Show Times

I just checked the Daily News for the 3 days, and the show for first sitting started at 9pm, and the show for second sitting started at 10.30 - this was the same for all 3 days.

Yes, that is the original way the times were, not the new trial, so not surprised there were no problems for you.

Then the experiment appears to have come to an end - at least for the Braemar. They obviously haven't bothered to keep Customer Relations in the loop. :(

 

As for our first trip with Fred - we loved it, although having been on a cruise with another line a few years ago which we did not enjoy, we were cautious of going on another cruise - hence the mini trial. I am sure we will book another cruise in the future, but only with Fred from now on - everyone was so friendly, both the crew and the passengers.

You will find it very similar on Thomson. We are committed Thomson cruisers trying Fred for the first time next month.

Then the experiment appears to have come to an end - at least for the Braemar. They obviously haven't bothered to keep Customer Relations in the loop. :(

Oh no it hasn't, we just got off the Braemar today and the show times are 7:30 for second sitting. Considering we had overnight or late night departures on the ports of call, getting back to the ship and getting ready for a 7:30 was a definite NO! as was the departure times on our previous cruise to the French Rivers

We are just off Boudicca and the show times for second dinner were at 7.15 pm on most nights other than formal/cocktails nights.

On the nights of the 7.15 show there was a second show in the Neptune show lounge at 10.30 pm for both seatings and this was extremely popular and full. Great to have the choice of 2 shows in one night.

The 7.15 start time meant that 2nd seating were out at around 8pm so little to no congestion with those leaving first dinner.

We enjoyed the timings and the additional entertainment though I appreciate that it will not suit everyone.

We are just off Boudicca and the show times for second dinner were at 7.15 pm on most nights other than formal/cocktails nights.

 

On the nights of the 7.15 show there was a second show in the Neptune show lounge at 10.30 pm for both seatings and this was extremely popular and full. Great to have the choice of 2 shows in one night.

 

The 7.15 start time meant that 2nd seating were out at around 8pm so little to no congestion with those leaving first dinner.

 

We enjoyed the timings and the additional entertainment though I appreciate that it will not suit everyone.

Was the Neptune show lounge cleared between each of the 3 entertainments?

Sorry, I dont know for certain.

We left after the first show for dinner and it appeared that the majority of people moved out for second sitting. When we went back at around 10.15 the place was busy but there were still fairly decent seats available, we always got a seat.

Hope that helps.

Sorry, I dont know for certain.

 

We left after the first show for dinner and it appeared that the majority of people moved out for second sitting. When we went back at around 10.15 the place was busy but there were still fairly decent seats available, we always got a seat.

 

Hope that helps.

Thank you for that. Apologies for asking such a question. I'm in Spain at the moment and have just been reading about the current situation and deaths and injuries in the two hotels in Tunisia and feel my question was very inappropriate at this time. I stayed at the RIU Bellevue a few years ago and feel so awful for the people who have been affected including the Thomsons Reps and the Tunisian hotel staff.

I agree about Tunisia as it has been a favorite holiday destination for us in winter for many years now and we seem to go every 2-3 years. We usually stay in Sousse, rather than Kantoui, where the hotel affected is situated and we have travelled a lot within the country by train and hire car, staying overnight in the south at times. We too are thinking of all the lovely Tunisian people we have come across in all parts of the country. It is true this could happen anywhere including Britain.

Regarding show times, they were generally 7.30pm for second sitting and 9pm for first sitting when we were on Black Watch from 22nd May to 19th June. Must admit on the occasions we went to the show we came out of first sitting and went to the 7.30pm show with a cup of coffee from the self service base, or ordered a drink in there. It seems silly to expect first sitting people to wait until 9pm for a show when they are leaving the restaurant at or soon after 7.30pm now as they start first sitting at 6.15pm. I do not see why they cannot do shows after dinner for both sittings, but bring them forward to a more reasonable time. Just to throw another spanner in the works!

