert (from St. Marteen) last night on the new years eve show. Celebrity had four ships in port that day. What an experience! Has Celebrity ever done this before? Any rumors of them doing something similar to this again?

[markeb]

Kind of doubt they're doing it again anytime soon.

 

We were on Reflection. Demi wasn't on my screen for a concert, but ticket prices apparently dropped during the week, and our table mates in Blu went to the show and were still seated for dinner at 8:00...

 

I can't find independent confirmation online, but the story going around was that the show was less than an hour.

[easyboy]

Will most likely depend largely on ticket sales performance.

 

 

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[tnfcruise]

Lisa's FB and Twitter feeds showed the four ships in St Maarten during that day, but gave no indication about the concert, although X social media had been hyping. Lisa was really stoked since that was the first time four ships in the fleet had been docked at one port, and side-by-side-by-side-by-side. It was Summit, Reflection, Eclipse and Equinox.

 

 

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[sonia2509]

I saw all the posts on Instagram can someone tell me who Demi Lovato is? Never heard her name until these posts she is not known in Australia....

 

 

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[florisdekort]

I saw all the posts on Instagram can someone tell me who Demi Lovato is? Never heard her name until these posts she is not known in Australia....

 

 

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Google ?

 

 

 

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[sonia2509]

I was being sarcastic - I could have googled this shows that they have picked a supposedly famous entertainer but who seems only to be famous in one country.

 

 

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[pullen0]

We were on the Summit but didn't go. Spoke to another Summit cruiser who said they could see it from their table at the MDR and it poured on the concert. Also heard it was around an hour and there was talk of the ticket prices being cut. My impression is that it didn't sell as well as hoped.

 

We were on an excursion with a family from the Equinox in St. Lucia. They were supposed to be in St. Kitts the evening of the concert but that port got cut so they could be at St. Maarten for the concert. That meant they would be spending 2 nights in St. Maarten. They were not pleased.

 

My 14 year old daughter wanted nothing to do with the show. I'm just happy it didn't affect my cruise in any way.

[Cruisercl]

So let me get this straight.

 

Celebrity brought in Demi L. (I do like her.) for a concert for its cruisers but the cruisers had to buy the tickets for the concert? Just another shore excursion really. I thought it was something special Celebrity was doing for its customers with a free NYE concert.

 

How much were the tickets? I may have gone if the price was good, like almost free.

IMHO, Demi L. would not be a popular choice for the Celebrity demographic.

Thanks!

 

Safe sailing all. :)

Edited January 2, 2017 by Cruisercl

[pullen0]

So let me get this straight.

 

Celebrity brought in Demi L. (I do like her.) for a concert for its cruisers but the cruisers had to buy the tickets for the concert? Just another shore excursion really. I thought it was something special Celebrity was doing for its customers with a free NYE concert.

 

How much were the tickets? I may have gone if the price was good, like almost free.

IMHO, Demi L. would not be a popular choice for the Celebrity demographic.

Thanks!

 

Safe sailing all. :)

 

The concert was on the 28th in St. Maarten. IIRC, the original price of the tickets were $300 for VIP and $100 for general admission. The prices for VIP stayed the same and general admission went down to $50. I believe they were still selling them the day of the show so I don't think it went as well as Celebrity had hoped. Even if there were 10,000 passengers on the 4 ships, what percentage of them would even be interested in Demi Lavato and how many would have paid those prices? From what I could see of the concert area, it didn't look like it would hold all that many people.

[hillbilly73]

I think Celebrity got what they wanted out of it. I didn't see New Year's Rockin eve live but sure millions did. Check out the youtube video from the show.

 

[Fish Lover]

The concert was on the 28th in St. Maarten. IIRC, the original price of the tickets were $300 for VIP and $100 for general admission. The prices for VIP stayed the same and general admission went down to $50. I believe they were still selling them the day of the show so I don't think it went as well as Celebrity had hoped. Even if there were 10,000 passengers on the 4 ships, what percentage of them would even be interested in Demi Lavato and how many would have paid those prices? From what I could see of the concert area, it didn't look like it would hold all that many people.

 

I would imagine that Demi Lovato would appeal to a very short list of Celebrity passengers. Also, there is no way that $100 general admission would make tickets in demand. She just isn't that in demand or that talented.

