Breakaway (and plus) class venue sizes

[NightOne]

Can someone help me understand NCL ship design theory when it comes to the public entertainment venues.

 

Almost every single venue is undersized.

 

Is this limited to Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships?

 

 

Let me give some examples:

 

Atrium: Used for newlywed game, next cruise presentations, etc. and never enough seating. I was on Getaway earlier this  month and we counted the number of chairs at 47. When you added the chairs they move from the coffee shop, bar, etc. along with the sofas you are talking about seating for 100 people. This is on a ship with 4000 guests.

 

Syd Normans/Cavern Club: Standing room only for any event unless you arrive way early and wait.

 

Basically, you have to go camp seats 2 hours before if you want guaranteed seating at any event.

 

Is this an NCL "thing" or is it limited to these certain ships?

 

Thoughts?

[Farts]

It happens on a lot on the mainline cruise ship brands. Just a part of the mega ship experience and isn't exclusive to NCL. 

 

I find it exciting to be there with a lot of ppl, but I could see how it gets old. I like that the ship is popping with tons of ppl. 

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, Farts said:

It happens on a lot on the mainline cruise ship brands. Just a part of the mega ship experience and isn't exclusive to NCL. 

 

 

I'm going to have to disagree with you there. 🙂

[BirdTravels]

No different than any other ship on any other cruise line. No venue is big enough to accommodate every passenger for every activity. You’re not going to create a 4800 seat auditorium in case everyone wants to have a beer and listen to piano music. Nor a space for 4800 people to watch the not so newlywed game. That’s why the spread out activities across the ship at many different venues. 
 

You go on a Royal big ship and the venue for stand up comedy is the same as Headliners and The Social. 
 

It is done by design on every cruise line. 

[GA Dave]

And this is no different than virtually any entertainment/vacation spot.  Themeparks do not build every attraction to hold every guest as it is not economically feasible.  They make multiple venues with many types of entertainment and try to spread the crowds over the entire facility.  Otherwise, you get what you is shown below, which was what happened when they opened Star Wars' Galaxies Edge at WDW last year.

Edited January 28, 2020 by GA Dave

[hallux]

Some comparisons between the Bliss on NCL and RCI's Anthem, similar sized ships on 2 different lines.

 

Some of it has to do with different demographics, to an extent.  Royal (on the Anthem anyway) held trivia, word search and Sudoku in the Schooner Bar, a MUCH smaller venue than the Atrium.  It also didn't seem like it was as popular of an activity on that ship as it was on NCL's Bliss even though the ships are similar in size.

 

Not-so-Newlywed game on Royal's Anthem was held in the main theater (might have had a different name there as well but it was the same concept).

 

Anthem had a venue called the Music Hall - that's where the house and tribute bands played some nights while other nights had it used for Family Feud and karaoke, but that ship didn't have the comedy club or the Cavern Club. 

 

The comedian(s?) did at least 2 sets in the main theater - one early and one late for kids and adults respectively - and the tribute band did a set each in the Music Hall and Two70 (a fantastic venue that also had a stage show assigned to it).

[PATRLR]

The crowded events in the Atrium can be frustrating from a couple of angles - for people trying to see the event who can't get a seat, and for people trying to move through the ship who have to fight the crowds, on multiple decks no less.  I'm not a ship designer and won't claim to know why things are designed the way they are but it wouldn't surprise me if the ship's designers are actually quite pleased with the crowded Atrium.  It creates an atmosphere of excitement that they may have desired.  

I do wish the most popular shows (e.g. newlywed and Deal or No-Deal) were in a bigger venue.

[Zippeedee]

1 minute ago, PATRLR said:

The crowded events in the Atrium can be frustrating from a couple of angles - for people trying to see the event who can't get a seat, and for people trying to move through the ship who have to fight the crowds, on multiple decks no less.  I'm not a ship designer and won't claim to know why things are designed the way they are but it wouldn't surprise me if the ship's designers are actually quite pleased with the crowded Atrium.  It creates an atmosphere of excitement that they may have desired.  

I do wish the most popular shows (e.g. newlywed and Deal or No-Deal) were in a bigger venue.

On my last cruise I had to spend a more-than-normal amount of time at both guest services and the ShoreEx desk. Trying to scream over a loud band and not being able to hear the other person talk just added to the frustration. I do enjoy sitting up in the bar area of O'Sheehans and watching the atrium shows, but trying to accomplish anything important is hopeless.

[NightOne]

56 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

No different than any other ship on any other cruise line. No venue is big enough to accommodate every passenger for every activity. You’re not going to create a 4800 seat auditorium in case everyone wants to have a beer and listen to piano music. Nor a space for 4800 people to watch the not so newlywed game. That’s why the spread out activities across the ship at many different venues. 
 

You go on a Royal big ship and the venue for stand up comedy is the same as Headliners and The Social. 
 

