Norwegian Cruise Lines - With the advent of Free-style 2 (F2), NCL has undertaken to change the face of shipboard entertainment, for the better we say. Instead of developing the usual "cruise ship production shows" which are most often "salutes" to this or that (Broadway, Gershwin, Hollywood, the Fifties, etc etc etc..) they are putting up popular and proven shows like "Tony and Tina's Wedding" which is an interactive improvisational play which first became popular off-Broadway in New York City. In the play, the audience members interact with the performers throughout, as if they are at the wedding themselves. Naturally a certain of mishaps occur.
NCL has now staged a number of more unusual (for cruise ships) arts performances which while not common for cruises are already proven crown pleasers on shore - a logical idea although few cruise lines have tried it.
Another proven performance concept is the Second City Comedy Troupe first incarnated in Chicago but now working in major cities everywhere. The group is most well known for spawning talent for Saturday Night Live in New York City. Many notable comedians have come out Second City.
In a different, more classical and artistic vein, the line has put up modern dance pieces by reknown New York choreographer Twyla Tharp.
Another aspect of the NCL entertainment that makes it uniqueis that they are no longer just offering one show each night foe all the passengers. Different choes are scheduled and repeated throughout the curise at different times. This ties in with the free-style concept of dining where cruisers may be dining at different times and places each night of the cruise. They now have the option to coordinate their culinary exprience with their entertainment experience.
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The soon to debut Norwegian Epic (December 2010) will represent a hallmark in cruise ships eneteratinment when we have the very first Broadway/Las Vegas proven show premiering in full production in a purpose-built theater on a cruise ship.
Norwegian Epic will feature "Blue Man Group," a show that started as a cult hit in New York City in the early 1990s and proceeded to conquer the world now with a full-scale Las Vegas Production at the Venetian Hotel. If they are good enough for the Venetian they are pretty darn good. Personally, I have seen the show three time, in New York and Las Vegas and I am sure it will become the first regular cruise ship show to become a sole reason why people book a specific cruise ship.
Norwegian Epic will also feature a full-time jazz nightclub and a nightly comedy club. But until then you can also enjoy the other NCL cruise ships. Let's look at Norwegian Jade production shows:
Smokey Joe's Café�, The Songs of Leiber and Stoller: A jukebox comes alive during this Tony-awarding winning musical, showcasing more than 40 classic favorite rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The hits include "Dance with Me," "Poison Ivy," "Hound Dog," "Stand by Me," and more.
SHOUT! The Mod Musical: Based on a popular British magazine, this engaging revue brings back the smashing sounds of England in the 1960s. From cover to cover, SHOUT! travels through the decade with unforgettable music of the era and includes performances of classic songs such as "Downtown," "Son of a Preacher Man," and "Goldfinger" along with eye-popping fashions and groovy dance numbers.
And the World Goes 'Round: The Songs of Kander & Ebb: This glittering musical features an eclectic collection of love and torch songs, such as "New York, New York," "Cabaret," and "Money, Money," interspersed with banjos, roller skates and a tribute to Sara Lee.
Showdown!: This NCL Entertainment original production features four "contestants" who compete in a mock reality singing competition where the audience votes on the winner. The contestants sing Motown favorites and engage the audience with their unique personalities. They also invite the audience to join in the fun in a dance-a-thon medley.
Sinatra Suite: Choreographed by the award-winning dance legend Twyla Tharp, this two-dancer ballet set to Sinatra music was originally performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and is performed on the ship by a husband and wife team. Full of emotion and romance, the piece features classic Frank Sinatra songs, including "Strangers in the Night," "That's Life," and "My Way." Costumes for the production were designed by Oscar de la Renta. The dance is performed as part of a Classical Evening that includes an opera singer and another Tharp choreographed work, Junk Duet.
The Second City International Cabaret: A seven-member ensemble from famed Chicago improvisational group, The Second City, hosts an entirely new and expanded evening of cabaret theatre in the Spinnaker Lounge. Offered multiple nights and running for four hours, the cabaret mixes The Second City's unique sketch improvisational comedy with game show vignettes, special guests and dance and music sets performed by a live band. This highly interactive evening includes lots of spontaneous entertainment and audience involvement.
Tony 'n Tina's Wedding: The hottest off-Broadway show and one of the longest running, Tony n' Tina's Wedding is a hilarious interactive show that satirizes a traditional Italian-American wedding with audience members as "invited guests" to the nuptials of the Vitale and Nunzio families, portrayed by a improvisational cast of 25. The wedding and reception is held once per cruise in the Spinnaker Lounge, which is transformed into Vinnie's Coliseum restaurant, a classic Italian wedding hall complete with pasta served on paper plates.
Bar Central: In addition to the shows in the Stardust Theater and Spinnaker Lounge, Bar Central is another exciting entertainment venue. This dynamic piano lounge attracts guests from cocktail hour to late night with its engaging blend of show tunes, classical and popular music. Guest entertainers from other venues often drop in for impromptu duets and star turns. Freestyle 2.0 Offers Enhanced On-Board Activities
Royal Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas. With the December 2009 debut of Oasis (before NCL Epic hits the waves) the cruise industry already enters a new paradigm of entertainment.