There was plenty of space in all shows and talks when we were on Black Watch, but the ship only had about 600 passengers onboard compared to the max 804 as stated in the brochure. It seems there were a lot of singles onboard.

The lack of people is very sad as it affects the money received by the staff and it seems the whole pay of restaurant and cabin staff is tips. I will start a new thread regarding the ins and outs of that in the near future as we spoke to the hotel manager and have the facts about how it works. Providing I can log in to this site again that is!

Just back from Balmoral and I can report that the modified show times were in effect except for the formal evenings where there was of course the usual pre-dinner cocktail party.

The system did work though (for 1st sitting people at least) as they had the show time for 2nd sitting at 7:00pm.

This ensured that the Neptune lounge was largely empty by the time 1st sitting guests arrived after dinner.

Not sure how well it worked for those on 2nd sitting though, but we didn't hear any complaints.

At least this way around is does prevent 1st sitting guests from staying in the Neptune lounge for a 2nd round of the entertainment which then leaves too few seats for 2nd sitting guests.

Didn't think we would but as later sitting guests, we actually enjoyed the 7pm Showtime for the shows we did see. It was a reasonable time to meet up with the friends we were with at about 6.50 in the Showlounge, have a drink brought to us for the show & then gave us time to head to a bar after for another quick drink together before dinner at 8.30. We then had the choice of heading back to more entertainment at 10.30 in the Neptune Lounge or head somewhere else on the ship.

Like Mark, not sure how it worked out for early sitting guests.

We were second sitting diners on Braemar, and found with the hot weather, we were often reluctant to head off to the cabin to shower and change for the show. We therefore missed the early show a few times, going down to the cabin later and getting ready for the evening meal instead. After the meal we tended to go to the 10.30 show in Coral instead. The show team didn't seem to do a lot of shows in Neptune, and we saw them a few times in Coral anyway.

During our 8 night cruise, the Show Company performed 4 times in the Neptune lounge, that seemed a pretty good frequency to me.

On a side note they also had to train a new member of the company as one of them decided not to return to the ship at the start of the cruise so someone new was drafted in at the last minute.

On the other 4 nights we had, the comedian, the magician, the comedian and the magician and of course, the crew show.

During our 8 night cruise, the Show Company performed 4 times in the Neptune lounge, that seemed a pretty good frequency to me.

 

On a side note they also had to train a new member of the company as one of them decided not to return to the ship at the start of the cruise so someone new was drafted in at the last minute.

 

On the other 4 nights we had, the comedian, the magician, the comedian and the magician and of course, the crew show.

That was good & what we had hoped - on the 13 night cruise they were not performing alternate nights but as I said earlier they had only recently joined the ship so maybe they were 'sorting themselves out'

Just returned from 27 nighter on Boudicca and apart from cocktail party evenings it was 8.45pm for ist sitting and 10.30 for 2nd sitting.

Just returned from 16 nights on Black Watch, where the 2nd seating show was before dinner on all but the formal nights. The evening schedule in the Neptune Lounge was something like:

7.30 Main Show for Second Seating

8.15 Game Show or Dancing

9.00 Main Show for First Sitting

10.30 Extra Show on Some Evenings (less than half) (different from the main show)

We were on first sitting which we have always had. Previously we've moved from the restaurant to the show lounge after dinner and it's filled up slowly during the game show or dancing until it's time for the main show. Now there's a mass cross-over at 8.15 with first seating guests trying to get in and grab a good seat while the second seating guests are trying to get out and go to dinner. I've never seen arguments over seating before this cruise but there were a few this time.

For the first few nights, some first seating guests were going into the show lounge early, sitting at the back and chatting, which was distracting to the second seating guests. They (rightly IMO) complained and then the doors were kept shut until the show was over. This led to first seating guests queuing outside well before 8.15 (even though their show wasn't until 9.00) blocking the bar area and the stairs.

Personally I preferred the old timings, though the new ones affected us less than they would have done if we were on second seating. I overheard several conversation from 2nd seating guests who were unhappy with the arrangements, but no-one from Fred asked us for any feedback.

