Reservations for shows

[Potstech]

22 hours ago, TwoCruisers said:

Did you read my post #29? I measured the sound levels during the shows. As I said in the post “The production shows averaged 96dB and had peaks of over 110dB”.  This is not a matter of personal taste.

I have been on many cruises starting in 1992. Until about 10 years ago the sound levels were never this high.

If you want, go ahead and damage your hearing.

And what was the measured sound level on those other cruises so we can compare the readings? 

[coo359a2]

Only been on one RCL ship and you had to make show reservations though your Personalizer or whatever RCL calls it..  One show  was Mama Mia and we stood in the very long  line for an hour waiting to go into the theater.  Much prefer Princess having the doors open early so you can go inside, sit where you want and read a book or talk.

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

On most Princess cruises there will be 2 production shows every evening (there are some cruises where the CD will put on a 3rd show if necessary).  Those shows are generally scheduled at 7 and 9.  Yes, that 9pm show can be very crowded and some folks will arrive at the theater more than 30 minutes before show time.  But the 7 PM show will usually not be overly crowded and generally has plenty of empty seats.  Those that arrange their personal schedule so they are always going to the most crowded shows, to the Lido when it is the most crowded, etc. have nobody to blame other then themselves if they are bothered by the crowds.  As we posted earlier, it is usually pretty easy to get a last minute seat (even 2 seats together) at that 7pm show.  

That's funny because we feel the same way for the early shows. 😄

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 6/28/2019 at 9:08 PM, Haboob said:

When you arrive, don't be so sure that you want seats up front...

 

The joke goes that Princess knows that half their passengers are a little deaf and want the other half that way, too.  😉

amen.

I had to leave a couple of times because it was too loud. And I actually AM a little hard of hearing. The speaker over our heads was blasting at full volume.

[dianedebuda]

So as for getting a pair of decent seats for the production shows, sounds like it'd be better to go to the first showing and dine later.  Right now we're set for traditional dining 'cause being a first cruise, seems like an should do experience.  Feeling like our current early choice may make getting seats difficult.  Guess we could change to late option yet?  But the sound of our growling stomachs would probably overpower the show's volume.  😀  OMG, I'm complaining about another reason to snack.

[fishywood]

30 minutes ago, dianedebuda said:

So as for getting a pair of decent seats for the production shows, sounds like it'd be better to go to the first showing and dine later.  Right now we're set for traditional dining 'cause being a first cruise, seems like an should do experience.  Feeling like our current early choice may make getting seats difficult.  Guess we could change to late option yet?  But the sound of our growling stomachs would probably overpower the show's volume.  😀  OMG, I'm complaining about another reason to snack.

The show that is by far the most crowded (requiring showing up 40-45 minutes in advance for a decent seat) is always the one geared toward early sitting diners.

Nights when the shows are 8:00 and 10:00 (after dinner for both seatings) the 8:00 will be far more packed than the 10:00.

Nights when the shows are 6:30 and 8:30 or 7:00 and 9:00 (pre-dinner for late seating, post dinner for early seating) the first show is your best best, the second will be where the crowds are.

And on the increasingly rare nights with three shows at 6:45/7:00, 8:30 and 10:15/10:30, you just need to avoid the middle one.

 

So switching to late sitting may make it more flexible to get to the less crowded show time. Which for those who prefer to eat late (either traditional or ATD) some nights will be before dinner, some nights after. But may also exclude you from a second evening activity that is run only once at 8:30-ish. 

[dianedebuda]

So how long does it typically take (time range) for a traditional dinner?  I guess I can look at Patters from earlier departures of same ship, same itinerary for show times.

[MissP22]

32 minutes ago, dianedebuda said:

So how long does it typically take (time range) for a traditional dinner?  I guess I can look at Patters from earlier departures of same ship, same itinerary for show times.

If you sit at a large table & get people who like to talk it can take 2 hours + to finish dinner. The waiters keep everyone eating the same courses grouped together, most times, & if a few of them like talking it slows everyone down.

I'm a quick eater & don't really like much conversation so that's why we always  get a table for 2- it's much quicker.

In the days when we did sit at a large table we always excused ourselves before everyone was finished & went to get seats in the show lounge. We then returned to the anytime DR for dessert later on that evening. 

