Theater Shows

[CJANDH]

Just booking our first Viking Ocean cruise on Neptune. I have a question about entertainment that I cannot find answered on the Viking website. Do they have a nightly stage show in the theater in addition to the music in the bars and lounges?

[CDNPolar]

Yes, is the simple answer.

 

There are two groups of entertainers on Viking Ocean ships.

The Viking Band generally accompanied by a male/female singing pair.  The Viking Band and the singers perform nightly in Torshavn.

 

Then there is generally a foursome - two males, two females - that are singer/dancers that perform nightly on the stage.

 

Often there are other acts brought in and the Cruise Director generally does a full review type performance one of the nights with all performers.

[CJANDH]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Yes, is the simple answer.

 

There are two groups of entertainers on Viking Ocean ships.

The Viking Band generally accompanied by a male/female singing pair.  The Viking Band and the singers perform nightly in Torshavn.

 

Then there is generally a foursome - two males, two females - that are singer/dancers that perform nightly on the stage.

 

Often there are other acts brought in and the Cruise Director generally does a full review type performance one of the nights with all performers.

Thank you. I was concerned that there was no on stage entertainment.

[Breckski]

I'm perfectly satisfied with Viking's limited entertainment.  But realize these performances are very simple compared to what larger ships offer.   

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, CJANDH said:

Thank you. I was concerned that there was no on stage entertainment.

 

8 hours ago, Breckski said:

I'm perfectly satisfied with Viking's limited entertainment.  But realize these performances are very simple compared to what larger ships offer.   

 

Absolutely... they are "simple" compared to the bigger shows of the bigger lines.

 

We enjoy the Viking entertainment on the Ocean ships.  We have found that if you travel ocean often that although it is a different foursome of entertainers, it is the same shows - The Beatles, ABBA, etc.  We have not been on ocean for a couple of years now as we have been doing River, so perhaps this has changed.  The show content was driven by Viking corporate - apparently.  I know that this was discussed a lot a couple years back and Viking was apparently addressing this.  

 

We have had a solo rock guitarist that put on a great show.  We have had magicians, we have had several other "invited" entertainers that made one or two appearances.

 

The foursome are generally from a UK talent agency and they are young, energetic, and fun.  We like their energy and it is a good upbeat show to end the evening.

 

We also love the strings, piano, and guitarist that play and rotate through the Living Room, and the Explorer Lounge.  These are nice calm relaxing singles, duos and sometimes a trio.

[WanderingBrit]

14 hours ago, CJANDH said:

Thank you. I was concerned that there was no on stage entertainment.

While there is on stage entertainment, we only ever attended a single show and then weren't motivated to return. We found the soloists or duos around the ship to be more enjoyable ways of spending the limited evening hours we had - we're very early to bed.

 

Providing "any type of stage performance" ticks your box, no problem.

[benjaminnicholas]

On the Polaris now and it's been 10+ days of very repetitive entertainment.

 

Even the 80+ demographic is complaining.  I've overheard them talking.

 

My main problem with this particular ship is that they have the larger theater and tech to do some pretty impressive things, but they don't. 

 

The shows are very simply lit and the tech is, sad to say, a little lazy.  

 

At these prices, I'd like to see Viking get a little more creative.

 

 

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

On the Polaris now and it's been 10+ days of very repetitive entertainment.

 

Even the 80+ demographic is complaining.  I've overheard them talking.

 

My main problem with this particular ship is that they have the larger theater and tech to do some pretty impressive things, but they don't. 

 

The shows are very simply lit and the tech is, sad to say, a little lazy.  

 

At these prices, I'd like to see Viking get a little more creative.

 

 

 

We enjoy the shows as I mentioned above, but Viking is not known for their BIG shows, tech, and lighting.  It is not what they do...

 

I read in other forums that some people choose ships because of the shows, and I can tell you that what I have seen of some they are nothing short of spectacular and Vegas like, but that is not what we are after in a cruise.  For us the show - even if a bit repetitive - is just a short distraction after dinner and before a drink in the Explorer Lounge.

