Behind the Scenes - Worth $200???

[raphael360]

Has anyone ever done the Behind the Scenes tour and if so did you find it worth $200?

 

[neverendingcruising]

I heard someone talking about it and seemed like a pretty extensive tour of the ship, they mentioned bridge and engine room. Can't imagine they'd actually take you into the engine room, but I'd pay $200 to see a cruise ship engine!

[cantgetin]

There is a YouTube video done by someone who did this tour.  There were areas of the tour where he was not allowed to film, so he talked about it.  I don't remember the guy's on line name, but he used to work for another cruise line and he posts things about how he thinks Virgin Voyages is going to go belly up and NCL will buy them and stuff.  I think he as the word "Pants" in his name.  Sorry that I don't remember anything more specific.

[_tacocat_]

1 hour ago, cantgetin said:

There is a YouTube video done by someone who did this tour.  There were areas of the tour where he was not allowed to film, so he talked about it.  I don't remember the guy's on line name, but he used to work for another cruise line and he posts things about how he thinks Virgin Voyages is going to go belly up and NCL will buy them and stuff.  I think he as the word "Pants" in his name.  Sorry that I don't remember anything more specific.

oh god please don't give that idiot any more views.  i was onboard with him, and he's even MORE insufferable in real life, if you can imagine that!  he made a total jerk of himself, whining, complaining and filming at literally every chance he got (and tripping at times because he was too busy filming to pay attention to the world around him).

 

got that out of the way haha... i thought it was worth it.  it's a really small group, so you have ample time to ask any question you could possibly think of.  without giving too much away, you get to see behind the scenes of one of the entertainment venues (how the stages/rigs work, what backstage looks like), the galleys, food storage, water treatment, engine control room, laundry, bridge, and i think a couple other places but can't remember off the top of my head.  depending on the ship you either end up in a crew bar or sip and get drinks at the end - we had 3 people and were given 3 bottles of bubbly to share.  the 3rd person left so my husband and i just chilled at sip for a while.  you also get a different souvenir depending on ship.  valiant has been a special hat, and i believe scarlet is a cup or glass.

[Wildcatllamas]

4 minutes ago, _tacocat_ said:

oh god please don't give that idiot any more views.  i was onboard with him, and he's even MORE insufferable in real life, if you can imagine that!  he made a total jerk of himself, whining, complaining and filming at literally every chance he got (and tripping at times because he was too busy filming to pay attention to the world around him).

I just watched his video and I can definitely see what you mean about him. I have done numerous behind the scenes tours on Celebrity and NCL. Best one I had was on NCL and because I had dinner with the F&B Director he conducted a private tour for those of us at his table. I definitely think I will try to book this tour on my trip in December.

[_tacocat_]

4 minutes ago, Wildcatllamas said:

 I definitely think I will try to book this tour on my trip in December.

the only downside is it's at 9am on sea days (or has been so far), so that's smack between prime gym/fitness class time and pool time on a nice day!

[Wildcatllamas]

1 minute ago, _tacocat_ said:

the only downside is it's at 9am on sea days (or has been so far), so that's smack between prime gym/fitness class time and pool time on a nice day!

I think I could manage to miss the fitness class. And pool time is not my thing so 9 AM is perfect. In my world I am usually up by 2:30 AM so my day is already full steam ahead by 9 AM.

[raphael360]

This is all very helpful and based on these comments I will definitely do this tour. 

[ociana]

9 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

i thought it was worth it.  it's a really small group, so you have ample time to ask any question you could possibly think of.  without giving too much away, you get to see behind the scenes of one of the entertainment venues (how the stages/rigs work, what backstage looks like), the galleys, food storage, water treatment, engine control room, laundry, bridge, and i think a couple other places but can't remember off the top of my head.  depending on the ship you either end up in a crew bar or sip and get drinks at the end - we had 3 people and were given 3 bottles of bubbly to share.  the 3rd person left so my husband and i just chilled at sip for a while.  you also get a different souvenir depending on ship.  valiant has been a special hat, and i believe scarlet is a cup or glass.

