Entertainment Cutback Concerns and Real Disappointment

[Monica887]

5 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

Sounds good to me.  Any recommendations for the best "mediocre salad" on board?

The buffet, so at least it's made to my own specifications. Lol...

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, Monica887 said:

The buffet, so at least it's made to my own specifications. Lol...

Always found the lettuce and veggies to be fresh.  I make a mean Chef’s Salad from the Garden Cafe!

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, yakcruiser said:

I have always wondered why somebody would spend good money to go on a cruise if they knew they would be unhappy before they even stepped foot on the ship? 

Amen!

 

I started cruising in the 80s.  Wanted to try something different so we did a few “all inclusive”

resorts”.  Cruise companies started expanding their ports, built nicer ships, more to do.  So went back to cruising.  

 

Still the best vacation value for the buck!

[MacGuffin3]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Always found the lettuce and veggies to be fresh.  I make a mean Chef’s Salad from the Garden Cafe!

Hope it's the same on the Encore, since Seattle and Alaska are not known for fresh great produce.

[cruiseny4life]

18 hours ago, Seminole1975 said:

I am really looking forward to Broadway Unplugged! I have seen bits and pieces of videos. Thanks for your kind words. 

I'm pretty sure your son wasn't onboard in September or January when I saw Broadway Unplugged...but I'm sure they are equally as good as the rest of the crew. The September Broadway Unplugged was, hands down, one of the best shows I've been to...having said that, I've been to maybe ten shows in my life (on land and on sea). But, it was really dang good. I'm glad your son, and daughter-in-law, are onboard, living their best life, creating memories for a lot of cruisers. I hope they have opportunities for years to come!

[Seminole1975]

5 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I'm pretty sure your son wasn't onboard in September or January when I saw Broadway Unplugged...but I'm sure they are equally as good as the rest of the crew. The September Broadway Unplugged was, hands down, one of the best shows I've been to...having said that, I've been to maybe ten shows in my life (on land and on sea). But, it was really dang good. I'm glad your son, and daughter-in-law, are onboard, living their best life, creating memories for a lot of cruisers. I hope they have opportunities for years to come!

They got on the ship in May. Thank you for your kind words. They just got married in October so it’s like an extended honeymoon with work. 

[chillyw]

13 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

Hope it's the same on the Encore, since Seattle and Alaska are not known for fresh great produce.

 

The Spinach Caesar in the MDR on Encore / Alaska was actually pretty great.

[Anashoo]

I live near Seattle and getting farm fresh produce is not difficult at all. Tons of farms all around us, and farmers markets are pretty huge. Curious why you think it’s not available here.

[golden6911]

Yeah the ship entertainment generally isn't my thing.  It's okay, but not at the top of the list of things I enjoy.  Personally I cruise for good food, the spa, and a good itinerary.  The shows and music are a nice bonus, but I am way more unhappy if they skimp out on food selection and quality. 

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, MacGuffin3 said:

Hope it's the same on the Encore, since Seattle and Alaska are not known for fresh great produce.

Just like they grow all of the salad produce in Florida?????

[MacGuffin3]

56 minutes ago, Anashoo said:

I live near Seattle and getting farm fresh produce is not difficult at all. Tons of farms all around us, and farmers markets are pretty huge. Curious why you think it’s not available here.

I've lived in both Seattle and California, and the difference is huge.  When I worked in a restaurant in Seattle 25 years ago the chef always complained about it. Perhaps its gotten better. But I do doubt the ship is picking up its inventory from farmer's markets.
 

Edited July 17, 2023 by MacGuffin3

[graphicguy]

50 minutes ago, Anashoo said:

I live near Seattle and getting farm fresh produce is not difficult at all. Tons of farms all around us, and farmers markets are pretty huge. Curious why you think it’s not available here.

First thing I thought.....is there some reason West Coast farmers don't know how to grow vegetables vs Florida farmers?

[amygutman]

On 7/16/2023 at 3:01 PM, Monica887 said:

I think this group posting is jaded. We've all been on multiple cruises, likely for years, and things lose their luster after a while. 

 

First time I stepped on a ship I couldn't believe it was a ship! Everything was exciting. A balcony! A "free" bottle of sparkling wine! A diverse menu! But now we take it for granted. I'm on the ship, ok, it's pretty, here's my balcony, let's head to lunch, oh it's the same menu as last time, let's pop the cork, oh it's not really as good as the real stuff.... Stop letting yourself get jaded. 

