Shows and other entertainment compared to Royal Caribbean

[starteryaron]

Hi,

 

Can anyone who has been both on Carnival & Royal Caribbean share his experience regarding indoor fun & nightlife (especialy theater/broadway shows, musicals/dance shows and all other performances)?

How are these compare to each other between RC & Carnival in the level of performances and productions, duartion, etc.

 

Thank you!

[jdkbrim]

I have not been on either lines’ bigger ships, but I have been on midsize ships on both lines multiple times. The length of the production shows in the main theater are the same (45 min to an hour). Now that Carnival has gone to Playlist Productions, I think the quality of RCCL’s production shows is a lot better. We don’t visit the piano bars, but my observation was that Carnival had better venues for this (I.e., a separate room versus part of a lounge with different activities simultaneously going on). We have enjoyed singing groups, duos, and soloists on both lines. I find the quality is more ship specific versus cruise line specific. Carnival has better comedy shows with the separate venue for them, but as far as Headline Entertainment in the main theater, RCCL is better with their continuation of fly-ins versus Carnival’s guest talent show type entertainment on some nights (although I did enjoy Lip Sync Battle on the Sunshine). Carnival evening movie schedule is far superior to RCCL’s. We like to eat in the Dining Room at a fixed seating, and with RCCL the good movies would always start at 7...so too early for 6 p.m. seating and too late for an 8ish seating.

[Giantfan13]

I think a production show is a production show regardless of where you are watching it, Carnival or RCCL. Why, are Carnival dancers better than RCCL dancers, are Carnival singers better than other cruise lines singers? I don't think so. Singers are singers and dancers are dancers and they work where they can get it.

I feel RCCL try's a bit harder on non production shows, to have better entertainment. Whether or not one likes it, is another story.. We have walked out on RCCL shows as well as Carnival shows.

On our last cruise, on the RCCL Grandeur, I felt we had the best entertainment we have ever had in over 20 cruises. Every night was something good, with a remarkable band called Rookie, that got a standing ovation and called back for an encore, something I have never seen happen on any cruise.

Carnival uses more ship talent and passenger talent to supplement the other days.

That said, Carnival wins for comedy club, hands down. No other cruise line has a Punchliner just for comedy and then late night comedy.

Band and piano bars are pretty much the same. I wouldn't be surprised if one band played RCCL one year and Carnival the next. They are all pretty much interchangeable.

 

Cheer

Len

[lenquixote66]

I think a production show is a production show regardless of where you are watching it, Carnival or RCCL. Why, are Carnival dancers better than RCCL dancers, are Carnival singers better than other cruise lines singers? I don't think so. Singers are singers and dancers are dancers and they work where they can get it.

I feel RCCL try's a bit harder on non production shows, to have better entertainment. Whether or not one likes it, is another story.. We have walked out on RCCL shows as well as Carnival shows.

On our last cruise, on the RCCL Grandeur, I felt we had the best entertainment we have ever had in over 20 cruises. Every night was something good, with a remarkable band called Rookie, that got a standing ovation and called back for an encore, something I have never seen happen on any cruise.

Carnival uses more ship talent and passenger talent to supplement the other days.

That said, Carnival wins for comedy club, hands down. No other cruise line has a Punchliner just for comedy and then late night comedy.

Band and piano bars are pretty much the same. I wouldn't be surprised if one band played RCCL one year and Carnival the next. They are all pretty much interchangeable.

 

 

Cheer

Len

 

We would never walk out on a show regardless of how bad it may be . Just imagine if you were a performer and somebody walked out on you . I doubt that you would be happy.

[riclop]

RCL is much better.

[sixesandeights]

It is no contest. RCCL is far better with entertainment.

[kctwinmommy]

We've enjoyed them both! RCI does have what seems like "bigger" productions, and our ship had the ice show. Honestly, we weren't all that impressed by the ice show. That's just our opinion though. We enjoyed most of the shows on the RCI ship we were on last summer, except for one. I guess it was a group impersonating some big British band, nothing we were familiar with, wasn't really our thing. So yes, we did leave about halfway through. We've also seen some great shows on Carnival and then some that were mediocre (mostly on the Alaska ship).

 

 

 

I have reviews on some of those things in both of my reviews in my signature... I even compared the 2 cruise lines in one post.