[shadowlover]

The entertainment is very poor in my opinion.  Keep your expectations low in this category and you won't be disappointed.  The musicians that play throughout the ships are very talented though.

[OneSixtyToOne]

16 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

On the Polaris now and it's been 10+ days of very repetitive entertainment.

 

Even the 80+ demographic is complaining.  I've overheard them talking.

 

My main problem with this particular ship is that they have the larger theater and tech to do some pretty impressive things, but they don't. 

 

The shows are very simply lit and the tech is, sad to say, a little lazy.  

 

At these prices, I'd like to see Viking get a little more creative.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We enjoy the shows as I mentioned above, but Viking is not known for their BIG shows, tech, and lighting.  It is not what they do...

 

I read in other forums that some people choose ships because of the shows, and I can tell you that what I have seen of some they are nothing short of spectacular and Vegas like, but that is not what we are after in a cruise.  For us the show - even if a bit repetitive - is just a short distraction after dinner and before a drink in the Explorer Lounge.

The Polaris is an expedition ship and the “entertainment” revolved around science and nature lectures, movies, and some sort of one person show by the cruise director. I throughly enjoyed it as opposed to the typical ocean cruise with less than stellar Broadway productions and C level comics.

 

It’s Torstein’s vision of a thinking man’s cruise and I’m onboard with it.

Edited May 10 by OneSixtyToOne

[KBs mum]

8 hours ago, shadowlover said:

The entertainment is very poor in my opinion.  Keep your expectations low in this category and you won't be disappointed.  The musicians that play throughout the ships are very talented though.

We avoid the lot of them, they are average at best. 

We don't need to be entertained, we can occupy ourselves. We'd prefer no music or 'entertainment', other than the lectures. 

 

 

Edited May 10 by KBs mum

[FetaCheese]

Abba and Beatles Shows have been retired.

[Gibsontravels]

Do you know what entertainment has replaced ABBA and The Beatles?

[FetaCheese]

16 minutes ago, Gibsontravels said:

Do you know what entertainment has replaced ABBA and The Beatles?

Each of the 4 singers in cast had their own 1 night show.  Guest entertainer (singer) 2 nights.  Plus several cast "production" shows.  This was on Star, Dec 2023 and Mar 2024.  Also, as said, CD 1 night performance.  On March 2024 cruise, last night, in BCN, local entertainment was brought onboard.  

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, KBs mum said:

We avoid the lot of them, they are average at best. 

We don't need to be entertained, we can occupy ourselves. We'd prefer no music or 'entertainment', other than the lectures. 

 

 

 

Like most things, the shows and the entertainers are subjective.

 

We take them for what they are, and we find all the entertainers on Viking to be a brief diversion and a bit of fun and enjoyment.

[formernuke]

13 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Abba and Beatles Shows have been retired.

Nope. Had both on Venus last week. Beatles was presented before Liverpool. This made a little sense, but then a ‘revamped’ ABBA was presented at the end of the cruise. I objected vigorously in the survey. 

[CJANDH]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

We take them for what they are, and we find all the entertainers on Viking to be a brief diversion and a bit of fun and enjoyment.

We have cruised with Silversea, Regent, Explora Journeys and Oceania. None of them provide exceptional entertainment. Based on the responses to my question, it sounds like Viking has a similar level of shows, which is fine for us.

[benjaminnicholas]

It's not that I'm looking for RC-style entertainment.

 

I'm just looking for Viking to not be lazy and tech their existing shows properly.  They look thrown together when they could look quite professional.

 

I work for Cirque Du Soleil, so I'm aware of what lighting/sound tech they have on their expedition ships.  More than enough to do very nice productions, including their classical and contemporary duos.  

 

The cooking demos in the Aulua weren't even lit or had cameras on the stations.  Huge missed opportunity.