Oasis exemplifies the new generation of cruise ship entertainment where "one size fits all" shows are being replaced by a series of optional venues, each unique in presentation. Let's take a look at the diversity of entertainment options for Oasis of the Seas:
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, will have a groundbreaking approach to entertainment. No longer will one, single production show theater be meant to hold almost the entire passenger load in two seatings. Instead, there will be a variety of various-sized entertainment venues throughout the ship, some featuring high-tech productions at pre-set show times, and others appealing to more interactive audiences, such as dance clubs, comedy clubs and a jazz clubs.
Let's start by looking at the production show venues on Oasis of the Seas. There are three vastly different show venues on the ship, a proscenium stage, and ice-rink for ice skating shows and an AquaTheater for the newly popular water-based shows with high dives, trampolines, aerial fly-systems and hydraulic stage effects.
Opal Theater: This will be the main indoor theater showroom for production style shows. But while Oasis carries 5400 passengers, almost twice as many guests as the much smaller Voyager class, this theatre will only seat the same number of guests as the Voyager-class; 1,380.
Opal Theater will feature a thrust stage and proscenium extending into the audience space for intimate and viewer interactive presentations. Entertainers will make their entrances from unexpected locations around the room, performing aerial acrobatics around and above the audience.
Opal Theater
AquaTheater: this is the most innovative entertainment venue on Oasis. This outdoor water stage will feature professional productions similar to Vegas-style shows such as Eau by Cirque D' Soleil and Le Reve at the extravagant new Wynn hotel on the Las Vegas strip. A passenger swimming pool by day, at night it becomes a spectacular water stage with moving platforms above and below water for professional water acrobatic productions featuring heart-pounding aerial and aquatic acrobatics, as well as elaborate fountain shows synchronized to music and lights.
Aqua Theater - Aft end of Boardwalk
Studio B: Oasis will also have the unlikely-named "Studio B" ice rink for passenger ice skating by day and thrilling ice capade-style production shows at night. While these ice skating shows are already familiar to anyone who has sailed on a Royal Caribbean mega-ship, if you haven't seen one of the shows then you haven't seen how diverse cruise ship entertainment can be.
Oasis is styled with three diverse main show venues so everyone onboard will have a chance to attend each of them and see each show offered throughout the cruise. While the ship holds 5400 guests, each of the above venues will accomodate only about one-third of the ship capacity at any one time.
A logical way to look at it is like this; the Freedom-class ships are roughly 1/3 smaller than Oasis yet the the main theater and the ice rink on Oasis are the same size. The guest capacity solution is the addition of an extra show venue, AquaTheater, to take on the additional 30% any given night.
Oasis will have plenty of other entertainment options, with less emphasis on viewing and more on interactivity. While there are nightclubs located throughout the ship, there is also a central gathering point for nightlife known as "Entertainment Place" which essentially comprises most of Deck 4, the deck immediately below the Royal Promenade.
Much like the Voyager and Freedom-class ships, the entrance to deck 4 is the aft staircase where you land in the main foyer for "Entertainment Place". An alternative entrance is down the forward staircase from the front of the Royal Promenade. When you descend you are at the entrance to the casino.
Here you find the entrances to Blaze, the disco-dancing hot spot, Comedy Live, the urban-style comedy club, Jazz on 4, the live jazz music venue, and the entrances to two of the main productions show venues; Opal Theater and the ice rink, Studio B.
Nightclubbing on Oasis of the Seas Let's take a look at the nightclubs on Oasis; a disco dance palace, a live jazz nightclub and an urban-style comedy club with live comedians throughout the night. The entrances to all three of these clubs is the foyer for "Entertainment Place" near the aft elevators on deck four.
Jazz on 4, Inspired by prohibition-era Chicago, features warm tones of rich walnut paneling, plush sofas and chairs and velvety drapes accented with hand-stitched Swarovski crystals, to provide an intimate experience for guests to enjoy soulful rhythms.
Jazz on 4 - live jazz nightclub
Blaze, with its dramatic entrance of doors 'burning' with hot flames and a 'charred' threshold, delivers the quintessential nightclub experience where guests can dance the night away to pulsating music in a hip and trendy atmosphere.
Blaze dance nightclub
Comedy Live, the comedy club, will feature headline acts interacting with the audience for engaging and customized performances each night. The décor is inspired by a New York subway station, featuring an underground theme with bright casual furnishings, glazed tiling and a ceiling map of the subway system.
Comedy Live: Entrance and Inside
Also in the foyer of Entertainment Place is the entrance to Studio B, the Ice Rink. Instead of walking into Studio B, you can opt to walk around it to the Casino Royale (see the floorplan in part 3 of this article). The hallway on the port side contains the "Museum of Gaming" with displays of old-fashioned slot machines and roulette tables. The starboard side passage leads guests through a museum-like tribute to 40 years of Royal Caribbean history.
The elegant and stylish Casino Royale, style inspired by the classic casinos of the French Riviera, features dramatic sculptured architecture, sparkling crystal chandeliers and décor in jewel-toned hues of amethyst, aquamarine and ruby. Casino Royale will feature 450 slot machines; extensive table games including Blackjack, roulette, craps, and Caribbean Stud Poker; and a bar and lounge area from which to take in the casino action. There will also be a poker room and players club.
