Shows on Princess cruises

[juggles]

I'm a theatre fanatic and have been going to productions [offshore] for 67 years. I love the shows on Princess, they are of a high quality. I have also enjoyed the comedians too.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

My experience is different from yours over the past several years.

 

Princess Theater production shows, comedians, hypnotists, singers have almost always been two times in an evening and, starting about a year ago, a third time the following evening. Every now and then there is a singer or comedian or production show that is only on one time, but that is when there is a special event at what would be the normal 2nd time.

 

Princess Theater crew talent shows and passenger talent shows are only presented one time.

 

London Pub Night in the aft lounge is only presented one time.

 

Explorer Lounge performances by comedians, singers, jugglers, etc. are usually presented up to five times, with three shows one evening and two the next.

 

With two or three, sometimes 4 Princess cruises a year, over the last 8 years, our experience has been the same as yours caribill.

Coracii must have happened on two cruises with very unusual entertainment schedules.

[Coracii]

My experience is different from yours over the past several years.

 

Princess Theater production shows, comedians, hypnotists, singers have almost always been two times in an evening and, starting about a year ago, a third time the following evening. Every now and then there is a singer or comedian or production show that is only on one time, but that is when there is a special event at what would be the normal 2nd time.

 

Princess Theater crew talent shows and passenger talent shows are only presented one time.

 

London Pub Night in the aft lounge is only presented one time.

 

Explorer Lounge performances by comedians, singers, jugglers, etc. are usually presented up to five times, with three shows one evening and two the next.

 

I still have my Patters from three cruises in the last two years and after going through 28 days worth that's definitely not the schedule they were on for any of them. I can't say what they've done with their other cruises, but on those three specific trips the show scheduling was terrible even when the shows themselves were very well done (at least the ones that didn't happen at the same time as our dinner and we could see them).

 

The difference could be you seem to be referencing all shows, I'm only talking about the stage shows in the Princess Theater. Here was the schedule on the Diamond from last June:

 

Day 1: 8pm - Nothing, 10pm - Comedian Steve Moris

Day 2: 8pm & 10pm - Do You Wanna Dance

Day 3: 8pm - Do You Wanna Dance, 10pm Movie (Bottle Shock)

Day 4: 8pm - I Got The Music, 10pm Movie (Taken)

Day 5: 8pm - Movie (The Yes Man), 10pm Bingo, 10:30pm Crew Talent Show

Day 6: 8pm & 10pm - Piano Man

Day 7: 8pm - Movie (Seven Pounds), 10pm - Nothing

 

So, out of 7 nights on that cruise in the Princess Theater, they replayed the show twice. Still doesn't help that the theater only holds 1/3 of the ships' capacity and fills up quickly, even if the show is performed twice the absolute maximum that can see it is about 2/3 of the guests onboard assuming people don't go to a show twice. Maybe it's a fluke, but that schedule's not all that different from the other two trips on Princess in the past two years we've taken. It's happened frequently enough over the years that it's been on my comment cards at the end of the trip several times. Nine cruises with Princess, tenth one coming up very soon, and it's still been pretty much my only complaint with them. Even when they repeat the performances the theater is too small for the size of the ship in most cases.

[BballinQT24]

I have always found the quality of the shows to be pretty decent. Obviously it isn't Broadway caliber, but none of the ones I have been to have been bad. It's obvious that the performers put a lot of work into it.

 

My only complaint is that they seem to recycle the shows a lot from cruise to cruise. We were on two different ships about a year apart from each other and a few of the shows were the same.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

Here was the schedule on the Diamond from last June:

Day 1: 8pm - Nothing, 10pm - Comedian Steve Moris

Day 2: 8pm & 10pm - Do You Wanna Dance

Day 3: 8pm - Do You Wanna Dance, 10pm Movie (Bottle Shock)

Day 4: 8pm - I Got The Music, 10pm Movie (Taken)

Day 5: 8pm - Movie (The Yes Man), 10pm Bingo, 10:30pm Crew Talent Show

Day 6: 8pm & 10pm - Piano Man

Day 7: 8pm - Movie (Seven Pounds), 10pm - Nothing

 

I would have a problem with the movies being scheduled for 10pm on day 4 and 8 pm on day 5. They should have provided better entertainment in the Princess Theater at those times. For day 1 one show makes sense and it's at a time when anyone who wanted to could attend. People are often busy unpacking and finding their way around the ship earlier in the evening. For day 7 they could have had at least one show.

 

What's with all the movies? :eek: We'll be on the Diamond for 35 days next year and I guess we'll have the opportunity to watch lots of movies.:rolleyes:

 

I really think they have seriously cut their entertainment budgets.

