Norwegian entertainment

[living at the beach]

Really unhappy with the loss of quality Broadway shows replaced by game shows 

I am not a gambler so evening shows are important to me. I can deal with some losses in food offerings but the cancellation of premium entertainment on NCL has made me for the first time in decades check out other cruise lines. I am Sapphire on NCL- just means I have chosen Norwegian over others lots and lots of times. Probably isn’t an issue for those who gamble, but I don’t so the shows mean a lot to me 

[BirdTravels]

For "old" cruisers like me, I will continue to sail regardless of what is in the theater. I am a Diamond member on NCL, Royal, and MSC. It is really the younger demographic, those cruisers who will sustain the business for the decades to come, that the cruise line cater to. While a show like Kinky Boots would fill less than half the theater per showing, the game show (Wheel of Fortune) seems to have a bigger draw. The Price is Right and Press Your Luck were always full on the new ships. 

[FPMoosally]

You are certainly not alone based on some comments on this board. But for us, we don't base our cruise decisions on what may or may not be available for an hour a night.

 

[Aldeya]

Game changer for us, ONE show in the theatre on our last 10-day cruise didn't work for us. The entertainment choices are important and lately NCL really disappointed.

 

Some like casino, some like comedy, etc.. we like singers, dancers, orchestra. Obviously cruisers like us are no longer taking into consideration by NCL. Too bad, we really liked the line and kept coming back over and over again, Time for a change,,,

[complawyer]

i have stated many, many times before, i choose a cruise (mainly ncl) because of price and ports.

 

whatever may be available entertainment-wise is so far down on my list of requirements or priorities as to  be almost non-existent. last cruise we took, i didnt really care for the shows in the theater, so we tried to retreat to one of the bars that had singer. it was almost (imho) painful to hear him. sounded just like a cat whose tail was caught under a rocking chair. the atrium featured a dance couple (ho hum). i would never book a cruise with the entertainment as a priority

 

i'd rather retreat to my cabin and read my kindle

 

i acknowledge that entertainment to some folks is important, as well as the food. to me, ain't no big thang!

 

the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own, so please, dont crucify me for them 

[UKstages]

not sure that there is any connection whatsoever to the casino.

 

i don't think many choose to play in the casino instead of attending shows.

 

i spend a lot of time in the casino myself, but i also go to most shows in the theatre and i think NCL's shift away from broadway shows and full scale production reviews is a dangerous trend.

 

and it's not just moving away from broadway shows, it's the dumbing down of everything else... including using recorded music tracks for singers and other entertainers. and booking solo acts like violinists. it's not cruise ship entertainment and has no wow factor.

 

as for "kinky boots" or "footloose" playing to half empty houses... you can't run the same show for five or six years and not have a drop off in attendance when you have so many repeat cruisers. it has nothing to do with the demographics of the audience. it has much more to do with the fact that people have already seen those shows. people flock to the game shows not because of demographics or because they necessarily love game shows... they go because those shows are new and different within a cruise context.

 

this too shall pass. 

[jy0ung1]

Well put.😄

[living at the beach]

I’m just curious. First of all itinerary is important to me. Then the general vibe on the ship and I like going casual but still nice so  Norwegian has been my cruise line of choice. And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do? You say not the casino, so watching tv in your cabin- with so many fewer options than ant land based resort or even your home tv, so again how is after dinner entertainment not an issue?

[zqvol]

Never go to nightly entertainment anymore. Never saw a good production show on NCL.

Edited March 3 by zqvol

[debenson0723]

50 minutes ago, living at the beach said:

I’m just curious. First of all itinerary is important to me. Then the general vibe on the ship and I like going casual but still nice so  Norwegian has been my cruise line of choice. And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do? You say not the casino, so watching tv in your cabin- with so many fewer options than ant land based resort or even your home tv, so again how is after dinner entertainment not an issue?

I don't do the casino either but still find a way to be entertained. Stop by the atrium and watch what they are doing there (usually a couples competition, live music duo or bands), karaoke, the Beatles review or Syd Norman's, silent disco, comedians (some better than others)...various options on different ships. Sometimes we just sit out on the Waterfront or in the Observation Lounge having a cocktail and a nice conversation. I barely watch TV at home and certainly not on a cruise. I've seen all of the shows more than once and will go back again sometimes but I never seem to have an issue finding something to do in the evenings. 

[complawyer]

hey, living at the beach. why worry and do anything at all? i like to roam around the ship at night,

maybe grab a drink or 2. might catch the later show if my wife wants to go. 

 

its probably just me, but i'm 76 years old, and possibly after lounging at dinner ( we have yet to be kicked out of any venue) but i know teppanyaki needs the turnover, and maybe  getting the after dinner glass of port , and a cappuccino, im ready to chill in my cabin. a few nights on the cruise, i will go to the casino. how well i'm doing dictates how long im there

just give me my balcony, a bottle of heineken a decent itinerary, and im good to go.

 

sometimes i get up in the middle of the night, open the balcony door and just watch the water.

[PATRLR]

7 hours ago, living at the beach said:

I’m just curious. First of all itinerary is important to me. Then the general vibe on the ship and I like going casual but still nice so  Norwegian has been my cruise line of choice. And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do? You say not the casino, so watching tv in your cabin- with so many fewer options than ant land based resort or even your home tv, so again how is after dinner entertainment not an issue?

We are probably more like you than others who've commented.  NCL entertainment, in particular the shows, was always a big "pro" for NCL when weighing pros and cons in our decision making.  NCL no longer has that "pro", just one of many contributing factors to us trying other cruise lines now (and RCCL blew away anything NCL lately). 