 

If you want a theatre trip, head to NY or London. If you want lobster (is that really the height of luxury anymore?) then go to Maine. I'm on a cruise to relax, and though it might be nice to have mind blowing entertainment and gourmet food, if I soak in some sun while watching the ocean while eating a mediocre salad, so be it - I'm relaxed, I'm not at work, I don't have to cook, and the sunset is spectacular.

This 100%%%%%

[chillyw]

On 7/16/2023 at 2:01 PM, Monica887 said:

I think this group posting is jaded. We've all been on multiple cruises, likely for years, and things lose their luster after a while. 

 

First time I stepped on a ship I couldn't believe it was a ship! Everything was exciting. A balcony! A "free" bottle of sparkling wine! A diverse menu! But now we take it for granted. I'm on the ship, ok, it's pretty, here's my balcony, let's head to lunch, oh it's the same menu as last time, let's pop the cork, oh it's not really as good as the real stuff.... Stop letting yourself get jaded. 

 

If you want a theatre trip, head to NY or London. If you want lobster (is that really the height of luxury anymore?) then go to Maine. I'm on a cruise to relax, and though it might be nice to have mind blowing entertainment and gourmet food, if I soak in some sun while watching the ocean while eating a mediocre salad, so be it - I'm relaxed, I'm not at work, I don't have to cook, and the sunset is spectacular.

 

It's the cruise lines themselves that set the bar.  The Epic debuted with Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soliel, Legends in Concert, Second City Comedy, a Murder Mystery show, and a Nickelodean show for kids.  All were pretty solid (though the food at Cirque sucked lol).  That's in addition to the music venues.

 

Today, you're lucky to get one decent show over 7 days.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, chillyw said:

 

It's the cruise lines themselves that set the bar.  The Epic debuted with Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soliel, Legends in Concert, Second City Comedy, a Murder Mystery show, and a Nickelodean show for kids.  All were pretty solid (though the food at Cirque sucked lol).  That's in addition to the music venues.

 

Today, you're lucky to get one decent show over 7 days.

🤦‍♂️, I guess I was not the only one who thought the food at Cirque was worse than the regular food on the Epic.

 

We were sorry we missed Slam Allen (who is from my hometown) when we were on the Epic, though we did eventually find a music venue we enjoyed. (I did let him know the next time we saw him that we had missed him on the Epic.)

[SoloAlaska]

Booked my first cruise with NCL and I hope there’s decent “entertainment “ outside the theatre. A 15 day TA and only 2 shows are listed; blazing boots and get down tonight. I know I didn’t book a newer ship but with NCL claiming to have the best entertainment I expect a little better atleast.

[MacGuffin3]

29 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

only 2 shows are listed; blazing boots and get down tonight.

They are probably only offering "Feet of Flames" and "Urban Cowboy" in the Haven.

[graphicguy]

As best I can tell, they are shifting the entertainment from shows to things like the Laser Tag, Race Car Course, etc.  Those are obviously extra charge entertainment options, but that's where they're going.

 

The shows are still there.  Million Dollar Quartet, Choir of Man, Six, Jersey Boys, etc.  The Cirque shows were fun, but the "dinner" theater concept didn't quite strike a chord.  Mediocre food served in a cramped venue wasn't really a hit.

 

They have moved to smaller shows, too.  Cavern Club and Syd Norman shows are excellent....again, probably the best bands at sea. 

 

I think it's just a shift.  Some will like it. Some will not.

 

Personally, while I may or may not care for some of the "big" shows, they have all been very well done.

 

So far on NCL I've seen (from memory)...

 

-Blue Man Group

-Cirque

-Imaginarium (not sure if that's the name of the show but it was a good magic show in that venue)

-Rock of Ages

-Burn the Floor

-Jersey Boys

-Six

-Million Dollar Quartet

-Choir of Man

 

The last 5 are still active NCL shows.

 

That doesn't include the entertainment throughout the ships.  As mentioned, the Syd Norman and Cavern Club shows are excellent in their own right.

 

Plus, you have the comedians, the entertainers in the Atrium just about every night.  Is it changing?  Yeah....I think they're moving towards internally developed shows (like Syd's) so they don't have to pay the big fees for the Broadway shows.  Is it worse?  I don't think so.

 

But, I'm not even relatively close to being a  broadway show afficianado.