[Coracii]

I would have a problem with the movies being scheduled for 10pm on day 4 and 8 pm on day 5. They should have provided better entertainment in the Princess Theater at those times. For day 1 one show makes sense and it's at a time when anyone who wanted to could attend. People are often busy unpacking and finding their way around the ship earlier in the evening. For day 7 they could have had at least one show.

 

What's with all the movies? :eek: We'll be on the Diamond for 35 days next year and I guess we'll have the opportunity to watch lots of movies.:rolleyes:

 

I really think they have seriously cut their entertainment budgets.

 

I'm really wondering if adding MUTS to the Diamond will cut down on the number of movies that they showed in the main theater. We'll be back onboard the Diamond in January, I'm hoping that they do better with their scheduling then. I didn't have a problem with the a few of the days (1, 2, & 6 were well planned although the theater was full 30 minutes before Steve Moris began and they stopped allowing people in). My biggest problems on that cruise were with days 4, 5, and 7. Day 4 bothered me because we were late traditional dining and had to choose between changing dinner plans or seeing the show. Day 5 was only a minor annoyance, but it was only because we got to the theater 35 minutes prior to the talent show and it was already full with no one else being allowed in. Day 7, well... there just wasn't anything there.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Day 1: 8pm - Nothing, 10pm - Comedian Steve Moris

Day 2: 8pm & 10pm - Do You Wanna Dance

Day 3: 8pm - Do You Wanna Dance, 10pm Movie (Bottle Shock)

Day 4: 8pm - I Got The Music, 10pm Movie (Taken)

Day 5: 8pm - Movie (The Yes Man), 10pm Bingo, 10:30pm Crew Talent Show

Day 6: 8pm & 10pm - Piano Man

Day 7: 8pm - Movie (Seven Pounds), 10pm - Nothing

 

So, out of 7 nights on that cruise in the Princess Theater, they replayed the show twice. Still doesn't help that the theater only holds 1/3 of the ships' capacity and fills up quickly, even if the show is performed twice the absolute maximum that can see it is about 2/3 of the guests onboard assuming people don't go to a show twice. taken.

Wow. We've had some weak entertainment on Princess before, but your example would have to win the prize. I think the cruise director's are trying to fix the obvious-to-all issue about theater size by replaying the entertainment options again ansecond night. That's great, but when they then pair an early show with a late movie (as is usually the case), they've effectively cut the live entertainment offerings in half. Even worse (to me) is when they simulcast the live entertainment from the Princess Theater in the Explorers Lounge. Gee, my TV at home is fairly large too, and gets more than one channel! We haven't quite figured out Club Fusion's use, but then we're not into reality TV and audience participation shows

 

We love Princess, but entertainment is not among the reasons why. Still, we always enjoy the production shows (except for that Cole Porter one...didn't recognize a single song in it!). But when we venture over to other cruise lines, especially Celebrity, and we're entertained in an amply sized theater with aerialists flying over our heads and adagio dancers doing performances in the air, we look at each other and say, "we need to get out more!!"

[dfields1814]

Production Shows: If you remember you not in Vegas or Broadway in NYC or the West End in London, I would rate them from OK to pretty good. Since we cruise several times a year we have seen the same shows several times. A lot depends on the particular cast on the ship. Last cruise we went to a show for the third time, but the cast was really into it. So it was like seeing it for the first time.

[sherryf]

I would imagine that entertainment might vary depending on itinerary somewhat. I noticed that on the Golden in Alaska this summer, they did not have major shows when we had a late port time. Most major shows were performed 3 times during the week.

 

Princess Theater

Day 1 - Welcome Aboard show (7 PM and 8:30 PM)

Day 2 - Stardust (8:15 and 10:30 PM)

Day 3 - Libby Riddles (7:30) & Stardust (8:30)

& Comedian, Steve Carte (10:30) - Note: We were in Juneau until 10

Day 4 - Cinematastic (8:15 and 10:15)

Day 5 - Magician, Gaetano (7 and 8:45) & Crew Show (10:30)

Day 6 - Comedian, Steve Moris (8:15 and 10:15)

Day 7 - Comedian, Steve Moris (4 PM) and Movie (8:15 and 10:15) - Note:

We were in Victoria 7 PM - midnight, so some shows done early

 

Vista Lounge

Day 1 - Movie

Day 2 - Comedian, Steve Carte (8:30)

Day 3 - Comedian, Steve Carte (8:45)

Day 4 - Tony Cherry (7 and 8:30 PM)

Day 5 - Motor City (8:30)

Day 6 - Motor City (8:30 and 10:30)

Day 7 - Princess Pop Star Finale (5:15)

 

As you can see, nearly every show was done 3 times. Each comedian performed 3 times, though perhaps a different routine. (Steve Moris did comedy the first night and music the last show.) The only shows that weren't done at least twice were the crew show, Princess Pop Star, and Libby Riddles, who only has a limited time on each ship in Juneau.

