Booking Entertainment

[amajaa]

In the Cruise Personaliser it seems to contradict itself ref booking entertainment. If you click into entertainment it gives a date when it says it will be available to book. On another part of the site it says it’s not available to book and you have to book on board.  So which is it, has anyone booked before boarding? 
 

If you have been able to book before boarding is it all the theatre shows or just the paid for Limelight Club?  Also what time does the booking availability come up, is it midnight on the day in question or early morning?

Thanks for any advice or insight.

 

[david63]

This seems to be in transition at the moment in that booking entertainment is not required as social distancing, and face masks, do not apply in the theatre at the moment (or at least it did not last month on Britannia)

[loveheart]

8 minutes ago, david63 said:

This seems to be in transition at the moment in that booking entertainment is not required as social distancing, and face masks, do not apply in the theatre at the moment (or at least it did not last month on Britannia)

Face masks were required last week on Britannia. We booked a few shows on the App before we sailed but by the end we were just turning up every evening and had no problem getting in without booking

[amajaa]

Thanks it gives a date on our Cruise Personaliser about 3 weeks before the cruise in November, are you all saying that this isn’t available any more.

 

Also presumably if you book when you board you can’t book until you actually board so if you have a late boarding time you will probably miss out as it might be booked up by early boarders. 
 

Wouldn’t it be great if everything was like pre Covid and you just turned up in time for the shows

[Pine Man]

I was on the last Britannia cruise and you could only book for shows in the theatre when you were onboard as the app uses the ships WIFI. I tried booking on Personaliser before the cruise but wasn't able.

 

As others have said, you don't need to book but when you arrive at the theatre your cabin number will be recorded.

 

The first show I attended I hadn't booked and, after recording my cabin number, it was explained to me that guests who have booked will get priority over those that haven't. There wasn't, however, an explanation about how that would work! The inference seemed to be that if you turned up with a booking, and the theatre was full, somehow seats would be found but god knows how!!

 

Just out of interest guests, with or without bookings, were sometimes queing for up to nearly an hour before the show was due to start.

[loveheart]

1 hour ago, Pine Man said:

I was on the last Britannia cruise and you could only book for shows in the theatre when you were onboard as the app uses the ships WIFI. I tried booking on Personaliser before the cruise but wasn't able.

 

As others have said, you don't need to book but when you arrive at the theatre your cabin number will be recorded.

 

The first show I attended I hadn't booked and, after recording my cabin number, it was explained to me that guests who have booked will get priority over those that haven't. There wasn't, however, an explanation about how that would work! The inference seemed to be that if you turned up with a booking, and the theatre was full, somehow seats would be found but god knows how!!

 

Just out of interest guests, with or without bookings, were sometimes queing for up to nearly an hour before the show was due to start.

There were no queues that I saw for any of the 10.30 shows and I went to all of them.

[amajaa]

3 hours ago, Pine Man said:

I was on the last Britannia cruise and you could only book for shows in the theatre when you were onboard as the app uses the ships WIFI. I tried booking on Personaliser before the cruise but wasn't able.

 

As others have said, you don't need to book but when you arrive at the theatre your cabin number will be recorded.

 

The first show I attended I hadn't booked and, after recording my cabin number, it was explained to me that guests who have booked will get priority over those that haven't. There wasn't, however, an explanation about how that would work! The inference seemed to be that if you turned up with a booking, and the theatre was full, somehow seats would be found but god knows how!!

 

Just out of interest guests, with or without bookings, were sometimes queing for up to nearly an hour before the show was due to start.

oh goodness imagine queuing for an hour and then not being able to get in. 

[ElmaLee]

I’m on Azura next week and we have booked all the shows we want to see.  Cannot book speciality dining, can only book on ship.

[BrianI]

10 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

I’m on Azura next week and we have booked all the shows we want to see.  Cannot book speciality dining, can only book on ship.

I booked Epicurian on Iona three weeks before boarding. I got the Peninsular discount but could not use my on board credit.

Brian

[Pine Man]

3 hours ago, loveheart said:

There were no queues that I saw for any of the 10.30 shows and I went to all of them.

All the queues were for the early shows.

[amajaa]

3 hours ago, ElmaLee said:

I’m on Azura next week and we have booked all the shows we want to see.  Cannot book speciality dining, can only book on ship.

Did you book them through the Cruise Personaliser? 

[bbtablet]

4 hours ago, amajaa said:

oh goodness imagine queuing for an hour and then not being able to get in. 

"Lady and the tramp" - The Century Cinema, Loughton High Road, 1955.

[terrierjohn]

7 hours ago, loveheart said:

There were no queues that I saw for any of the 10.30 shows and I went to all of them.

There was a small queue for the last nights 10:30 show as we were heading for the lifts on deck 7.

[loveheart]

17 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

There was a small queue for the last nights 10:30 show as we were heading for the lifts on deck 7.

Ah,  I always went to deck 6. The show wasn't as good as his first performance I thought.

[terrierjohn]

8 hours ago, loveheart said:

Ah,  I always went to deck 6. The show wasn't as good as his first performance I thought.

We missed his first one which must have been brilliant if it was better than his last.

[Ranchi]

Not sure of the purpose of booking the theatre. If it is to limit numbers for COVID purposes then all four entry doors to the theatre should be monitored for at least 15 mins after the start of the show. I thought a bus party had just arrived after the start of the first show on Ventura last week. It isn’t safe practice to have folk stumbling around in a darkened theatre and also it isn’t fair to have seated passengers having to move to accommodate late comers. 

Edited June 29, 2022 by Ranchi

[david63]

51 minutes ago, Ranchi said:

it isn’t fair to have seated passengers having to move to accommodate late comers. 

Which would not happen if everyone who arrived early insisted on sitting at the row ends!

[ElmaLee]

On 6/28/2022 at 9:57 PM, amajaa said:

Did you book them through the Cruise Personaliser? 

Yes 

[JDB78]

I've booked some shows on Ventura for a couple weeks time. The same artists appeared to be on twice - on different days. Is this normal? Only sailed with RC before and never had the same show twice - unless on the same day?

[terrierjohn]

3 minutes ago, JDB78 said:

I've booked some shows on Ventura for a couple weeks time. The same artists appeared to be on twice - on different days. Is this normal? Only sailed with RC before and never had the same show twice - unless on the same day?

Yes most artists do two different shows over a 2-4 day period.

[Jazzytelly]

Can you book in advance for the MDR or do you have to wait until you board or do you just turn up. Is it the same as before Covid where you get a note with which Freedom dining restaurant you have been allocated but you can in fact use any freedom dining one?

[terrierjohn]

47 minutes ago, Jazzytelly said:

Can you book in advance for the MDR or do you have to wait until you board or do you just turn up. Is it the same as before Covid where you get a note with which Freedom dining restaurant you have been allocated but you can in fact use any freedom dining one?

On Britannia last month there was no need to book in advance, and you could use either freedom MDR. We used the "App" but even when it said more than 10 in the queue, once you joined the queue it was less than one minute before it advised that the table was ready, this was normally between 6:30 and 7:30. Many people ignored the app and still managed without queueing.