[caribill]

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

On most Princess cruises there will be 2 production shows every evening (there are some cruises where the CD will put on a 3rd show if necessary).  Those shows are generally scheduled at 7 and 9.  Yes, that 9pm show can be very crowded and some folks will arrive at the theater more than 30 minutes before show time.  But the 7 PM show will usually not be overly crowded and generally has plenty of empty seats. 

 

One reason there may be many empty seats at the 7 PM show is that 2nd seating people now eat at 7:30 and thus cannot goto the 7 PM show. Or for that matter, to the 9 PM show.

[Pierlesscruisers]

On 6/29/2019 at 5:43 PM, TwoCruisers said:

There are different levels of loud.

The loudness that concerts have and now the cruise ships are so loud that the music is distorted. You can’t hear the subtleties of the singing or instruments. It is also painful to the ears. It is also damaging to your hearing. You don’t have to have the music SCREAMING in your ears to enjoy it.

We need some common sense here.

 

A question of curiosity here. Would it be easier on your ears if you sat further back in the auditorium or is it still way too loud for you even if you do that?  I suspect that you've already tried that though, but if you're like me sometimes the most obvious solution goes right past me until my wife says "Have you tried...." 🙄

 

Tom

[MissP22]

1 minute ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

A question of curiosity here. Would it be easier on your ears if you sat further back in the auditorium or is it still way too loud for you even if you do that?  I suspect that you've already tried that though, but if you're like me sometimes the most obvious solution goes right past me until my wife says "Have you tried...." 🙄

 

Tom

They've go those large speakers placed all over.

It's impossible to escape the extreme volume although I would settle for just plain loud section if it were available.

[TwoCruisers]

3 hours ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

A question of curiosity here. Would it be easier on your ears if you sat further back in the auditorium or is it still way too loud for you even if you do that?  I suspect that you've already tried that though, but if you're like me sometimes the most obvious solution goes right past me until my wife says "Have you tried...." 🙄

 

Tom

 

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

They've go those large speakers placed all over.

It's impossible to escape the extreme volume although I would settle for just plain loud section if it were available.

MissP22 answered this question. They have speakers all over hanging from the ceiling. I will say that at the very top the sound is a tab bit lower, but not much. Before retirement, when I was still working, if I would need to work in an area with the sound level of the shows I would be required to use hearing protection. When leaving shows I have talked to many people about the sound levels and everyone I spoke to agreed that the sound was too loud.

 

The employees don’t want to hear about this issue. Here is some of what I wrote in a post on April 19:

“A couple of years ago I approached an assistant cruise director standing near a band in the Regal atrium and asked if the volume could be turned down. They screamed back “WHAT”.  When I finally got my request through the loud music they screamed back that the music wasn’t too loud.” They couldn’t hear me without me screaming at the top of my lungs.

 

I won’t write about this issue anymore. There are some people on here who don’t want to address the issue but just ignore the problem or be a taunter.

 

Remember, you are not the only person in the theater. If the sound level is turned down a little you should still be able to enjoy the show and allow others to also enjoy the show.

 

I am done with this subject.

[Pierlesscruisers]

2 hours ago, TwoCruisers said:

 

MissP22 answered this question.

 

Yes, I saw her posting.

 

2 hours ago, TwoCruisers said:

 There are some people on here who don’t want to address the issue but just ignore the problem or be a taunter.

 

 

Remember, you are not the only person in the theater. If the sound level is turned down a little you should still be able to enjoy the show and allow others to also enjoy the show.

 

I am done with this subject.

 

Not sure if you were addressing this to me or what, but if you were, then please go back and re-read what I wrote. I was neither avoiding the issue, taunting her for her expressing her opinion, nor was I in any way expressing the fact that I am/was the "only person in the theater" but simply asking a question and explaining that it was something that she had probably already thought of and had tried. If I misunderstood something you expressed, my apologies for that.

 

Tom

[TwoCruisers]

1 hour ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

Yes, I saw her posting.

 

 

Not sure if you were addressing this to me or what, but if you were, then please go back and re-read what I wrote. I was neither avoiding the issue, taunting her for her expressing her opinion, nor was I in any way expressing the fact that I am/was the "only person in the theater" but simply asking a question and explaining that it was something that she had probably already thought of and had tried. If I misunderstood something you expressed, my apologies for that.

 

Tom

The only thing that was addressing what you said is my reference to “Miss22 answered this question”.

You had a good point in case it hadn’t been tried.

 

The rest of my statement was for others who posted before you.

