Am I missing something? Entertainment is deciding factor?!

[Spastica]

So many people complaining about the shows, the singers accents, the size of the theatre, the way you book your shows, etc.

 

Do people really put that much emphasis on Broadway style shows that not being fully entertained to their liking ruins their whole vacation?!

 

I booked our upcoming week on Seaview based solely on itinerary, dates, and ship design (water park and other activities for the kids to do). I gave no thought whatsoever that MSC should have professional quality shows every night and doubt I will set foot in the theatre.

 

I just don't understand the complaining about the shows and how many peoples vacations were ruined as a result of Opera style singing. Sigh.

[dd likes to cruise]

I wonder about things like that too. I do attend the nightly entertainment and enjoy doing so. But it would not make or break a cruise if it wasn't the best either.

 

I have been on the Divina twice and we did enjoy the entertainment. An Italian accent does not scare me off. They average about 45 minutes long. What do those folks that are so disappointed in it do for the many, many other hours of the day?

[tallnthensome]

So many people complaining about the shows, the singers accents, the size of the theatre, the way you book your shows, etc.

 

Do people really put that much emphasis on Broadway style shows that not being fully entertained to their liking ruins their whole vacation?!

 

I booked our upcoming week on Seaview based solely on itinerary, dates, and ship design (water park and other activities for the kids to do). I gave no thought whatsoever that MSC should have professional quality shows every night and doubt I will set foot in the theatre.

 

I just don't understand the complaining about the shows and how many peoples vacations were ruined as a result of Opera style singing. Sigh.

I love this post and could swear this is something I would write. I've never went to a single show on any of my cruises .... ever. In fact, I could care less, if their best show was basket weaving with Betty.

[BermudaBound2014]

Everyone cruises for different reasons. You mentioned you chose seaview for the water park. Some people may not care in the slightest about water parks or kid activities, but that doesn’t make your rational wrong.

 

While I personally do not pick a ship for entertainment, I respect that others do and appreciate all experiences being shared so that those who do cruise for entertainment can make the best decision possible for them.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TravelinGert]

So many people complaining about the shows, the singers accents, the size of the theatre, the way you book your shows, etc.

 

Do people really put that much emphasis on Broadway style shows that not being fully entertained to their liking ruins their whole vacation?!

 

I booked our upcoming week on Seaview based solely on itinerary, dates, and ship design (water park and other activities for the kids to do). I gave no thought whatsoever that MSC should have professional quality shows every night and doubt I will set foot in the theatre.

 

I just don't understand the complaining about the shows and how many peoples vacations were ruined as a result of Opera style singing. Sigh.

 

I think it would be much better if we didn't judge people's assessment of subjective issues. Why does it even matter to you if someone else doesn't like Opera and will not book MSC due to the entertainment? Those folks probably just ensure your Caribbean MSC cruise prices stay down. Hope you enjoy your cruise on Seaview.

 

As my grandmother used to say: If we were all bankers, who'd mow the grass and bake the cakes? :)

[lcpagejr]

Very good point.... Entertainment is at the bottom of my list on cruises. No interest what so ever in attending a show.... So thats why I just blow by any criticism in that area when reading reviews..... I realize thats me...and I don't speak for others. Just saying....no worries at my end!!

[riclop]

Entertainment plays a big role in our cruises and MSC has lived up to it.

[SnowManBob]

While poor or lackluster entertainment is not a deal breaker, it is an important component of the overall experience to me. I don't understand someone questioning if they are missing something if another poster noted the quality of entertainment as a very important factor in their cruise choices. I know what you are missing. Your missing being that other person with a different set of opinions that has nothing to do with you.

[nikkiw60]

I did one show only on Divina on both trips. And it wasn’t until we sat down the second year realised it was the same show we had been to the previous year!

And I love hearing the standards sung with an Italian accent!

Looking forward to the Frank Sinatra style show in a couple of weeks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[shukapaw]

Unlike many of you, entertainment is a huge part of our cruise experience. I used to be pretty loyal to Carnival until they switched their entertainment format (cost-cutting). Carnival does many things right, things we enjoy: Guy's Burgers, nightly comedy club performances, Blue Iguana cantina, itineraries, sea day brunch, etc. However, the drastic change in entertainment format sealed the deal and we left and have never looked back.

 

MSC does have some top-notch entertainment in the main theater. Yes, many of the shows have an opera feel to them but they are first rate with very talented performers. Last year we did back-to-back sailings on the Divina and we attended every show both weeks! The theater was large and everybody was accommodated easily.

 

We'll be sailing back-to-back on the Seaside in May and I'm looking forward to the new shows. I am concerned about the reports of the theater being small. I've read that there are 3 performances nightly.... that seems like a lot to ask of the performers IMHO.

 

Everybody enjoys different aspects of the cruise experience. For those with kids, waterslides and zip lines may be a deciding factor. I'm 60 years old and those items do not come into play when making a cruise decision at all. However, you can bet my grizzled old hiney will be riding both the water slides and zip line more than once. :-)

 

~Brian

[sidari]

We can either take or leave the shows, in fact on the Xmas Seaside sailing we went to one and realised we had seen it before but they were using a different set and costumes on Seaside.

