"Muppets Ahoy!" Stage Show on Disney Cruise Line?

[joemuseum]

Great... glad you knew who they were!!!!

I gave the DISboard links in case someone wants to post on there asking for more pictures. Surely some members took other pictures. Someone on the board may have even filmed the show. You might post on the current 11 night cruise and ask someone to film it. Just suggestions.

 

[MWoO]

So John Kenedy did Kermit? That's not the long time established performer I was expecting. Seems like they just used a bunch of new guys that never really got big within the Muppets thus were cheaper. Of course I'd have to see some tape to know if it was a good change or not.

 

[joemuseum]

So John Kenedy did Kermit? That's not the long time established performer I was expecting. Seems like they just used a bunch of new guys that never really got big within the Muppets thus were cheaper. Of course I'd have to see some tape to know if it was a good change or not.

Disney was debuting a lot of new things on this cruise. New menus, new stage shows, new entertainment of all kinds, new ports of call, etc. etc.

I cannot help but believe that these Muppeteers have a bright future ahead.

 

[Franklin Heart]

Yes I can indeed comfirm that that is Brett O as we call him in the black shirt.

 

[MWoO]

New menus?

 

[joemuseum]

New menus?

LOL.... That probably does sound silly without explanation.

Food quality being a primary concern on a cruise ship, Disney had to add new menus or food offerings for the 10 and 11 night cruises. Each night has a different menu and most nights even have themes. The preparation of food on cruise ships has unique challenges and meals have to be of a very high quality to compete in the industry. The Disney Wonder had previously only done 3 and 4 night cruises. While the Disney Magic had done 7 night cruises previously, Disney decided not to rely on the extra menus and entertainment from the Magic to help fill in the extra days on the Wonder. Instead they debuted many new menus (some themed), a new stage show, and of course the Muppets show. The reason might well be planned future expansion. There are rumors of 1, 2, or even 3 new ships in the future, so it makes sense that they need to expand their offerings, destinations, and entertainment to make the ships unique, and provide variety for repeat cruisers. Disney has the highest percentage of repeat cruisers in the industry.

It is also rumored that the new ships will be much larger than the current ships.

I really don't know enough about the logistics of putting on a Muppet stage show to speculate, but could it be that Disney might well be testing out the Muppets stage show for permanent inclusion on one or more of the ships, or at least as an extra show that can be added on longer itineraries? I applauded very loudly for the show.

Also, Tom Wolber, Disney Cruise Line's Vice President of Operations, was on the ship. Perhaps he was there to see how everything went including the Muppets. He gave a special speech explaining some of the things they had done for these special cruises on the Wonder. He mentioned all the rumors of new ships and declined to make any announcements. They would need the press to be present for that..

 

[Marky]

No, that has not been announced.

guess it's just a matter of time.

 

[Vic Romano]

My cousin's a big Disney fan who posts on a Disney forum and e-mailed me the other day this less then stellar post from a user on that forum:

This was in a Disney Forum, someone's opinion concerning the cruise show
they saw:

In fact, the show was not truly about the Muppets. The Muppets were nothing more than bookends to a horrible cabaret performance by some Italian circus performer who kept uttering “I like you”. The filmed sequences with the Muppets onboard the ship were cute, but he rest of the show was trash. Sorry to be so harsh, but Disney Entertainment deserves to be slapped for trying to pass this off as a show. The people voicing the characters could not even maintain the character voice, although Gonzo was pretty good. Truly the most horrific show I have ever seen.

 

[OverUnderAround]

So far the only one on here who has actually seen the cruise ship show was Joemuseum. Joe if you're out there I have a question. When the show was over, what was the reaction of those who attended?
Were there thunderous applause,
average applause,
mediocre applause
or poor applause
from the folks that watched the show?

Did Disney perhaps give out cards for people can fill out to get their opinion of the show?

Also what in your opinion was done right and what could have been improved?

Thanks!

 

[joemuseum]

So far the only one on here who has actually seen the cruise ship show was Joemuseum. Joe if you're out there I have a question. When the show was over, what was the reaction of those who attended?
Were there thunderous applause,
average applause,
mediocre applause
or poor applause
from the folks that watched the show?

Did Disney perhaps give out cards for people can fill out to get their opinion of the show?

Also what in your opinion was done right and what could have been improved?

Thanks!

My opinion after the "guess its just a matter of time" snipe, you mean? LOL

It did not receive a large standing ovation. Only a minority of us stood up. I was surprised at the time. While I would not say thunderous applause, i would say it was far more than mediocre. Very loud and sustained but not a typical "standing O." I had the feeling at the time that some were not enjoying it as much as me, although there was very loud laughter and appause throughout the show. Keep in mind that many shore excursions were delayed. Many people had to wait in a line after a long hot day just to get on the ship. They had to delay the performance because of the large amount of people late from their excursions. I said in my post that it was a shame that so many people had to watch the show while they were tired. I had that feeling going into the theatre. Hot people, still in their clothes from their excursions.

The reviewer that was quoted here also said he did not like the other new show. I thought that show was superb, absolutely magical. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins awards for best new show in the cruise industry.

He also complained in his post about being asked to move to fill in empty seats, a disney policy since all seating is general admission, of course. He actually backtalked a cast member and refused to move. I have fun on my vacations and enjoyed every interaction with cast members. They are always polite and friendly and go out of their way to make you happy. It's Disney. That says enough.

My opinion is that every Muppet skit came off great. All Muppets sounded like the original. The "Italian" guy who did the "guest star" peformance was fitting, as it was in the Muppet television shows. He was not extraordinary but did get quite a lot of laughs from kids and adults alike. He came on in a "fat suit." He was supposed to be Pavaratti (sp?) He ended up doing backflips in the costume that was quite entertaining. You had to be there to see how interesting this looked in his costume. The other highlight of his act was putting an elastic glove on his head, pulling it down over his face and blowing it up to an incredible size. Ok, not the most Muppet-like thing, but definately pretty funny, the way he did it. It really got huge. "It's supposed to break." he said, after staggering around the stage. You really had to be there but it was quite funny.

I thought that there needed to have at least one more Muppet skit to make it more of a Muppet show. The filmed segments around the ship were absolutely brilliant and there could have been many more of these. They were definately crowd pleasers. They were really smart and cool. When the cruise director dressed as a chicken in a skit, it felt very Muppet-like. A guest star, surrounded by Muppets. I wish now that I had seen the show in the second performance (for those with early dinner seatings.) but I just couldn't miss eating with my dinner companions.

There were some complainers on board, for sure. More than in other cruises I have been on. Also significantly different was the relative lack of children. This 10 night cruise attracted people without children much more than I have ever experienced on Disney Cruise Line. The show I saw had very few kids. Late dinner seating is that way. Plus they must have been tired from the excursions of the day.

Honestly, the show was great. I loved it. No cards were given out for our performance. Comment cards are given at the end of the cruise. They very specifically mention on board entertainment, and make a distinction for special shows, etc. But that was all.

Of the people I was with. 4 thought it was great, not including moi. One was disappointed that there were not more Muppet skits. I agree with that. So I guess there is some truth to the "bookend" comment but it is a harsh way to describe the need for another Muppet skit or two. Also, the rest is not even descriptive of the show. And a complaint that there were not enough of the Muppets is not criticism of the Muppets.

I think all the skits were "done right." Videotaped stuff was done brilliantly. Kermit and Miss Piggy were perfectly done.

Any more questions? I would be happy to answer, but am one person with my own opinions and memory is not my strong suit.