Entertainment on Marina

[dougt1957]

My wife and I sailed on the Insignia in Europe and enjoyed the cruise with one exception....the entertainment. So my question is how is the entertainment on the Marina? We are booked on the Riviera next year and my wife enjoys the shows on the large mass market ships, so can we expect any improvement on the larger Oceania ships? It's not a deal breaker because on a port intensive cruise we are not always left with the energy to stay up late but I am curios if the options are any better.

[LHT28]

We were on the Marina Feb 26 cruise

The entertainment to us was worse than on the small ships

Other may have different opinions

 

The string quartet was very good though

 

Oceania do not seem to think entertainment needs to be good :rolleyes:

 

Lyn

[orchestrapal]

We were on the Marina Feb 26 cruise

The entertainment to us was worse than on the small ships

Other may have different opinions

 

The string quartet was very good though

 

Oceania do not seem to think entertainment needs to be good :rolleyes:

 

Lyn

 

Our experience has been that most on Oceania, that we have spoken to, don't care about the entertainment and don't expect much.

[LHT28]

Our experience has been that most on Oceania, that we have spoken to, don't care about the entertainment and don't expect much.

It is still nice to see some of the performers

We are not bar flies so having something to do occasionally in the evening is nice other than going back to the cabin.

 

We did enjoy some of the musicians on the smaller ships

 

Lyn

[pacheco18]

I thought "the plan" was to improve Oceania entertainment on Marina. Is the venue any better?

 

I must admit that entertainment is not my reason for cruising -- we are very early risers and often don't stay up late - but some of the production shows and other entertainers we have seen on Celebrity eg are of such a high caliber that we look forward to them. On my Marina TA in November, with all those sea days and no need to get up early, I would welcome a good show or two.

 

They still have time to fix it if they intend to.

[Dmgmd50]

Is it easy to find a Bridge game on the Marina? Do they ever have Duplicate Bridge? Even a smaller ship like the Seabourn Legend had that.

[Paulchili]

Sorry to disagree with you Lyn, but I think the entertainment on Marina now is the best we have seen not only on Oceania, but just about on any ship. The group is small (4 singers and 4 dancers) but they are wonderful! 90 % of the other entertainers have been very good to excellent.

Of course, you will not see a Broadway or Las Vegas show, but the quality is very good to excellent.

Ditto for the Quartet.

JMO - YMMV.

[JimandStan]

My wife and I sailed on the Insignia in Europe and enjoyed the cruise with one exception....the entertainment. So my question is how is the entertainment on the Marina? We are booked on the Riviera next year and my wife enjoys the shows on the large mass market ships, so can we expect any improvement on the larger Oceania ships? It's not a deal breaker because on a port intensive cruise we are not always left with the energy to stay up late but I am curios if the options are any better.

 

It was obvious that they have more resources to work with on the Marina than the R Ships. The look of the shows are more elaborate, and the showroom is larger and better equipped for more intricate stagecraft.

The stage is amazing, chock-a-block with turntables, hydraulic platforms and fantastic computerized lighting effects.

 

Name acts are now appearing in some of the shows. The Platters appeared twice on our cruise.

 

 

There were also several new production shows with extraordinary choreography and fabulous costumes. A tribute to the Four Seasons, in particular, was very well received, and starred some cast members of Broadways "Jersey Boys".

 

Unfortunately, there was a small but very vocal group on our cruise which objected to any kind of amplified music, which we thought was extreme; but on the whole, we found the entertainment to be of a much higher standard.

 

Enjoy your cruise-

[pacheco18]

It was obvious that they have more resources to work with on the Marina than the R Ships. The look of the shows are more elaborate, and the showroom is larger and better equipped for more intricate stagecraft.

The stage is amazing, chock-a-block with turntables, hydraulic platforms and fantastic computerized lighting effects.

 

Name acts are now appearing in some of the shows. The Platters appeared twice on our cruise.

 

 

There were also several new production shows with extraordinary choreography and fabulous costumes. A tribute to the Four Seasons, in particular, was very well received, and starred some cast members of Broadways "Jersey Boys".