Now there's a mass cross-over at 8.15 with first seating guests trying to get in and grab a good seat while the second seating guests are trying to get out and go to dinner. I've never seen arguments over seating before this cruise but there were a few this time.

This is exactly what concerned me before the cruise, but it was also completely alleviated by having the show start at 7:00pm for 2nd sitting as they were then finished before the majority of 1st sitting guests headed for the lounge.

It is also worth noting in light of earlier comments from FO, that there was absolutely no effort made to solicit any comments from passengers about these new show times so there can be no conclusions drawn about passenger opinions as none were sought ...

I have heard today from Jakanne currently on the Boudicca & apparently the Showtimes are as "always" - for each sitting, your show is after dinner.

Just returned from 16 nights on Black Watch, where the 2nd seating show was before dinner on all but the formal nights. The evening schedule in the Neptune Lounge was something like:

7.30 Main Show for Second Seating

8.15 Game Show or Dancing

9.00 Main Show for First Sitting

10.30 Extra Show on Some Evenings (less than half) (different from the main show)

 

We were on first sitting which we have always had. Previously we've moved from the restaurant to the show lounge after dinner and it's filled up slowly during the game show or dancing until it's time for the main show. Now there's a mass cross-over at 8.15 with first seating guests trying to get in and grab a good seat while the second seating guests are trying to get out and go to dinner. I've never seen arguments over seating before this cruise but there were a few this time.

 

For the first few nights, some first seating guests were going into the show lounge early, sitting at the back and chatting, which was distracting to the second seating guests. They (rightly IMO) complained and then the doors were kept shut until the show was over. This led to first seating guests queuing outside well before 8.15 (even though their show wasn't until 9.00) blocking the bar area and the stairs.

 

Personally I preferred the old timings, though the new ones affected us less than they would have done if we were on second seating. I overheard several conversation from 2nd seating guests who were unhappy with the arrangements, but no-one from Fred asked us for any feedback.

The reason 2nd sitting guests were unhappy on this sailing was because the cruise director, for some strange reason of her own, scheduled the extra shows between 8.15 and 9.00 so they were unable to see them. As a result we missed the Great British Singalong and a number of games shows [Mr & Mrs etc.] On the Braemar, in June, these shows were at 10.30 so both sittings had a chance to see them.

We've always chosen 2nd sitting and prefer the new timings if operated as on the Braemar.

Fred have just posted on their Facebook page that they will be reverting to the old timetable for shows:

"As we’re sure that many of you are aware, we have been trialling a change to the dining/performance times on board our ships over the past few months and have been gathering feedback from our guests to decide whether or not we should make the changes permanent.

We received a large amount of comments from our guests via email, letters, Facebook, forums and on board, and while many were happy with the new timings, the majority expressed a desire to revert back to the old schedule. The decision about whether to make the timing changes permanent or not was always going to be based on the feedback we received, so therefore we have taken the decision to revert back to the timings we had in place before the trial started.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal guests who took the time to provide us with their valuable feedback."

Thank you all for your feedback during this trial period.

We received a large amount of comments from our guests via email, letters, Facebook, forums (like this one) and on board, and while many were happy with the new timings, the majority expressed a desire to revert back to the old schedule. The decision about whether to make the timing changes permanent or not was always going to be based on the feedback we received, so therefore we have taken the decision to revert back to the timings we had in place before the trial started.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for provide us with your valuable feedback on this forum.

Kind regards,

F.OCL

Thank you all for your feedback during this trial period.

We received a large amount of comments from our guests via email, letters, Facebook, forums (like this one) and on board, and while many were happy with the new timings, the majority expressed a desire to revert back to the old schedule. The decision about whether to make the timing changes permanent or not was always going to be based on the feedback we received, so therefore we have taken the decision to revert back to the timings we had in place before the trial started.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for provide us with your valuable feedback on this forum.

Kind regards,

F.OCL

Thank you for listening to your customers

Good result.

Sigh of relief

Sandy in Spain

Thank you Fred. So pleased you have listened to your clients.