On board entertainment

While everyone appears to agree that Marina or Oceania in general, is not 'big' on 'production' numbers that are offered on the 'mega ships' Yet cruise lines such as Crystal or Regent [ that are not Carnival or Princess or Celebrity mega ships] do provide most entertaining 'reviews' usually consisting of 6 dancers/singers and two lead singers who provide very entertaining performances such as Broadway reviews..Beatles Retrospective, Elton John retrrospective, etc.

Having a single violinist or magician or lounge singer is all well and good..as well of course as the usual strings trio or crew orchestra....but why doesn't Oceania also include the 'production' numbers as well. They have the theaters, lights, etc.

Yes, sitting in the lounges and chatting with fellow passengers with drinks after dinner with ambient music in the background is enjoyable....but for a longer cruise of of 16 days, having two or three 'theatrical' presentations would very much round our the 'entertainment' aspect of the cruise.

Thoughts?

Eager to hear your inputs!

Personally we don't care at all. After over 100 days on O we have never gone to a show.

..and indeed there are many passengers such as yourselves who similarly have not had any interest in attending a 'show'. Yet, there undoubtedly are a similar number of passengers who do enjoy a 'theater like' experience while at sea rather than just a 'lounge act'. All I am sharing is that it would be ideal if passengers could have a 'choice'. This is usually offered by other fine cruise companies..why not Oceania?

When Ocania first started as a company they were known as being most 'port intentive cruise company...i.e. every day a port! Frank Del Rio and his staff soon realized that many passengers enjoy some days at sea..thus, now offering their passengers the 'best of both worlds".

Why not do so with their on board entertainment?

Personally we don't care at all. After over 100 days on O we have never gone to a show.

I think that the average Oceania passenger is not interested in that sort of entertainment and could care less about shows in the theater except for a movie or enrichment. in 30 years I have been to maybe 5 shows total.

I think too , that the line understands that and focuses on ambiance and cuisine for a clientele than can entertain themselves and are on the cruise for that reason.

indeed there are many passengers, who have no interest in attending a 'show'. Yet, there undoubtedly are a similar number of passengers who do enjoy a 'theater like' experience while at sea rather than just a 'lounge act'. All I am sharing is that it would be ideal if passengers could have a 'choice'. This is usually offered by other fine cruise companies..why not Oceania?

When Oceania first started as a company they were known as being a most 'port intentive cruise company...i.e. every day a port! Frank Del Rio and his staff soon realized that many passengers enjoy some days at sea..thus, now offering their passengers the 'best of both worlds".

Why not do so with their on board entertainment?

A cruise line must know its passengers to succeed. Oceania does and crafts its product accordingly. Thus, modest entertainment.

They do have some production shows just not as lavish as Carnival type ones

On Riviera they had the Jean Ann Ryan singers & dancers troupe.. I think 6 or maybe more ..we did go to a show & it was not bad

I have never been to Broadway so cannot compare

On the smaller ships the group is usually 4 singers & dancers

Usually 3 or 4 shows during a 10-14 day cruise

There was standing room only at some of the shows so I am sure people must go ;)

I have never been on an O cruise where there were no productions numbers & only single performers

YMMD

Lyn

I think that the average Oceania passenger is not interested in that sort of entertainment and could care less about shows in the theater except for a movie or enrichment. in 30 years I have been to maybe 5 shows total.

I think too , that the line understands that and focuses on ambiance and cuisine for a clientele than can entertain themselves and are on the cruise for that reason.

What is the AVERAGE oceania passenger? How do you know?

What is the AVERAGE oceania passenger? How do you know?

Lets say over the years on both Regent and Oceania the vast majority of people and personalities, with few exceptions shared that feeling that entertainment was on the back burner for them.

As others said the company has researched its demographics and determined what their average passenger wants. ..

.How do they know? its called brand loyalty and repeat customer.

As they say money talks and far more have no care for the shows than care for them. So pick the line that fits your specifics is my best suggestion, as you cant have everything.

As Lyn points out in post #7 above, Oceania now indeed provides production numbers on its cruises, at least on the larger two ships. On our ten-night Caribbean cruise in January on Riviera, there were three different and very well-done production shows with a cast of six singers and dancers supplemented by the two excellent ballroom/Latin dancers. The production values were very good by cruise-ship standards. (One show was Broadway tunes, one was Andrew Lloyd Webber and one was 60's music Yes, they knew the demographic to whom they were catering! :) )

Does Oceania have Bingo games?

Thanks Pam! What you described is EXACTLY what I had hoped.....:

The best of both worlds what Hawaiidan prefers and what DrJW [ me ;) ]

enjoys...so...everyone is happy!

I'd have to agree, most show are not that good on any Oceania cruise-with the exception of the production they do poolside, that was fun and better than inside. But remember you shouldn't go on a cruise to see a "good" show-but they are entertaining to some. If you enjoy them go, if not you have other things around the ship.

Yes they do have Bingo, and they do a pretty good job of that, the longer the cruise the better the games.

Rick

Just finished a month on Marina, and we thoroughly enjoyed the performers brought on board for a couple of shows. They were all top quality and varied-great trumpet player/singer from Las Vegas, a ventriloquist/singer that was great, a super comic and others. We did not go to the production shows as they are not our " thing".

