Back in June we asked if the Norwegian Epic entertainment model would go industry wide, and among the newest mega-ships, that seems to be the case. The Tony award winning musical Chicago recently made its seven-seas debut aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas.
The question more and more cruise execs are asking themselves is if they’d be willing to pay to see their shows if it wasn’t the only option within a couple hundred miles (…by boat). They’re looking for shows that have a history of doing well on land, and adapting them to a cruise ship stage.
I’m glad that there is high-quality adult entertainment on board the Allure – since most of the attention seems to be going to the Dreamworks deal that made Shrek and Donkey residents on the ship. This is great for families, but not everyone’s cup of tea, so it’s good to see the high-quality entertainment options rounded out.
So now that the original question has been party answered, the new question is whether the quality will trickle down to the ‘average’ ships. Carnival has stuck with their mix of musical review shows with one or two featured vocalists – but hasn’t yet pulled off a big, well-known production aside from some musical-themed cruises with big name artists. Carnival would likely say that affordability is a big part of their line’s mission, and that such shows come with costly royalties and expenses. Maybe they’ll debut something big with their newest Dream Class ship Magic? We’ll see.
In the meantime, below is a video from the opening of Chicago on board Allure during a preview cruise. Enjoy!