The tumblers, acrobats and strongmen of Cirque Dreams on board giant cruise ship Norwegian Epic have been a popular attraction since the vessel launched in July.
The food served during their dinner show in the ship’s Spiegel tent has been less popular – as I noted after I became part of the act during the ship’s brief visit to the UK.
Now NCL are doing something about it – Andy Stuart, the man in charge of global sales and passenger services, has announced that the menu is changing. In comes a new starter with foie gras sharing a plate with chicken sate; the main course, which was a chicken and steak combo, is now surf ‘n’ turf with jumbo shrimp and beef tenderloin. For dessert, diners will get a red velvet cupcake, a vanilla “pot du creme” with wild berries, and a flourless chocolate cake.
The improved food comes at a price – general seating now costs $20 instead of $15, and premium seats are up from $20 to $30.
Total capacity of the venue is only 237, and the show is performed 12 times during each seven-night cruise, so as the experts at Cruise Mates have calculated, only 2,844 people can watch it each week – out of a total passenger capacity of 5,183. So don’t assume the price hike is a cynical money-grabbing exercise – it reflects the improved menu and may also effectively reduce demand for seats.
Stuart also announced a line-up change for the Legends in Concert troupe which perform in the ship’s Manhattan restaurant and in the main theatre. Out – for the time being – go the Madonna, Elvis Presley and Tina Turner tribute acts, and in come Britney Spears, Rod Stewart and Michael Jackson.
Thankfully, there are no changes planned for my favourite act on the ship, Blue Man Group – although under that heavy make-up the personnel can change without the audience being any the wiser.
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