What is Celebrity thinking? Surely they could have enticed a more appropriate talent. I think Celebrity's CEO is woefully out of touch with her consumer.

[philpcruiser]

So it seems Celebrity got part of what they wanted (publicity), however ticket sales were disappointing. And their passengers were treated to a missed port, a relatively unknown singer, and high ("excursion") ticket prices. What possibly could the extra $200 per ticket (VIP vs general admission) get you?

Edited January 2, 2017 by philpcruiser

[markeb]

I would imagine that Demi Lovato would appeal to a very short list of Celebrity passengers. Also, there is no way that $100 general admission would make tickets in demand. She just isn't that in demand or that talented.

What is Celebrity thinking? Surely they could have enticed a more appropriate talent. I think Celebrity's CEO is woefully out of touch with her consumer.

 

What they're apparently thinking is that any income derived from the concert would offset the production cost of what was basically a three minute commercial for Celebrity Cruises aired during (what used to be) the premier New Year's Eve televised celebration. Because none of advertisements suggested they were filming any of this for New Year's Rockin Eve.

 

We met people who decided to go on a lark when the ticket prices dropped to $50. I did not hear of anyone getting a refund when the prices dropped...

[paulh84]

I doubt they wanted to budget for a huge entertainer. Booking fees and tickets would have been much more expensive. Most A-Listers aren't clamoring at the opportunity to do cruise ship entertainment either...

 

I would imagine that Demi Lovato would appeal to a very short list of Celebrity passengers. Also, there is no way that $100 general admission would make tickets in demand. She just isn't that in demand or that talented.

What is Celebrity thinking? Surely they could have enticed a more appropriate talent. I think Celebrity's CEO is woefully out of touch with her consumer.

 

Or trying to change who their customer is... A quick look at any of their advertising material and product changes aren't in an effort to appeal to grandma and grandpa.

[markeb]

So it seems Celebrity got part of what they wanted (publicity), however ticket sales were disappointing. And their passengers were treated to a missed port, a relatively unknown singer, and high ("excursion") ticket prices. What possibly could the extra $200 per ticket (VIP vs general admission) get you?

 

In fairness, while her music isn't my cup of tea, Demi is not a "relatively unknown singer", she's just not well known with the Celebrity demographic. Which maybe they're trying to expand?

 

Fortunately, Celebrity's high quality IT department is still working efficiently, and the link to purchase tickets is still up!

 

Highlights:

• Venue will open to the public at 5:00pm, and the concert will begin at 6:00pm sharp and last for one hour

• Available to Celebrity guests only

• You’ll have access to a special venue where you’ll enjoy her top hits

• VIP ticket guarantees spaces closest to the stage

• Venue will be located within walking distance of the ship

• Food and beverages available for purchase

• Limited availability

• Seating may not be available at the venue and guests may be required to stand for the duration of the concert

 

 

I guess they admitted you were paying $300 basically to get into the pit for a 1 hour concert...

Edited January 2, 2017 by markeb

[warmwinds]

I also thought it was a free concert for the 4 ship-goers. Over 8,000 psgrs and they had a poor showing? Wow.

 

Just another misstep in their thinking that the X demographic is much younger than reality. Wake up, Celebrity, we oldies still rule your ships, wait until we're gone before you turn it into Carnival.

[pullen0]

I also thought it was a free concert for the 4 ship-goers. Over 8,000 psgrs and they had a poor showing? Wow.

 

Just another misstep in their thinking that the X demographic is much younger than reality. Wake up, Celebrity, we oldies still rule your ships, wait until we're gone before you turn it into Carnival.

 

The problem is there aren't enough of you "oldies" left to maintain the status quo and still pay the bills and maintain a profit. Going to Celebrity Chic made money or they wouldn't have done it.

[warmwinds]

There are plenty of us left. I can't recall the last Celebrity cruise we've taken where we haven't been in the middle of the demographic (we're in our 60s).

 

We're going on a 3 day Bahamas cruise in 2 weeks, the type of cruise which would usually attract a much younger crowd, and based on the price drops and huge number of still-available cabins it seems it is not appealing to their new target audience.

[pullen0]

There are plenty of us left. I can't recall the last Celebrity cruise we've taken where we haven't been in the middle of the demographic (we're in our 60s).