 

 

 

 

[JCDCA]

53 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

As best I can tell, they are shifting the entertainment from shows to things like the Laser Tag, Race Car Course, etc.  Those are obviously extra charge entertainment options, but that's where they're going.

 

The shows are still there.  Million Dollar Quartet, Choir of Man, Six, Jersey Boys, etc.  The Cirque shows were fun, but the "dinner" theater concept didn't quite strike a chord.  Mediocre food served in a cramped venue wasn't really a hit.

 

They have moved to smaller shows, too.  Cavern Club and Syd Norman shows are excellent....again, probably the best bands at sea. 

 

I think it's just a shift.  Some will like it. Some will not.

 

Personally, while I may or may not care for some of the "big" shows, they have all been very well done.

 

So far on NCL I've seen (from memory)...

 

-Blue Man Group

-Cirque

-Imaginarium (not sure if that's the name of the show but it was a good magic show in that venue)

-Rock of Ages

-Burn the Floor

-Jersey Boys

-Six

-Million Dollar Quartet

-Choir of Man

 

The last 5 are still active NCL shows.

 

That doesn't include the entertainment throughout the ships.  As mentioned, the Syd Norman and Cavern Club shows are excellent in their own right.

 

Plus, you have the comedians, the entertainers in the Atrium just about every night.  Is it changing?  Yeah....I think they're moving towards internally developed shows (like Syd's) so they don't have to pay the big fees for the Broadway shows.  Is it worse?  I don't think so.

 

But, I'm not even relatively close to being a  broadway show afficianado.

 

 

 

 

Several of the shows you mention as still being around are being cut though (like Six).  Also you can’t reasonably argue that laser tag and race cars are akin to “entertainment.”  NCL is really falling behind the competition with these cuts.  

[chillyw]

53 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

-Six

 

The last 5 are still active NCL shows.

 

Just a quick point of clarification, they are shutting down SIX after this year.

[MacGuffin3]

19 minutes ago, chillyw said:

they are shutting down SIX after this year.

Nothing to fear, the sequel SEVEN is coming out for the xmas season!

[chillyw]

Just now, MacGuffin3 said:

Nothing to fear, the sequel SEVEN is coming out for the xmas season!

 

Hopefully after that, they make an ESPN THE OCHO show

[graphicguy]

21 minutes ago, chillyw said:

 

Just a quick point of clarification, they are shutting down SIX after this year.

I had heard that.  I also heard they were replacing it with something else, which as of yet, I haven’t heard what that might be.

 

When I was on the “behind the scenes” tour on the Bliss this past Fall, the Show Manager did say that there were shows being developed specifically for NCL to replace Six.  To me, that’s not a bad thing.  Not that SIX wasn’t good…..it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

 

As far as NCL falling behind…falling behind which cruise line?

 

Was on Royal and Celebrity last year, and while their shows were good (when they were performed, which was a crap shoot at 270), NCL still had the edge.

 

Celebrity had smaller shows.  Again, good performances but not the same quality as NCL’s.

[vacation44]

27 minutes ago, JCDCA said:

Several of the shows you mention as still being around are being cut though (like Six).  Also you can’t reasonably argue that laser tag and race cars are akin to “entertainment.”  NCL is really falling behind the competition with these cuts.  

I agree.

 

And they are removing laser tag from the Joy to replace it with an expanded Vibe area.

 

We have been on a ship three times with the race track and have not participated.  However, we did go to the theater every night.

[chillyw]

Just now, graphicguy said:

As far as NCL falling behind…falling behind which cruise line?

 

Was on Royal and Celebrity last year, and while their shows were good (when they were performed, which was a crap shoot at 270), NCL still had the edge.

 

My hope is that they get some cool shows that are self-developed like Choir of Man.  I will say my Encore Alaska cruise was good, and I love NCL overall, but when we were on the ship, it was pretty boring outside of the Casino and that.  I personally like a mix of Casino + shows + specialty dining most nights, and the challenge for me is music on NCL just isn't my cup of tea (I'm also a younger demographic so I realize I'm not always the target, but I'd rather have a good DJ than a lounge performer).  I definitely missed Bliss Ultra Lounge on Encore.

 

I'm going to find out early next year, but the one cruise line that reminds me of the way NCL used to be is Virgin.  Multiple production shows, good variety, one of the shows is going from Cruise Ship -> Touring because it was good (Dual Reality).