Princess vs HAL Entertainment (or any other thoughts on Princess Ent)

[SakeDad]

I have been a passenger and Stage Manager on HAL, as well as a pax on NCL and RCCL. I am interested to hear how the entertainment options compare. Specifically between HAL and Princess, but I welcome all thoughts on Princess entertainment as I'm looking to cruise with them soon and this is an important area of interest to me. After all, I make my living in entertainment so how it is on the cruise can and will impact my vacation. Thanks in advance!!:)

[royalcruz]

Based on my limited experience, here were my observations:

 

Princess theatres offer production shows, comedians, jugglers, hypnotists, etc. I think I read here that some of the ships are offering the same production shows 2 nights in a row, as the theatres do not hold enough passengers and they are only doing shows once a night. If this is true, this is disappointing, as the shows are the highlight of my cruises. On the Caribbean Princess in 2007 and 2008, there was so much entertainment offered that we often had to make choices of where to go in the evening. In the lounges, there were Princess Pop Star (a kareoke competition), bands, piano bar, trivia, and game shows.

 

HAL isn't as lively, the kareoke singers sing much older songs than I am interested in listening to, and the passengers get to the lounges long before the events start to save seats. I didn't find any of the entertainment memorable.

 

Neither line offers late night entertainment, but Princess discos continue after midnight, at least.

[CaliJohn]

I haven't cruised on HAL, but my daughter was the F1 production singer on the Amsterdam and is currently the F1 on the Grand Princess. Princess (at least the Grand class ships) offers larger theaters with bigger casts and more elaborate production shows.

 

As mentioned, to accommodate capacity crowds on the Grand a few cruises ago, production shows were repeated two nights in a row with two shows per night. And a few times, 3 shows a day were performed.

[mrmac]

As RoyalCruz said Princess has far more going on than HAL with many more & better facilities. There are lots of opportunities to dance or listen to different types of music, live and DJ. I have an entertainment background too and I find Princess' entertainment to be the best of all the cruiselines. (We did have gorgeous and talented singers and dancers on the Ryndam in November however.) I remember the singers and dancers from years ago on Carnival were more suited to the buffet and bingo games they also had to run. The showroom talent on all the lines is much more professional these days.

[Coral]

I had excellent entertainment on my Oosterdam (Joel Mason and an Olympic Gymnast) but from what I understand, Princess has generally better entertainment. Though that was not my experience - I loved the entertainment on HAL.

[shopperwhite]

i think the entertainment shows were much better on hal... i just got off the grand and found the production shows not up to snuff. the singer they had on his own was very good, one comedian was ok the other terrible. i found on hal the productions were much more polished and professional....

[Druke I]

The older HAL ships have theaters with flat floors - sight lines are not very good.

 

A gross generalization perhaps, but Princess seems to have more options for entertainment at any given moment.

[momphoto]

We were on the Oosterdam a few years ago and the only entertainment show I can remember is a comedian and that is because he pulled me on stage.

On our recent Ruby cruise we loved the production shows and comedians. We were very impressed and even my teenage son loved it, so it must be good!! lol

[cruz chic]

I've cruised HAL a lot and I think the entertainment is much better on Princess.

[KKMKEM]

My daughter is heavily involved in high school theater. I would rather sit through the worst show she has ever been in than a HAL production show.

On our cruise Christmas 2007 the lead singer was kicked off the ship and a back up dancer lip synced. This Christmas I walked out of two shows. Our trip to Alaska is back on Princess because I like good entertainment. I miss the old Sitmar shows where people sand and danced live. I love live theater.

[CaliJohn]

I miss the old Sitmar shows where people sand and danced live. I love live theater.

 

With one exception, there are no Princess production show numbers (at least on the Grand) where the singing isn't "live". In the Motor City show, the Supremes' tribute requires 3 singers so a dancer lipsyncs to a recorded track.

 

Unlike HAL, Princess does not use a talent agency and personally auditions & hires its production show casts. Training and rehearsals are also held at Princesses' own facilities. Theoretically, this allows tighter control over talent selection and casting. Of course, performances vary due to group chemistry and individual abilities so no two are alike.

[SakeDad]

Thanks everyone!:D Sounds like I'll really enjoy the entertainment on Princess should I go with them.

[Ando]

To summarise our experiences of the production shows on Princess & HAL:

 

Princess - live orchestra, multiple set changes, elaborate costumes, enthusiastic performers, excellent :D

 

HAL (Volendam) - backing tracks created on a keyboard only, no set changes ever, bland costuming, dull performances, so terrible we didnt even bother with the 3rd production show :(

 

Princess say they spend $1m developing a show. I think HAL spent about $1000 :rolleyes:

[Longtime Cruiser]

We have cruised for many years. In the cruise industry, HAL is know for terrible entertainment. Any HAL cruise we have been on, HAL lived up to that reputation. We were on the Eurodam in January 2009--one of our best cruises, if not the best. However, the main entertainment was horrible. We spent all our time in the piano bar--which was always crowded due to other passengers with the same thoughts.

