slhw
January 27th, 2009, 07:08 PM
Hi yet again! Sorry about the serialised report but worried that AOL will cut me off again.
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
What a talented and enthusiastic Show and Entertainment Team are on Destiny. The Cruise Director, Keefe Maynard, the Snr. Entertainment Host, Emma, the Show team and the Entertainment team, Lee, Paul, Mark and Christine - they were all fantastic!
Can Can Lounge
This is better designed than the show lounges on Celebration and Spirit having a sloping floor and less intrusive pillars although no mezzanine. It has bucket and banquette seating and small tables. It is reasonably comfortable although perhaps the next public area for refurbishment after the Lido.
There were 8 main shows by the Showteam: Can Can, Viva Las Vegas, Voodoo, Concerto, Webber/Rice, Songs in the City, Pirates of the Caribbean and one I can't remember. They were all excellent, with wonderful costumes. My personal favourites were Webber/Rice and Concerto but there was something for everyone.
The other evenings were taken up by the two Welcome Shows which then moved up to the Pool Deck, a play, a cabaret with the very talented Asst. Cruise Director, Gavin, and two comediens. The comedien the first week was a guy with a rather strange name, Frogwell Flax or some such (apologies) and the second week was Maurice Grumbleweed. Both were good but we preferred the guy with the strange name.
Late night events in the Can Can were a Murder Mystery, Crew Show and two late spots by the comediens - not smutty at all.
There is in operation the excellent system of clearing the lounge after the first show so that passengers cannot hog the same seat for two performances. We never had any trouble getting a seat. The only time it is best to be a little devious (shame on us!) is when the Crew Show and the Comedien follow immediately after the second show. Then it is best to go to the second show so that you already have your seat!
Oklahoma Lounge
This is a much better layout than the lounges on the Celebration and Spirit. Has bucket chairs and banquettes and appears to have been refurbished in the not too distant past.
There were several quizzes each evening to cater for 1st and 2nd dinner passengers. An excellent 5 piece Phillipino band, The Top Men, played here each evening for several sets. They were extremely versatile and usually managed to keep the dance floor full once everyone had recovered from dinner.
There was usually a Game Show about 10 o'clock - mostly daft but could be funny depending on the participants!
Later there was often a cabaret by one or more of the Show Team and the evening ended with the Disco. Occasionally, the disco was replaced by karaoke..............!
For those passengers wanting something quieter, there was THE CLIPPER BAR where the unimpressive Sunrise Trio performed, BLAKES (a pianist) or the SKY BAR.
Formal Night
The first full day of the cruise which was a Sea Day.
A lot of people made the effort to dress up. There were lots of men wearing black tie (my husband wore his kilt - as did the Asst. Cruise Director). Other men wore suits. There was the usual complimentary cocktail and canapes and then the introduction by the Captain of the Senior Officers. The Captain actually sang to us - perhaps he fancies a career change. The meal wasn't any different to any other evening and they don't dress the tables with balloons etc. as they did when we first cruised with Thomson. However, we did enjoy it and I would like to have more than one formal night as I do enjoy getting dressed up. There wasn't a Buffet Magnifique on this or any other evening. Apparently, it has been discontinued as a cost-cutting measure. The Baked Alaska Parade took place later in the week but I didn't think that they did it as well as I have seen it done on other Thomson ships.
Deck Parties
There was one deck party each week. They were great fun with the Show Team performing and The Top Men. What could be better than dancing on an open deck with a warm breeze blowing!
Hear endeth Part 3.........
Sandie
EVENING ENTERTAINMENT
What a talented and enthusiastic Show and Entertainment Team are on Destiny. The Cruise Director, Keefe Maynard, the Snr. Entertainment Host, Emma, the Show team and the Entertainment team, Lee, Paul, Mark and Christine - they were all fantastic!
Can Can Lounge
This is better designed than the show lounges on Celebration and Spirit having a sloping floor and less intrusive pillars although no mezzanine. It has bucket and banquette seating and small tables. It is reasonably comfortable although perhaps the next public area for refurbishment after the Lido.
There were 8 main shows by the Showteam: Can Can, Viva Las Vegas, Voodoo, Concerto, Webber/Rice, Songs in the City, Pirates of the Caribbean and one I can't remember. They were all excellent, with wonderful costumes. My personal favourites were Webber/Rice and Concerto but there was something for everyone.
The other evenings were taken up by the two Welcome Shows which then moved up to the Pool Deck, a play, a cabaret with the very talented Asst. Cruise Director, Gavin, and two comediens. The comedien the first week was a guy with a rather strange name, Frogwell Flax or some such (apologies) and the second week was Maurice Grumbleweed. Both were good but we preferred the guy with the strange name.
Late night events in the Can Can were a Murder Mystery, Crew Show and two late spots by the comediens - not smutty at all.
There is in operation the excellent system of clearing the lounge after the first show so that passengers cannot hog the same seat for two performances. We never had any trouble getting a seat. The only time it is best to be a little devious (shame on us!) is when the Crew Show and the Comedien follow immediately after the second show. Then it is best to go to the second show so that you already have your seat!
Oklahoma Lounge
This is a much better layout than the lounges on the Celebration and Spirit. Has bucket chairs and banquettes and appears to have been refurbished in the not too distant past.
There were several quizzes each evening to cater for 1st and 2nd dinner passengers. An excellent 5 piece Phillipino band, The Top Men, played here each evening for several sets. They were extremely versatile and usually managed to keep the dance floor full once everyone had recovered from dinner.
There was usually a Game Show about 10 o'clock - mostly daft but could be funny depending on the participants!
Later there was often a cabaret by one or more of the Show Team and the evening ended with the Disco. Occasionally, the disco was replaced by karaoke..............!
For those passengers wanting something quieter, there was THE CLIPPER BAR where the unimpressive Sunrise Trio performed, BLAKES (a pianist) or the SKY BAR.
Formal Night
The first full day of the cruise which was a Sea Day.
A lot of people made the effort to dress up. There were lots of men wearing black tie (my husband wore his kilt - as did the Asst. Cruise Director). Other men wore suits. There was the usual complimentary cocktail and canapes and then the introduction by the Captain of the Senior Officers. The Captain actually sang to us - perhaps he fancies a career change. The meal wasn't any different to any other evening and they don't dress the tables with balloons etc. as they did when we first cruised with Thomson. However, we did enjoy it and I would like to have more than one formal night as I do enjoy getting dressed up. There wasn't a Buffet Magnifique on this or any other evening. Apparently, it has been discontinued as a cost-cutting measure. The Baked Alaska Parade took place later in the week but I didn't think that they did it as well as I have seen it done on other Thomson ships.
Deck Parties
There was one deck party each week. They were great fun with the Show Team performing and The Top Men. What could be better than dancing on an open deck with a warm breeze blowing!
Hear endeth Part 3.........
Sandie