The live-music dance club in the rendering below is "Dazzles" spanning two decks - with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Boardwalk below. The dance lounge will offer a variety of musical experiences ranging from 1940's big band to disco to ballroom evenings. In the evenings, the room is theatrically illuminated with a dazzling constellation of small twinkling lights reflecting off glass and mirrored surfaces above and below. During the day, Dazzles will be open for guests to enjoy the view of the bustling activity on the Boardwalk over a drink or to learn a new dance move with a professional dance instructor.
Dazzles Live Entertainment nightclub
The On Air Club, located in the Royal Promenade, will offer television monitors featuring news, sporting events and music day and night. It will also serve as the Karaoke venue where guests can put on a singing performance of their own on stage or create their own music video in a private video booth. Nearby and also on the Royal Promenade will be Bolero's Latin Club and the Schooner Bar, featuring piano-man sing-along entertainment.
High up on Deck 16 forward, the daytime adults-only Solarium will transform into Club 20 - a high-energy late night dance club experience under the stars. On the same deck but all the way aft the Wipe Out Bar resides between the two Flowrider pools. On Deck 17, upstairs from the two-story Windjammer Lido buffet, guests will find the famous Royal Caribbean Viking Crowne Lounge offering sophisticated ambience with a commanding view of the ship and the sea night and day.
Solarium at Night
Naturally, if you have ever sailed on a Royal Caribbean mega-ship you know that a big part of the attraction is simply strolling around and seeing what is going on. Oasis will be the most entertaining ship for casual strolling ever built. The entire "Neighborhood" concept is built along this idea, and the neighborhoods on offer are diverse and engaging.
A stroll along the Royal Promenade is well known to Royal Caribbean cruisers. Oasis will have the most elaborate Royal Promenade yet, with various food and entertainment venues like Boleros Bar and Sorrentos Pizzeria as well as the Globe and Atlas Pub for English Ale and a crowd-pleasing guitar and vocals busker.
Royal Promenade with Decks 6 and 7 above, and Central Park (deck 8) through the glass
For more strolling, day or night, there is Central Park with real grass and trees and views through the skylights to the Royal Promenade below. At night Central Park will truly come alive with the stars above and Tivoli lights in the trees and bushes. Restaurants offering al fresco dining will punctuate sidewalks with benches.
Royal Promenade view from deck 6 with Central Park visible through the skylights above
Rising and falling between the two neighborhoods, Royal Promenade and Central Park, will be the "Rising Tide Bar", a moving watering hole that is a bar and a non-stop elevator spanning three open decks to move guests off and on at either level.
The Rising Tide Bar at rest in the Royal Promenade
While Deck 4 is "Entertainment Central" and Deck 5 is the Royal Promenade, Deck 6 is not to be ignored. At the aft end is the Boardwalk with its carousal, ice cream parlor, candy shops, donut shop, fortuneteller, Johnny Rockets and the Seafood Shack. The Boardwalk ends with the seating area for the AquaTheater pool area and stage. But in what is a nice departure from all previous Royal Caribbean ships, the area directly forward of the Boardwalk on Deck 6 is also a large strolling area encircling and overlooking the Royal Promenade also featuring three popular nightspots along the way; the Schooner Bar, Focus and the Diamond Club.
Mid-section views of the entertainment areas of Oasis: Deck 4 is Entertainment Central, Deck 5 is the Royal Promenade, and Deck 8 is Central park.
Deck 4
Deck 5
Deck 8
Carnival Cruise Lines - Carnival's ships have so many things to do at night you'll be wandering the ship wondering where to land, which all depends on what you like. Certainly, the discos on Carnival ships are not an after-thought, transformed from a day lounge into a party room at night like other ships. When they say "Disco" on Carnival think Donna Summers and the BeeGees. Get out the Sirens, mirror balls and of course, video screens. On Carnival Destiny, the room has literally 500 video monitors surrounding the dance floor, and their expert DJ/VJs know how to go from a hot disc to simulcasting a video hit without dropping a single 120 beats-per-second note.
Elsewhere on Carnival, of course, you'll find plenty of live music for dancing, sing-along (the piano bars), or just listening to jazz, rock, cabaret or even classical at times. The casinos are some of the biggest at sea, and the main theater production shows and comedians are what we consider to be the best in the cruise world. Talented singers and well-written shows make then the exception, with more focus on quality than razzle-dazzle.
In addition to some of the best stage production shows at sea, what separates Carnival from the rest of the pack is the continuous fun onboard outside of the showrooms. The pool area is non-stop fun and games during sea days, there are also trivia and bingo games all day long. Your dining room waiters will come to dinner dressed as Elvis or Carmen Miranda, and play the part as well.
At night the ship is full of music, and you will find it to be more contemporary on Carnival, top-notch rock 'n roll guitarists who can play Van Halen and Larry Carlton. The rock is loud, like you would expect from your local rock nightclub. You won't find this level of rock authenticity on most cruise lines.
