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Cruise: Sea Stars
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From stand-up comedy to high-tech LCD projections to murder mysteries, cruise ships are upping the entertainment ante
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BY JOHN NEWTON
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| “Once Upon a Dream” aboard Princess Cruises; a Royal Court Theatre performance on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. |
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The Vegas–style musical extravaganza, with its big dance numbers and sequined performers, has long been a mainstay of the cruise experience. And while cruise lines still offer these elaborate spectacles, they’re also venturing in new directions. Here, highlights of this season’s entertainment calendar at sea.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Passengers aboard the newest Carnival ship, the Dream, will want to check out Dancin’ in the Street. This show brings a gritty, urban edge onboard, with hip-hop numbers, break-dancing acts and innovative video projection effects. There’s also an outdoor laser show accompanied by rock music, and the more traditional, Motown–inspired Get Ready.
Celebrity Cruises
At around 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit, it doesn’t get much hotter than the molten glass in the Hot Glass Show aboard Celebrity’s Solstice, presented in collaboration with the Corning Museum of Glass. Passengers can watch glassblowers create works of art in the cruise world’s only onboard glassblowing studio. On Celebrity’s Equinox, a 1,115-seat theater comes close to creating a theater-in-the-round experience, thanks to its curved stage and the absence of an orchestra pit. It’s an ideal venue for Equinox: The Show, a contemporary European circus extravaganza in the vein of Cirque du Soleil.
Crystal Cruises
This upscale line’s new series, Experiences of Discovery: Emerging Artists, presents young artists at the start of promising careers—classical pianists and violinists, and singers, both operatic and non-classical. A more traditional musical revue celebrates the songs of the British invasion. Across the Pond: From the UK to the USA includes numbers by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Petula Clark and others that will appeal to anyone nostalgic for the days of Swinging London.
Cunard Line
The Queen Elizabeth, which launched last October, can claim a cruise-industry first: a resident theater company. Its 29 singers, dancers, actors and musicians will perform musical productions and abridged versions of theatrical works in the ship’s 832-seat Royal Court Theatre. On the schedule: Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, as well as more accessible numbers by Neil Simon and Hotel Royale, a musical set in a grand hotel that’s seen better days. Musical and dance productions are also staged in the Royal Court Theatres aboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.
Holland America Line
Holland America is one of the leaders in the shift to more intimate cruise entertainment. Its Showrooms at Sea, aboard the Veendam, Rotterdam, Statendam and Ryndam, have replaced the ships’ old lounges with shows and themed atmospheres that change nightly. Aboard the line’s newest ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam (which also has a Showroom at Sea), Cantaré—a quartet of male vocalists—performs favorites from several decades.
Norwegian Cruise Lines
The idea of a murder on a ship might seem more like the basis of a thriller than a comedy routine. But in the hands of the famous Second City comedians, it’s all in good fun. During Presumed Murdered, passengers determine the victim and then grill the remaining actors, er, suspects. Scott Turow, author of Presumed Innocent, helped develop the story lines; this year the show is being performed on six of the line’s ships.
Second City (whose famous alumni include Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Mike Myers) now has comedy troupes aboard seven Norwegian ships; their improv performances are nuttily unpredictable and heavy on audience participation. Remember, they’re laughing with you.
Princess Cruises
In our American Idol culture, who doesn’t dream of their 15 minutes of fame? On all but its three smallest ships, Princess Cruises gives passengers a chance to shine with So You Wanna Be a Rock Star?, in which guests can sing with a live band. Oceans of Talent puts audience members on stage to play instruments or show off their comedic skills.
If the mere idea of performing gives you stage fright, you’ll be relieved to know that two new Princess shows let you stay in your seat: Broadway Ballroom pairs hits from musicals with choreographed dance numbers, and Once Upon a Dream uses cinematic projections as its protagonist travels through dreamscapes from the Palace of Versailles to the Sahara Desert.
Royal Caribbean International
After the success of Hairspray aboard the Oasis of the Seas, next up is Saturday Night Fever, which premieres on the Liberty of the Seas in April. And passengers on the Allure of the Seas, which set sail in December 2010, can see a Broadway-worthy production of Chicago. This mega-ship is also the showcase for a new collaboration between Royal Caribbean and DreamWorks. Costumed characters from Madagascar, Shrek and Kung Fu Panda parade around the ship at scheduled times, and also put on water shows with human acrobats, divers and swimmers. There are plenty of chances to sit back and enjoy the show—and isn’t taking a cruise supposed to be all about relaxing?
Let RCI book your next cruise. To learn more about RCI’s cruising options, visit cruiserci.com or call 877-RCI-BOAT (877-724-2628).
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: Spring 2011
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Photos: Princess Cruises; Cunard Line
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