Goodbye Cirque

[Mancuso]

The word is that the Cirque experience in the Bar on the Edge is going away for a while until they can come up with something more entertaining.

 

Should be interesting.

[mahdnc]

Interesting. Where did you hear this from?

[Lois R]

Hi,:) there is an entire thread about this subject down the board.

Those folks who just came off Summit said that was the last "Experience

on the Summit".

[mahdnc]

Thanks, Lois. I guess I have not been keeping up with the CDS threads.....

[Mancuso]

I subscribe to Cruise News Daily at cruisenewsdaily.com

[Schplinky]

If that's the case, I hope it's gone from Constellation by January. It would be nice ot have a good dance lounge and according to some of the older reviews I'm reading, the lounge used to have excellent views before Cirque moved in (did they cover the iwndows?).

[Desertbelle]

I am very disappointed that I wasn't able to experience this before it went away. Hopefully Cirque will return better than ever.

[chessbriar]

I'm glad to hear it's going. I really think CDS stiffed X for what X paid for.

 

From what I read in early press releases and what I read on the boards, it sounds like two different products.

 

CDS was probably laughing their way to the bank on that one.

[Schplinky]

To be fair, when we went to the Cirque in Montreal, they were doing a full-court press for X. You could not enter the tent without first seeing tons of X brochures and PR. These partnerships involve a lot more than what goes on onboard.

[Schplinky]

This is from X's preferred partnership page:

 

Celebrity is a proud sponsor of Cirque du Soleil touring shows in North America and Europe. As part of this sponsorship, Cirque du Soleil designed The Bar at the Edge of the EarthSM exclusively for Celebrity. As the first season of entertainment in The Bar at the Edge of the Earth comes to a close, Cirque du Soleil and Celebrity are in active discussions to develop a new evolution of the onboard entertainment experience Celebrity offers in conjunction with Cirque du Soleil on Constellation and Summit. Stay tuned for details in the weeks ahead.

 

 

I also note that the Cirque splashes are gone from X's website and there is no mention of X on the Cirque site at all, as far as I can see.

[Andy]

Hi Margie !

 

In all honesty, you didnt miss very much. It was a nice experience, but thats what it was.... an "experience"... and NOT a show. IMHO, this is why it was probably doomed from the start. People expected a Cirque type show, and probably were disappointed. One thing I did not like about it, was the performers were VERY agressive (at least the time I saw it), and were practically dragging people on to the dance floor. I dont think anyone should have to be forced to do anything they dont want to.

 

I totally commend Celebrity for giving this concept a try, and I commend them even more, for realizing it wasnt working in its current form. As they have a long term deal with Cirque, I am pretty sure this is not the last Cirque experience we will see on Celebrity, and that's fine by me.

 

What I truly hope for, is that they work on a dedicated Cirque type show in the theater, and not use the lounge for any future performances. Perhaps they should also consider a "dedicated" Cirque area onboard the Challenger Class ships.

 

I am not of the "good riddance" opinion. I truly hope that Celebrity and Cirque will come up with the right type of performance for us. On the whole, I think the Cirque concept is an excellent idea, but not in its current form.

[chessbriar]

Andy,

 

What's funny is they had a Cirque De Galaxy show on of course the Galaxy. With a little imagination and modification they could have turned that into a CDS production and expanded to the rest of the fleet. But no, it even disappeared from the Galaxy.

[mare s.]

on our Constellation Baltic cruise, the entertainment included Dominique and Charisse, a very Cirque-like acrobatic pair. They were wonderful. In one of the production shows they were incorporated into the show and even did some aerial stuff. Frankly, this is what I was expecting the "Cirque" experience to be. We never went to the actual experience in the Bar at the Edge...it was always scheduled for an inconvenient time for us...either we weren't done with dinner (late) or we were in the main showroom and couldn't be bothered to traipse up to deck 11. But from all that I read here in advance of the cruise, I don't think we missed anything.

[mare s.]

on our Constellation Baltic cruise, the entertainment included Dominique and Charisse, a very Cirque-like acrobatic pair. They were wonderful. In one of the production shows they were incorporated into the show and even did some aerial stuff. Frankly, this is what I was expecting the "Cirque" experience to be. We never went to the actual experience in the Bar at the Edge...it was always scheduled for an inconvenient time for us...either we weren't done with dinner (late) or we were in the main showroom and couldn't be bothered to traipse up to deck 11. But from all that I read here in advance of the cruise, I don't think we missed anything.

[RodPat]

Just experienced the masked ball at the Bar at the Edge of the Earth on Constellation on the TA cruise Sept. 10. The experience was just alright nothing to write home about. During the day the curtins were open and a good view was had by anyone who went there. The room was not quite what you have come to expect on a Celebrity cruise. I am not sorry that I went but once is enough. If it comes back, I hope it is an improved version. Pat

[chesterh]

My wife and I went to our first Cirque show this past weekend, in Hartford. Celebrity was prominently featured on various signage and in the program, and "X" still appears on the Cirque website in the sponsors' area.

 

When the partnership was first announced, I, like many, assumed that it would result in specialized theatrical performances. After finally seeing a land-based show (which I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone), I hope something like it can be developed for us seafarers. However, I can appreciate that the complexity and cost to do this would be extreme - some clever planning would be required. They'd probably have to figure out a way to transport a cast performing the same show between several ships during a given week. With the level of skill required to execute a performance, no one can afford to have the artists hanging around for the majority of days on a typical itinerary. Maybe Celebrity (with RCL) should sponsor a "fixed" performance venue in one of their primary ports (Miami?), reserving the theater for passengers during port days and allowing it to operate as an independent attraction on other days.

 

Of course there is the issue of performing on a platform that might be moving quite a bit. The acts we saw a few days ago would be impossible to execute in anything other than calm seas. But Cirque is very good at filling the stage with all sorts of not-so-death-defying entertainment, and I think they could pull off something quite memorable on board a ship. When and if they do, I'll make sure to see it for myself...

 

chesterh

[phtktz3]

Schplinky,

 

The windows are not covered on the Summit.There is about a 4 foot gap between the windows and the cabanas. It was actually a nice place during the day to kick back on one of the "beds" there and watch all the scenery go by. With that said I never experieced that lounge in any other form so I do not know what it was like before.

[Olive]

Does anyone when the shows/experiences will be pulled by? Has it already been done? I am sailing in less than two weeks on Constellation and would kind of prefer to enjoy the lounge back the way it was. I loved watching sunsets and stars from up there.

[Lois R]

Hi, I believe someone posted that it will be finishing up on Constellation in

November...though I cannot recall the date.

And they have already exited from Summit.

[Pandora1958]

Just got off the Constellation Sept 22. I too was disappointed. I do know they said the Bar at the Edge of the Earth had to be installed while the ship was in dry dock so I don't know about removing it! I too would like to see it gone - EXCEPT for the couches which are nice to lounge on during the day.

 

Lynne

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Does anyone when the shows/experiences will be pulled by? Has it already been done? I am sailing in less than two weeks on Constellation and would kind of prefer to enjoy the lounge back the way it was. I loved watching sunsets and stars from up there.

 

You are able to see out from most places just as well as before CDS set was installed. Sure, where the cabanas (beds) are there is some sightline blockage if you are behind the cabanas. No big deal, move onto or in front of them near the windows. There will be so few people in there anyway that you will have many choices where to sit.

 

Enjoy your cruise. :)

[Jim_Iain]

A picture can say more than a thousand words so I posted 3 of The Bar at the Edge - Constellation two weeks ago.

 

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=469510131&ran=26464