 

Steven

[2Ports]

Sailed 5 lines - Princess has the best overall entertainment, most choices, and by far the best main production room shows of all. Far and AWAY the best lighting; been doing it for a living for 35+ years, so I'm pretty sure about that... :p

 

I always manage to get to know the crews, some of the cast, usually the dance captains onboard fairly quickly (often enough I already know someone from my work around thre country) as well as doing shows with shipboard entertainers in the "real" ;) world. They all without exception say Princess is the line they most prefer to work on.

 

I realize this is a somewhat different POV than most, but then so is yours...

 

BTW - a good (or great) stage manager is worth at least twice their weight in gold - at $1k/oz!!

[robsaw]

With one exception, there are no Princess production show numbers (at least on the Grand) where the singing isn't "live". In the Motor City show, the Supremes' tribute requires 3 singers so a dancer lipsyncs to a recorded track.

 

A slight clarification - the lead singers are "live". There is a huge amount of pre-recorded backing vocal tracks used, which isn't surprising given that high-energy dancing and good-singing aren't easy to combine.

[CaliJohn]

Hmmm. Didn't recall a "huge amount of pre-recorded backing vocal tracks" on our Grand Princess cruise last year so I asked my daughter about it.

 

She's crossing the Atlantic and responded just now; "There are a couple of pre-recorded background tracks but not many! Besides the Supremes number, I know Superstition and probably 2 or 3 others, that's about it!"

 

Now for other ships with shows she hasn't performed, things could be different.

[wishful thinking]

Hmmm. Didn't recall a "huge amount of pre-recorded backing vocal tracks" on our Grand Princess cruise last year so I asked my daughter about it.

 

She's crossing the Atlantic and responded just now; "There are a couple of pre-recorded background tracks but not many! Besides the Supremes number, I know Superstition and probably 2 or 3 others, that's about it!"

 

Now for other ships with shows she hasn't performed, things could be different.

 

Hi calijohn. Hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread but would love to hear from you via email. It's in my signature!

[CaliJohn]

wishful thinking - email sent.

[dmlee1990]

Just recently off the Westerdam, and the shows were excellent. Here was the line-up: Joel Mason (an Elton John impressionist), Max Elliott (Comedian) and Leo Ward (Illusionist).

 

Joel Mason always has a great show. He has some of Elton John's original costumes. Leo Ward was amazing! Max Elliot was hilarious. The HAL singers and dancers were very good too. Some songs they sang were older ones, but they also sang some songs from Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance and some other newer broadway shows. The dancers were excellent......acrobatic-like. I don't feel that it was just catering to the "older" crowd. There were lots of families and younger couples in the crowd and each act received standing ovations.

 

We will be sailing on Princess in August, so I hope the shows will be as good as the ones we've seen on HAL. Since Princess has larger ships, with more showrooms, they are probably able to have a greater variety of shows. I will be disappointed if they repeat shows during the same week we are on board. We enjoy attending a nightly show after dinner.

[themerle]

I prefer the entertainment on Princess over HAL.

[MacThespian]

Sailed 5 lines - Princess has the best overall entertainment, most choices, and by far the best main production room shows of all. Far and AWAY the best lighting; been doing it for a living for 35+ years, so I'm pretty sure about that... :p

 

I always manage to get to know the crews, some of the cast, usually the dance captains onboard fairly quickly (often enough I already know someone from my work around thre country) as well as doing shows with shipboard entertainers in the "real" ;) world. They all without exception say Princess is the line they most prefer to work on.

 

I realize this is a somewhat different POV than most, but then so is yours...

 

BTW - a good (or great) stage manager is worth at least twice their weight in gold - at $1k/oz!!

 

I've stage managed a lot in community theatre (which I realize is nowhere near professional work) and now primarily work as a stage director there. Your "BTW" is right on the mark--even more so in community theatre when you're dealing with a lot of people who don't have the level of experience or knowledge you get professionally.

 

One of the first things I do when entering any venue that's new to me, whether a high school auditorium or a cruise ship, is take a look at the available equipment. As you can imagine, I'm used to dealing with limited equipment and a very limited budget, so seeing what's possible in a professional setting is really interesting. I've been fortunate enough to set up individual backstage tours with techies on some of the cruises I've been on (and I've taken the organized ones when they were available also). It's a great way for me to learn, and to see techniques that I can try to use with my more limited capabilities.

 

I'm looking forward to my first cruise on Princess, and seeing what's done there. Your post is getting me more excited than ever. Thanks.