Celebrity: "Surround yourself with the greatest entertainment at sea." ​😅​

[NutsAboutGolf]

Thanks for the laugh, X!  So let's just take a look your sister line, RCI.  On RCI, you have the main shows which can have branded broadway shows like Cats, Mama Mia, Greece, etc, these are shows you generally have to pay for on land.  You have a dedicated comedian lounge, you have ice rink shows, you have the amazing high diving shows, you have the sing-a-long pian bar, etc.  I spoken to various people who state after they've gone a certain number of X cruises they stop going to the shows

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/entertainment/shows

 

[Essiesmom]

I don’t have to go to the shows for great entertainment.  It’s people watching.  You’d be amazed what people do, wear (almost) and don’t wear…. EM

[basenji56]

I find the shows to be generally mediocre. They were created in house by Celebrity. Essentially plotless collections of songs.
 

Well performed generally but unmemorable. Others may disagree. The only one I can remember is Topper. 

[SoloAlaska]

The productions in my high school where better than what I saw on X. No joke we had an amazing theatre with incredible talent.

[hcat]

Sorry but  I  disagree with you on this topic.

 

We have enjoyed a number of the newer shows on E class ships..Some of the best we have seen over  many cruise years. State of art theatre, creative, "stories",  excellent costumes,  scenery and staging,; and very talented performers.

 

Being from NY..we  get to enjoy the real deal on Broadway.  We do not need copies  on a cruise ..We also get to see top notch ice shows at large arenas with Olympic level stars.

 

  On Oasis, we thought the ice show was amateurish..ok for kids.  Long wait for not much!  The high divers  were not very amazing, and had very simple  routines..  We had to pre book everything and then also wait on long lines. Very disorganized. Not much fun!

 

We did enjoy the jazz and that they had a reggae/steel drum band l, and also the  novelty bar that went up and down.  I don't think Royal bests X in this area or dining, and def not shops..Coach had stick that was retired yrs. ago!

 

The Diamond  pm get togethers  were  better on Royal than X..but not enough to tempt us to come back.  Celeb is run by Royal and when we switch it will be elsewhere.

[SoloAlaska]

3 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

I find the shows to be generally mediocre. They were created in house by Celebrity. Essentially plotless collections of songs.
 

Well performed generally but unmemorable. Others may disagree. The only one I can remember is Topper. 

Your lucky the shows I saw there was always a singer off key and dancers out of step.

[hcat]

PS.. The original Solstice shows ...cirque style were cutting edge.But I agree  M and S Class shows are not worth a vist but E Class is different!

[basenji56]

8 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

Your lucky the shows I saw there was always a singer off key and dancers out of step.

My standards are not that high. They try hard. And the performers are young. 
 

I always ask—how much would I pay for this show on land?

 

I would pay to see the Royal Broadway shows (except Cats). 

[NutsAboutGolf]

@hcat I do agree E-Class are better than M/S yet I wouldn't pay for them.  We occasionally pay for a CA or Vegas musical and we regularly pay to see comedy shows at our local comedy club

[mayleeman]

We did a B2B on Allure in 2019 and watched Mama Mia on both legs. I had always avoided it, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. By comparison, the production on Reflection earlier that year looked like an opium den come to life in a crappy dinner theater. I thought somebody was running a psychology experiment or something.

Edited September 7, 2023 by mayleeman

[miched]

Not a fan  of the shows.   The sound is too loud and the main singers come out as screaming.  

 

The dancers aren’t dancing they are just prancing  around some prop while wearing different costumes.  
 

I think X could save a lot of money by just using guest performers.   At least there would be a variety and not the same production show for many years 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 
 

 

[keesar]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

PS.. The original Solstice shows ...cirque style were cutting edge.But I agree  M and S Class shows are not worth a vist but E Class is different!

The original shows on Solstice were amazing.  Then came the cutbacks in the Theater on the subsequent ships.  

 

I found the entertainment was outstanding on the Royal Caribbean ships.  More energy on the ship as well.  

[phoenix_dream]

IMHO Celebrity puts all the best production shows and best guest entertainers on their newest ships to the detriment of their S and M class.  Those of us who cruise regularly generally skip the production shows which have literally been the same for years and years.  And it is my opinion that the guest entertainment is really going downhill unless you’re on E class. Same for lounge entertainment. Fewer options, shorter sets, and often (not always) lesser talent. 

[bjahil47]

Same shows on Equinox for last 6 cruises spanning a few years!  We don’t even go anymore.

[ladylemondrop]

We used to love the Cirque style shows! Sadly recent entertainment has been quite dull in comparison.  My favourite ship for entertainment is Anthem of the Seas, the Two70 theatre was mind blowing, with the huge windows acting as video screens, and lots of acrobatic style performing.

We also loved their full productions of Grease, and We will Rock you. 
 

The most entertaining activity we did on our last cruise on Reflection was Silent Disco! 