It is done by design on every cruise line. 

 

Clearly every venue cannot hold the entirety of the passengers but a venue that only holds 100 people is too small for events that draw 300-500 people. Royal and Carnival do their newlywed game in their main theaters for example which allows a lot more people to attend live.

 

What I see on NCL is that every venue is way too small for what they host there. (except for Spice H20 and main theater)

 

 

 

[NightOne]

34 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

The crowded events in the Atrium can be frustrating from a couple of angles - for people trying to see the event who can't get a seat, and for people trying to move through the ship who have to fight the crowds, on multiple decks no less.  I'm not a ship designer and won't claim to know why things are designed the way they are but it wouldn't surprise me if the ship's designers are actually quite pleased with the crowded Atrium.  It creates an atmosphere of excitement that they may have desired.  

I do wish the most popular shows (e.g. newlywed and Deal or No-Deal) were in a bigger venue.

 

Maybe they do want everything to be crowded but it makes no sense to me. I was hoping someone here had insight into it.

[smplybcause]

4 minutes ago, NightOne said:

 

Clearly every venue cannot hold the entirety of the passengers but a venue that only holds 100 people is too small for events that draw 300-500 people. Royal and Carnival do their newlywed game in their main theaters for example which allows a lot more people to attend live.

 

What I see on NCL is that every venue is way too small for what they host there. (except for Spice H20 and main theater)

 

 

 

 

Except Royal's trivia is in a smaller venue than NCL. I would argue Royal's comedy club has less seats, though I think the newest Away+ hold a little less than the older ones. Dazzles isn't much bigger than Syds/Cavern likely bigger only because of the balcony and I think they're doing away with it anyways. 

[hallux]

41 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

Dazzles isn't much bigger than Syds/Cavern likely bigger only because of the balcony and I think they're doing away with it anyways

Word is that ships recently going through "Amplification" are getting the Music Hall venue I noted from the Anthem.  Anthem had the 2-deck design for that space as well.

Edited January 28, 2020 by hallux

[smplybcause]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

Word is that ships recently going through "Amplification" are getting the Music Hall venue I noted from the Anthem.  Anthem had the 2-deck design for that space as well.

 

Ah, wasn't sure if they were taking the top space or not. Though it's still not the best design. It may fit more people but you can't see the stage from half the venue. At least everywhere in syds/ cavern you can see the stage. 

[Farts]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

No different than any other ship on any other cruise line. No venue is big enough to accommodate every passenger for every activity. You’re not going to create a 4800 seat auditorium in case everyone wants to have a beer and listen to piano music. Nor a space for 4800 people to watch the not so newlywed game. That’s why the spread out activities across the ship at many different venues. 
 

You go on a Royal big ship and the venue for stand up comedy is the same as Headliners and The Social. 
 

It is done by design on every cruise line. 

 

3 hours ago, GA Dave said:

And this is no different than virtually any entertainment/vacation spot.  Themeparks do not build every attraction to hold every guest as it is not economically feasible.  They make multiple venues with many types of entertainment and try to spread the crowds over the entire facility.  Otherwise, you get what you is shown below, which was what happened when they opened Star Wars' Galaxies Edge at WDW last year.

 

Thank you the both of you and everyone. 

[luv2kroooz]

6 hours ago, NightOne said:

Can someone help me understand NCL ship design theory when it comes to the public entertainment venues.

 

Almost every single venue is undersized.

The idea was to create numerous intimate/smaller venues within the huge ship.

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

Word is that ships recently going through "Amplification" are getting the Music Hall venue I noted from the Anthem.  Anthem had the 2-deck design for that space as well.

The second deck is more of just seating with no easy way to get down to the dance floor. 
 

And venues like 270 have a rat maze to get to some of the seating and the booth-like seating takes a lot of space so the number of people that can see a slow is limited. 

[hallux]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The second deck is more of just seating with no easy way to get down to the dance floor

I recall there was a set of steps in one corner of the opening, by the bar.  It's much easier/better using that venue for activities than the Atrium on NCL, people upstairs can actually participate in activities that require going to the stage because of those steps.

 

Regarding TWO70 - yeah, the lower level can be difficult but the upper level is regular theater seating.

Edited January 29, 2020 by hallux

[raitch]

The use of the atrium for events is one of my least favorite things about Breakaway... actually, it’s probably my top complaint.  You can’t get a seat, you can’t participate, but you CAN totally clog the walkways and make it almost impossible for traffic to flow through the O’Sheehans area.  
 

People will grab one of the (few) chairs downstairs and save a couple more for friends, then sit there all day and refuse to let you use the empty chair they’re saving.  It’s like sharks circling in for the kill if you want to sit in one of them!  The second someone stands up 5 people make a beeline for it.  It’s one thing if you want to sit all day and watch all the games and presentations (great!) but if you want to nap?  Or have a conversation?  Lots of other places to do that.