 

Unfortunately, there was a small but very vocal group on our cruise which objected to any kind of amplified music, which we thought was extreme; but on the whole, we found the entertainment to be of a much higher standard.

 

Enjoy your cruise-

 

Excellent news! Thanks for the update.

[LHT28]

Well we did not find Rory & Murphy the wonder dog high caliber entertainment

 

We did not go to the production shows, we do not care for them on any ship

 

Some of the other performers started off ok but went downhill

a couple I remember Nolan Dean, Greg Bonham

 

No Platters for us that would have been great to see (guess they spent too much money on the Maiden voyage) ;)

 

It is all subjective, your personal tastes

 

We prefer the classical music venues better, classical guitarist, pianist type venues

 

Some of the magicians have been good in the past

 

On the small ships we usually went to 5 or 6 shows during the cruise

 

Next time we will just get a movie ;)

 

 

Lyn

[LHT28]

Is it easy to find a Bridge game on the Marina? Do they ever have Duplicate Bridge? Even a smaller ship like the Seabourn Legend had that.

Yes they usually have lots of bridge players

Of course it is cruise dependent as to how many you get, some will have more players than others

 

We do not play but they are always advertised in the CURRENTS

 

Lyn

[pacheco18]

Well we did not find Rory & Murphy the wonder dog high caliber entertainment

 

We did not go to the production shows, we do not care for them on any ship

 

Some of the other performers started off ok but went downhill

a couple I remember Nolan Dean, Greg Bonham

 

No Platters for us that would have been great to see (guess they spent too much money on the Maiden voyage) ;)

 

It is all subjective, your personal tastes

 

We prefer the classical music venues better, classical guitarist, pianist type venues

 

Some of the magicians have been good in the past

 

On the small ships we usually went to 5 or 6 shows during the cruise

 

Next time we will just get a movie ;)

 

 

Lyn

 

Subjective is the word. I think it's even more subjective than the food issue.

 

I would not go to a magic show even if Houdini came back from the dead as promised (well, maybe for Houdini . . .. )LOL I want something upbeat and fun. Doo wop, broadway style show or singer, or a"good" singer would appeal to me. Classical is nice as background music during dinner, but for me it is not what I want for my evening entertainment.

[Frede Sander]

We were on the Virgin cruise 22 Jan and I thought the entertainment was verygood , but what

do I know??? I`we only been in show business twenty years.

Maybe people expect to much on the cruise ships hence the dissapointment.

 

Fred

[TKS]

We were on the MV and thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. No "name acts" on the MV, but the dancing and singing troupe are talented young people who work amazingly hard for the passengers. Reading their biographies, nearly all came to O from other cruise lines or professional companies on land. The 8-member orchestra manages to sound much larger than their number, as it seems each member plays multiple instruments. I really enjoyed "Groovin" a salute to the '60's. My husband saw more shows than I and enjoyed them all to different degrees. It's not Las Vegas, but I really like the more intimate nature of O's entertainment.

 

And yes, I believe the entertainment is better on Marina than on the R ship we sailed two years ago. It has a better, and larger facility too.

 

But if you're looking for classical, opera or other "serious" music, Marina's evening shows are not for you. They are happy, upbeat, "fluffy" pieces, meant to keep the atmosphere light.

[LHT28]

That is why they have some variety

Everyone has a different like or dislike

Just like the food it is what works best for your tastes

 

We sail Oceania for reasons other than the entertainment &, shore excursions ;)

 

Enjoy life

 

Lyn

[Mura]

While I have never expected classical (or operatic) entertainment on Oceania, there have been instances of both in the shows. On last summer's Norway cruise there was a classical pianist and also a gypsy violinist (who clearly had classical training), and on a cruise a few years ago the assistance cruise director was a professional singer who has performed on Broadway as well as in opera, and she included both in a show she did.

 

As a classical musician myself, it bothers me to have classical music as elevator music but I realize that the average person doesn't have the same interest in it as I do.

[Bruin Steve]

Here is the thing with shipboard entertaniment for me:

 

Even if we are in a port all day, we come back to the ship sort of hungry and ready for dinner...

So, we are heading to the dining room between, say, 6 and 7...

