Entertainment on Emerald

[Pacificana]

We have just booked our first Princess cruise, but, after reading a few reviews, I started having some concerns. Entertainment is an important part of cruise experience for us, but, from what I read, the theater on Emerald is very small, fits approximately 800 people, so one needs to come well before a show to get a seat. It just doesn't feel right to rush to the theater when you want to relax and enjoy the evening. Any other experiences with theater performances on Emerald?

Also, is there an entertainment team there? What kind of entertainment do they provide? We had great experience on MSC, where the entertainment team was just outstanding - lots of events from early morning till late at night. On the other hand, the entertainment team on our Carnival cruise consisted of a group of break-dancers, and that was the only thing that did. What about Princess?

Thanks for any comments.

[Seal]

Usually the theatre productions are given twice an evening--you can plan dinner accordingly. They have a Cruise Directors and all of those who work in that group--from morning to night--they take care of all activities.

 

Nancy:D

[Pacificana]

Thanks, Nancy,

On our Carnival cruise there were also two performances every night, but a couple of times were were not able to get seats. Once we just left, the other time we had to listen and watch standing - memorable, but not very pleasant experience. Just don't want to feel frustrated again.

[boat tay]

Entertainment on princess is poor compared to other cruise lines. I guess they just dont see it as a value add.:confused:

[jkocpa]

Entertainment on princess is poor compared to other cruise lines. I guess they just dont see it as a value add.:confused:

 

I am going to disagree with boat tay. While the production numbers may not be Broadway quality, one of the things I like about Princess is the variety and quantity of entertainment. They have the big production shows, comedians, dance bands and classical trios, piano bars, Karaoke, trivia, Liars Club, Newlywed Game, Pop Idol, hypnotists, illusionists, the variety and quantity is wonderful. You will find entertainment going on all day and all evening in different venues. In fact, you will find that you can't actually do all the things that interest you, because there is not enough time. Don't worry, and just go and find the things that interest you and enjoy. If you don't want to rush to the theater, go to the second show in the evening - never full.

[bigeagle12]

My wife and I found the entertainment on Princess to be very good. I can only compare it to Royal Caribbean and I found it better. Theater shows were a little better and there was a variety of other entertainment outside of the theater in several of the lounges (comedians, bands, etc).

 

If you get to the Theater 10 to 15 minutes early you will have no problem.

[Worn out mailman]

My wife and I found the entertainment on Princess to be very good. I can only compare it to Royal Caribbean and I found it better. Theater shows were a little better and there was a variety of other entertainment outside of the theater in several of the lounges (comedians, bands, etc).

 

If you get to the Theater 10 to 15 minutes early you will have no problem.

 

I concur with the Eagle, I was very impressed with the theater shows. They seemed less 'cheesy' than the shows I'd seen on RCCL, and the stage band rocked.

 

I'd add 10 to 15 minutes to to Eagles recommendation though. 20 to 30 minutes prior to show time. Don't fret though, once you get in, you'll enjoy what you see! :)

[cruiser boo]

we just did a B 2 B on the Emerald & NEVER had a problem getting into ANY show or theater. The only event that was tough was Newly Wed & Pub Night both weeks. It was jam packed & worth every second. Of course we only do late show as we opt for the relaxing LATE Seating & thus always avoid the crowds or the 6:00 dining throng.

[chopper825]

Entertainment on princess is poor compared to other cruise lines. I guess they just dont see it as a value add.:confused:

 

I totally disagree. I have been on Princess twice previously and just returned from my first RCL cruise. Although I found the entertainment on RCL to be good, I found Princess to have a better variety and more entertainment choices. Besides the ice show on RCL, Princess wins this one hands down.

[geoherb]

We were on the Emerald in November. We never had any problems finding seats for the shows. We had late seating traditional dining. The early shows may have filled up more.

[Pacificana]

Thanks for all the replies, I feel a little better. We are going to have late traditional dining, too. Are there any "theme" evening parties on Emerald? It's good to know in advance in order to pack an appropriate outfit.

[maggieq]

I concur with the Eagle, I was very impressed with the theater shows. They seemed less 'cheesy' than the shows I'd seen on RCCL, and the stage band rocked.

 

I'd add 10 to 15 minutes to to Eagles recommendation though. 20 to 30 minutes prior to show time. Don't fret though, once you get in, you'll enjoy what you see! :)

 

 

 

Hi Rob, I see that you just went on the Ruby....how did you like it in comparison to RCCL. We love the nightly entertainment but have now all about seen all the production and ice shows. Most of the headliners as well.

 

Thanks.

[kaclmay]

Just got back on Sunday from our first Princess cruise, on the Emerald. Loved just about everything, except for the Princess Theatre (where the big productions are held). I guess we're used to Carnival where the seating is long sofa style, with tables in front of you & room for people/waitstaff to walk by freely. The Princess Theatre had movie theatre type rows/seats (and the seats were cramped!). You could pull a tiny little table up out of the arm rest to use, but it wasn't very sturdy. Plus, if you sat near the middle of the row, it was hard for waiters to get to you to take your order/serve your drink.

 

I would, however, suggest sitting in the very middle of the row, because you will get up & down about 20 times before the show starts, to let others in your row. (and use the restroom just before you go in, or you'll have to get the whole row to stand up to let you out during the show! Yikes!)

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[Treven]

I was on the Emerald last spring. While I didn't bother going to any of the stage shows, I did spend every evening in the piazza enjoying the shows there. There was a wide variety of entertainers there. The Astoria string quartet was very :D enjoyable as was the two different piano players, and the magician as well. Plus I found it quite pleasant to sit there, read and people-watch.

