Carnival Concerts at Sea program..RCCL should offer similar

[lidopuppy]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5694 I prefer RCCL over Carnival without a doubt, but I LOVE this idea.

[boulders]

I could buy tickets for similar artists at home for the same money. I don't see any attraction.

[jonbgd]

I use to pay to see some of those acts in the 80's but lately I can see them for free a the local county fairs

[lidopuppy]

I could buy tickets for similar artists at home for the same money. I don't see any attraction.

Perhaps you can. I can as well. But its an option, similar to another excursion. It wouldn't work on Oasis class ships though since the main theater is used every night.

[John Reid]

It is interesting and I completely understand that many will like the idea, but would passengers love . . .

-the theater not being available for second seating for the normally included shows to allow for concert set-up. As a matter of fact, the theater probably would not be available for normal entertainment at all that evening. Doesn't matter much for Carnival; not much is offered in the theater anyway. But RCI does entertain its guests.

-fighting over seating and seats being saved since seats aren't numbered.

-as Carnival puts it, enjoying the extra time in ports like Nassau. I just can't see whiling away the nights until 12:30 a.m. on Nassau's streets. It might be an interesting sight to see those returning having had 5 extra hours at Senor Frogs!

-for some, the casino being closed until the ship leaves port.

-cabins that are affected by the noise during performances have that noise be louder and later.

-opening the door to paying for entertainment.

 

Carnival has found a way to make the theater, a place where entertainment has traditionally been part of the fare, into a revenue generator. They also seem to be targeting the demographic market of the shorter cruises.

 

Personally, not a fan of the idea. And mostly I post this in case RCI follows this thread!

[BND]

I could buy tickets for similar artists at home for the same money. I don't see any attraction.

 

Without driving, parking, public transportation, weather issues, etc? I think it's pretty cool and going to most concerts is a logistical nightmare.

 

And, those ticket prices are pretty good. Try getting good seats at a concert in DC and see how much you'll spend.

Edited January 22, 2014 by BND

[ehfl]

It's an interesting concept. Carnival has all but given up on live music, so this might be a nice change for them. I'm not sure how well the logistics will work. Will they stay in port late to accommodate the show? Will they be matinees?

[fischymom]

I LOVE this idea not only from a music lover stand point but from the stand point that because of our rural local we do not have access to many of this caliber. And if we do it is $40+ per ticket, $30 for fuel to get there and home, and if not within 2 or 3 hours of home a hotel stay $75.

[lidopuppy]

It's an interesting concept. Carnival has all but given up on live music, so this might be a nice change for them. I'm not sure how well the logistics will work. Will they stay in port late to accommodate the show? Will they be matinees?

My understanding is they will stay in port later than normal till the show is over, so people can stay that much longer at Senor Frogs if they choose:)

[Eng23]

No. No. No. This is not a good idea. We do not need another nickel and dime type program especially for entertainment. Royal Caribbean's entertainment is already far better than Carnival's. I don't go on cruises to see concerts that I can see every year at home and without having to pay for a cruise.

Let's keep Royal Caribbean a cut above Carnival.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

Who is Gavin DeGraw?!?!?!?!? :confused:

[tabbi_cakes]

Hmm my brother and his fiancé are going to be on the Fantasy in April. I wonder how I can find out which cruise and who will be playing.

[Retired LEO]

Those on Carnival complained about their lack of entertainment...well...now they got what they wanted, for a price.

[John Reid]

Hmm my brother and his fiancé are going to be on the Fantasy in April. I wonder how I can find out which cruise and who will be playing.

 

If you go over to the Carnival board and find the similar thread, go backwards from the last page. People have found and posted it.

[lidopuppy]

No. No. No. This is not a good idea. We do not need another nickel and dime type program especially for entertainment. Royal Caribbean's entertainment is already far better than Carnival's. I don't go on cruises to see concerts that I can see every year at home and without having to pay for a cruise.

Let's keep Royal Caribbean a cut above Carnival.

 

 

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I agree RCCL is clearly a cut above Carnival, but once again...it is an OPTION...nobody is forcing you to go to the concert. Is it nickle and diming it when you buy other excursions? Of course not. But I do agree that RCCL has better entertainment than Carnival.

[negc]

I agree RCCL is clearly a cut above Carnival, but once again...it is an OPTION...nobody is forcing you to go to the concert. Is it nickle and diming it when you buy other excursions? Of course not. But I do agree that RCCL has better entertainment than Carnival.

 

Until recently, all entertainment, including some fairly big name entertainers have been part of the free entertainment schedule onboard cruise ships. Obviously it isn't a requirement that you attend any of these concerts but leave it to Carnival to come up with another revenue stream by turning the entertainment into a pay event.

[BND]

I agree RCCL is clearly a cut above Carnival, but once again...it is an OPTION...nobody is forcing you to go to the concert. Is it nickle and diming it when you buy other excursions? Of course not. But I do agree that RCCL has better entertainment than Carnival.