Allowing for two hours for dinner, that means we are usually done by 9 pm...

 

What to do next?

We are just not ready to just head back to the cabin at 9 pm...

And we're not gamblers, so the casino is of little interest...

It's night time, so the pool deck is pretty much out...

 

What is one to do?

We need entertainment of some sort...

 

The shows don't have to be the greatest entertainment in the world...no ship's entertainment is (though the RCCL Allure of the Seas really came close)...

 

It really just has to be something worth watching...an evening out and about...

Of course we do crave SOME level of quality...Hopefully something at least in the same general ballpark as wha we see on other ships...

 

But, of course, the problem with approaching that on the R-Ships is that they really didn't have the facilities for that...There was no dedicated showroom with professional stage facilities...just an erstwhile lounge where they used the dance floor for a stage...Which does limit what you can do a bit...

 

The Marina seems to have remedied that...From what we have seen, they have a true, dedicated showroom...theater style seats, a real stage and backstage, etc.

 

This allows them to step up the quality of the entertainment...

 

Obviously, nobody is going to agree on exactly what style or type of entertainment they want to see...You don't get 1,250 people to agree on a style of music or a style of comedy...or whether they want to see a magician or an impressionist or a dance company...

 

You get what you get...

Some folks just choose to skip some shows...

We tend to go to the shows every night, whatever they may be...Some we like better than others...but, for us, it does beat heading back to our cabin so earlyin the evening and going to bed...

 

Anyone who expects any cruise ship to give them top quality name entertainment and a show right in their prefered genre every night is going to be bitterly disappointed...

 

So, we aim our expectations a little lower...We just try to compare in relation to what we see on other ships...and we don't necessarily need Oceania to match that...

 

We just want that, if they have singers, that the singers have good voices and put on a good show...

...if they have comedians, we want the comedians to be funny...

...if they have magicians, we want them to be somewhat polished and professional an have a good presentation...

...and so on...

 

We want to walk out of the showroom an hour later and know that we had a better time than if we went back to our cabin or if we went to a bar and just drank for an hour...

 

We are on vacation...and, aside from sailing port to port...and eating a lot...we want a little nightly entertainment...

Occasionally, we'd like a show to be a "gem"...to hit just right and b exactly the type of performer we enjoy seeing (which, of course, would be different for everyone)...

 

With the Marina's improved showroom facilities, my expectations are just that--which would be a mark somewhat higher than hit on Nautica...

[esther e]

I would say the majority of O cruisers agree that the food is the best of any line. Someone (I won't say who) in O once told me there is a budget of $X and the majority of the budget goes for food while a small percentage for entertainment. Having been on some lines where the food is just all right, but the entertainment is great, we note that the expenditures are reversed.

[CintiPam]

Here is the thing with shipboard entertaniment for me:

 

Even if we are in a port all day, we come back to the ship sort of hungry and ready for dinner...

So, we are heading to the dining room between, say, 6 and 7...

Allowing for two hours for dinner, that means we are usually done by 9 pm...

 

What to do next?

We are just not ready to just head back to the cabin at 9 pm...

And we're not gamblers, so the casino is of little interest...

It's night time, so the pool deck is pretty much out...

 

What is one to do?

We need entertainment of some sort...

 

The shows don't have to be the greatest entertainment in the world...no ship's entertainment is (though the RCCL Allure of the Seas really came close)...

 

It really just has to be something worth watching...an evening out and about...

Of course we do crave SOME level of quality...Hopefully something at least in the same general ballpark as wha we see on other ships...

 

But, of course, the problem with approaching that on the R-Ships is that they really didn't have the facilities for that...There was no dedicated showroom with professional stage facilities...just an erstwhile lounge where they used the dance floor for a stage...Which does limit what you can do a bit...

 

The Marina seems to have remedied that...From what we have seen, they have a true, dedicated showroom...theater style seats, a real stage and backstage, etc.

 

This allows them to step up the quality of the entertainment...

 

Obviously, nobody is going to agree on exactly what style or type of entertainment they want to see...You don't get 1,250 people to agree on a style of music or a style of comedy...or whether they want to see a magician or an impressionist or a dance company...

