Disney Shows - From an adult point of view

[ppiew]

Everybody has favorites and different tastes. Personally, I love Dreams, GM is just OK, and I hated Hercules!!! Solved that problem by not going to see it more than once!!! Didn't like the ship show and didn't like the movie - but that is my view.

Saw TS this spring and it was good but won't be around forever. Alternative entertainment is available at the many clubs onboard and an adult should most certainly avail themselves of that rather than the Disney shows if that is their 'thing.' We just came off of another cruise line that had 3 nites of rehashed 'oldies' and Broadway stuff that I have seen over and over again. At least the Disney stuff has some new blood!!! I say this even if I don't like it (like Hercules).

[mikeythemars]

What has always really annoyed me about Disney stage productions on the cruise line and at both Animal Kingdom at Disney World (Finding Nemo show) and Californa Adventure at Disneyland (where the Aladdin show is staged) is the lack of a live band or orchestra at any of them.

 

That not only seriously dimishes the live element of these shows (by removing spontaneity, ergo, performance as "programmed animatronicky"), it also comes off as tightwad cost cutting and cheapens what are otherwise quite elaborate productions.

[Host Mick]

What has always really annoyed me about Disney stage productions on the cruise line and at both Animal Kingdom at Disney World (Finding Nemo show) and Californa Adventure at Disneyland (where the Aladdin show is staged) is the lack of a live band or orchestra at any of them.

 

That not only seriously dimishes the live element of these shows (by removing spontaneity, ergo, performance as "programmed animatronicky"), it also comes off as tightwad cost cutting and cheapens what are otherwise quite elaborate productions.

 

I enjoy live music as much as the next person for the variety and spontaneity but sometimes, pre-recorded music is better.

I just came off of a RCI cruise. I applaud the fact that they had a seven-person band, a calypso band, a string and piano duet and a piano player or two. But just the same, the band always had the same sound. They payed well but the played orchestral music but didn't sound like an orchestra, they played a little Dixie but they didn't sound like a Dixieland band, they played Broadway music but they weren't a Broadway orchestra. You just can't fit a proper orchestra on a cruise ship. They played 70's disco and, well they did have that sound down.

Live bands have their places but it's not everywhere.

 

P.S. Bring back the calypso bands on the Magic and Wonder! There's nothing like cruising through the Caribbean sipping a Pina Colada while listening to calypso music.

[Corndog819]

I loved the shows, I thought they were by far the best production shows I have seen on any cruise line. Although I admit, during one I was nodding off because I was out in the Sun the whole day, but unrelated to the show itself!

[travelgirl64]

Maybe I am just a big kid at heart, but I always love all the Disney productions!

[DisneyMomof3Rs]

Boy, some of you people do get riled up. I tried in my post to go out of my way to praise the quality of the performances and the sets and costumes.

 

My point was that from an adult perspective, it would be nice if Disney could add some more grown up content within the shows to hold our interest while the kids are enjoying seeing the their favorite characters come alive on stage. Mixing in adult humor and content to entertainment aimed primarily at children is something that Disney excells at. Aladdin, Little Mermaid, and pretty all of the major Disney films since have been sucessfull because they are entertaining to both kids and adults. The kids don't have to "get" or understand all of the humor. This is what made the Hercules show a highlight because kids and adults could enjoy it on different levels. Shows that are simply reviews, ie Disney Dreams and Golden Mickeys, are enjoyable because of the high quality of the perfomances, staging costumes, etc., but IMO one of these shows in a 3 day period is enough, two is overkill.

 

Yes I can avoid the shows, but it would be easy for Disney to make the shows more attractive to adults (so we can take advantage of the shows - a major selling point for DCL - and enjoy them for more than just watching our kids enjoy them.

 

BTW on last cruise on Wonder on the night of Disney Dreams (I've seen it before and after seeing Golden Mickeys just two evening prior I didn't need another Disney review) we went to the Cadallac Lounge - very nice singer and pianist. So I understand there are adult venues. Its just a shame that the primary entertainment being offered was more attractive.

 

So again my suggestion (for the 3 day cruise) would be to keep either Disney Dreams or Golden Mickeys (both would be fine spread out over a 7 day cruise), revamp Toy Story to make it more entertaining, and add a 3rd show that both kids and adults can enjoy together.