[NightOne]

3 hours ago, raitch said:

The use of the atrium for events is one of my least favorite things about Breakaway... actually, it’s probably my top complaint.  You can’t get a seat, you can’t participate, but you CAN totally clog the walkways and make it almost impossible for traffic to flow through the O’Sheehans area.  
 

People will grab one of the (few) chairs downstairs and save a couple more for friends, then sit there all day and refuse to let you use the empty chair they’re saving.  It’s like sharks circling in for the kill if you want to sit in one of them!  The second someone stands up 5 people make a beeline for it.  It’s one thing if you want to sit all day and watch all the games and presentations (great!) but if you want to nap?  Or have a conversation?  Lots of other places to do that.

 

My sentiments exactly when it comes to the atrium.

 

On this last cruise on Getaway I decided I wasn't willing to give up all my time to get to the atrium hours before an event to get a seat so I just didn't go to many of the events I wanted to go to.

 

Do the smaller ships have the same issues?

 

 

[NightOne]

15 hours ago, blcruising said:

The idea was to create numerous intimate/smaller venues within the huge ship.

 

For that to work they would need to have more of them.

 

I'm beginning to think that specialty dining venues consume a lot of space and thus limits the size of these other venues.

[shof515]

20 hours ago, PATRLR said:

The crowded events in the Atrium can be frustrating from a couple of angles - for people trying to see the event who can't get a seat, and for people trying to move through the ship who have to fight the crowds, on multiple decks no less.  I'm not a ship designer and won't claim to know why things are designed the way they are but it wouldn't surprise me if the ship's designers are actually quite pleased with the crowded Atrium.  It creates an atmosphere of excitement that they may have desired.  

I do wish the most popular shows (e.g. newlywed and Deal or No-Deal) were in a bigger venue.

 

4 hours ago, raitch said:

The use of the atrium for events is one of my least favorite things about Breakaway... actually, it’s probably my top complaint.  You can’t get a seat, you can’t participate, but you CAN totally clog the walkways and make it almost impossible for traffic to flow through the O’Sheehans area.  
 

 

When i sailed on the Breakaway and Encore, my lease favorite thing about the atrium overall is noise population from O'Sheenhans.  I had times when the noisy rowdy sports fan at Osheenhans made enjoying events at the atrium impossible. very noisy that you can sometimes cant hear anything going on at the atrium. 

[raitch]

58 minutes ago, NightOne said:

Do the smaller ships have the same issues?

 

 

I never had this issue on Dawn or Gem.  

[geegee1]

On 1/28/2020 at 4:10 PM, Zippeedee said:

On my last cruise I had to spend a more-than-normal amount of time at both guest services and the ShoreEx desk. Trying to scream over a loud band and not being able to hear the other person talk just added to the frustration. I do enjoy sitting up in the bar area of O'Sheehans and watching the atrium shows, but trying to accomplish anything important is hopeless.

 

Usually we'll watch from O'Sheehans as well.  But it's not the same

 

On 1/29/2020 at 8:06 AM, raitch said:

The use of the atrium for events is one of my least favorite things about Breakaway... actually, it’s probably my top complaint.  You can’t get a seat, you can’t participate, but you CAN totally clog the walkways and make it almost impossible for traffic to flow through the O’Sheehans area.  
 

People will grab one of the (few) chairs downstairs and save a couple more for friends, then sit there all day and refuse to let you use the empty chair they’re saving.  It’s like sharks circling in for the kill if you want to sit in one of them!  The second someone stands up 5 people make a beeline for it.  It’s one thing if you want to sit all day and watch all the games and presentations (great!) but if you want to nap?  Or have a conversation?  Lots of other places to do that.

For most of the events, they are what 30 minutes long?  It's not a horribly long time to stand.  I do find it funny seeing people run for an empty chair like roaches when the lights go on.

[electro]

On 1/29/2020 at 12:11 PM, shof515 said:

 

 

When i sailed on the Breakaway and Encore, my lease favorite thing about the atrium overall is noise population from O'Sheenhans.  I had times when the noisy rowdy sports fan at Osheenhans made enjoying events at the atrium impossible. very noisy that you can sometimes cant hear anything going on at the atrium. 

I've had the opposite problem on the Breakaway, trying to have lunch or a snack at O'sheehans and the noise level from an event in the atrium was so load, couldn't carry on a conversation with my family, friends at my table.

I hate that they do all the events in the Atrium, they should be done in the theatre.

[Zippeedee]

32 minutes ago, geegee1 said:

 

Usually we'll watch from O'Sheehans as well.  But it's not the same

 

For most of the events, they are what 30 minutes long?  It's not a horribly long time to stand.  I do find it funny seeing people run for an empty chair like roaches when the lights go on.

Maybe that is not a long time for you to stand. Good for you and your good knees. Not everyone is that lucky. Just because you can't see a disability doesn't mean it isn't there.