Live Entertainment

[Grumpy1328]

Having cruised twice on Princess, I am considering trying Carnival. I liked the general experience on Princess, but had two problems. First, the décor was a little on the bland side. I tend to lean a little towards the tacky :D, and I have been thinking Carnival might be a little more "lively" in that area. More important, and the real reason for a change is live entertainment. I have been a musician for many years, so unfortunately have a somewhat critical ear. The bands on the Princess cruises were awful (to my ear, anyway). Either they couldn't sing, or they their instrumental talents were lacking. For me, to the point of distraction. Since I really like to relax with a drink and listen to a good band (just about any type of music) this will be a strong consideration in choosing my next cruise. So, how do the bands in the bars and music venues on Carnival ships shape up?

 

Sorry for being so long-winded!

[peptobysmol]

gettin' my popcorn. :D

[dickinson]

From what I have read (just booked a cruise for 2016 on Carnival) their entertainment is not what it used to be. I don't know if they have any live music.

Edited October 17, 2014 by dickinson

[caribsun]

I agree with you about Princess being bland. Carnival has made cutbacks on quality live entertainment, look at Norwegian. :)

[k2excursion]

Carnival's entertainment has gone downhill, more on some ships than others. If you choose the Dream, I believe that you will be very satisfied. Great shows in the theater that still uses live music, a great band (Black Jack Band) that plays in the oceans plaza, and lively decor.

 

Regarding the decor, the Breeze is highly praised for it's bland decor on these boards. So don't be too fooled by the praise. I don't think you'll like it at all. People on these boards prefer the bland, or toned down, decor. You would prefer staying away from the Breeze & Sunshine, as these 2 ships have the toned down decor. I also prefer the tacky to the bland, and I didn't like Breeze's decor.

 

For the theater shows, Carnival is quite a bit behind other cruiselines. But half of their ships are a zillion times worse than the other half. The Playlist Production shows are awful: very short, very few performers, no live music at all, no props. These types of shows are also on Breeze & Sunshine: another reason to avoid those ships. Half the Carnival fleet has these shows, so you need to choose carefully. I do know that the Dream, Triumph, & Liberty have great shows. Magic has a great magic show, but their other production shows are just okay. Paradise seems to be popular in this regard among the smaller ships. I have heard that Splendor's shows are good, and I'll soon find out for myself.

 

For live music beyond the theater shows, all the ships will have some form of live musicians: a soloist or 2 and many ships will have a band somewhere. As I already mentioned, I think the best of these bands are Black Jack Band on Dream. They are currently on vacation, but will be back for another 6 months soon, but I'm not sure if they are being let go after that or not. I hope not. No live calypso music on the lido deck on any ship. It's a DJ blasting out songs or perhaps the soloist playing for an hour.

Edited October 17, 2014 by k2excursion

[ready2cruzagain]

OP....hate to disappoint you but IMHO, Princess has way better entertainment than Carnival. I am platinum on Carnival but yet my next 4 cruises are with Princess due to the lack of entertainment that Carnival now has.

[Grumpy1328]

I was expecting different responses. I had thought that due to the younger age demographic on Carnival vs Princess, there would be more emphasis on entertainment on Carnival, and hoped that the quality would be better. Maybe I'm under the wrong impression. I'm not knocking Princess, just looking for a more "active" experience. I liked hanging out in the Explorer's Lounge and the Wheelhouse Bar on Princess, just wasn't happy with the quality of the entertainers. Quite possibly I'm just being too critical.

As to the décor, I only have review pics to go by. I thought a few ships on Norwegian were a bit too flashy, while I liked a lot of what I saw of Carnival. Breeze, Magic, Sunshine and Freedom come to mind. Different strokes for different folks.

It will be fun to see what Carnival has to offer.

Now, to find the right itinerary....

[luv2kroooz]

Ships that have gone through the 2.0 upgrades will usually have a solo acoustic guitarist that will play poolside in the late afternoons, a duo that play lite rock/pop, a latin trio, and a 4 or 5 piece cover band that plays 60's-today hits. My experience is that they put the 4 or 5 piece band at the casino bar and they are very very loud. You are not able to have a conversation with your cruisemates, but there is room for some dancing, if that is your thing.