 

Seconding tacocat's review, I found this to be completely worth it.  I took the tour on Scarlet in December and we did get a hat at the end and just a glass of bubbly.  The crew bar would have been pretty cool, but that was not part of our tour.  Weirdly, my favorite stop was seeing how the recycling and waste breakdown worked.  They have their own speed composter on board!  If you love understanding how things work, then you will completely adore this tour.  Ours ran 4 and a half hours, with about 45 minutes of that just in Sip with our guide answering all kinds of questions about crew services and how they find new shore excursion partners.  

[Lustate]

13 hours ago, _tacocat_ said:

oh god please don't give that idiot any more views.  i was onboard with him, and he's even MORE insufferable in real life, if you can imagine that!  he made a total jerk of himself, whining, complaining and filming at literally every chance he got (and tripping at times because he was too busy filming to pay attention to the world around him).

Just a general point on people like this, I find them so frustrating! I'm not "old" at 44, but it grinds my gears when your enjoying a tour or a meal, or anything like a show, and someone sits there the whole time on their phone recording it or talking non-stop "wow honey look at that guy, look see, look yer see him honey, see what he's doing, wow". I just get the urge to scream "FFS! they can see too, they are sat next to you, I don't want your narration, nor does anyone else and while your at it, don't watch it through a crappy 6" screen, look up and watch it now, in person yourself and enjoy the moment!" 

*steps off soapbox and calms down*

[AtSeaWithChris]

7 hours ago, Lustate said:

Just a general point on people like this, I find them so frustrating! I'm not "old" at 44, but it grinds my gears when your enjoying a tour or a meal, or anything like a show, and someone sits there the whole time on their phone recording it or talking non-stop "wow honey look at that guy, look see, look yer see him honey, see what he's doing, wow". I just get the urge to scream "FFS! they can see too, they are sat next to you, I don't want your narration, nor does anyone else and while your at it, don't watch it through a crappy 6" screen, look up and watch it now, in person yourself and enjoy the moment!" 

*steps off soapbox and calms down*

Just do your thing and let them do theirs. There’s a big thirst for videos for some people. No harm in that. There are cameras everywhere and you can’t get away from them. 

[_tacocat_]

2 hours ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

Just do your thing and let them do theirs. There’s a big thirst for videos for some people. No harm in that. There are cameras everywhere and you can’t get away from them. 

when it affects the ability to enjoy my vacation, there's the harm.  the idiots with their gimbals and selfie sticks getting in the way everywhere are obnoxious and can be a safety hazard.

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 hour ago, _tacocat_ said:

when it affects the ability to enjoy my vacation, there's the harm.  the idiots with their gimbals and selfie sticks getting in the way everywhere are obnoxious and can be a safety hazard.

Not everyone with a gimbal or camera is obnoxious. Just seeing someone is not a reason to freak out. 

[cantgetin]

20 years ago, when video cameras were large things, I would tell my daughter that I could film a vacation or I could enjoy the vacation.  Obviously filming has become easier with smaller devices, but this has also resulted in increased numbers of people filming and some of those are inconsiderate.  No, one shouldn't lump every cruiser with a camera in the same pile, but people who choose to film also need to be aware and respectful of those around them.

[AdoraBelle]

On 2/7/2023 at 2:30 PM, _tacocat_ said:

when it affects the ability to enjoy my vacation, there's the harm.  the idiots with their gimbals and selfie sticks getting in the way everywhere are obnoxious and can be a safety hazard.

 

It's great when they stop at a high-traffic/bottleneck area and have zero situational awareness. 

/s

[_tacocat_]

On 2/7/2023 at 12:38 PM, AtSeaWithChris said:

Not everyone with a gimbal or camera is obnoxious. Just seeing someone is not a reason to freak out. 

alas, most of them are.  when was the last time you saw someone with a 6' selfie stick that was not totally self-absorbed and "enjoying" their vacation at the expense of everyone else around them? 🦗

 

if i wanted someone near me to narrate their entire vacation, i'd pay samuel l jackson to follow me around all day.

[garycarla]

Too many people film everything on vacation as if somebody really wants to watch them.  I get that part though

 

BUT - when they stick their camera/phone up in my face such that I can not enjoy the show - that is WRONG.  Take a picture of two and put the damn thing away.