 

We were happy with the entertainment in general. Some of the shows were not quite our "style" of music, but they were entertaining. Last year, on our first Princess cruise, we tried to hit every show, so we wouldn't miss anything. This year, a couple of the shows (Motor City and Cinematastic) were repeats for us, so we didn't see them again and opted for other shows or activities. Because of the "three-peat" schedule, we were able to make it to every show we really wanted to see.

[TKD Cruiser]

I agree, Sarge was funny.

[Ruste]

The entertainment program is set by the CD. Maybe some want to ensure there is lots for passengers to do and others don't worry so much.

[jbu]

Wow. We've had some weak entertainment on Princess before, but your example would have to win the prize. I think the cruise director's are trying to fix the obvious-to-all issue about theater size by replaying the entertainment options again ansecond night. That's great, but when they then pair an early show with a late movie (as is usually the case), they've effectively cut the live entertainment offerings in half. Even worse (to me) is when they simulcast the live entertainment from the Princess Theater in the Explorers Lounge. Gee, my TV at home is fairly large too, and gets more than one channel! We haven't quite figured out Club Fusion's use, but then we're not into reality TV and audience participation shows

 

We love Princess, but entertainment is not among the reasons why. Still, we always enjoy the production shows (except for that Cole Porter one...didn't recognize a single song in it!). But when we venture over to other cruise lines, especially Celebrity, and we're entertained in an amply sized theater with aerialists flying over our heads and adagio dancers doing performances in the air, we look at each other and say, "we need to get out more!!"

 

Hi, Jeannie!

 

Tried reaching you on another thread, but I guess you didn't see it.

 

How are you? How are you faring with the fires? Don't know how close you are to them, but I'm hoping all is well - you've already had more than enough this year to deal with and probably don't need more, right :( ?

 

Do you still have photos from the Ruby in January posted on flickr? I remember that you had taken some great shots, and I was wondering if I could see them again, if they're still available. Actually I wanted to share them with a friend who's sailing on the Emerald in 10 more days, to the ports we did on the Ruby. Are they still on flickr? If so, would you mind sharing the link again?

 

Thanks so much! Hope all is well!

[janacin]

In my opinion, Princess (our favorite cruise line) has a long way to go to equal Royal Carribean's production shows. Even Norwegian, which we don't like, has better production shows that Princess. I don't quite understand why, since Princess is superior in most other ways. I even like their piped in coffee.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Hi, Jeannie!

 

Tried reaching you on another thread, but I guess you didn't see it.

 

Do you still have photos from the Ruby in January posted on flickr?

 

Thanks so much! Hope all is well!

Hi Jenny, so sorry. I didn't look at our roll calls yesterday. Your post gave me pause...I don't remember ever using flicker. But I found what I had uploaded. You're being generous saying they were good photos...they were iPhone photos.

 

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22982062

 

Hope your friend has fun!! Wish you could stay on for the 1/7 cruise...we just might be on it!

[caribill]

I'm only talking about the stage shows in the Princess Theater. Here was the schedule on the Diamond from last June:

 

Day 1: 8pm - Nothing, 10pm - Comedian Steve Moris

Day 2: 8pm & 10pm - Do You Wanna Dance

Day 3: 8pm - Do You Wanna Dance, 10pm Movie (Bottle Shock)

Day 4: 8pm - I Got The Music, 10pm Movie (Taken)

Day 5: 8pm - Movie (The Yes Man), 10pm Bingo, 10:30pm Crew Talent Show

Day 6: 8pm & 10pm - Piano Man

Day 7: 8pm - Movie (Seven Pounds), 10pm - Nothing

 

 

And here is the Emerald last December

 

Day 1: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Welcome Aboard Show

Day 2: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Comedy Showtime

Day 3: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Motor City production show

Day 4: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Comedy Spotlight

Day 5: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm - I Got The Music production Show

Day 6: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Boogie Shoes production show

Day 7: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm - Farewell Variety Showtime; 10:30 PM movie (The Time Traveler's Wife)

 

So, every show every evening in the Princess Theater was presented two times, scheduled for both traditional dinner times.

 

Maybe the difference is the Cruise Director who schedules these events.