The shows we have no interest in from the information available we give a miss to, those we might like we go and watch, if its not what we like we leave and do something else, its no big deal.

 

Many people choose a cruise based on the whole package, while others have their own parts the like. Like the O.P our cruise is not made or broken by a theatre show.

[janny444]

Hi....I find that the entertainment in the main theatre on most cruise lines not very inspiring and it is very rare that we go and see all of the shows but on MSC is was very rare for us to miss one. The Ambience in the evenings in the bars.....and there were many of them... were live music was on was absolutely brilliant...only problem was which bar to go in to " dance" the night away.....just great.

[cruisin_bliss]

But to answer your original question...to some entertainment very well might be the deciding factor. We have found recently cruising is not the cost-efficient vaca it used to be. People want to make sure they are getting their money’s worth, which may include the broadway style shows...or lack thereof.

[Beamafar]

Evening entertainment is a very big factor for us (though not neccesarily the shows in the theatre - we only go to the ones that appeal to us).

 

We rarely go out at night at home, so we treat every evening onboard like a night out - even if the cruise is a 28 night one! (We have wonderful memories from our Sinfonia Venice-Durban cruise where EVERY night was a fantastic "night out"). We shower and change into smart clothes, "go to dinner & show", then settle back in one of the lounges for a few drinks and some dancing.

 

If the entertainment onboard is not up to scratch (bands/musicians and/or entertainment team not engaging on the dance floor which DH depends on to remove him from the role of dancing partner) this has an impact on our overall enjoyment of the cruise. (Note I don't use words like "ruins" etc.)

 

We tend to end up spending the evenings in the casino if the entertainment isn't to our liking - not always a bad thing as we've had 4 cruises discounted by an extra 30% as a result!

 

Water parks, sunbeds - or lack thereof - by the pool, even ports of call at times (unless we've specifically chosen the cruise for the itinerary), don't feature in our list of wants/needs to enjoy our time onboard. However, I understand that they do for others - each to their own, I say.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

[Spastica]

Thanks everyone for your perspective. I just was wondering why the quality of the shows seemed to be such a big deal. I have never cruised and wasn't aware this was a "thing".

[DCGuy64]

Thanks everyone for your perspective. I just was wondering why the quality of the shows seemed to be such a big deal. I have never cruised and wasn't aware this was a "thing".

 

Me, either. I get that it's a big deal for some, but not for me. We always do excursions and after the walking, coming back to the ship and having a 2-hour leisurely dinner, I'm usually too exhausted to do anything but sleep. But that's why I like cruising: there are so many things to do, you can pick what you like!

[thegraminator]

Different strokes for different folks !

[GOLDENBONNY]

Reading this forum I would say people cruise to eat LOL. Answering your question ,yes, for us entertainment probably more important than food . I am not talking only about evening shows, its all in package -CD, music around ship, crew. Costa used to be in same level with MSC but I don't know how it is now. We all different and we all care about different staff . I never went hungry on any cruise line but I was very bored on HAL and X for example.

[SNJCruisers]

In fact, I could care less, if their best show was basket weaving with Betty.

IMHO, basket weaving with Veronica is a much better show. :rolleyes:

[SNJCruisers]

Looking forward to the Frank Sinatra style show in a couple of weeks!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

He and my father are both rolling over in their graves due to that travesty I witnessed last week.

[Tatka]

Nightly shows is not a main factor, but pretty important for us.

We prefer MSc types of shows over Broadway.

[Spaniel Lover]

It's not that the entire cruise would be ruined by bad entertainment alone. But it's one aspect of the cruise... and if enough of the other aspects of the cruise we're also bad, then the overall cruise would be bad.

Believe me, if the entertainment had been the ONLY thing on our MSC Seaside cruise that had been bad... it would have only gotten a one sentence remark at the end of a very positive review. But because I noticed SO MANY things that were not in the same league as other new cruise ships I've sailed on... ships like Carnival Vista, Norwegian Escape, Harmony Of The Seas, and Viking Star... which are truly the current state of the art... I felt compelled to point out ALL the negatives I spotted. That way people could be aware of all the issues, and decide for themselves if any were deal-breakers.

[Tatka]

Hmmm, we had terrific entertainment on Divina and Poesia. What happened to Seaside?!

The only aspects weaker on MSc were quality of food. Not bad , just nothing to write home about.

 

Is Carnival Vista really good? We stopped cruising with Carnival because we didn't enjoy overall quality of cruises with them.

[Beamafar]

Hmmm, we had terrific entertainment on Divina and Poesia. What happened to Seaside?!

 

Both Seaside and Meraviglia are a departure from the more usual offerings throughout the rest of the MSC fleet. We were on Meraviglia and experienced the difference; I much prefer the way things are done on the older ships.

[Tatka]

Thank you for your input. I guess we will wait for more positive feedback before trying newer ships.