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Considering the NCL Sun or NCL Sky, have they still cut back the entertainment shows? It was awful in January.

gam888

By gam888,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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gam888

gam888

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We sailed on NCL Sky this past January. They had awful evening entertainment, They had 2 production shows during our 10 day cruise. The rest of the evenings, they had the same couple performing over and over again. The lady was a flamingo dance and the gentleman played the musical instrument. There was no other guest performers at all other than that. We spoke with some people on staff, and they said they were surprised by the cut back as well. We are considering going on either the NCL Sun or the NCL Sky next January. They are the same class ship. Both are old and small. So I wonder if the entertainment is going to be still cut back on these ships. Just want to mentally prepared if this is what we would expect again, so we can make a decision to go with it or sail with another line. Anyone who have recently sailed on either the NCL Sun Sky or the NCL Sun, please share your experience onboard, in turns of entertainment, any dancing venues, music and band onboard, food and service etc. Thank you in advance.

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OceanDreaming2

OceanDreaming2

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We were on the Sun in May. Must not have made a lasting impression since I can't remember any guest performers. But we were on the Sky 9/1-9/21 and they had a magician, a comedian and two women vocalists. On the way to Quebec City, there were 2 shows per night. For some reason on the second half of our cruise, only one performance per evening. Their house band, Sonata, had a performance in the main theater with songs from Queen and the Beatles. And on the last night, the cruise director Carlos Torres, joined Sonata for a Mexican Fiesta.

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  • 4 weeks later...
rugerdog

rugerdog

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12 hours ago, dianeksfun said:

We enjoyed the entertainment,  the service & the ship in general.  The food was terrible.  Barely warm, tough meat, cheap fish choices, small portions.  Our first time with NCL & probably our last.

Just off the Sun.  My first time on a ship this small, which was really good for getting close to the glaciers, but other than that, not my favorite for sure.  Agree 100% about the food, very disappointing.  Service overall was better than expected.

 

Entertainment was not up to par, in my opinion.  On a 9 day cruise, we saw only one production show, which we really enjoyed.  Talented group.  There was one comedian who did several shows.  We only attended one.  There was a singer who had a nice voice and she had several shows.  We attended only one.  If there was any entertainment in the main theater the rest of the nights, it wasn't of any interest to us, which was surprising.  I generally attend whatever the show is every night, and have seldom been disappointed.  Music in the bars and lounges was of noticeably less quality. 

 

The ship itself was nice, clean, and well maintained.  Buffet was strangely laid out and very inconvenient with lots of jostling, crowding and no space to maneuver.  Staff and crew were consistently friendly, helpful and kind.

 

Had this been my first cruise, it may have been my last as well.

 

 

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complawyer

complawyer

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i know i'm probably going to get blasted for this post, but personally i dont even consider the entertainment (or lack thereof) as any criteria for booking a cruise. After 25 cruises, sometimes i dont even bother with going to the stardust theater, or sitting at a lounge listening to some off key and often to loud singer.

 

the cruise/itinerary is the most important. (at least imho)

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firstimer2009

firstimer2009

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On 10/24/2023 at 8:53 AM, complawyer said:

i know i'm probably going to get blasted for this post, but personally i dont even consider the entertainment (or lack thereof) as any criteria for booking a cruise. After 25 cruises, sometimes i dont even bother with going to the stardust theater, or sitting at a lounge listening to some off key and often to loud singer.

 

the cruise/itinerary is the most important. (at least imho)

That's me too since we live in an area with alot of Broadway shows that roll through town.  I do enjoy listening to music in the smaller venues though.  And we are on Escape next fall so plan to see Choir of Man.  

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seekatz

seekatz

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We were on the Sun in May and September. The singers and dancers really work hard to give you a good show. On both cruises they performed multiple times on the 11 and 9 night cruises. The guest performers were different each cruise, but each night we had the choice of going to a show. The last cruise we were lucky enough to see a Lionel Richie type performer do 2 shows, both very good. Could not agree more with the concerns about the buffet, small and crowded, the biggest negative for the ship. A very good crew and the ship for its age is well maintained.

