Carnival Shows - slight rant

[groundloop]

I've been sailing a lot since the restart, mostly on Carnival.  One of the things I've always told people I like about Carnival are the Playlist Productions shows.

 

One big downside though is that there's not much variety in shows across the fleet.  For instance, I'm on Miracle right now for a 15 day trip to Hawaii and all the Playlist shows which are scheduled for this trip I've seen at least twice before even though I've never been on Miracle.

 

I get why they don't change up shows very often on a particular ship, besides the choreography it would be a lot of work to build new sets etc.  But what I don't understand is why Carnival can't work in more shows throughout the fleet to keep each ship more or less unique.

 

Maybe someone in the know like @Saint Gregg can chime in with something on this.

[momof3cruisers]

I can give you a slight answer from the mom of someone who auditioned for production cast. They hold auditions and then rehearsals in fairly large groups. Sometimes, it’s just one cast member who gets sent to a ship to replace someone leaving for various reasons. When the shows are the same, that cast member is ready to go upon boarding. They also rehire talent who already know the choreography etc. Having the same shows streamlines the whole process.  This is what she was told at the callbacks. (She didn’t get cast.)
 

But it sure would be nice if they changed things up. The cast gets bored of doing the same shows too. 

[DallasGuy75219]

32 minutes ago, momof3cruisers said:

I can give you a slight answer from the mom of someone who auditioned for production cast. They hold auditions and then rehearsals in fairly large groups. Sometimes, it’s just one cast member who gets sent to a ship to replace someone leaving for various reasons. When the shows are the same, that cast member is ready to go upon boarding. They also rehire talent who already know the choreography etc. Having the same shows streamlines the whole process.  This is what she was told at the callbacks. (She didn’t get cast.)
 

But it sure would be nice if they changed things up. The cast gets bored of doing the same shows too. 

My understanding is that the cast generally rotates on and off a ship (begins and ends their contract) together. Carnival built a facility somewhere in Florida for all the same cast going to the same ship to rehearse on land together.  This reduces the number of cruises Carnival has to pay, house, feed, etc. both the old and new cast simultaneously while the new cast learns all the new shows, basically learning one show a week and slowly taking over shows from the old cast onboard.

 

However I can see the benefit to have a limited number of canned shows so Carnival can send someone who already knows that show to replace someone going off contract early, without having to cancel the entire show until the new cast member gets up to speed.

[DallasGuy75219]

57 minutes ago, momof3cruisers said:

I can give you a slight answer from the mom of someone who auditioned for production cast. They hold auditions and then rehearsals in fairly large groups. Sometimes, it’s just one cast member who gets sent to a ship to replace someone leaving for various reasons. When the shows are the same, that cast member is ready to go upon boarding. They also rehire talent who already know the choreography etc. Having the same shows streamlines the whole process.  This is what she was told at the callbacks. (She didn’t get cast.)
 

But it sure would be nice if they changed things up. The cast gets bored of doing the same shows too. 

My understanding is that the cast now generally rotates on and off a ship (begins and ends their contract) together. Carnival built a facility somewhere in Florida for all the same cast going to the same ship to rehearse on land together.  This reduces the number of cruises Carnival has to pay, house, feed, etc. both the old and new cast simultaneously while the new cast learns all the new shows on the ship, basically learning one show a week and slowly taking over shows from the old cast onboard.

 

However I can see the benefit to have a limited number of canned shows so Carnival can send someone who already knows that show to replace someone going off contract early, without having to cancel the entire show until the new cast member gets up to speed.

 

Meanwhile Royal Carrobean can manage to put a Broadway caliber show on a single ship.

[shof515]

before the carnival playlist production, back in the day each ship had unique shows in the theater. i kind of miss some of those shows

[ShakyBeef]

55 minutes ago, shof515 said:

before the carnival playlist production, back in the day each ship had unique shows in the theater. i kind of miss some of those shows

 

Yep, I remember when Playlist was the new cutback for the nightly Main Theatre shows.  A huge cutback.  But now, Playlist is all there is and all there has been for a long time (other than game shows in which passengers are the free entertainment).

[Moviela]

Producing live stage shows are not as easy to do compared to 50 years ago when the music was live, lighting was done by a man with a dozen levers, and there were maybe 4 mics. Now you need a conductor to rehearse the band, record the entire musical component and turn it over to the audio chief. He mixes the music opening and ducking the sound depending on the voice actors and singers. Then the lighting designers have to block and set lights for each moment, and record the lighting cues so they execute in sync with the recorded band. Each of those people are very expensive, as is the director and hoofer wrangler. Then the cast needs to work with the recorded portions of the show. They learn the cues and where to dance. Only then can they step on stage. 