As for what we do when there isn't something good in the theatre?  Wonder the ship and usually find something but I'll acknowledge there have been evenings where we went back to our cabin before we were really ready to call it a night.  I don't like doing that. 

[Asawi]

8 hours ago, living at the beach said:

And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do?

Do? I don't have the need to "do" anything special. Not at home. Not on vacation. Absolutely NOT watch TV! Not at home not on vacation. Gamble? Not at home, not on vacation.Might take a walk. Both at home and on vacation. But usually more interesting on vacation! People watching is better on the ship than in my rural home. 😄  Should I feel like it there are always people to chat with for a while. With a bit of luck I can listen to a few songs performed in the Atrium or elsewhere. And then move on. 
I do like to see the production cast perform something. And sometimes a guest performer sounds interesting. But I'm glad when shows only last 45 minutes. That way I'll "survive" even if it's not quite to my taste. 😄 (Game shows? Don't watch them at home and certainly not on vacation. Nope! No way! Will not go to one! Not even if it was 20 minutes! )

I don't need to be entertained. Sometimes I'm pleased that there is nothing going on and I can finish that book I started! A bottle of beer and a book... Life is good! 😄 

[Destaw71835]

I did not attend one show on my last cruise but still managed to have a great time.

[hallux]

I've always enjoyed the theater shows on cruises, and having 4 nights of them on a 7 night cruise (two for each show) has been nice.  However, on my 15-night cruise there were STILL only 4 nights of the main theater shows, leading to lots of 'filler' nights.  I still found plenty to do!  As disappointing as it is to have some of the shows go away, I feel like having to only fill an extra night (if I only went to one performance of each of the shows) isn't going to be a deal-breaker for me.

 

Side note - on the ships with SIX I feel like it could have actually been the superior show, yet there was ALWAYS extra seating for that show and the other show typically packed the house.  

[living at the beach]

I agree, I will have a great time on my Breakaway cruise leaving today from New Orleans. I love the Breakaway class and I will find other things to do in the evening- I’m traveling solo so I’m bringing two books with me. But I mourn the loss of great main theater programming because the other venues are so small and often require long lines to get in

[ready2cruzagain]

10 hours ago, debenson0723 said:

Stop by the atrium and watch what they are doing there (usually a couples competition, live music duo or bands) 

On the Epic in January out of 7 nights in the Atrium, 2 nights of Deal or No Deal, 2 Nights of Bingo, 1 night with a band and 2 nights of trivia. I liked the band but the other 6 nights were not entertaining like a theater show.

 

[david_sobe]

NCL has been cutting entertainment for years, even years before COVID.  Does anyone remember The Grammy experience on Getaway?  That did not last very long bringing aboard Grammy winners to perform in their club.  Even Fireworks were nixed.  This was when Burn the Floor was debuted.  Were they not doing double duty of performing in Legally Blonde too?  Even going back to 2013, I saw on Epic the Cirque Dream show was so watered down compared to how it was in 2010.  We are going back to 1 big show and a bunch of smaller filler stuff with game shows, etc.  Is not ICONS the same performers doing double duty from the main show?  We may all be playing Hungry Hungry Hippos in the main theater pretty soon. 🙈

[complawyer]

david, in that case, i hereby challenge you to a thrilling game of hungry, hungry hippos. please forgive me if i fall asleep during the game (LOL)

[cheersforbeers]

8 minutes ago, complawyer said:

david, in that case, i hereby challenge you to a thrilling game of hungry, hungry hippos. please forgive me if i fall asleep during the game (LOL)

Operation?

[ravenjls]

I have always cruised NCL because their nightly entertainment (if you dont like one there was always another venue to go to).  For the past year we have been cruising Princess and find the cruise experience (from their keycard, to room service, to drinks included in package to be much better than NCL except for entertainment). We are cruising next week on the escape and will compare. NCL may no longer be our go to cruise line.

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, ready2cruzagain said:

On the Epic in January out of 7 nights in the Atrium, 2 nights of Deal or No Deal, 2 Nights of Bingo, 1 night with a band and 2 nights of trivia. I liked the band but the other 6 nights were not entertaining like a theater show.

 

Those six nights were much better than a theatre show. I was on Epic in January too 

[FPMoosally]

15 hours ago, living at the beach said:

And so if entertainment after dinner isn’t important at all, what do you do?

 

The OP was about Broadway shows, not entertainment in general. There is plenty of other entertainment on NCL ships that we enjoy.

 

But in general, what we do after dinner is drink a lot.

 

[ready2cruzagain]

33 minutes ago, zqvol said:

Those six nights were much better than a theatre show. I was on Epic in January too 

Our opinions differ a lot. I prefer the shows. Just shows opinions will vary greatly

[UKstages]

watching so-called atrium "entertainment" featuring married couples, tweens and teens and trivia rockstar wannabes reminds me of when i'm asked to do self checkout at target or CVS. just exactly who are the professionals here?

 

if i wanted to see my fellow passengers embarrass themselves, i'd head to a casino bar at 1 AM or - literally - any karaoke event in any club onboard or onshore.

 

and watching the solos, duos and trios in the atrium makes me sad. if i wanted to see that, i'd go to youtube and watch nick the lounge singer sing the star wars theme song. 

 

and don't get me started about how it's impossible to enjoy a meal in the local (or o'sheehan's) on most ships without the clatter and din of whatever nonsense is being done in the atrium.