NCL to close 9 production shows

[Seminole1975]

5 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

Your son and daughter-in-law are awesome!  We were on Getaway in late May and absolutely loved MDQ and Broadway Unplugged.  Such a talented cast😊

Thanks! They on are the Getaway from May to end of September I think.Can't wait to get on the beautiful Getaway again! 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Seminole1975

[amygutman]

9 hours ago, Seminole1975 said:

He is currently back on the Getaway playing Carl Perkins (and understudy Burn the Floor and in Broadway Unplugged) with his new wife who is playing Dyanne. (They met on the Getaway in MDQ!) We are going to see them in August. They decided to go on one more adventure since this contract goes to Europe. They had a hard time during COVID when all theater shut down for a year. They both tried other jobs to make do (due?) and decided that performing was what they loved best. They have some land jobs lined up after this contract is over. Thanks for asking.

@Seminole1975 Oh my word! Your son played Carl Perkins? Dyanne is his real-life wife? Wow!!! I know you probably have heard this a million times but they are so incredibly talented. Our whole family loved this show and the entire theater could not get enough. 

Please pass on to them they have new found fans in Orlando and cannot praise them enough for an amazing show. Best show at sea (and yes...I LOVE Choir of Men, but the Quartet just rocked our world).

Warmest, Amy

[vacation44]

10 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Actually, three options... the worst result for the paying passenger..... raise fares AND lower service.

And I believe they went with option three.......

[vacation44]

10 hours ago, Seminole1975 said:

He is currently back on the Getaway playing Carl Perkins (and understudy Burn the Floor and in Broadway Unplugged) with his new wife who is playing Dyanne. (They met on the Getaway in MDQ!) We are going to see them in August. They decided to go on one more adventure since this contract goes to Europe. They had a hard time during COVID when all theater shut down for a year. They both tried other jobs to make do (due?) and decided that performing was what they loved best. They have some land jobs lined up after this contract is over. Thanks for asking.

Add us to the list who thinks your son was fantastic playing Carl Perkins!  It is still our favorite NCL show.

[Seminole1975]

2 hours ago, amygutman said:

@Seminole1975 Oh my word! Your son played Carl Perkins? Dyanne is his real-life wife? Wow!!! I know you probably have heard this a million times but they are so incredibly talented. Our whole family loved this show and the entire theater could not get enough. 

Please pass on to them they have new found fans in Orlando and cannot praise them enough for an amazing show. Best show at sea (and yes...I LOVE Choir of Men, but the Quartet just rocked our world).

Warmest, Amy

Awwww. Thank you. 

[fstuff1]

On 6/16/2023 at 9:46 AM, Greener123 said:

Each show will end as of the listed dates:

July 7th  – Swing - Gem 
August 16th – World Beat –Spirit
September 25th – Velvet – Jewel
October 11th – What the World Needs Now – Star
October 11th – World Beat – Sun
October 28th – Footloose – Joy
November 4th – Showdown – Dawn
January 26, 2024 – SIX – Breakaway
February 24, 2024 – SIX – Bliss

 

So gem, star and dawn will be down to 2 production shows.

Why?

The production cast is still there for the other 2 shows.

So they're going to pay them 1/3 less?

 

[luv2kroooz]

5 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

So gem, star and dawn will be down to 2 production shows.

Why?

The production cast is still there for the other 2 shows.

So they're going to pay them 1/3 less?

 

They could still announce a lower budget, replacement third show.

[Shidah]

On 6/16/2023 at 1:11 PM, luv2kroooz said:

It is? Royal routinely finds them for their ice shows and Broadway shows. 

Couldn’t pay me to sit through an ice show.  Very outdated.

[luv2kroooz]

7 minutes ago, Shidah said:

Couldn’t pay me to sit through an ice show.  Very outdated.

Shidah, I was not offering to pay you to watch a show. I was talking about staffing issues. Your comment is off topic.

[dexddd]

Well, good news, maybe bad, when you do the BTS tour it will be shorter because the behind stage visit will consist of seeing one outfit for a comedian.

 

They had hypnotists before but must have figured no longer needed.  I think my ignore list holds those that were never released from the trance.

 

 

[Shidah]

3 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Shidah, I was not offering to pay you to watch a show. I was talking about staffing issues. Your comment is off topic.

And bringing up an ice show on a competing  brand is on topic?  As much as you discuss devaluing the brand and the lessened customer experience, I don’t understand why you sail on NCL and don’t stick with Royal and Princess?  
 

 Back on-topic, you mentioned moving Syds to the main theater. Last three cruises, passengers were overwhelmingly suggesting that, because it is a great show and everyone that tried to get in each night couldn’t.  However what makes Syd’s a great show is the intimacy of the venue, I believe it would flop in the main theater and NCL knows that.  Moving it outside or to the atrium as one of the themed party nights for the prom show would be interesting though.  

 

No one knows for sure the motivation behind NCL changing these shows.  But for people that go on multiple cruises, having them change every now and then is a good thing.  

[UKstages]

my understanding is that the syd's show can only appear in the venue built for it. contractually, they can't elevate t to a theatre setting. if memory serves, the syd norman concept was created by the people who brought you "rock of ages," which had an almost decade long run on NCL. same creative team and producers. syd's was an attempt to try to capture some of that same energy. in any case, it is licensed to be performed in the specific venue which bears its name..