 

• On the ship the technical director pushes a button and music, mics, & lights start. The cast comes to life and spends the next 30 to 45 minutes acting their little hearts outs. 

 

To keep it within budget they need the same show in many theaters for an extended time.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Moviela

[JT1962]

Many on these boards cruise often, so they get tired of seeing the same shows multiple times, but they are not the average cruiser. Seventy-five percent of Americans have never take a cruise and the average cruiser takes a cruise once every 3 1/2 years, so they are unlikely to see the same shows multiple times. 

 

“ A quarter of US citizens have taken a cruise vacation.”

1.  

“Cruisers average about 3.5 years between cruise vacations.”

 

https://highseascruising.com/cruise-ship-facts-and-figures/

[Saint Greg]

6 hours ago, groundloop said:

Maybe someone in the know like @Saint Gregg can chime in with something on this.

I’m sure overall Carnival looks at the numbers and knows that half of the people on most ships are blue or red cards who haven’t been on many if any ships. That’s what I think they cater to.

 

It looks like you had a couple shows that are on 8 ships. But two that are only on 5 ships.

if you want to try to find a ship with shows you haven’t seen, this page could help.

 

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/playlist-productions/

 

 

[Saint Greg]

5 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

My understanding is that the cast now generally rotates on and off a ship (begins and ends their contract) together. Carnival built a facility somewhere in Florida for all the same cast going to the same ship to rehearse on land together.  This reduces the number of cruises Carnival has to pay, house, feed, etc. both the old and new cast simultaneously while the new cast learns all the new shows on the ship, basically learning one show a week and slowly taking over shows from the old cast onboard.

 

That’s true. We had a Q&A with the playlist cast on Magic a couple weeks ago and I think it was two or three months that they rehearsed in Florida. Then this contract is 9 months which they said is on the long side as far as their contracts go.

[jsglow]

Think of it this way.  Lady Gaga at one end and Wayne Newton at the other end do their same show on the Vegas strip every night.  (Yes, I know Gaga has two different shows.)  Only the customers change.  Carnival is simply NOT going to have unique shows on each ship.  Ridiculously expensive and impractical simply to placate the relative handful of super frequent cruisers..

[luv2trvlnow]

I remember back when the Playlist shows started.  It was said that this would allow Carnival to change the shows more frequently than the production shows.  They were using a lot of screens so not as much backdrops and props needed.  This way they could keep things fresh and not have the same shows all the time.  Just shows that wasn't the case

[DallasGuy75219]

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

 

Yep, I remember when Playlist was the new cutback for the nightly Main Theatre shows.  A huge cutback.  But now, Playlist is all there is and all there has been for a long time (other than game shows in which passengers are the free entertainment).

Originally Playlist cut down the number of performers (and completely cut out live musicians). Since they've further cut down the number of Playlist performers on each ship to a bare minimum.

[havanadaydreaming]

i must admit i prefer the NCL shows (broadway plays) to CCL shows.  that said, they're certainly enjoyable.   

 

i do get a kick out of selecting NCL cruises and learning what ships have which entertainment options.  

[ninjacat123]

DH and I saw Epic Rock on Sunshine, which I have seen a couple times in the 6 cruises I've taken this year.  Most of the elements were the same but there was this one male performer who added a different, more comedic edge to the production.  I really enjoyed this minimal yet effective addition to Epic Rock's story.

[jimbo5544]

Carnival beleives more in total ship entertainment than in “show” entertainment.

[groundloop]

1 hour ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Originally Playlist cut down the number of performers (and completely cut out live musicians). Since they've further cut down the number of Playlist performers on each ship to a bare minimum.

 

I'm not sure that's correct.  I've been cruising since 2018 and there have always been 8 performers (except for a few times when Covid forced them to do shows short-handed).  Maybe they used to have more than 8, but I doubt it.

 

[jimbo5544]

18 minutes ago, groundloop said:

 

I'm not sure that's correct.  I've been cruising since 2018 and there have always been 8 performers (except for a few times when Covid forced them to do shows short-handed).  Maybe they used to have more than 8, but I doubt it.

 

You are correct, but facts would ruin the point….I guess.

[notscb]

4 hours ago, Moviela said:

On the ship the technical director pushes a button and music, mics, & lights start.

 

On most ships it's certainly automated to an extent, but not that far. There's generally still a technician at audio, carp, lighting, ME, etc. to ensure safety and operation.