[Tapi]

Royal’s stage entertainment can vary wildly from one ship to another. On Oasis class ships, the stage entertainment has a definite “WOW!!” factor. The productions are elaborate, very professional, and varied ( multiple shows and stages, from full Broadway musicals, water based shows to ice skating productions), and they will rival the most elaborate land based entertainment.

 

On the smaller Royal ships (we just returned from the Empress) it’s considerably less elaborate and it’s more amateurish, like on Carnival. There’s usually one production performed at the main theater.

 

With that said, we do enjoy the stage entertainment on both lines, and we’ve only walked out once (on Royal’s Enchantment). The performers and singers were so bad that we were holding back laughter. We looked to our side and a couple was not holding back and they were laughing with tears in their eyes. It was contagious and we started laughing as well at which point we felt that the most respectable thing that we could do was to leave the theater.

 

Carnival seems to have better lounge entertainment, either because of the bands and musicians that the employ are better or simply because the passengers on Carnival can make their own fun in ways that we haven’t seen on Royal. But we’ve enjoyed both lines for different reasons.

 

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[Hotdog 52]

The only entertainment better on carnival is the comedy club. All the other entertainment is better on RCI. Even Princess has better shows than carnival.

[dmdiver]

I do remember thinking that the RC Enchantment production shows in 2010 had better sound technicians & singers than the CCL ones I had seen up to that point. We only saw the diving show on Oasis, as we did not make reservations for the production shows there. It seems to vary from cruise to cruise in terms of talented singers. Dancers all seem to be pretty equal. My favorite on CCL is the comedy club. I enjoy the different times and changing of comedians throughout the week. We have enjoyed listening to the various bands that play in the Ocean Plaza/Promenade areas on CCL. There's no way to really be sure whether you will like the entertainment - you just have to check it all out & see what the talent happens to be at the time.

[grandmarnnurse]

Hi,

 

 

 

Can anyone who has been both on Carnival & Royal Caribbean share his experience regarding indoor fun & nightlife (especialy theater/broadway shows, musicals/dance shows and all other performances)?

 

How are these compare to each other between RC & Carnival in the level of performances and productions, duartion, etc.

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

I’ve sailed 5 Carnival ships, but none since 2007, (and 2 RCCL ships), but I don’t think their entertainment (stage productions) can compare with RCCL’s Broadway Productions that are on their larger ships. Not to mention the aqua shows and ice shows. BUT (and this is a big “but”) RCCL did not compare to the whole all-around fun atmosphere that I always felt on Carnival, starting with no sail away.

 

 

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[Giantfan13]

We would never walk out on a show regardless of how bad it may be . Just imagine if you were a performer and somebody walked out on you . I doubt that you would be happy.

 

Sorry you feel that way. But I'll be darn if I have to stay for a show that is bad, or I don't like, because I might hurt the performers feelings.

If you don't like a meal do you eat it anyway because you don't want to hurt the chefs feelings?

 

Even if I paid for the show, and I didn't like it, I still would leave. I really can't believe you would stay and watch something you don't enjoy because you didn't want to hurt their feelings?

 

Cheers

Len

[lenquixote66]

Sorry you feel that way. But I'll be darn if I have to stay for a show that is bad, or I don't like, because I might hurt the performers feelings.

If you don't like a meal do you eat it anyway because you don't want to hurt the chefs feelings?

 

 

Even if I paid for the show, and I didn't like it, I still would leave. I really can't believe you would stay and watch something you don't enjoy because you didn't want to hurt their feelings?

 

 

Cheers

Len

I am surprised to see you posting on Saturday . I recall you posting that you arrived at a port before sundown on a Friday and stayed overnight because of religious reasons .

[GottaLuvCruising]

We are booked on our 46th cruise, platinum on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess. Entertainment is a big draw for us and the primary reason we go to Las Vegas more often than we cruise now.

 

Carnival's comedy club is far superior to what Royal Caribbean offers.

 

Lounge performers are pretty much the same with various music - some are better than others.

 

Otherwise, IMHO, Royal Caribbean wins for entertainment hands down. Carnival "Playlist" is pathetic with canned music, LED backdrops and mediocre talent - just four female and four male singer / dancers. Royal Caribbean still does big production shows with a full dance troupe and lead singers in a variety of shows.