 

You get what you get...

Some folks just choose to skip some shows...

We tend to go to the shows every night, whatever they may be...Some we like better than others...but, for us, it does beat heading back to our cabin so earlyin the evening and going to bed...

 

Anyone who expects any cruise ship to give them top quality name entertainment and a show right in their prefered genre every night is going to be bitterly disappointed...

 

So, we aim our expectations a little lower...We just try to compare in relation to what we see on other ships...and we don't necessarily need Oceania to match that...

 

We just want that, if they have singers, that the singers have good voices and put on a good show...

...if they have comedians, we want the comedians to be funny...

...if they have magicians, we want them to be somewhat polished and professional an have a good presentation...

...and so on...

 

We want to walk out of the showroom an hour later and know that we had a better time than if we went back to our cabin or if we went to a bar and just drank for an hour...

 

We are on vacation...and, aside from sailing port to port...and eating a lot...we want a little nightly entertainment...

Occasionally, we'd like a show to be a "gem"...to hit just right and b exactly the type of performer we enjoy seeing (which, of course, would be different for everyone)...

 

With the Marina's improved showroom facilities, my expectations are just that--which would be a mark somewhat higher than hit on Nautica...

 

I agree 100% with Steve's views on this issue. (That indeed happens on occasion!:))

[LHT28]

We need entertainment of some sort...

 

The shows don't have to be the greatest entertainment in the world...no ship's entertainment is

 

It really just has to be something worth watching...an evening out and about...

Of course we do crave SOME level of quality... Agree there

We just want that, if they have singers, that the singers have good voices and put on a good show...

...if they have comedians, we want the comedians to be funny...

...if they have magicians, we want them to be somewhat polished and professional an have a good presentation...

...and so on...

 

.

 

We do not expect top name acts

 

On the small ships most of the performers (except the Oceania troupe) are European usually and were not too bad

 

Something enjoyable & kills some time in the evenings

 

We make our donation in the casino rather than the bars & that does not take long so we need other stimulation in the evening:D

 

Lyn

[LHT28]

On our Panama trip the Name acts were

 

Nolan Dean

Dale Gonyea

Greg Bonham

Rory & Murphy the wonder dog

 

Tooo much excitement for us :D

[Paulchili]

Bruin Steve,

Using your criteria, I expect you will be well pleased (if things remain status quo). All entertainers satisfied your criteria and many exceeded them. There were 2 notable exceptions to this (mentioned by Lyn) - Nolan ( who, in all fairness is an assistant CD) and a forgettable Australian singer. That still leaves 90% of our time on Marina with very good entertainment.

But as has been pointed out by others - this is a very subjective topic.

[yorkiemomjn]

Subjective is the word. I think it's even more subjective than the food issue.

 

I would not go to a magic show even if Houdini came back from the dead as promised (well, maybe for Houdini . . .. )LOL I want something upbeat and fun. Doo wop, broadway style show or singer, or a"good" singer would appeal to me. Classical is nice as background music during dinner, but for me it is not what I want for my evening entertainment.

 

LOL - I feel the same way about magic shows! I agree with you about the music/singers also! :D

[Dmgmd50]

... So, we aim our expectations a little lower...We just try to compare in relation to what we see on other ships...and we don't necessarily need Oceania to match that...

 

We want to walk out of the showroom an hour later and know that we had a better time than if we went back to our cabin or if we went to a bar and just drank for an hour...

 

We are on vacation...and, aside from sailing port to port...and eating a lot...we want a little nightly entertainment...

Occasionally, we'd like a show to be a "gem"...to hit just right and b exactly the type of performer we enjoy seeing (which, of course, would be different for everyone)...

 

I agree with Steve. Greg Bonham actually performed at our clubhouse in Florida and put on a good show. He probably would not be booked to play the Palace Theater in New York or in the main room at a major Las Vegas hotel, but he provides a pleasant evening's entertainment.

[LHT28]

 

Greg Bonham actually performed at our clubhouse in Florida and put on a good show.

 

I guess they thought he would fit the CCC of Oceania if he played at clubhouses ;)

 

Lyn