Rare markeb Posted January 2, 2017 #26 Share Posted January 2, 2017 (edited) 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. Had any of those been on Reflection, I don't know that I would have been... I'm reasonably confident the goal was to present a hipper, younger Celebrity. So they weren't after the "regular" Celebrity cruiser at all. Edited January 2, 2017 by markeb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted January 2, 2017 #27 Share Posted January 2, 2017 More Modern luxury! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WonderMan3 Posted January 2, 2017 #28 Share Posted January 2, 2017 Anytime you have to drop pricing by 50% and still not fill the venue, belies excellent marketing. The marketing plan was excellent in the fact that Celebrity got exposure with Demi's performance to a massive audience on the NYE program. The interest and bookings that may have been generated from that would have made it more than worth discounting some tickets. As my original post stated it is clear that getting that slot on a high profile TV program (and secondly generating buzz for the past few months about Demi performing) was their main goal not selling tickets at high prices. Clearly they needed to sell enough to make the venue look full enough for when it aired on TV, and based on the video I saw they accomplished that. What will determine if this was an overall success and whether Celebrity does something like this again won't necessarily be based on the number of tickets sold at top price but based on the social media buzz about the event and how many people who searched or discussed the event then went to Celebrity's site or booked and if Celebrity saw a spike in searches or bookings in the few days after NYE. I personally think getting topline entertainers during a cruise like this would be great but if this is going to be something to generate revenue like excursions and not some broader marketing gimmick then they do need to be careful as to the acts they choose. Demi is not an act who would cater to the typical Celebrity cruiser. (It being a holiday cruise probably helped with the demographics) Choosing a more established performer with broader appeal like say Celine Dion, Shania Twain or Gloria Estefan might be a better choice. (I'm not advocating for those particular performers, just giving examples) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reecesavage Posted January 2, 2017 #29 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I would have totally gone. She's a great performer. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BosoxI Posted January 3, 2017 #30 Share Posted January 3, 2017 [quote=markeb;51882316 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... The were disclaimers saying that seats were not guaranteed, so it would be possible to drop $300 and have to stand for an hour. While I doubt that actually happened, who would want to take the chance for a relative unknown? I never heard of her, which is meaningless, but as I walked back to the Eclipse that night, it seemed that people were standing closer to the stage than the people who had seats. My wife, who is more curious than I, went up on the Solstice deck and heard her perform one song before the heavens opened. Fortunately, the performance did continue, but I think I was better off in the Sky Lounge. I believe the performance was never planned to be more than an hour, incidentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warmwinds Posted January 3, 2017 #31 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I wonder what she got for her one hour, rain or shine. I also have no clue who she is, I've heard the name, but can't name one song (or type of genre) that she is. Hip hop? Rap? Put Tony on a ship and see how many tickets you sell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duanerice1 Posted January 3, 2017 #32 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I would have totally gone. She's a great performer. Sent from my iPhone using Forums We would too and we are 59 and 63 respectively. And she isn't a relative unknown just becasue some folks on here don't know her, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare markeb Posted January 3, 2017 #33 Share Posted January 3, 2017 The were disclaimers saying that seats were not guaranteed, so it would be possible to drop $300 and have to stand for an hour. While I doubt that actually happened, who would want to take the chance for a relative unknown? I never heard of her, which is meaningless, but as I walked back to the Eclipse that night, it seemed that people were standing closer to the stage than the people who had seats. My wife, who is more curious than I, went up on the Solstice deck and heard her perform one song before the heavens opened. Fortunately, the performance did continue, but I think I was better off in the Sky Lounge. I believe the performance was never planned to be more than an hour, incidentally. Looking at the area, I would have assumed no seats. It looked like GA at a music club, and that was clearly the vibe they wanted to film for the NYE broadcast. We hadn't paid attention to the timing of the show, so were nowhere near the stern when the concert started, and I'd never seen the "one hour" aspect. We only paid $150 for 3:45 of Bruce at Nats Park, so $100 for an hour of Demi was never in the equation... And, BTW, she's only unknown amongst the Celebrity crowd, and she has a set of pipes that can compete with the best of them. I'm just more of a rock'n'roll guy than Disney pop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneputt18 Posted January 3, 2017 #34 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I wonder what she got for her one hour, rain or shine. I also have no clue who she is, I've heard the name, but can't name one song (or type of genre) that she is. Hip hop? Rap? Put Tony on a ship and see how many tickets you sell... Tony? