Shows Twice? :(

[kiford]

But doubling up shows takes away the option of seeing a show every night for those of us who do like to do that. Single night showings mean you can see the stage shows and just not go to the entertainers. No loss for you but a gain for those of us who prefer more entertainment.

If the schedule works - which it doesn't always for me - so I perceive having only one showing as a loss to me (and a gain if I get multiple time options) whereas you perceive fewer unique shows as a loss to you. So whether one views the changes as a loss, a gain or neutral depends very much on one's own personal preferences. The one thing I do know about Disney is that they will endlessly tinker with everything based on feedback of guests, suggestions from CMs as well as other business reasons. It is, therefore, important to provide feedback to DCL on the changes. They do listen although they may not make changes because one can't assume that there's a majority who want that which is why I was providing a differing viewpoint. I very much understand that not everyone is happy about it. I have no idea if I am in the minority or the majority. DCL may well have data from comment cards indicating that a significantly large group of people didn't like having to commit to most nights if they wanted to see the shows.

 

[Pens Fan]

I've been reading the various threads on this subject with interest as I'm beginning to wonder if we are seeing a glimpse into the design / function of the new ships. I'll admit at first the cynic in me thought this was some type of cost cutting measure, but as time has gone on I'm not so sure. They are still offering a show in the theater each night and they are still paying for variety acts, so I'm not sure if there really is that much of a savings (if any). It seems to me that they are making tweaks to their show schedule and gauging customer reactions.

When we first began sailing on Disney I loved the fact that you could pretty much park your brain at the dock and go to whatever they had scheduled at any given time or just choose to chill out somewhere. There was no worry of making advanced reservations, scheduling dinners and shows to not conflict, etc. But as the years and cruises went by, the lack of flexibility began to kind of bug me - especially not being able to choose where and when we ate. Most mainstream cruise lines now offer some type of flexible dining and show schedules, though often along with a traditional model as well if the guests so desire. That's not a perfect system either, as it does require some thought and preplanning (and disappointment if you don't preplan) which some don't appreciate. There's no perfect system.

I'm beginning think Disney is tinkering with all of this to gauge what the majority of their customers are really looking for and we could see some changes on the new ships. It's important that everyone voice their opinion to them (either for or against). It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

 

[cgolf]

I haven't seen Buckets and Boards, but JunNk performed just fine on the smaller stage and it was cool being closer to the action.

I assume that this is a percussion group that uses fun things instead of standard percussion instruments? With a name like JunNk, I didn't think googling it at work would be a safe thing to do

 

[anricat]

I assume that this is a percussion group that uses fun things instead of standard percussion instruments? With a name like JunNk, I didn't think googling it at work would be a safe thing to do

It's safe. JunNk brings up their website as the first result. Images is also safe. It only brings up images of the four guys. With the two Ns in the name, it makes it pretty unique.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

It's safe. JunNk brings up their website as the first result. Images is also safe. It only brings up images of the four guys. With the two Ns in the name, it makes it pretty unique.

I assume that this is a percussion group that uses fun things instead of standard percussion instruments? With a name like JunNk, I didn't think googling it at work would be a safe thing to do

Yes, they are a percussion group that use very unique objects to make their music. They also dance and harmonize like nobody's business. They are a popular act on all Disney cruises.

 

[n2mm]

I was on a 7 night in February on the Wonder and had something different every night. This would be disappointing for sure. I enjoyed the hypnotist show, and some of the comedy shows, but really enjoy John Charles shows, both on stage and in the adult lounge. Going on a 7 night in November and will make my disappointment known on the comment feedback card. I agree, a Disney cruise is not cheap, and there’s no need to cut back on the entertainment.

 

[MomOTwins]

I am anxiously awaiting someone to post a navigator from the July 27 3-night!! Our last 3-night on April 20 had double shows, and the recent CC double dips have brought back golden mickeys, so I desperately hope they will bring it back to the three nights too. Would drive me nuts if I paid for six nights of cruising only to have just 2 shows...

 

[kickash]

We just got off of the Wonder on July 23 (5 night to Alaska) and they repeated Frozen on 2 separate nights. We saw John Cassidy the first night, then Golden Mickeys, then Frozen, then Frozen played earlier on the 4th night with the variety act in one of the lounges, and finally Dreams showed on the 5th night. I just took my survey today and responded in depth to that particular question.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

If they still have the other shows, just moved to smaller venues so they can repeat the big Disney shows, then how is it a downgrade?

I really don't understand. I get how some may prefer the old schedule, subjectively. But, how is the new schedule an objective downgrade?

 

[lilsonicfan]

If they still have the other shows, just moved to smaller venues so they can repeat the big Disney shows, then how is it a downgrade?

I really don't understand. I get how some may prefer the old schedule, subjectively. But, how is the new schedule an objective downgrade?

It's a downgrade because the other shows have to perform in smaller venues which can affect the quality of that other act itself (which is a negative) and because a smaller venue necessarily means less people can attend (also a negative).

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

It's a downgrade because the other shows have to perform in smaller venues which can affect the quality of that other act itself (which is a negative) and because a smaller venue necessarily means less people can attend (also a negative).

I think some acts benefit can benefit from a smaller venue, such as comedians and musicians, but some acts could suffer. The acts booked need to match the venue they will be in. This can be quality neutral.