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jsn55

jsn55

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I love(d) the production shows on many past cruises.  Saw one on Royal Princess over Christmas and the volume was so ear-splitting that I just left and never bothered again.  On NCL Epic last month, we were out every day, so never needed any evening entertainment ... the peace and quiet of my cabin was wonderful.  I'm not sure why 'everything' is so loud now ... just to be sure we know we're having fun???

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skittl1321 Great Review Rare

skittl1321

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On 10/24/2023 at 10:53 AM, complawyer said:

i know i'm probably going to get blasted for this post, but personally i dont even consider the entertainment (or lack thereof) as any criteria for booking a cruise. After 25 cruises, sometimes i dont even bother with going to the stardust theater, or sitting at a lounge listening to some off key and often to loud singer.

 

the cruise/itinerary is the most important. (at least imho)


I mean, valid point for you; but not sure this is helpful to someone posting specifically that entertainment is important to them.  "Sure, the entertainment sucks; but have you considered just not viewing it at all?"  This poster wants to know what the entertainment is, because it IS important the them, and they've been previously disappointed.

 

I personally would be totally fine if a ship cut out every single bar on the ship. Or maybe the ship only serves one beer, let's make it Natural Light, and no other alcohol. Should be OK right? I mean, it's just the itinerary that matters.  Drink packages, drink prices, none of that is any criteria for me booking a cruise.  Wouldn't affect me at all. But lots of people would freak out about that cruise!

For me, entertainment is extremely important on a cruise, and NCL was a bit of a letdown.  There were other things about NCL that I really really loved though, so I might give them another try if the price is right.  

 

And yes, I see the irony that this post doesn't help the OP at all. I'm still posting it. Such is the internet.

 

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ChiefMateJRK

ChiefMateJRK

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We were on the Sky in January and the Sun in July.  Polar opposites for the smaller venue musical performers.  The Sky was awful.  One guy who I liked, but he played mostly country.

 

The Sun was arguably the best I've experienced.  Matthew, Ed Kelley and the Nicos Duo were all fantastic.  It was tough sometimes choosing between them when performances overlapped.  I think there was even a fourth act that I would have liked, but there just wasn't enough time to take them all in.

 

18 hours ago, jsn55 said:

I'm not sure why 'everything' is so loud now ... just to be sure we know we're having fun???

I think it is partly so that people who want to hear the talented performers can do so without being drowned out by a group of idiots shouting at each other rather than just moving to the back so that those who are trying to enjoy the performance can do so.  We had a group on the Sun that were awful.  The one lady had a piercing loud voice.  Her Husband sensed that others were becoming irritated and even he couldn't get her to shut up (he tried, God bless him).  We were on the Joy last October and Ryan North was in the brewhouse.  Extremely talented musician.  Many packed in early to hear him but we had arguably the loudest bunch of passengers that I have ever heard literally drowning him out at times.  The bar staff finally had to ask them to quiet down.  IIRC, they left in a huff.  Win!!!

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julig22

julig22

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On 10/24/2023 at 5:13 AM, FredZiffle said:

If anything, entertainment quality will decrease in 2024 rather than get better.  Many ships are discontinuing the large production shows and replacing them with game shows.

Sun and Sky do not have the Broadway shows - the stage can't accommodate the props/lifts needed. I don't think they can have aerialists either. So hard to say if they will be affected with cut backs, since there should still be a production cast to do the "in house" productions.

Rock you tonight, What the world needs now, World Beat on the Sun (11 day, Alaska)

Showdown, Rock you tonight on the Sky (11 day, Canada)

 

On 9/26/2023 at 3:10 AM, www3traveler said:

Keep in mind that beginning sometime in January, The Sun will be doing South American cruises.  Entertainment on board might be different than it is now.

Absolutely true. They tend to not have comedians for example if they anticipate there will be a significant number of passengers who do not speak English as their primary language. We had flamenco dancers in SA (different ship tho)

 

Also, the entertainment is booked through corporate. So the contracted entertainment can be fantastic on one cruise, terrible on the next. And don't discount the "fill in" performances from the production cast that they sometimes have - there is some real hidden talent there!

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