Production Shows

[trbarton]

Here’s some information about the production shows on NCL. I’ve already heard about people reporting about the lack of production & other shows in the theater. Disappointed to hear this. 
 

I'm on the Getaway, February 6, 2023, my first cruise with NCL, & this is very disappointing as I’m experienced more with Princess where we always have great entertainment in our theatre every night. Guess I’ll have to look at other options. 
 

What do other people feel about these cutbacks?

 

Tom😀

Edited January 15, 2023 by trbarton

[luv2kroooz]

Gotta love Don!! For the passenger, it sucks.  The cruise lines took on so much debt during the Corona shutdown and in order to repay it, they need cash flow. They continue to raise fares, change itineraries in the name of the environment, and cut costs, (except Frank Del Rio' $20 million compensation package, which he received despite being overwhelmingly rejected by NCLH shareholders back in June 2022). Who knows if what they have done to date will be enough. Time will tell.

 

Furthermore, customer demand has not returned to pre Corona levels and likely isn't going to do so anytime soon. These types of continued reductions to service and onboard experiences coupled with increasing cruise fares will predictably drive educated, fair-minded passengers to other cruise options or a different vacation offering altogether. As with anything, there will always be blind loyalists who will continue to sail with NCL.

 

We leave for a two week land based resort vacation in Florida in three weeks. It is different from what a cruise used to be, but we really don't support what the cruise experience has become anyway. We work hard for our vacation dollars and choose to spend them in a way that gives us the most enjoyment.

 

I hope you have an enjoyable cruise. There is a live from Getaway 1-8-23 thread on these boards. The dailies are posted. In general, the headliner nightly entertainment after 9 days has been three rotating comedians, Burn the Floor, a movie, or a concert tribute to Broadway.  I would have a look at the adjusted entertainment experience so you can at least reset your expectations for what is currently being offered and then make a plan to make the best of it.

[ColeThornton]

 

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, trbarton said:

Here’s some information about the production shows on NCL. I’ve already heard about people reporting about the lack of production & other shows in the theater. Disappointed to hear this. 

What do other people feel about these cutbacks?

Tom this is old news discussed on several other threads.

 

That being said, the article and the video guy make money by taking information, out of context, and sensationalizing it. Like the main stream media that make money by taking things, out of context, and promoting fake news. 

 

NCL, in the past, has not been shy about making changes to entertainment where it is needed. I previously posted that I have been on the Encore 3 times since restart and on all three cruises, Kinky Boots has been "unavailable". 

 

On other ships in the past, the cast of the Million Dollar Quartet was fired and the show cancelled during it's first year due to issues with the cast. It was eventually recast and reinstalled on another ship. Shows like Legally Blonde and the Brat Pack were cancelled mid-run and replaced with "better" shows. After Midnight, while completing a full run, was plagued with injury due to aggressive (poor) choreography,,, which resulted in lot of unhappy cast member. Folks complained that Pricilla was recently cancelled... it was due to end in 2020, but got an extended life due to the pandemic, so it's end was inevitable. 

 

People make a big deal about seeing casting calls for NCL shows. What they don't acknowledge is that all of the performers are on contract. Usually about six months,,, the first month is in Florida for wardrobe and rehearsals, a week or two on the ship to install, and take over the show from the departing cast for about 5 months. So, as we come out of the pandemic, a healthy entertainment program will always have casting calls out for the next show. And having the same show on multiple ships provides the flexibility to deploy cast members to multiple ships (which is not the best situation for a cast member who was expecting to go to Europe, but gets deployed to the Caribbean).  

 

Installing a show on a ship is a big deal. Especially if it has big sets. Newer ships provide doors with access to the theater area. NCL, in the past, have incurred the cost of cutting the hull open to get sets on/off ships. 

 

Also, going from a cast of 20 for a big show to a cast of six on SIX (which is a hugely popular show) seems like a good trade. 

Edited January 15, 2023 by BirdTravels

[Travelling2Some]

All the cruise lines, not just NCL, are cutting back where they can now for obvious reasons.  Unlike some politicians, they understand that money won't come our of thin air.