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 hour ago, garycarla said:

Too many people film everything on vacation as if somebody really wants to watch them.  I get that part though

 

BUT - when they stick their camera/phone up in my face such that I can not enjoy the show - that is WRONG.  Take a picture of two and put the damn thing away.

I don’t think anyone will be sticking a camera up in your face. And yea people do like to watch some folks. 

[garycarla]

33 minutes ago, AtSeaWithChris said:

I don’t think anyone will be sticking a camera up in your face. And yea people do like to watch some folks. 

 

folks constantly are raising their cameras in our field of view and holding them up while we are trying to watch the LIVE video, scene, etc.  It takes away from the moment.

 

[dazadelaide]

I video alot when i am on holiday and have been doing so for more than 25 years.

I don't put them on youtube (wouldn't know how!) they are for my wife and I to watch at our leisure  and we do often.

I don't get other people in them if possible and keep out of the way of everyone else.

I do like watching youtube when researching holidays as I find them quite useful.

Daz

[raphael360]

I did the tour Friday and found it to be excellent. I highly recommend it. 

[Wildcatllamas]

So this is off topic, but has to do with people taking pictures or videos in areas where you have to scratch your head. Last night going home from work I came to the one and only stop sign on my 28 mile trip. The car in front of me is stopped and then suddenly the driver jumps out with their phone and begins taking pictures of the cows across the road. These aren't even unique cows. Just the run of the mill Herefords. So she is standing in the road and blocking the lane if I even wanted to go around. After a moment I honked and she flipped my off, but she did get back in her car and drove off.

[AtSeaWithChris]

3 hours ago, Wildcatllamas said:

So this is off topic, but has to do with people taking pictures or videos in areas where you have to scratch your head. Last night going home from work I came to the one and only stop sign on my 28 mile trip. The car in front of me is stopped and then suddenly the driver jumps out with their phone and begins taking pictures of the cows across the road. These aren't even unique cows. Just the run of the mill Herefords. So she is standing in the road and blocking the lane if I even wanted to go around. After a moment I honked and she flipped my off, but she did get back in her car and drove off.

Lol it may have been their first cow sighting. 

[CruisingWalter]

I'm really glad the OP had a great time on the tour. I highly recommend at least one tour on a cruise ship because it is remarkable how the entire operation works. We did our tour on a Celebrity ship and the part that fascinated me the most was actually the refuse area. Incredible how they deal with the trash and recyclables that are generated on the ship. 

 

As for the vlogger discussion, as someone who worked in television, film production and marketing for almost 30 years and who has been a prolific vlogger for about 10 for myself and others, there is a 'right way' and 'wrong way' to go about vlogging.

 

The right way is to do it in a way that minimizes intrusion into others vacations, especially if you're livestreaming. Whenever we livestream from a ship, theme park or any other public location we always set up in a position where there are no people behind us. Or if there are, they are far in the distance, not recognizable. People who livestream all day while walking around a ship, theme park or other public area are the worst. 

 

When filming, I do my best to minimize filming other people in the footage which is difficult when you're in a big public area. Definitely no children. And when at dinner, the food vlogs are the most popular part of my TikTok and YouTube channels, I use a phone in vertical mode to film me. That minimizes the field of view beyond me and when I'm editing the clips later, I can either blur or zoom in a bit to cut out any unnecessary folks in the background. 

 

In my case I started vlogging to share what I hoped was useful information for others who might go travel and it was a natural extension of what I was going in my 'day job.' Now it's really found an audience and it's just part of all my travels. Now that I've moved on from full time creative and marketing it's a way for me to keep active in the tools and techniques of video production. 

Edited February 13, 2023 by WheresWalter

[mfs2k]

20 hours ago, Wildcatllamas said:

So this is off topic, but has to do with people taking pictures or videos in areas where you have to scratch your head. Last night going home from work I came to the one and only stop sign on my 28 mile trip. The car in front of me is stopped and then suddenly the driver jumps out with their phone and begins taking pictures of the cows across the road. These aren't even unique cows. Just the run of the mill Herefords. So she is standing in the road and blocking the lane if I even wanted to go around. After a moment I honked and she flipped my off, but she did get back in her car and drove off.

If I saw a cow on a cruise ship I’d stop to photograph it.