Oceania really stepped up it's game when Riviera was launched, featuring the Jean Ann Ryan Singers and Dancers in the shows mentioned by CintiPam. The Llloyd Webber, show, in particular, is outstanding,and I believe Oceania is the only cruise line to have this show (Jean Ann Ryan casts are also on Regent and several other cruise lines, including some that get top billing for entertainment). Marina was under contract with Gary Musick Productions, and while the productions shows were OK, they were not up to the Riviera shows. However, the JAR casts are now also on Marina.

The "R" ships suffer under a different problem -- the theater lounges are small, the stage is very small, sight lines are not very good, the ceiling is very low, and the lighting and sound are not as comprehensive as on the larger ships. There is not room for typical production shows. However, as noted, the cabaret-style entertainment is often top-notch with very capable performers.

I have not missed more than 3 or 4 shows in over 150 nights on board; those few misses were due to long dinners such as La Reserve.

As far as the "average" guest, the theater lounges on all the ships are mostly filled to capacity. I'm glad there are some who do not care for the entertainment, as the theaters are not large enough to accommodate everyone.

Has anyone seen the contortionist recently?

As far as the "average" guest, the theater lounges on all the ships are mostly filled to capacity. I'm glad there are some who do not care for the entertainment, as the theaters are not large enough to accommodate everyone.

This has been our experience too - standing room only on many occasions which is good news for the entertainers. Maybe if Dan isn't interested in the shows he hasn't actually looked at how popular they are.

Does Oceania have Bingo games?

Never play myself but yes, there's been bingo on the R ships we have been on but some games were cancelled due to lack of players. Maybe there are more takers on Marina and Riviera.

Has anyone seen the contortionist recently?

Knot lately

Going back a few comments, I think to Don about the low ceilings on the "R" ships ...

On our first Viking riverboat cruise on NEPTUNE in Oct '03 they brought on a juggler. The ceiling is MAYBE 6 feet. I was sick thanks to a lovely UK passenger who sat next to me at dinner the first night -- she was lovely, I'm not criticizing here. But she was sick and so I GOT sick.

As a result, I missed the show. But DH said it was hit or miss as to whether the juggler didn't hit the ceiling with the various objects he was juggling.

The "R" ships stage is small, but some vessels have stages that are even smaller.

Mura

On our Mayan Mystique cruise on Riviera in February we had to skip Roatan due to the weather, hence an unplanned day at sea. That afternoon they announced 'Elvis' would perform that evening...

So we went, Elvis was my first love....but I wasn't expecting much...

Turned out we were blown away by the performance which imitated Elvis's Televised shows....you remember, the black leather outfit from the early show and then the most watched Hawaii show with the white jewel encrusted suit. Turns out that he was one of only 30 or so performers licensed by Elvis productions to do this show. His mannerisms, make up, voice, costumes - everything about him was excellent. Even his jokes when he stepped out of character were entertaining.

I can't remember his name but of course he sings in the regular production shows, the 60's stuff -the Andrew Lloyd Webber show, we go and enjoy those shows for what they are....cruise ship stuff directed at our age group. This guy was good in those.....but he is really Elvis....

All us ladies were lining up for pictures with Elvis when this jewel of a performance ended!

Terry

We just got off of a 14 day trip on the Riviera. They had a show each night at 9:45. Four or them were production shows that were very good with a group of 4 singers and 6 dancers. They also had couple of comedian's, a magician, a dance group and a singer who was the asst cruise director. We went to all and I thought they were very good. They also showed movies by the pool on three nights and had things going on in Horizon's later at night. If the average Oceania cruiser doesn't like shows this must of been a odd trip as the lounge was full each night and it holds 600 people. I have heard over and over how Oceania has poor shows, I can just speak for the large ships but I do not agree!!

I have heard over and over how Oceania has poor shows, I can just speak for the large ships but I do not agree!!

As you say, your opinion is based solely on a single sailing on one of the larger ships (Marina or Riviera) which have superior theatrical Lounges as compared to the R ships, and then your cruising experience on Oceania is only in the Caribbean, which does make a difference.

Passengers almost never spend ten or twelve hours touring in a Caribbean Port (although doing so is commonplace in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America) therefore, the Cruise Line tends to give more emphasis to onboard entertainments of all kinds, on their Cruises sailing out of Miami.

Also, it must be recognized that in areas of the World where touring does require long days off the ship, passengers (particularly those who have had a drink or two with dinner) are very likely to doze off if the shows are not vocally perky, vividly costumed and choreographically fast moving.

Nuance is for the well rested clientele ;)

We have been on port intensive cruises in Europe on the R ships & most of the productions shows were standing room only

so not everyone spend the evening at the bar :)

We tried a couple of times to get into the lounge and just gave up trying for the production shows

we did go to the single performers.... I guess they are not as popular

People on CC only represent a small portion of those actually on the ships

Lyn

Entertainment is in the same category as food IMO

Depends who you ask and what their standards are.

Many praise the shows and enjoy them.

Others, like us, would not waste our time.

You need to experience the entertainment for yourself and decide if it's for you. No one can make that decision for you any more than they can tell you if the food is "wonderful" in the GDR or if the wines available are "superior" or the selection "superb."