Cruise Entertainment - Page 13 of 17

Allure is location for new movie

Imagine the scene in the cruise director's office as he ticks off the entertainment options for Allure of the Seas - the soon-to-debut sister ship for Oasis. Big-production West End musical? Check: we've got Chicago. Something special for the kids - and the rest of the family? Check: we've got Shrek, Princess Fiona and Kung Fu Panda. Really cool ice show? Check: more of those DreamWorks characters in How To Train Your Dragon. Comedy club? Check: it's even got a special version of the London Underground map decorating the ceiling. Night club disco? Check. Karaoke bar? Check. Recording studio? Check [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 20 October 2010|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Royal Command for Blue Man Group?

I did a double take when I saw this picture in the excellent - and very thorough - introduction to Cunard's Queen Elizabeth written by maritime historian and author Peter Knego. Had The Blue Man Group defected from Norwegian Epic in order to disrupt the genteel ritual of afternoon teas and provide anarchic entertainment by Royal Command in the Queen's Room? The Blue Men are, in fact, Cunard president Peter Shanks (right), actor and Princes' Trust ambassador Sir Ben Kingsley (left) and someone in the middle I have not been able to identify. My eyes were deceived by a trick [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 19 October 2010|Cruise Entertainment|3 Comments

Who would talk to a house like this?

Among the passengers enjoying Queen Elizabeth's maiden voyage, broadcasting legend Sir David Frost is having to sing for his supper. He and his wife Lady Carina flew out to join Cunard's newest ship in Cadiz, Spain on Saturday - delaying the ship's departure slightly because their plane was late. Bang on schedule on Monday, the Royal Court theatre (above) was packed for his talk, Interviews I Shall Never Forget. Frost, who led the TV satire boom in the 1960s went on to become a giant of the medium - reaping a world record audience for his interview with disgraced US [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:19+00:00 19 October 2010|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments

Cruise ships make the headlines

Gales blew my Scottish islands cruise off course last week, preventing planned visits to Iona and Staffa. Instead of risking stormy open waters off Mull, the plucky little Glen Tarsan of The Majestic Line sought shelter in the sea lochs of the west coast. Not that the change of plan helped me find any internet access, so there's lots of cruise news to catch up with this weekend. And all the time I'm sitting at home watching impatiently as our American cousins and some of the UK's top travel agents get first look at Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth. It will [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 10 October 2010|Cruise Destinations, Cruise Entertainment, Cruise News|0 Comments

Epic’s Cirque beefs up the menu

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 [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:20+00:00 24 September 2010|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Food & Drink|0 Comments

A pub, John, but not as we know it

Cunard ships have their Golden Lions, there's a Rising Sun on P&O's Arcadia and a couple of Northern Lights on Fred Olsen ships. Norwegian Epic has an Irish version in O'Sheehan's, and even Oasis of the Seas has the Globe and Atlas on its Royal Promenade shopping street We're talking about cruise ship pubs, where you might be able to sink a pint of Boddington's or Stella Artois, and feast on fish and chips or chicken curry. Now Carnival has announced that new ship Carnival Magic will be the first in the fleet to have its own pub. Except it [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:22+00:00 24 August 2010|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Food & Drink|0 Comments

Contest chefs are all at sea

Breakfast time gets a gourmet makeover next week, as a televised cooking contest takes to the sea on board P&O cruise ship Ventura. Four finalists, chosen this week by GMTV viewers, will join the ship for a week-long cruise to Vigo, Lisbon, La Rochelle and Brest. While on board, they will be mentored by Soapstar Superchef's Rosemary Shrager, who will be setting them a series of culinary taskes in the galley and ashore. Other passengers on the cruise will vote for their two favourites during a "cook-off" in the ship's theatre, and the two finalists will compete head-to-head in a [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:24+00:00 21 July 2010|Cruise Entertainment, Cruise Food & Drink|2 Comments

Song and dance for Cunard

Passengers on Cunard's new Queen Elizabeth will be able to take a trip on the London Underground when the ship begins sailing in October. The Piccadilly Line, set in the shell of a Tube train carriage, will be one of the regular production shows in the ship's Royal Court Theatre. There will be 29 singers, dancers, actors and musicians in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company, and their biggest show will be Slice of Saturday Night, a pastiche of 1960s music which has been staged in London and toured extensively throughout Britain and the USA. Adapted especially for the Queen Elizabeth [...]

By John Honeywell| 2010-07-13T11:56:39+00:00 13 July 2010|Cruise Entertainment|2 Comments

Dream show, nightmare dinner

Norwegian Epic is more of a floating resort than a cruise ship - think an Atlantis-style palace or a Las Vegas casino complex - ports of call are very much secondary to food and entertainment which will be the real attractions for passengers. In the ship's Spiegel Tent you get both for the price of one with Cirque Dreams, a cabaret show and dinner combined performed in a room decked out like . . . a circus tent.. It's an weird but fascinating combination, with most of the performances taking place on a tiny circular area in the centre of [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:25+00:00 28 June 2010|Cruise Entertainment|2 Comments

That’s Entertainment, Peter !

Here's Cunard President Peter Shanks waving the big stick - actually, he is taking part in a Last Night of the Proms on board Queen Mary 2 during his recent crossing from New York. He also joined a 60-strong choir made up of passengers on the liner for part of the performance, and - contrary to the delight shown on his face in this picture - says he might not forgive conductor Anthony Inglis for passing the baton to him and to Commodore Bernard Warner, who also took part in the show. "The Royal Court Theatre was packed for the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:27+00:00 16 June 2010|Cruise Entertainment|0 Comments