 

Viking does so much else so well, it feels like they knowingly drop the ball on entertainment.

 

Even older folks need a little razzle-dazzle.

 

Ultimately, I'm sure they'll have to make some entertainment changes, as their target market continues to die out.  And going public will only make that kind of change happen faster.  

Edited May 11 by benjaminnicholas

[benjaminnicholas]

On 5/10/2024 at 10:23 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

The Polaris is an expedition ship and the “entertainment” revolved around science and nature lectures, movies, and some sort of one person show by the cruise director. I throughly enjoyed it as opposed to the typical ocean cruise with less than stellar Broadway productions and C level comics.

 

It’s Torstein’s vision of a thinking man’s cruise and I’m onboard with it.

 

It's a true expedition ship when in the Arctic and other far-off spots.

 

But now, it's on Canadian waterways and the Great Lakes.  There's far less offered on the ship when it's not in the waters it was designed for.  

[KBs mum]

3 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

It's not that I'm looking for RC-style entertainment.

 

I'm just looking for Viking to not be lazy and tech their existing shows properly.  They look thrown together when they could look quite professional.

 

I work for Cirque Du Soleil, so I'm aware of what lighting/sound tech they have on their expedition ships.  More than enough to do very nice productions, including their classical and contemporary duos.  

 

The cooking demos in the Aulua weren't even lit or had cameras on the stations.  Huge missed opportunity.

 

Viking does so much else so well, it feels like they knowingly drop the ball on entertainment.

 

Even older folks need a little razzle-dazzle.

 

Ultimately, I'm sure they'll have to make some entertainment changes, as their target market continues to die out.  And going public will only make that kind of change happen faster.  

Cirque du soleil is not hugely entertaining, the circus skills are impressive but repetitive. Style over substance. 

Viking's target market don't book for the entertainment, even though it is now being inflicted on people in the lounges. 

The lectures are much preferable to 3rd rate musical acts or comedians 

Edited May 11 by KBs mum

[rmalbers]

3 hours ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

It's a true expedition ship when in the Arctic and other far-off spots.

 

But now, it's on Canadian waterways and the Great Lakes.  There's far less offered on the ship when it's not in the waters it was designed for.  

I've been on VE in the great lakes, they used their water gear/boats/sub all the time, weather permitting.  We didn't use some of the heavy coats though.

[FetaCheese]

4 hours ago, formernuke said:

Nope. Had both on Venus last week. Beatles was presented before Liverpool. This made a little sense, but then a ‘revamped’ ABBA was presented at the end of the cruise. I objected vigorously in the survey. 

Thanks for the correction.

[benjaminnicholas]

2 hours ago, KBs mum said:

Cirque du soleil is not hugely entertaining, the circus skills are impressive but repetitive. Style over substance. 

Viking's target market don't book for the entertainment, even though it is now being inflicted on people in the lounges. 

The lectures are much preferable to 3rd rate musical acts or comedians 

 

CDS is a billion dollar company, so a lot of people would disagree.

 

Viking's target market is dying every single day.  

 

Trust me that changes are coming now that the company has shareholders.

[benjaminnicholas]

2 hours ago, rmalbers said:

I've been on VE in the great lakes, they used their water gear/boats/sub all the time, weather permitting.  We didn't use some of the heavy coats though.

 

Weather permitting and water permitting.

 

So, just because you had it work out doesn't mean everyone else will.

 

I was just on Polaris, so I'm well-aware.

[KBs mum]

2 minutes ago, benjaminnicholas said:

 

CDS is a billion dollar company, so a lot of people would disagree.

 

Viking's target market is dying every single day.  

 

Trust me that changes are coming now that the company has shareholders.

Viking's target market is being replaced every single day, as people outgrow the megaships. The danger to their market share is other lines doing the same thing but better, and Viking moving away from their USP, trying to be all things to all people. 

CDS is a profitable business, but so is Celebrity cruises. Not something most Viking customers aspire to