[Inscrutable]

Hopefully they can keep a few shows on each sailing, even if they are scaled-down. 
Honestly, out of our 3 cruises I think our favorite was Choir of Man, which seems like a low cost production(?)

I would miss nightly decent live music more if that is also being severely stripped down.

But I can still eat, drink, and be merry.

[trbarton]

6 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Gotta love Don!! For the passenger, it sucks.  The cruise lines took on so much debt during the Corona shutdown and in order to repay it, they need cash flow. They continue to raise fares, change itineraries in the name of the environment, and cut costs, (except Frank Del Rio' $20 million compensation package, which he received despite being overwhelmingly rejected by NCLH shareholders back in June 2022). Who knows if what they have done to date will be enough. Time will tell.

 

Furthermore, customer demand has not returned to pre Corona levels and likely isn't going to do so anytime soon. These types of continued reductions to service and onboard experiences coupled with increasing cruise fares will predictably drive educated, fair-minded passengers to other cruise options or a different vacation offering altogether. As with anything, there will always be blind loyalists who will continue to sail with NCL.

 

We leave for a two week land based resort vacation in Florida in three weeks. It is different from what a cruise used to be, but we really don't support what the cruise experience has become anyway. We work hard for our vacation dollars and choose to spend them in a way that gives us the most enjoyment.

 

I hope you have an enjoyable cruise. There is a live from Getaway 1-8-23 thread on these boards. The dailies are posted. In general, the headliner nightly entertainment after 9 days has been three rotating comedians, Burn the Floor, a movie, or a concert tribute to Broadway.  I would have a look at the adjusted entertainment experience so you can at least reset your expectations for what is currently being offered and then make a plan to make the best of it.

Thanks for your email. I’ve been reading the live & learned about the cutbacks. Yes Don is great. Perhaps one day I’ll meet him on a cruise. 
 

Tom😀

[Travelling2Some]

We dearly love the big shows and they are a main reason we sail NCL and Royal's Oasis class ships.  We book mostly on itinerary and price.  After that we just want any acceptable dinner and a show.  I think that ships will lean into tech/special effects combined with smaller cast sizes going forward so that they can continue to produce the visual wow while reducing costs on salary and sets.  It's a win-win situation and what I would do if I was in charge . . . and I'm not.

[johnrich]

11 hours ago, Inscrutable said:

Hopefully they can keep a few shows on each sailing, even if they are scaled-down. 
Honestly, out of our 3 cruises I think our favorite was Choir of Man, which seems like a low cost production(?)

I would miss nightly decent live music more if that is also being severely stripped down.

But I can still eat, drink, and be merry.

I agree, Choir of Man is one of our favorites. We’ve seen it several times. We also really like Six. We saw that twice - and now seeing it on land. Choir of Man seems to have a fairly simple set and Six has very few cast members so I am hoping both might be expanded to other ships. 

[roboref]

I have just given up on NCL. Poor customer service, the worst to deal with on Covid cancellations, in-flexible expiration dates (caused by NCL), high cruise fares et al. I will just be passing on NCL, until something changes for the better.

 

 

[Warm-Water Diver]

51 minutes ago, roboref said:

I have just given up on NCL. Poor customer service, the worst to deal with on Covid cancellations, in-flexible expiration dates (caused by NCL), high cruise fares et al. I will just be passing on NCL, until something changes for the better.

 

 

Agreed. Joining the Encore this Sunday and believe we won't be booking another NCL cruise for quite awhile, if ever. Back to Royal, Celebrity, MSC and HAL for us. Lots of competition and I think FDR made a big mistake disregarding loyal past passengers, raising fares, increasing service charges, decreasing service and entertainment, reducing value in SDP and UBP etc. all in exchange for the money grab (all while grabbing his 20 Million bonus!).

 

I truly hope they rethink what they've done and can turn things around, but I'm not holding my breath with the current leadership in place..

Edited January 16, 2023 by Warm-Water Diver