[SF]

We have just booked our first Princess cruise, but, after reading a few reviews, I started having some concerns. Entertainment is an important part of cruise experience for us, but, from what I read, the theater on Emerald is very small, fits approximately 800 people, so one needs to come well before a show to get a seat. It just doesn't feel right to rush to the theater when you want to relax and enjoy the evening. Any other experiences with theater performances on Emerald?

Also, is there an entertainment team there? What kind of entertainment do they provide? We had great experience on MSC, where the entertainment team was just outstanding - lots of events from early morning till late at night. On the other hand, the entertainment team on our Carnival cruise consisted of a group of break-dancers, and that was the only thing that did. What about Princess?

Thanks for any comments.

 

We just returned from our cruise on Emerald and we have sailed her two other times as well. This time we found both shows in the main theatre to fill up fast. Especially when they had the two comedians and the three production shows. You had to be there at least 20- 30 mins. ahead of time or you were not guaranteed any seats or seats together. The other venue we visited was Explorer's Lounge for the entertainment going on there and it also filled up extremely fast. In past we'd walk in 10 mins prior or just as the show was starting and had no problems....not this time around.

[1 HappyCruiser]

We've always found that the minimum time to be seated is around 30 minutes in the main show lounge and 45 minutes in the Explorers lounge since the seating is very limited. I've even sat through 30 minutes of dancing prior to a performance just to hold a seat for myself & my wife when the show was popular.

[SF]

I've even sat through 30 minutes of dancing prior to a performance just to hold a seat for myself & my wife when the show was popular.

 

Same for us.:) This time we wanted to see the comedian Phil Tag and he was very popular so we went to the Explorer's Lounge 40 mins. prior and just listened to the music. Within 10 mins. of us getting there the place was filled and the rest of the people had to stand around the bar area and in the back to see the show.

[caribill]

Some Princess Theater entertainment also has a third show on the next night. That is usually less well attended, but it may conflict with the time you are dining.

 

The Explorer's Lounge shows are, as pointed out earlier, often very crowded. The same show there may be scheduled up to six times over two evenings to allow many people to experience it.

[chsalas]

Don't think you'll have too much to worry about, the theater is small, if you get there about 30 min before the show, you can always get a seat. The shows are repeated so you will be able to catch them. Have fun and enjoy your cruise.

[BballinQT24]

I'd have to say my biggest disappointment with Princess is the seating situation in the theatre. On our last two cruises we have had to get there at least 45 minutes early because the seats were filling up so fast before the shows. Hopefully with the next ship they have more seating available.

 

In regards to the entertainment, I have had good and not so good experience with Princess. On the 7 day cruise we took with them, there was so much going on that we couldn't decide what to do. We could always find something. On our 10 day cruise on the Ruby in November, we felt the entertainment was lacking during the day. There were lots of times that we were just bored because there wasn't much going on during the day.

 

That being said, the shows were always very good with both our Princess cruises. Also, Princess has some different venues throughout the ship so there are multiple shows going at night which gives you some variety to choose from if one thing doesn't sound good to you.

[1 HappyCruiser]

I'd have to say my biggest disappointment with Princess is the seating situation in the theatre. On our last two cruises we have had to get there at least 45 minutes early because the seats were filling up so fast before the shows. Hopefully with the next ship they have more seating available.

 

 

We sometimes leave the DR before desert or coffee in order to get to the show lounge in order to get a seat and postpone it until after the show in the Horizon.

The larger tables also take much longer to finish serving because of all the unnecessary chit chat.

[JRT5000]

I guess I have another take on the so called overcrowding of entertainment venues on Princess. Having just returned from the Solstice it is my belief that it's not the size of the venue that is responsible for crowding but the clientele. The Solstice theatre holds 1100 versus 750 on the Crown/Emerald/Ruby etc. The shows we attended on the Solstice were never more that 20% full. One night there was a musical impersonator and we counted 63. We felt very bad for him. The night we attended the comedian the venue (Celebrity Central 200+/- Cap) was occupied with 18 people. But again it was the 4th show of the exact same routine.

 

What I'm saying is that Princess cruisers like to "go out", and to me the crowed atmosphere is what makes it fun and lively.

 

I would rather have a ship "full of life" and need to get to the show 30 minutes earlier (with a glass of wine in hand of course and take in the ambiance) than the experience I had on the Solstice.

 

If you want to show up 10 seconds before hand and have people filtering in throughout the first 15 minutes of the show, and listen to 3 people clapping after each punch line, I would suggest Celebrity.

 

Now for overcrowding in Horizon Court......that's another issue.

[UT-Volsfan]

One suggestion - get a paperback book to carry with you after dinner. Then when you show up 20 or 30 minutes early in the theater for the shows you'll be able to pass the time reading. Somebody suggested that several years ago and we've been doing it ever since.

 

You'll also find that the actual production shows on Princess don't have all of the regular cruisers packing the theater for each show. Princess has been using the same production shows for the past couple of years at least, so some regulars opt to see the shows in Explorers lounge or other venues instead.

 

Back in 2008 we did a trans-Atlantic and Princess had several additional entertainers booked in the theater since we started out with 7 sea days straight. So the theaters and lounges were packed early with people there.

[chuckkay]

we were on ncl pearl and had a suite, they had a special balcony seating section for suite passagers, anything like that for Emerald Princess?

[1 HappyCruiser]

we were on ncl pearl and had a suite, they had a special balcony seating section for suite passagers, anything like that for Emerald Princess?

 

No, you'll have to fight for seats like everyone else. LOL