Are the shows still really good on Norwegian.

[RetiredRich]

In 2005 our first cruise was a Norwegian to Alaska.  We were very impressed with all the shows.  Through the years we migrated from Carnival to Holland America.  We are in our 70s and grown to like Holland America as being mostly older people.  But we  have grown tired of their lack of entertainment.  Thinking about coming back to Norwegian for our yearly cruise.  So how have the shows been on Norwegian lately ??  We might switch.

[complawyer]

without trying to be evasive, arent someone else's  opinions of shows subjective? we walked out of jersy boys on the bliss last july, but loved six. some people raved about jersey boys.  we had theater tickets to kinky boots, that i gave to my grandson as we had no overwhelming desire to see the show. we went  to see "get down tonight" on the gem and thought it was a performance trying to find itself. so you need to decide for yourself,.

by the way, i'm 74 and my wife is 73, and actually, i dont really care what shows are being staged on the ship. that's really not part of my criteria, and regardless of the length of the cruise, if i didnt get to see even 1 show, i wouldnt feel slighted, cheated or that i missed something.

 

my best advice to to take the cruise, go to the shows, and make your own decision(s) 

 

that being said, enjoy your cruise and any shows you may choose to see

[CaptainBazz]

All the shows on NCL are great...search this site...there was a question about your favourite shows...Jersey Boys, Six, Choir of Man, Kinky Boots, the Beatles are all excellent...take an NCL cruise and decide for yourself...I don't think you will be disappointed. 

[AwesomO]

I think it also depends on the ship you choose. The smaller ships don't seem to get the more acclaimed shows.

[ChiefMateJRK]

27 minutes ago, AwesomO said:

I think it also depends on the ship you choose. The smaller ships don't seem to get the more acclaimed shows.

Jersey Boys used to be on the Pearl.  That was before they had as many new mega-ships though.

[FlGoodShips]

Recently on Prima...

Donna Summers show was fantastic. 

Noise Boys was great.

The Price is Right game show in theatre was soooo good.

Loved them all.

[jbcallender]

We recently sailed on Spirit for 12 days.  I was amazed.  Taking the subjective part of entertainment out, the same performers and production crew did six fully choreographed productions in the theatre and a broadway showtune production in the main lounge.  These were complete productions with songs, dances, routines, visuals and full sets.  I was very impressed with the talent and the stagecraft.  I was quite impressed and the shows were one of the highlights for us.  There was also a magic show, and a mini-cirque du soleil style aerialist show which were quite good.

[CaptainBazz]

4 hours ago, jbcallender said:

We recently sailed on Spirit for 12 days.  I was amazed.  Taking the subjective part of entertainment out, the same performers and production crew did six fully choreographed productions in the theatre and a broadway showtune production in the main lounge.  These were complete productions with songs, dances, routines, visuals and full sets.  I was very impressed with the talent and the stagecraft.  I was quite impressed and the shows were one of the highlights for us.  There was also a magic show, and a mini-cirque du soleil style aerialist show which were quite good.

That is what I have always liked about the smaller NCL ships...same dancers/singers doing great shows...the larger ships have their Broadway style shows which are good but sometimes very long and often only on 2-3 nights.

[RadioPeri]

I'm the parent of an Equity Broadway actor, and I'll tell you that cruise ship entertainers are among the hardest-working, aspiring talents in the industry. It's a GREAT opportunity for performers just out of college and those who may not yet have booked a larger regional or NYC-based show. We know MANY talented actors who got their start on cruise ships!

Not all shows have the same budgets or production values, so keep that in mind. Some are packaged and licensed as is (like Six), and others are full-blown revues really just about the entertainment.

The singers and dancers go through WEEKS of exhaustive rehearsals, and often have many other jobs on board.

 

We generally support and love the shows on board (although we have far more RCCL and Celebrity experience), but I'll just say to go with an open mind, prepare to be entertained, and enjoy the evening out. These kids are REALLY working for you!

[Cruisercl]

IMO, NCL does have the best entertainment department in comparison to the other cruise lines I have sailed on; this includes Princess, Celebrity, RCCL and HAL.

I did sail on a Disney cruise; the production shows were good Disney quality but the adult bar entertainment was weak.

The options on NCL entertainment are better quality and more is available to enjoy.

The bar entertainments, atrium entertainments and bigger production shows are great with good variety and strong talent, you can certainly tell the difference.

I have sailed on the smaller, the medium and the large NCL ships; the entertainment was always good quality.

There are different types of entertainment day and evening, lots of choices. Something for everyone.

I just recently sailed on the Prima and the Bliss.

Hope this helps! 

Safe sailing!!