 

Having cruised both, they're more similar than not and I don't think RCI is a "cut above" lol. RCI has had better entertainment for the most part (we've seen a couple of lousy entertainers on RCI), but Carnival has other things they do better. We always thought Carnival's food was better and definitely their desserts. I so love the snobbery between mass market cruise lines.

Edited January 23, 2014 by BND

[cruzfitter]

I agree RCCL is clearly a cut above Carnival, but once again...it is an OPTION...nobody is forcing you to go to the concert. Is it nickle and diming it when you buy other excursions? Of course not. But I do agree that RCCL has better entertainment than Carnival.

 

It may only be an option when it comes to going to these concerts. But if the artist is big enough of a draw, it may raise the price of the cruise. So in fact the cruiser who doesn't care for the artist may end up paying more for nothing.

 

You may think that this is unlikely, but there are already cruises with musical act on board that aren't complete charters. These cruises can cost more than double what a normal cruise would cost. And that is without access to the events of the musical acts aboard.

 

I've looked into these cruises after the end date for the booked acts to fill the ship. And believe me the price doesn't revert to standard cruise rates based on the week before and the week after said cruise.

 

I don't see any acts listed on CCL site that I think would cause this to happen, but what if RCL bought in better entertainers? I would hate to pay more just because say Kenny Chesney performing 1 night.

[Cruising89143]

Those on Carnival complained about their lack of entertainment...well...now they got what they wanted, for a price.

 

Agree.

 

The last thing that RCI needs to do is take a page out of what Carnival is doing. They are dead last in the industry of mass market lines when it comes to innovation. Both RCI and NCL have left them trying to catch up.

[time4u2go]

No. No. No. This is not a good idea. We do not need another nickel and dime type program especially for entertainment. Royal Caribbean's entertainment is already far better than Carnival's. I don't go on cruises to see concerts that I can see every year at home and without having to pay for a cruise.

Let's keep Royal Caribbean a cut above Carnival.

 

 

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Lol a cut above.

[Dave85]

No. No. No. This is not a good idea. We do not need another nickel and dime type program especially for entertainment. Royal Caribbean's entertainment is already far better than Carnival's. I don't go on cruises to see concerts that I can see every year at home and without having to pay for a cruise.

Let's keep Royal Caribbean a cut above Carnival.

 

 

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I agree, I hope that Royal DOES NOT do anything of the sort. Royal provides fantastic entertainment on its newer ships, far and away superior to anything Carnival provides. IMHO this is a gimmick to get people on some of Carnival's smallest, oldest ships at inflated rates for a concert that will make Carnival a lot of money. This is obviously being discussed in great detail over on the Carnival board, but just think about how many fights are going to break out over seating / seat saving for the concert... with the exception of the first 3 rows everything is open seating.

 

Think about it. Many of those people came on this short cruise on an old crappy ship just for this concert... yikes. Also, as others have noted, the entertainment will be reduced for the non-concert goers on board. While John Heald announced today that they'd still have their Punchliners comedy shows and other live music available (LOL...), there won't be a main lounge production show for those other guests on that evening.

 

I was excited for this announcement today once I heard it was entertainment related, but silly me thinking it would be a major every cruise enhancement by them. ...and no, adding an extra singer to the standard show band is not a major enhancement. I think RCI should keep doing exactly what they're doing and not go any further down this road of nickle and dime entertainment.

[seaofwonder]

I would gladly pay for some decent entertainment on the non-Oasis ships. Most of artists are B artists who are past their prime (most, not all)....but if they could start pulling in some bigger names that would be cool. I'd actually love to see Jewel, she was one of my favorites in the 90s and I never did manage to see her live.

 

Someone mentioned $40 for a concert....lol. My last 5 concerts have not come in under $150 a ticket, with the highest being slightly over $200. I remember when I bitched about $100 being high for the Stones....that is cheap now :)

 

ETA - I read a different announcement earlier and could have sworn I saw Jewel. And some of these names are not too shabby, but Chicago? Really? They do half time shows for college football teams lol

 

 

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Edited January 23, 2014 by seaofwonder

[Retired LEO]

Since it seems that you have to purchase these tickets online well in advance of the cruise what would happen if that particular artist couldn't perform that night for whatever reason. Hundreds of people swarming Guest services for a refund. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

[seaofwonder]

Since it seems that you have to purchase these tickets online well in advance of the cruise what would happen if that particular artist couldn't perform that night for whatever reason. Hundreds of people swarming Guest services for a refund. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

 

 

I'm sure they are under contract and the odds of it happening would be similar to an artist canceling a tour date. But yes, if it were to happen and that was the sole reason a person booked the cruise...yikes! A publicity nightmare.

 

 

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[time4u2go]

Since it seems that you have to purchase these tickets online well in advance of the cruise what would happen if that particular artist couldn't perform that night for whatever reason. Hundreds of people swarming Guest services for a refund. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

 

According to the FAQ, they just credit the money back to the onboard account. It doesn't sound like anyone would have to go to guest services to have that done.