 

We're going on a 3 day Bahamas cruise in 2 weeks, the type of cruise which would usually attract a much younger crowd, and based on the price drops and huge number of still-available cabins it seems it is not appealing to their new target audience.

 

If the older business model was working and growing the business, why would they change it? No doubt there are still many older cruisers out there. But if what they were doing was working and growing, there'd be no point in changing it. I'm 40 and had no interest in seeing Demi Lavato. I couldn't name one of her songs and we had already booked before I knew they were having this concert.

 

On the ship, we watched the Christmas show which was great. We watched the iMagic show which was pretty good. The iHollywood show was terrible. One night in the Emporium, they had some of the show singers sing contemporary hits which drew quite a crowd. Right after them, there were 2 guitarists singing 70's and 80's hits and by about the 4th song, my family of 3 were the only ones left watching. We walked to the Cafe Bacio and there were 2 violinists with a small older crowd but still way more than the guitarists. The violinists were excellent. But still, the less talented singers singing contemporary songs drew a much bigger crowd.

 

We don't have to change with the times but we must also understand that the times aren't going to wait for us.

[markeb]

If the older business model was working and growing the business, why would they change it? No doubt there are still many older cruisers out there. But if what they were doing was working and growing, there'd be no point in changing it. I'm 40 and had no interest in seeing Demi Lavato. I couldn't name one of her songs and we had already booked before I knew they were having this concert.

 

On the ship, we watched the Christmas show which was great. We watched the iMagic show which was pretty good. The iHollywood show was terrible. One night in the Emporium, they had some of the show singers sing contemporary hits which drew quite a crowd. Right after them, there were 2 guitarists singing 70's and 80's hits and by about the 4th song, my family of 3 were the only ones left watching. We walked to the Cafe Bacio and there were 2 violinists with a small older crowd but still way more than the guitarists. The violinists were excellent. But still, the less talented singers singing contemporary songs drew a much bigger crowd.

 

We don't have to change with the times but we must also understand that the times aren't going to wait for us.

 

Well stated. We were on Reflection, and the most attended music onboard was their "house band", a UK group featuring two guitars, a bass, drums, and a female lead. The foyer was full every time they played. No one was hanging around the other bars.

 

Probably a topic for a different thread, but it seems Celebrity is trying to position itself as contemporary luxury and drop its average demographic by a few years. RCI is their active lifestyle/family brand. I don't think they have any desire to push out the older demographic, but they certainly want to expand it.

[WonderMan3]

From the video posted it looks like they got a good crowd. I imagine that most of the Celebrity cruisers who post on this board would not be part of the demographic that would be interested in this concert. But since this was a holiday cruise they tend to get more of the under 50 demographic at that time of year and more families, so it probably worked out. Clearly the NYE promo was the overall goal here though. Excellent marketing on their part.

[CruisinNole]

We were on the Reflection. The Captain said that he has a young daughter and that he'd be there. He also said something about the ticket price being lowered. This was at the Captain's reception early in the cruise. On the New Year's Rockin' Eve show Demi was shown touring the Reflection and then performing a single song. The turn out looked larger than I expected.

[ECCruise]

From the video posted it looks like they got a good crowd. I imagine that most of the Celebrity cruisers who post on this board would not be part of the demographic that would be interested in this concert. But since this was a holiday cruise they tend to get more of the under 50 demographic at that time of year and more families, so it probably worked out. Clearly the NYE promo was the overall goal here though. Excellent marketing on their part.

 

Anytime you have to drop pricing by 50% and still not fill the venue, belies excellent marketing.

[russg140]

Not to say "I told you so" but when this was first announced months ago I questioned the choice of entertainer and whether this would appeal to X's demographic. Clearly, it seems, not. So the question is: Is this an event a "regular" Celebrity cruiser would want to attend? If so, who would the entertainer need to be? I'm thinking Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Sarah Bareilles, etc. They're not going to get a Madonna, Bette, or Barbra. In the end it comes down to: is this type of event something Celebrity should be doing? My answer is no, BUT they should be doing something AMAZING on every ship for this one week: Manhattan Transfer on Reflection, Kenny G on Summit, etc. and make it hard for folks to decide which ship they want to be on.