[mac_tlc]

We thought the production shows on Beyond were fantastic. Part of that is due to the stage and incredible display screens, plus the layout of the theatre. 
 

I believe that the days of contracting for top line Broadway shows on RCI are numbered. Wonder doesn’t have one and Icon has announced the Wizard of Oz, which is not quite the same as MamaMia or Grease. I doubt that Utopia will have one. It will be interesting to see what happens as the Oasis/Allure/Harmony/Symphony etc reach the end of their show contracts. 
 

Last month on Oasis of the Seas, there was only one production show (Cats) in nine days, with headline acts filling the gaps. For the first time in 50 cruises, we did not set foot in the Theatre. 
 

The Aqua show and ice show are unique and usually very good —— and you get to share them with 6500 - 7000 of your closest friends. 
 

 

mac_tlc

[MISTER 67]

The majority of the production shows on Celebrity are horrible, it’s time to retire Topper and Elysium, they’ve been around way too long.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Sorry, I don’t want ice shows and diving shows or sing along piano bars on my cruise. Celebrity does a great job of smaller acoustic guitar and small band sets. 
 

To each his own. That’s why they have different cruise lines. I sure as heck don’t want to see Cats on a cruise!

[bikerunner]

Entertainment is completely subjective.  I have preferred Celebrities over NCL and RCL when I do go.  Depending on itinerary I usually can be found at the Sunset bar relaxing in the evening outdoors.  I search out the guitarist and sometimes other entertainment and skip production shows.  We keep saying we are going to go but usually want a quiet relaxing time

[retired dude]

i was blessed to have a father that opened for mr. sinatra back in the day and i hope that i kinda know good music when i hear it...that said, we have seen some good entertainment over the years on cruise ships,,, back in the day, the drifters, the platters, the coasters, charo, and the list went on...Now days the acrobats, hatchet throwers and second rate magicians are taking up way to much time in the theaters....we like the groups that they have in the lounges on rccl and celebrity and some of the production shows, but we only sail on the older ships and not the "disney-land" monster ships with 5 or 6 thousand of our closest friends....the whole thing is subjective but with the cutbacks by the companies, you know that the amount that they spend on entertainment has also suffered...just have to make the best of it. We could have to sail hal who has dropped live musicians in their production shows to save $.......we are just blessed to be able to cruise period and make the best of it....just sayin'

[lienf]

3 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

The majority of the production shows on Celebrity are horrible, it’s time to retire Topper and Elysium, they’ve been around way too long.

We certainly agree with that. 

[Hobbsey]

Are we so inexperienced at life to actually believe corporate marketing claims?  

[Mick B]

I would imagine that Titanic the Musical would be an interesting idea for a show especially on a TA around April time in stormy weather!

 

No, seriously, I normally only sail the smaller ships because they go to the places I want to visit and I have noticed that the entertainment in the theatre is disappearing bit by bit in the past few years. Not sure if all the good acts are being moved to the new and larger ships or whether they have packed up after the pandemic.

I used to look forward to a good show whilst on the ship, but I am no longer bothered too much as there are plenty of other things to do in the evenings after dinner.

I guess there are enough newbies on each ship to enjoy things like Grease and We Will Rock You (all of which I have seen many times and still enjoy).

There are some good bands that play throughout the ships too in various lounges, but again, music is subjective and what I think is good maybe viewed as crap by someone else.

Schooner Bar piano players vary from ship to ship and so does the size and layout of these bars and that can sometimes determine the ambience of what is to come.

 

At the end of the day I am just glad that I can get on a cruise ship and sail away to somewhere nice (and even new from time to time too) and not have to worry about anything. Just go with the flow and enjoy what I find and I do find that most people I meet are good people and also enjoy what is being offered.

 

I have met a few complainers too, but if you do not like something, then you do not have to go and take part in it.

As I said, there is plenty to do on board and if you find there isn't then it may be time to find an alternative holiday destination - good luck finding on land what the cruise ships offer for the same price!

 

Mick.

[Honolulu Blue]

12 hours ago, miched said:

I think X could save a lot of money by just using guest performers.   At least there would be a variety and not the same production show for many years 

I'm not so sure that it would be an overall money savings to switch to guest performers.  I suspect the in-house entertainers are cheaper because they use crew cabins and get paid a salary that's a lot less than a guest performer would get for their 1 or 2 performances per week.  But I could be wrong on this.  It wouldn't be the first time. 🙃

 

On the original subject, I confess that I don't pay much attention to cruise ship entertainment - UNLESS it's a music themed cruise, and then ENTERTAINMENT IS EVERYTHING.  Having some of my favorite artists perform set after set for day after day is great - at least I think so.  Well worth the premium most of them demand over regular cruises with their regular entertainment.

[PTC DAWG]

I'll be honest, that theater on the Edge class ships IS one of the best I've been in at sea.