 

I think the reason they don't keep either of those shows out of the shorter cruises is because so many people would be disappointed if they didn't get to see one show just because they booked a shorter cruise. ie: they are putting the shows that MOST people that book DCL desire to see- on the shorter cruises.

 

I actually posted a few days ago to yours agreeing with what you said, but 'poof' it disappeared! So I write again...

 

I agree 100% with what you are saying. The appeal to the Pixar movies: clever dialog that is not inappropriate, but adult humor. The shows that they do on DCL are major productions. You would think that they could change the dialog just a little.

 

In addition, it would also be nice if they changed the shows every few years. We are going on our 3rd in a couple of months and except for one show, they will be the same shows that we have seen more than 4 years ago.

 

And I think the reason they don't change the movies often is because people get up in arms missing the ones they took away. Why just look at this thread... they took away Hercules and there are people on this thread alone that have their reasons they wish it was still there. There would be people feeling the same way if they replaced any other show like Disney Dreams, Golden Mickeys, etc. for their own reasons too. Disney doesn't like to change much- it upsets people who come to expect those things.

 

Disney does change their shows from time to time.

When I first sailed on DCL, the shows were Disney Dreams, Hercules the Muse-ical and Voyage of the Ghost Ship. Ghost Ship was fairly dark and obtuse. It was replaced by "Who wants to be a Mouseketeer" that ran until the "millionaire" type program ran it's course. Mouseketeer was replaced by The Golden Mickeys.

 

It could be a lot worse though...

I just sailed on a ship that featured a Disco review that was pretty much a lot of clips of 70s Disco songs. The entire show was a montage of short bits of the songs performed by the ship's band. I think that they limited the usage of songs to get around copyright laws. This whole thing was accompanied by the ship's singers and dancers wearing 70s-ish clothes and 'fros doing a lot of generic jazz dance moves. If you loved the 70's, you'd be disappointed. If you hated the 70's, the same.

The other big show was a Broadway revue. Ho-Hum, another round of "Cats" and "A Chorus Line". I think that I saw this exact same show aboard Seaward in 1990.

I think Who wants to be a Mouseketeer is just moved to Studio Sea now more as a game- did it used to be a broadway show?

[Host Mick]

I think the reason they don't keep either of those shows out of the shorter cruises is because so many people would be disappointed if they didn't get to see one show just because they booked a shorter cruise. ie: they are putting the shows that MOST people that book DCL desire to see- on the shorter cruises.

 

 

 

And I think the reason they don't change the movies often is because people get up in arms missing the ones they took away. Why just look at this thread... they took away Hercules and there are people on this thread alone that have their reasons they wish it was still there. There would be people feeling the same way if they replaced any other show like Disney Dreams, Golden Mickeys, etc. for their own reasons too. Disney doesn't like to change much- it upsets people who come to expect those things.

 

 

I think Who wants to be a Mouseketeer is just moved to Studio Sea now more as a game- did it used to be a broadway show?

 

Yes, Mouseketeer used to be a Walt Disney Theater show on the Magic.

[Miss Jasmine]

I haven't seen Toy Story yet, so I can't comment on that one. The only Disney production I have not enjoyed was Twice Charmed. All the other shows I very much enjoy, though I do admit to skipping the Golden Mickeys on the EB repo. We were in relax mode and only saw a few of the shows (The Art of Disney, Disney Dreams, the crew talent show and one of the other acts on board).

 

I will miss Hercules and I am so glad I got to catch Aladdin at DCA before they change that show as well.

[jenseib]

Well we are hoping toi cruise the Wonder this next year. I'm excited to see the shows, but now I have some food for thought. Nice to hear others opinions. I do want to see all the shows. But one of the major reasons for chosing this line will be for the shows and characters. I want to be immersed in the Disney feeling and DD loves Disney too. She keeps asking me if we are going back to WDW again this year.(in 3 YO lingo she says next week) I showed her a few pics from a trip report I read recently and she says she wants to go on the big boat tonight! And she has never been to a beach yet either, so that will be fun. But she loves shows. We have taken her to child freindly musicales around here and she is mesmorized. She loved all we saw at Disney, even the ones I thought were a bit boring, but did it for her. And she would go to the Hoop Dee Doo every night if she could.

So it will be interesting to see how I like them compared to her. But I know I can handle it if they aren't the best, but it is more important to me at this point that she enjoys them. Again that is why I am picking DCL. the other lines didn't seem to have many kid friendly shows.