[AmberTeka]

I did not enjoy the Production shows on RCI on my ONE cruise on Freedom of the Seas. I thought it was dated. The Beatles Tribute that Carnival did a few years ago remains one of my favorites. To me, Carnival shows, and I too wish they had live bands and more dancers, but they seem more modern to me.

On the Sunshine..they did VIP, MoTown, A tribute to rock ( Epic Rock) that did a Freddie Mercury song and that guy could sing! I think shows on Princess are dated too.

 

But on the Sunshine, if you have Early Dining at 6. the shows start at 7:30 and you cannot get a seat. Seat Saving is EPIDEMIC. I wish Carnival would come down on doing that. At 7:30 there were plenty of empty seat, but One person sat there warning everyone else off (saved), or a purse, or book was in it and someone growling " Those sears are Saved!". It infuriates me. BUT so far I have been able to keep my mouth shut, And the Late Night performance at 9:30 is never crowded.

[jetta8300]

Sadly they're not even comparable. RCCL and even Norwegian have real Broadway shows, something you'd pay lots of money to see on land. Carnival's production shows are nowhere near this, especially with their change to "Playlilst production" shows a few years back. There are good and bath things about all the lines though and there are things we like better about Carnival. But RCCL entertainment is light years better.

[billslowsky]

We would never walk out on a show regardless of how bad it may be . Just imagine if you were a performer and somebody walked out on you . I doubt that you would be happy.

 

I am the paying customer. If the show stinks, it is my time being wasted. I am not a masochist, I am not heckling them, but they are not going to waste another minute of my time.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I am the paying customer. If the show stinks, it is my time being wasted. I am not a masochist, I am not heckling them, but they are not going to waste another minute of my time.

 

AGREED! If we are disappointed or bored by the show, we try to exit discreetly, between acts, so as not to disturb anyone. I'm just not going to waste my time.

[Cinders411]

It is no contest. RCCL is far better with entertainment.

 

Agree!

[cynt]

Royal's Oasis and Quantum class ships hands down have the best entertainment shows.

 

Carnival wins with the comedy club location but comedians are comedians. Some are great others not so much. I still don't know what Royal was thinking building those teeny tiny comedy clubs.

 

Extracurricular activities Royals O & Q class wins but Vista and Breeze gives them a run for their money.

 

As you can tell by my signature I enjoy both lines. My preference is Royal because I like their O and Q class ships and I'm a sucker for their royal promenade concept.

 

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[pacruise804]

snip

 

Carnival seems to have better lounge entertainment, either because of the bands and musicians that the employ are better or simply because the passengers on Carnival can make their own fun in ways that we haven’t seen on Royal. But we’ve enjoyed both lines for different reasons.

 

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I agree that the audience/venue can make a big difference in the experience. Over the years we've seen some of the same musical groups at various venues, and the atmosphere and energy level at one is totally different than another even though it's the same act/songs. For smaller venues - like the bars or comedy clubs - the crowd certainly has an effect.

[C & L]

RCI has a wide variety of outstanding entertainment. I'm waiting for Carnival to improve their onboard entertainment. Fingers crossed that it could be happening.

[JaniceB]

I think RCI has better main stage shows than the playlist productions. Carnival has better comedy and piano bar.

 

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[AmBear]

Hi,

 

Can anyone who has been both on Carnival & Royal Caribbean share his experience regarding indoor fun & nightlife (especialy theater/broadway shows, musicals/dance shows and all other performances)?

How are these compare to each other between RC & Carnival in the level of performances and productions, duartion, etc.

 

Thank you!

 

On the smaller ships, Carnival is better!

On the larger ships with Broadway shows, RCL is better!

Everything else in entertainment, Carnival wins!

[Oceansaway17]

well I would say that RCI does a better job for two games. The QUEST and Love and Marriage

 

Love and Marriage: On RCI 3 couples that takes turns leaving while the other answers. Then the returning spouse comes back and they get to answer. and then they swap. ON CARNIVAL both couples stay and write answers on chalk board. I takes away from the chatter and seems rather businesslike.

 

THE QUEST; on the RCI it creates teams and the Cruise Directors asks 1-2 people from each team to do something. On CARNIVAL it was a mess as they asked 5 people from each team. Also on Carnival it gets really a bit risque and adult. With way too many folks on the floor it is a mess. So kudos to RCI on these two games.

 

I agree Carnival has good comedy clubs.