10 July 2021
Cruiseships entertainment is true variety offering everything from dance performances and jazz bands to talent shows with DJ and circus skills for teens, tea dances for seniors and kiddie discos.
On a typical cruise, modern entertainment will span a huge range of family options in true variety style. There may be a comedian, a magician and a trio of classical musicians, a singer belting out power ballads, a tribute act and a ballroom dance performance. Murder Mystery Nights are popular too as are celebrity talks and One Man Shows.And with a growing number of families on cruise ships,special guests can be a famous face from Nickelodeon, TikTok or anime.
For adults aboard a luxury cruise, the evening tends to start with wining, dining and the fine art of conversation and often leads to a Broadway-style show, live music, movie or dancing. The mood is social, convivial and relaxed and most passengers make new travel companions and friends during their trip - many arrange to meet back the next year.
Small vessels are generally more low key, laidback and intimate with the larger 4,000-passenger-plus mega-ships more uptempo. Most people however, unless they have run themselves ragged on an onshore excursion, will enjoy pre-dinner cocktails or champagne and share a meal even if they don’t party until dawn. Theres a good atmosphere from around 5.30pm, when the lounges start to hum with activity as sunset approaches. If your ship has a formal night, this is considered a real highlight.
Every ship has its own music preferences but you can generally expect to find a duo or two playing standards and contemporary hits in the lounges before- and after dinner. Piano bars are common, while larger ships often have more musicians aboard and multi-piece live bands. Some Caribbean cruises have an in-house steel band or a calypso-style tribute band that can cover any pop song you can imagine - Caribbean style. Some ships have small orchestras, others a harpist. Every cruise ship has a casino and most have a cigar bar. All of the larger liners have theatres, which tend to focus on cabaret-style entertainment, such as hypnotists or acts that sing medleys from well-known Broadway shows. And, don't forget about the crew show. Just about every ship offers up one of these once per itinerary. It's an opportunity for you to witness the hidden talents of the ship's crew and officers - it’s also a hoot!
