Aladdin on Wish vs. Fantasy

[leannak]

Is the Aladdin show on the Wish exactly the same as the one on the Fantasy?

 

[happycamper47]

99% exactly.

 

[Cfabar1]

Is it similar to the Broadway show or more similar to the movie? What is the runtime?

 

[anricat]

Is it similar to the Broadway show or more similar to the movie? What is the runtime?

It's more smilier to the movie in that the three friends aren't in it. But the monkey isn't in it. And it doesn't have any of the new songs in it that were in the Broadway show ("Proud of Your Boy" and obviously none of the ones that have the friends like "High Adventure"). All the shows in the Walt Disney Theatre are about an hour.

 

[leannak]

Any opinions on which one has the better Genie? Or the other characters?

 

[anricat]

Any opinions on which one has the better Genie? Or the other characters?

The casts rotate in and out over a span of time so the Genie from the Fantasy 6 months ago may not be the Genie now. That said, every Genie we've seen has been phenomenal. And they add fresh jokes, too! Honestly, we have yet to see any show that didn't have a fabulous cast on a DCL cruise.

 

[kiford]

It's been a while since we saw it last on the Fantasy but we saw it recently on the Wish and I'd say some of the differences were in the staging. The theatre seems to have more technology both in terms of projections, moving set pieces, backdrops and trapdoor/entrance/exit points that give it the ability to do a bit more than the one we saw on the Fantasy, Of course, because it's been a long time since we saw in on the Fantasy, they may have upgraded some of that technology but I think that the Wish was built explicitly to accommodate that so may have more functionality than the Fantasy as a result. What I do remember from both, though, was that the "carpet" and the Genie stole the show and that they clearly used some of their best performers in those parts.

 

[anricat]

It's been a while since we saw it last on the Fantasy but we saw it recently on the Wish and I'd say some of the differences were in the staging. The theatre seems to have more technology both in terms of projections, moving set pieces, backdrops and trapdoor/entrance/exit points that give it the ability to do a bit more than the one we saw on the Fantasy, Of course, because it's been a long time since we saw in on the Fantasy, they may have upgraded some of that technology but I think that the Wish was built explicitly to accommodate that so may have more functionality than the Fantasy as a result. What I do remember from both, though, was that the "carpet" and the Genie stole the show and that they clearly used some of their best performers in those parts.

Ah yes! I can't believe I forgot the carpet! The carpet is such a great character in the stage show on DCL. Clearly a former gymnast and has so much energy!

 

[Disney_David]

The Genie on the Wish in early March was phenomenal!!! He was the standout!!

Magic carpet was great too.

I’d love to know who he was as ge was outstanding

 

[brentm77]

I was not impressed on the Fantasy a few weeks ago. I hate to put anyone down in the creative process, but it seemed about the equivalent to a high school production. I had remembered it being better on previous sailings, but I admit that it could because my kids are grown now and I am not watching it through their eyes.

The acting was not good for most of the parts and the writing was really bad. The Genie's jokes didn't land, but in particular, the parts where they changed the story from the movie were amateurish. I agreed with the message they were trying to convey with the changes, but the execution was not up to Disney/Broadway quality standards.

Between that and a really bad variety act on another night, we ended up skipping the theater most of the cruise. But that turned out for the best, because it really opened our evenings and made them more enjoyable. All that said, if I had young kids, they would have still loved it.

 

[Disney_David]

Well dang. We’re booke

I was not impressed on the Fantasy a few weeks ago. I hate to put anyone down in the creative process, but it seemed about the equivalent to a high school production. I had remembered it being better on previous sailings, but I admit that it could because my kids are grown now and I am not watching it through their eyes.

The acting was not good for most of the parts and the writing was really bad. The Genie's jokes didn't land, but in particular, the parts where they changed the story from the movie were amateurish. I agreed with the message they were trying to convey with the changes, but the execution was not up to Disney/Broadway quality standards.

Between that and a really bad variety act on another night, we ended up skipping the theater most of the cruise. But that turned out for the best, because it really opened our evenings and made them more enjoyable. All that said, if I had young kids, they would have still loved it.

Well dang! We’re booked on the Fantasy next month. We didn’t do a whole bunch of things on the Wish, but Aladdin was one of, if not the standout of all of the things we did on the cruise.

We don’t have kids, so we were watching it through adult eyes! There was another couple next to us, in their 30s with no kids, and they commented on how amazing it was. Everyone was whooping and a hollering at the end.

Do they rotate the actors/actresses around ships? Or do the save the best for the Wish?!

 

[brentm77]

Well dang. We’re booke

Well dang! We’re booked on the Fantasy next month. We didn’t do a whole bunch of things, but Aladdin was one of, if not the standout of all of the things we did on the cruise.

We don’t have kids, so we were watching it through adult eyes! There was another couple next to us, in the 30s with no kids, and they commented on how amazing it was. Everyone was whooping and a hollering at the end.

Do they rotate the actors/actresses around ships? Or do the save the best for the Wish?!

I believe they do rotate the actors. It is very possible we saw it on an off night too, because years ago we really liked it. I remember finding the genie very funny in the past, whereas this time, I don't think I laughed once.

