3) Las Vegas style entertainment on a ship: When I sailed on the Epic, I met the travel editor from a local newspaper at the Wasabi Sushi bar. The staff writer gave me a impromptu interview on the significance of a ship’s entertainment in regards to why people book cruises. Until now, a cruise line’s options for entertainment was not a major reason passengers booked a certain cruise. (Multiple destinations, pampering and fine dining are the top reasons). Customers look forward to professional shows and entertainers on cruises but hardly ever does someone book a cruise to see a certain act on a specific ship. However, I explained to the newspaper writer, that NCL again was changing the landscape of cruise marketing by booking headline Las Vegas performers for their ships and putting these performers at the forefront of the marketing campaigns for NCL cruises. For example, there are numerous billboards promoting the Blue Man Group on the Epic all over Miami and other cities throughout the country. In summary, NCL books headline entertainers on the Epic and they more than deliver.
Qualification: The entertainment delivers on the Epic but the facilities fall short. The Epic theater (Blue Man Group, Legends Unplugged) is quite small for a large ship venue and with ugly green seating. Headliners (Second City, Howl at the Moon) is also small and dark with numerous columns that cause obstruction of the stage. The Spiegel Tent (Cirque Dream dinner show) is also short on capacity for a Cirque show and the food is average and the entertainers have too little space and mechanical support to perform a Cirque show to its expectations. Fat Catz Jazz Lounge is very nice but the configuration makes it difficult to navigate to get seats farther from the one entrance door. There is also an extra fee for the top line entertainment which departs from traditional cruising.
Solution: NCL has a method to its madness to make room for diverse dining and drinking options by reducing the size of the entertainment facilities. Plus, less will people will be attending shows with so much to do on the ship. I recommend arriving to the shows early for a good seat (all show general admission) and please pre-book your entertainment at time of booking your cruise or at the first available date when reservations are allowed.
Conclusion: NCL has raised the bar when it comes to top line entertainment on cruise ships. The Epic is being called “Las Vegas at Sea” and NCL will market that anaology to a billboard near your. The entertainers are all well worth the extra fees for the shows and venues are suitable for cruise ship environement.