[jbu]

Hi Jenny, so sorry. I didn't look at our roll calls yesterday. Your post gave me pause...I don't remember ever using flicker. But I found what I had uploaded. You're being generous saying they were good photos...they were iPhone photos.

 

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22982062

 

Hope your friend has fun!! Wish you could stay on for the 1/7 cruise...we just might be on it!

 

Hey, Jeannie!

 

THANK YOU! I thought it was flickr, but apparently not. Regardless, your shots made a big impression with me - you captured far more than I did!

 

My friend is SO excited! I'm sending him a TIP OF THE DAY every day now, along with a photo of what he'll be seeing. I'm having fun enjoying his excitement almost as much as my own!

 

So are you and Greg safe from the fires? I have a niece and nephew both at school in Boulder, and apparently they're wearing masks because it's that bad for them. You guys in the clear?

 

Just so you know, there's still room on the 12/28 10-day. That's the one Bill and I are doing (we had to move it up from the original booking because Bill's going to be teaching at a University here next semester). How would THAT fit your schedule...? ;)

 

Thanks again for the pictures! They really ARE great!

[BridgeMates]

Wow. We've had some weak entertainment on Princess before, but your example would have to win the prize. I think the cruise director's are trying to fix the obvious-to-all issue about theater size by replaying the entertainment options again ansecond night. That's great, but when they then pair an early show with a late movie (as is usually the case), they've effectively cut the live entertainment offerings in half. Even worse (to me) is when they simulcast the live entertainment from the Princess Theater in the Explorers Lounge. Gee, my TV at home is fairly large too, and gets more than one channel! We haven't quite figured out Club Fusion's use, but then we're not into reality TV and audience participation shows

 

We love Princess, but entertainment is not among the reasons why. Still, we always enjoy the production shows (except for that Cole Porter one...didn't recognize a single song in it!). But when we venture over to other cruise lines, especially Celebrity, and we're entertained in an amply sized theater with aerialists flying over our heads and adagio dancers doing performances in the air, we look at each other and say, "we need to get out more!!"

 

You've said it for me!!

[Coolmama_1]

We've always enjoyed most of the shows..the production numbers are pretty good and the singers and dancers work really hard to put on a great show.

 

The only problem for us is that we sail several times a year on Princess and have seen all the production shows on more than one ship...they seem to run for a long time...

 

We don't care for stand up comedy.... but I will admit the best one we have ever seen was "Sarge" on a Princess ship. Fantastic...

 

But like Andee indicates, you can leave anytime...

 

We've seen "Sarge" too and he is great!

[MamieGoldberg]

I find it interesting how often the shows are referred to as high school level or below. If you read the bio of the ship entertainers, you will find they are all very highly trained dancers and/or singers.

 

I didn't give more than a fleeting glance at the biographies of the performers, but the opening welcome show the dancers on the Sea Princess weren't remotely in synch with each other doing a simple grapevine. We looked at each other in amazement. From that point on, I admit I was looking for it, and one or two were pretty much always out of step... and not the same ones.

 

Waiting in line for the comedian one night (Carlos Oscar, who was excellent), a young woman in line said she hadn't danced in 5 years and based on what she had seen if she applied for a job she'd be overqualified.

 

Based on that first show we skipped all but the crew talent show, which was fun.

 

I never for a moment questioned the dance training of the Norwegian and Celebrity performers I've seen.

[KONA VILLAGE KID]

We just returned from Alaska on the Island and half the singers were dreadful. No idea how they made it thru the audition. The dancers and band were fine. Same ship 3 years ago had great singers. Maybe it's a budget issue?

[Coracii]

And here is the Emerald last December

 

Day 1: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Welcome Aboard Show

Day 2: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Comedy Showtime

Day 3: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Motor City production show

Day 4: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Comedy Spotlight

Day 5: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm - I Got The Music production Show

Day 6: 8:30 pm and 10:30 pm - Boogie Shoes production show

Day 7: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm - Farewell Variety Showtime; 10:30 PM movie (The Time Traveler's Wife)

 

So, every show every evening in the Princess Theater was presented two times, scheduled for both traditional dinner times.

 

Maybe the difference is the Cruise Director who schedules these events.

 

That's a much more complete schedule, I'd be more than happy to see that arrangement of shows on my cruise. I'm sure a lot of the scheduling is based on who the CD is, and Dan Gibbons on our last Alaskan cruise failed miserably (not just the show schedules, other aspects he should have taken care of were poor also). Here's hoping it's better on the Diamond in 3.5 months...

[CruisinNewbie2010]

There was another thread started yesterday entitled "New Princess stage show" where a new production is mentioned, and has been on a few ships already. Looks pretty good to me!:)

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princes...7624895602041/