Another thing that may have thrown off the experience was the crowd. I try to go-with-the-flow and not let other people bother me, but I have never had such a bad crowd during a theater experience before. It started with a woman absolutely throwing a fit because she arrived last-minute and wanted to sit on one of the main stairways. The cast member politely explained that she couldn't sit there, but could stand in the back, to which she replied in her most shocked voice (I kid you not), "my daddy would never let me stand in the theater!" She then created a scene because someone behind us was saving one seat because their kid was coming late form the club, calling them liars, saying they had been saving it for a long time and nobody was really coming, etc. The poor cast member was trying to help her, asking people if seats were taken, etc. Someone finally put their kid on their lap so she would sit down and stop interrupting the show. But then we had kids around us who were crying loud and long and talking in a full voice without any attempt by their parents to remove them or quiet them down. I am fully aware of the fact that I am at a kids show on a kid-heavy cruise, and completely expect some noise, but it was at a level I had never heard before, where it was hard to hear the actors at times. I know we would have helped our child understand the importance of at least whispering, and would have immediately removed a crying child. It seems most people used to at least try, but not the crowd on this cruise. Then about half way through the show, the man behind us decided to start explaining everything to his kid who wanted to leave, in full voice, so we got a running commentary like, "what did she just do? Is he going to kiss her? Watch, they are going to fly..."

So, it was not an ideal theater experience, which may have also put me in the mood to be overly critical. But even my mom who had never been on a Disney cruise, and was being so positive about everything we did, commented on how it wasn't very good. I hope your experience is a lot better and the production is better than I have represented!

 

[emmabelle]

saw the Wish one in September, the Fantasy one last week and the Genie jokes were different to me. Jafar was better on the Fantasy and the Magic Carpet was better on the Wish. All in all both shows were really good.

 

[RedHead0186]

saw the Wish one in September, the Fantasy one last week and the Genie jokes were different to me. Jafar was better on the Fantasy and the Magic Carpet was better on the Wish. All in all both shows were really good.

I get the sense the Genie is given some latitude to ad-lib the jokes. I've seen Aladdin three times (twice on the Fantasy and once on the Wish), and his jokes were different each time (but all amazing!). He really does make the show (regardless of the ship).

My favorite Genie joke from my Wish cruise a couple weeks ago: "I can't bring anybody back from the dead, but I can get Hugh Jackman to come back for Deadpool 3!"

 

[emmabelle]

I get the sense the Genie is given some latitude to ad-lib the jokes. I've seen Aladdin three times (twice on the Fantasy and once on the Wish), and his jokes were different each time (but all amazing!). He really does make the show (regardless of the ship.

My favorite Genie joke from my Wish cruise a couple weeks ago: "I can't bring anybody back from the dead, but I can get Hugh Jackman to come back for Deadpool 3!"

he had a Harry and Meghan joke that was funny, I can't remember it though

 

[mmouse37]

I believe they do rotate the actors. It is very possible we saw it on an off night too, because years ago we really liked it. I remember finding the genie very funny in the past, whereas this time, I don't think I laughed once.

Another thing that may have thrown off the experience was the crowd. I try to go-with-the-flow and not let other people bother me, but I have never had such a bad crowd during a theater experience before. It started with a woman absolutely throwing a fit because she arrived last-minute and wanted to sit on one of the main stairways. The cast member politely explained that she couldn't sit there, but could stand in the back, to which she replied in her most shocked voice (I kid you not), "my daddy would never let me stand in the theater!" She then created a scene because someone behind us was saving one seat because their kid was coming late form the club, calling them liars, saying they had been saving it for a long time and nobody was really coming, etc. The poor cast member was trying to help her, asking people if seats were taken, etc. Someone finally put their kid on their lap so she would sit down and stop interrupting the show. But then we had kids around us who were crying loud and long and talking in a full voice without any attempt by their parents to remove them or quiet them down. I am fully aware of the fact that I am at a kids show on a kid-heavy cruise, and completely expect some noise, but it was at a level I had never heard before, where it was hard to hear the actors at times. I know we would have helped our child understand the importance of at least whispering, and would have immediately removed a crying child. It seems most people used to at least try, but not the crowd on this cruise. Then about half way through the show, the man behind us decided to start explaining everything to his kid who wanted to leave, in full voice, so we got a running commentary like, "what did she just do? Is he going to kiss her? Watch, they are going to fly..."

So, it was not an ideal theater experience, which may have also put me in the mood to be overly critical. But even my mom who had never been on a Disney cruise, and was being so positive about everything we did, commented on how it wasn't very good. I hope your experience is a lot better and the production is better than I have represented!

We sailed the Fantasy on March 4 and our main stage cast was excellent. Each show was wonderful. I believe they were switching over soon after our cruise to a new cast as I am pretty sure they were onboard watching the shows each night. I know the main stage cast stays several months on each ship. Sorry your cast wasn't up to par. We thought ours was fantastic.

MJ

 

[tidefan]

I really wish they would have distinct shows for each ship. Repeating Aladdin (which is fine one time, but after seeing it a couple times, it gets a bit old) seems a bit lazy on DCL's part to me...

 

[kiford]

I really wish they would have distinct shows for each ship. Repeating Aladdin (which is fine one time, but after seeing it a couple times, it gets a bit old) seems a bit lazy on DCL's part to me...

Pretty sure I heard/read somewhere that Aladdin was only temporarily on the Wish until they get a new one that is exclusive to it. "Temporary" could be months, though, and it's not like it seemed that the backdrops were just tossed together for very short usage. But I do know that it takes a long time to plan the show, design it, build the backdrops, do the staging and music and choreography and train everyone so hopefully next year a new show on the Wish?

 

[holula]

I really wish they would have distinct shows for each ship. Repeating Aladdin (which is fine one time, but after seeing it a couple times, it gets a bit old) seems a bit lazy on DCL's part to me...

I’ve been wishing this for ten years. Or at least have two originals and then an overlap one (ie, Dreams and Believe.)