 

To keep on budget, (to add to your point as well), licensing these days is extremely expensive. Carnival might not be looking to invest as heavily in this for the rights to the songs or show they choose to use as their production.

[Joebucks]

3 hours ago, jsglow said:

Think of it this way.  Lady Gaga at one end and Wayne Newton at the other end do their same show on the Vegas strip every night.  (Yes, I know Gaga has two different shows.)  Only the customers change.  Carnival is simply NOT going to have unique shows on each ship.  Ridiculously expensive and impractical simply to placate the relative handful of super frequent cruisers..

 

Some people have no view of the world other than what they want. For another example, a big name comedian may tour an entire country for a year. They will only do one show. It's a significant time and effort to get that one show ready.

[jsglow]

1 hour ago, notscb said:

 

On most ships it's certainly automated to an extent, but not that far. There's generally still a technician at audio, carp, lighting, ME, etc. to ensure safety and operation.

 

To keep on budget, (to add to your point as well), licensing these days is extremely expensive. Carnival might not be looking to invest as heavily in this for the rights to the songs or show they choose to use as their production.

Excellent point.  We have a close friend who is the lead choreographer for a touring summer show called Kids from Wisconsin.  Representing the best youth artists from across the state ages about 16-21, they produce a 2 hour plus show each summer that tours and then culminates at State Fair.  It's run for over 50 years.  We've met musicians on Carnival that are Kids alums.  Anyway, much of the show planning is driven by the cost of licensing rights relative to other necessary expenditures like costumes, lodging, etc.  It's all a balancing act and they've gone up dramatically as you say. 

[Viajera7]

17 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I’m sure overall Carnival looks at the numbers and knows that half of the people on most ships are blue or red cards who haven’t been on many if any ships. That’s what I think they cater to.

 

It looks like you had a couple shows that are on 8 ships. But two that are only on 5 ships.

if you want to try to find a ship with shows you haven’t seen, this page could help.

 

https://www.saintgregtravel.com/playlist-productions/

 

 

Thanks for posting this. I was on the Valor twice this year and I didn’t want to repeat those shows on my 2 Carnival cruises next month. I have been on 3 NCL cruises and 2 RCI cruises this year in 5 different ships and all the shows were different. If they could do it, why can’t Carnival do it. So I am so glad that you posted the Carnival productions. 👏

[DallasGuy75219]

4 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

 I have been on 3 NCL cruises and 2 RCI cruises this year in 5 different ships and all the shows were different. If they could do it, why can’t Carnival do it.

Because Carnival won't spend the money to do it.

[Saint Greg]

5 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

I have been on 3 NCL cruises and 2 RCI cruises this year in 5 different ships and all the shows were different. If they could do it, why can’t Carnival do it. So I am so glad that you posted the Carnival productions. 👏

They definitely have a better show/ship ratio. But I’ll say this…you’ve gotten lucky not having any repeats. I know breakaway and getaway are the two ships I’ve seen out of New Orleans in recent years. If I went on both of those two of the three shows would’ve been the same. 
 

But then my question is how long have those shows been running? Carnival switched to the playlist shows since I’ve been cruising which is only 8 years. That means the shows I saw on elation in 2014 and triumph (now sunrise) in 2017 are all different now. Is it better if a show on NCL/RCL is unique but has been running for 20 years? (I have no idea how long they’ve been running)
 

Hopefully carnival keeps adding shows and gets that show/ship ratio down…But while they do have some unique shows, NCL does have the same show on up to 3 ships and RCL in some cases has the same show on up to 4 ships.

 

Edited September 17, 2022 by Saint Greg

[jimbo5544]

20 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

They definitely have a better show/ship ratio. But I’ll say this…you’ve gotten lucky not having any repeats. I know breakaway and getaway are the two ships I’ve seen out of New Orleans in recent years. If I went on both of those two of the three shows would’ve been the same. 
 

But then my question is how long have those shows been running? Carnival switched to the playlist shows since I’ve been cruising which is only 8 years. That means the shows I saw on elation in 2014 and triumph (now sunrise) in 2017 are all different now. Is it better if a show on NCL/RCL is unique but has been running for 20 years? (I have no idea how long they’ve been running)
 

Hopefully carnival keeps adding shows and gets that show/ship ratio down…But while they do have some unique shows, NCL does have the same show on up to 3 ships and RCL in some cases has the same show on up to 4 ships.

 

If you cruise regularly like you and a lesser extent we do, no matter what you do, you will see duplicates.  The only off broadway version show I saw on a cruise ship worth of watching was Jersey Boys on NCL Bliss.  Some of the others were….painful.  Carnival’s show are different some better than others.