[Jim The Lizard]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

my understanding is that the syd's show can only appear in the venue built for it. contractually, they can't elevate t to a theatre setting. if memory serves, the syd norman concept was created by the people who brought you "rock of ages," which had an almost decade long run on NCL. same creative team and producers. syd's was an attempt to try to capture some of that same energy. in any case, it is licensed to be performed in the specific venue which bears its name..

This is correct.  Syd's is contractually scheduled to perform in its own trademarked location. There is some discussion to be more flexible but as it stands right now, don't hold your breath for Rumours or Prom in the main theater. 

[luv2kroooz]

2 hours ago, Shidah said:

And bringing up an ice show on a competing  brand is on topic?

Agreed. The original post has disappeared so now my comments are off topic. No worries. 

 

2 hours ago, Shidah said:

I don’t understand why you sail on NCL and don’t stick with Royal and Princess?  
 

That's easy to understand...value. We value NCL at the fire sale prices. We just finished a two week TA for $499 pp and had a great time despite some hiccups. At that price point,  we sail NCL and have become Sapphire level. Our next cruise is on Princess. We are paying a higher price for the Princess sailing, but not too much more. Royal is our least favorite.

[hawkeyetlse]

On 6/16/2023 at 9:32 PM, Turtles06 said:

I rather doubt the decision was driven by the cost of costumes, beautiful as they are in SIX, There are only six performers.

There are two additional switch performers who are each able to play 3 of the queens' parts, in case anyone in the core cast needs to drop out. The costumes have to be custom-fitted to each performer, so that means (in theory) that they don't just need 6 costumes, but 12. And they told us they cost something like $10,000 each, plus however much to maintain them throughout the show's run.

 

They were originally planning to expand Six to at least one other ship, so they will definitely save money by not doing that now. But I agree with you that the costume budget is not the biggest expense (I believe that negotiating the rights to do the show costs way more than actually producing it.)

 

[Isabella Benjamin]

NCL had emailed me right before I went on my last cruise which was at the beginning of May.  They asked if I wanted to be part of a study group to give feedback on some new shows they were considering. 

 

I signed up for it, but I never heard back from them once I was on the ship.  I would have loved to know what shows they were considering.  

[uneamie]

On 6/17/2023 at 10:58 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

To ad to the above post, NCL is reacting to extreme debt. I suspect these are cost cutting measures and I would expect more cost cutting measures in the future. Not just NCL, but all mainstream lines. 

I agree....but one would think if they are reacting to debt then why are they constantly building NEW ships? 

[debenson0723]

1 minute ago, uneamie said:

I agree....but one would think if they are reacting to debt then why are they constantly building NEW ships? 

Because they had contracts signed before the pandemic.

[UKstages]

there are typically "kill" clauses in such contracts that would allow them to back out of the agreement. for a hefty fee, of course. but that fee would be far less than it costs to build the ships. but then, of course, they'd have no new ships.

 

they're building new ships to remain competitive and to make the way for a new era of cruising... can't continue to sail the same ships forever.

[coffeebean]

On 6/16/2023 at 12:21 PM, Seminole1975 said:

Oh and don’t forget about Burn the Floor. It’s still there. 

Which ship has Burn the Floor? I saw that show on a couple of different NCL ships several years ago. The cast gave an up close and personal show in the main dining room that has a dance floor. I believe the restaurant is The Manhattan. Our seats were ringside for the show. I was in awe of the talent and the absolutely fabulous dancing. Such a great memory of our NCL Epic cruise.

[Seminole1975]

11 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

Which ship has Burn the Floor? I saw that show on a couple of different NCL ships several years ago. The cast gave an up close and personal show in the main dining room that has a dance floor. I believe the restaurant is The Manhattan. Our seats were ringside for the show. I was in awe of the talent and the absolutely fabulous dancing. Such a great memory of our NCL Epic cruise.

I know for a fact the Getaway has Burn the Floor, but not sure if any of the other ships have it.

[coffeebean]

On 6/17/2023 at 8:29 AM, luv2kroooz said:

The only study that need be undertaken is bottom line profit. Easy decision, but likely the wrong one as it further devalues their brand.

I had heard NCL is going for super luxurious. Now they cancel the Broadway type productions. Sounds like an oxymoron to me. I always look forward to the Broadway production shows on a cruise ship. NCL is disappointing me with this decision.

[UKstages]

breakaway, getaway and epic, i believe.

[mking8288]

41 minutes ago, Seminole1975 said:

... Getaway has Burn the Floor, but not sure if any of the other ships have it.

Yes, was shown onboard the Epic's TA, Burn The Floor was the one & only show for 2 nights ... subsequently added 1 more evening while en route, sailing at 95% double occupancies (quite a few solos)  Saw it twice already within the past year, skipped it but DW and SIL went.  

 

Look what just showed up, yippie ... exciting offers coming up.  NOT 🙄 😕 😬 

Almost forgot, didn't capture it on the screenshot - The Price is Right Live ... that's considered entertainment, really 😟

 

 

[UKstages]

"the price is right" is a very slick, very well produced game show with high production values, but it is not professional show business cruise ship entertainment.