As to capacity, has this been an issue, given they are going on at the same time as the main show in the big theater?

 

[STH Cruising]

We recently cruised on the 9 night Alaskan itinerary and they did repeat main shows on consecutive evenings in the Walt Disney Theatre. Just as we see here, this was controversial. I also corresponded with a high level DCL executive who was kind enough to personally respond. He assured me their goal is to provide an outstanding entertainment experience, and I believe him. He also said this repeating of main shows was a test.

Many, many guests were very upset with this test, as were some of the longstanding variety acts, whose shows were moved from the Walt Disney Theatre stage to Azure. And, Azure was so full that the shows were being televised in the Crown and Finn Pub. (As an aside, you could stay home and watch “America’s Got Talent” if you don’t want to see a live show). By the end of the cruise, they adjusted the test, moved the repeat of the main show to a matinee, and rescheduled John Charles from Azure to the Walt Disney Theatre. Kudos to Cruise Director Ashely for listening to her guests.

The lessons for DCL are: (1) maintees can fulfill the demand for a third showing of a main show; (2) the Walt Disney Theatre should command high quality variety acts, Broadway stars, and the like whose talent belongs on that stage and not Azure; and (3) high quality entertainment is preferable to the old Welcome Aboard show (Wemhad Edge Effect opening night and they were indeed outstanding). There are also many folks who want to see fresh entertainment each night in the Walt Disney Theatre. It is part of DCL cruise tradition. One can always skip the Walt Disney Theatre and find other entertainment.

 

[indytarheel]

This is so disappointing, I hope they don't continue it. On our shorter sailings it wouldn't bother me much as we skip most of the shows since they are usually so girly (my teen boys have no interest in that) and they rarely seem to have variety acts on the short cruises...we just enjoy everyone else being in the show most of the time. On the longer sailings, this would be a huge disappointment! The variety acts are a huge hit for my whole family, especially my boys! We'd be very unlikely to attend in one of the lounges since I would perceive seating and getting a good spot to view the show seems like it would be a nightmare.

We're on the 9 night Alaska next year, hopefully they aren't still doing this, but I guess if they are we'll get more time up on deck seeing the views.

 

[MomOTwins]

If they still have the other shows, just moved to smaller venues so they can repeat the big Disney shows, then how is it a downgrade?

I really don't understand. I get how some may prefer the old schedule, subjectively. But, how is the new schedule an objective downgrade?

They did not have any other shows on the dream. They just took away golden mickeys and showed BATB twice.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

So the Dream lost shows, but the other ships did not lose shows- they moved them to other venues to make room for double main shows?

 

[GuardMusic]

I had also recently heard about this, but haven't yet experienced it. Personally, I have divergent thoughts, which are completely based on itinerary and travel goals.

We have the 4n Sept Repo (Vancouver-San Diego). Since this is a short cruise and we are only doing one brief port stop, I would want to enjoy a new, significant show each night. I love the stage shows, but haven't been too impressed by most of the acts.

We also have a 7n Med in May 2019 (our first non-USA home port). For this we will have 4 consecutive port intensive days. For these I suspect I will just want to get back to the ship, eat, & collapse in bed! So in this case I've very pleased with the repeat show, as it gives us a chance to see something even if we are exhausted on a certain night.

We tend to just enjoy the ship, so having repeat shows on our "normal" cruises, may be disappointing, but also relieves the expectation of going. This may be a different case for new cruises, vs us now in Platinum status. Coin toss!

 

[mcd2745]

On the DCL blog (Scott's) site, he just posted Naviagtors for the July 14 Fantasy sailing. Wishes, Aladdin, and Believe were all shown on 2 nights - making up 6 of the 7 night's entertainment in the Walt Disney Theatre. The other night was "Ant Man & Wasp". Very disappointing.

 

[lilsonicfan]

So the Dream lost shows, but the other ships did not lose shows- they moved them to other venues to make room for double main shows?

I think it's fair to say that there's not one answer to this. Some itineraries have lost the welcome show and/or a farewell show in addition to having other acts moved to the smaller venues.

 

[TestingH2O]

If they still have the other shows, just moved to smaller venues so they can repeat the big Disney shows, then how is it a downgrade?

I really don't understand. I get how some may prefer the old schedule, subjectively. But, how is the new schedule an objective downgrade?

Shows in the lounge are also shorter so you aren't seeing the whole thing.

We also have a 7n Med in May 2019 (our first non-USA home port). For this we will have 4 consecutive port intensive days. For these I suspect I will just want to get back to the ship, eat, & collapse in bed! So in this case I've very pleased with the repeat show, as it gives us a chance to see something even if we are exhausted on a certain night.

On actual port days, this makes sense. However, for the typical Med itenerary, this only impacts 1 show. The others are all sea days.

 

[TestingH2O]

On the DCL blog (Scott's) site, he just posted Naviagtors for the July 14 Fantasy sailing. Wishes, Aladdin, and Believe were all shown on 2 nights - making up 6 of the 7 night's entertainment in the Walt Disney Theatre. The other night was "Ant Man & Wasp". Very disappointing.

The reply I got from shoreside customer service was basically a screw you we don't care what guests think about this issue thing. I mean, yes, they read the comment card, but they definitely didn't indicate that my comments mattered to them.