I’m sorry if it sounded like it was aimed at you. It wasn’t. I should have made it more clear.

[Pierlesscruisers]

1 hour ago, TwoCruisers said:

The only thing that was addressing what you said is my reference to “Miss22 answered this question”.

You had a good point in case it hadn’t been tried.

 

The rest of my statement was for others who posted before you.

I’m sorry if it sounded like it was aimed at you. It wasn’t. I should have made it more clear.

 

No problem. I know that sometimes we write things that when we look back at it, we wonder "That's not what I was trying to say." 🙄

 

Have a great 4th!!

[Thrak]

On 7/1/2019 at 5:34 AM, Hlitner said:

On most Princess cruises there will be 2 production shows every evening (there are some cruises where the CD will put on a 3rd show if necessary).  Those shows are generally scheduled at 7 and 9.  Yes, that 9pm show can be very crowded and some folks will arrive at the theater more than 30 minutes before show time.  But the 7 PM show will usually not be overly crowded and generally has plenty of empty seats. 

 

Wow. We have pretty much found the opposite. So many Princess cruisers go to bed early that we have had better luck with the later shows.

[skynight]

2 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Wow. We have pretty much found the opposite. So many Princess cruisers go to bed early that we have had better luck with the later shows.

We have found that when shows are approximately 7pm and 9pm, the early time was the least crowded. But, when the shows are 7:30/8pm and 9:30/10pm it is the early show that has the crowds. The show that fits best into an early dining schedule is the most crowded.

[Times Prince]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:56 AM, MissP22 said:

If you sit at a large table & get people who like to talk it can take 2 hours + to finish dinner. The waiters keep everyone eating the same courses grouped together, most times, & if a few of them like talking it slows everyone down.

I'm a quick eater & don't really like much conversation so that's why we always  get a table for 2- it's much quicker.

In the days when we did sit at a large table we always excused ourselves before everyone was finished & went to get seats in the show lounge. We then returned to the anytime DR for dessert later on that evening. 

Last time we used Traditional dining we chose a table for two as we don't take all the courses available, and  often will skip dessert, catching one later in the buffet.  We found that even though we didn't get all the food being served to other tables in the section, we were served at the same rate as those who did, as the wait staff grouped food from the kitchen for the whole section of tables.  The only thing it allowed us to do was to gracefully skip dessert, and even then we were constantly asked "aren't you going to stay for dessert?" by the waiter (in a plaintive voice).   (Yes, we did write this up in the survey).  

 

So even a table for two might not get you out of the 2+ hours time (we clocked ours at 1:45 w/o dessert).

 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Wow. We have pretty much found the opposite. So many Princess cruisers go to bed early that we have had better luck with the later shows.

I agree! But we have found it all depends on the cruise directors.  We have been on cruises where they had shows at 8 and 10 and the 10pm show was usually not crowded.  But there have also been cruises where they had the shows at 7 and 9 (with the 7pm show aimed at the later diners who would attend prior to dinner).  As to going to bed early, on Princess we have had 11:30 adult comedy shows that were so packed we could not get in the door.  On other cruises or nights things got pretty quiet after 10.  Keep in mind that we tend to do longer cruises in more exotic places (we no longer cruise Princess in the Caribbean)  which does attract a different clientele then found on the Caribbean and Alaskan cruises.  Our last cruise was from Singapore to Vancouver and it was an interesting International crowd.  Our next Princess cruise is from Civitavecchia to Ft Lauderdale and we would expect a mostly older North American crowd with a fair number of Brits.

 

Hank

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, Times Prince said:

Last time we used Traditional dining we chose a table for two as we don't take all the courses available, and  often will skip dessert, catching one later in the buffet.  We found that even though we didn't get all the food being served to other tables in the section, we were served at the same rate as those who did, as the wait staff grouped food from the kitchen for the whole section of tables.  The only thing it allowed us to do was to gracefully skip dessert, and even then we were constantly asked "aren't you going to stay for dessert?" by the waiter (in a plaintive voice).   (Yes, we did write this up in the survey).  

 

So even a table for two might not get you out of the 2+ hours time (we clocked ours at 1:45 w/o dessert).

 

What you say is correct but since you're at a table for 2 asking the waiter to speed up the servings usually works better than if you were sitting next to someone at a large table. The desserts in the DR are usually much better and if we do have to leave early for the show we'll just return later for dessert only just before the DR closes.