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T337A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted January 3, 2017 #35 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) To be fair, I'm much younger than the typical Celebrity demographic. I do agree that she is an odd choice for Celebrity, but I do think they've made decisions over the last few years that suggest they are trying to market to a younger crowd. But to call Demi Lovato an unknown?? She is all over the radio, toured all over the world, and was a judge on X factor. I'm not going to book a cruise to see her, but certainly would have gone to the concert if I had been on that tour. Much more famous than the bands you typically see marketed with cruises. And to the person who asked if she was hip hop.. no, Pop I guess, top 100 type stuff. She's good, certainly better than Michael Buble. Edited January 3, 2017 by sanger727 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drew69 Posted January 3, 2017 #36 Share Posted January 3, 2017 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. Not really. Your ranks are thinning out every year and younger people with money also like to be catered too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BosoxI Posted January 3, 2017 #37 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Not really. Your ranks are thinning out every year and younger people with money also like to be catered too. Your ranks are thinning out every year? I see it quite the opposite. If they're lucky, today's young people will live to be old people with much different tastes than they have today. Isn't that the way it's supposed to work? Incidentally, as I never heard of Lovato, I took the time to Google her and listen to her sing something I think was called Heart Attack. She sounded like Grandma's rocker had crushed Tabby's tail. But maybe I settled on her one weak song. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanineM Posted January 3, 2017 #38 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) We were on Summit and went to the concert. We are in our 50s and hardly the demographic they were looking for, and I did buy the tickets in advance and pay the $100. (We were automatically refunded $50 each when they dropped the price.) We go to a lot of concerts here in Atlanta and I didn't think $50 (or even $100) was out of line. There were some chairs available for those who wanted to sit. Yes, they appeared to expect a larger crowd - especially in the VIP section. They opened the gates from general admission to VIP so the crowd would appear larger on TV. But I wouldn't say it was a tiny crowd = there were maybe 4,000 people there. We went because it was an experience - something different to do on a cruise. There were a lot of young people in the audience, and a lot of older people. At one point Demi peered out at the crowd and asked, "How may of you people have heard my music before?" Probably half the people in the crowd cheered. Then she said, "it looks like there are a lot of dads out there!" Very true, but everyone who went seemed to have a good time. The show was planned to be just 1-hour. That was clear when the tickets were purchased. It was rain or shine and everyone received a rain poncho with their tickets. Yes, it dumped rain about 40 minutes in, but Demi came back out afterwards and finished the show. Honestly, I was impressed with her - but then I do listen to current music. She was a good entertainer, and very respectful of Celebrity and the crowd. But like a lot of you, I question the entertainment choice. I suspect Dick Clark Productions covered a fair bit of the costs, and Celebrity took the rest out of their advertising budget. Edited January 3, 2017 by JanineM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattack Posted January 3, 2017 #39 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I give Celebrity credit for trying something different...just like Carnival LIVE had to experiment to see which acts worked to fill up a Fantasy Class ship to provide a marketing advantage, Celebrity will continue to experiment to attract a wider demographics...Celebrity was successful in attracting several full charter Jazz & 60's-80's charters which will attract a younger more broader diverse demographics which Celebrity hopes will return to try a regular sailing...fyi the traditional design of Celebrity vessels are the perfect conduit for "brick & mortar" Jazz Clubs at sea...the newer, larger bells & whistles mega ships, not so much...fyi, Jennifer Hudson started out singing on a cruise ship so one never knows where they will be discovered fyi...I am betting that "Tony" refers to Tony Bennett..Demi D. may not be as well known to certain Celebrity demographics but she is very talented and I bet earned some new fans based upon her performance it has also become very lucrative for some high profile artists to perform on mass Cruise Lines...unlike the old Love Boat tv shows era reruns ,cruise lines will contract to fly in a major performer to a port, do 1 show and then get off the ship before it sails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy1975 Posted January 3, 2017 #40 Share Posted January 3, 2017 I am in my early 40s and can appreciate all type of music but Tony Bennett or Michael Bubble would put me to sleep (it is one of the reasons I usually do not attend the shows with guest singers that fall in this genre). I much prefer Demi Lovato and the high energy her show might bring to the table. And like someone else said before, she has a great voice and is pretty talented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremiah1212 Posted January 3, 2017 #41 Share Posted January 3, 2017 (edited) It got people talking, good air time at an expensive slot and social media attention so I would imagine their goal was accomplished. CNN was also on Anthem of the Seas, which of course garnered some 'Ill never cruise RCL again' responses. You can't please everyone.... The were disclaimers saying that seats were not guaranteed, so it would be possible to drop $300 and have to stand for an hour. While I doubt that actually happened, who would want to take the chance for a relative unknown? I never heard of her, which is meaningless, but as I walked back to the Eclipse that night, it seemed that people were standing closer to the stage than the people who had seats. My wife, who is more curious than I, went up on the Solstice deck and heard her perform one song before the heavens opened. Fortunately, the performance did continue, but I think I was better off in the Sky Lounge. I believe the performance was never planned to be more than an hour, incidentally. That's pretty much how a concert works. The pit for standing in the front near the stage and the rest of the crowd may or may not stand and dance the rest of the concert. It was a fair warning to the 'I paid for a SEAT and I'm going to SIT in it!' crowd that inevitably complains. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited January 3, 2017 by Jeremiah1212 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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