 

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Go on the Getaway and see Million Dollar Quartet. We saw the show when it opened in Chicago and then when it won the Tony on Broadway . The Getaway’s version is as good if not better! The cast does a Broadway Cabaret later in the cruise ( fantastic) . And by the way, Jersey Boys was very good too ( different ship). Six was entertaining but not memorable ( don’t throw tomatoes at me , I know a lot of people really like it. ) Kinky Boots was an excellent production but not appropriate for a family show( Thanksgiving sailing with tons of confused kids in the audience). There are many entertainment venues on NCL ships including the comedy club ( our favorite)

[PATRLR]

 

On 12/12/2022 at 5:15 PM, complawyer said:

without trying to be evasive, arent someone else's  opinions of shows subjective? we walked out of jersy boys on the bliss last july, but loved six. some people raved about jersey boys.  we had theater tickets to kinky boots, that i gave to my grandson as we had no overwhelming desire to see the show. we went  to see "get down tonight" on the gem and thought it was a performance trying to find itself. so you need to decide for yourself,.

 

They need to decide for themselves so they can't even ask other's opinions?   Really?

 

Of course opinions are subjective - that is by definition.  An accumulation of opinions typically does present value, hence why people ask for others opinions.  Do we really need to explain that to you complawyer?  For crying out loud, if you don't want to give your opinion, fine, move on.  There is no need to tell OP not to ask.

To the OP, we just got off Encore and both shows were top shelf (Kinky Boots and Choir of Man).  Jersey Boys on Bliss in 2018 was also extremely good.  I suspect the best shows are on the bigger ships and those bigger ships might present their own challenges/differences compared to HAL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Choir of Man was great. Our son loved it so much that when they appeared in DC at the Kennedy Center he took his kids to see it again. It is a rousing good feeling magical night. Just my opinion.

[YVRteacher]

In my opinion, shows on the Escape, Encore and Bliss (not sure about the Joy) are excellent while the shows on the Jewel-class ships are not so good.  They are outdated and so loud.

[bortman23]

On 12/12/2022 at 6:03 PM, CaptainBazz said:

Beatles

 

My dad went to EVERY showing of the Beatles on our recent Encore sailing 😂

[complawyer]

patrlr "NO"!! an accumulation of opinions, just fosters more confusion. with all the different posters on the ncl cruise critic how can one possibly make an educated choice with varying opinions coming from all angles? 

 

i stand by my post. what he needs to do, is log onto his website, check out the information listed under entertainment, and decide which show(s) if any he/she wants to see.

 

someone may rave about a show, op gets excited about the review/opinion, wants to see this show, and comes to find out that it's not on his cruise. then what?

 

remember the wise old adage " opinions are like as*****s, everybody's got  one.

 

of course it's perfectly fine to ask, but i think there are to many different shows to choose from, for this person to make an informed  decision.

 

other than that, i think most of your posts/responses are spot on

[CaptainBazz]

11 hours ago, bortman23 said:

 

My dad went to EVERY showing of the Beatles on our recent Encore sailing 😂

So did my DW and I...saw all the shows in the Tavern and the shows in the theatre...I guess it's our age 😂 

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

The cast does a Broadway Cabaret later in the cruise ( fantastic)

I don't really enjoy shows (Million Dollar Quartet was just good to me), but the Broadway Unplugged show was absolutely amazing! I was literally mesmerized from the very first note to the last. 

[Robkat]

We've been on most of the other cruise lines, and we've always felt that NCLs entertainment has been excellent, and quite a bit better than the comparable lines.

We were just recently on the Escape, and we saw 4 fantastic shows.  We saw Nashville Tenors, Choir of Man (this was our second time seeing this show and liked it even more!), Shadow and Black Light, and Malevo.  The last two had been finalist contestants on America's Got Talent, and they were phenomenal! 

This is not to say that every sailing has so much variety (this particular cruise seemed especially stacked!), but we're never disappointed with the offerings.

[Greenpea2]

I always enjoy the shows. Very much. Are they Broadway quality? Well, no...but they are really good and the entertainers work so hard, I'd never even try to compare them. They are high-energy and fun.

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by Greenpea2

[ChiefMateJRK]

21 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Kinky Boots was an excellent production but not appropriate for a family show( Thanksgiving sailing with tons of confused kids in the audience).

Actually, in this day and age, it might be the parents who are "confused."  While perhaps not totally confused, I didn't really "get it."  That's okay...

[fredflint]

Well it does depend on the ship and Itinerary, I just came back from a 14 day  cruise on the Star going to South America and the entertainment was subpar.  Now normally I don't try to critique food as I am not a food critic.  That said I have a degree in theatre and worked professionally for 2 years on the technical side.  I can tell when the Choreography and Dance numbers work or not on our shows they did not work.  My wife taught piano for several years as side job and she can tell when people are singing in the proper key and in tune etc.  The cast was not singing well at all, just for grins I checked on the cost for AutoTune and it is a few hundred dollars a month so they could at least fix that part.

 

I feel that Royal has better entertainment, you would literally have to have 30 shows videotaped from each cruise line then play pairs to a group have them vote not knowing which cruise line then have them pick A or B ....