The Stage

Pushing the boat out - Cruising Supplement

Published Monday 6 June 2005 at 10:25 by Mark Ritchie

We’re fast entering the age of the superliners, which are attracting an ever wider range of customers. And, as Mark Ritchie discovers, that means a growing demand for the right class of entertainer

When Kelly Holmes recently launched the newest and most sumptuously appointed super-liner in the P & O fleet, Arcadia, she must have realised that she had become godmother to something a little special. As the years have rolled by, it seems that cruise ships have been redefining the standards and design that greet those paying customers who troop expectantly up the various gang-planks.

Having just added the Arcadia to a fleet that already includes the Artemis, Aurora, Oceana and Oriana, P & O has further cemented its reputation as a market leader. The new ship boasts the Palladium, a three-tier theatre that stages production shows such as The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bollywood Nights. The Crow’s Nest nightspot is geared more towards jazz nights, cabaret and dancing and the sheer size of the P & O investment makes it abundantly clear that this time it really has pushed the boat out.

In the same way that UK coastal holiday centres went through a remarketing strategy in the eighties, it seems that cruise operators are grasping the nettle by realising that there are people other than the middle-aged and elderly who may be attracted by a holiday at sea. With that in mind P & O launched Ocean Village. Aimed at the 30 to 55 age range, this ship is soon to be joined by Ocean Village II. Those au fait with cruise ships tell me that Ocean Village appeals to folk who would not see themselves as obvious cruise customers.

Hull-based comedian Andy Wilkins has recently returned from working on Ocean Village, where he appeared in a double bill with Essex comedian Rudi Lickwood. They were appearing in a comedy club-style room called Connections. However, the bands and tribute acts, which form a large part of the Ocean Village programme, appear in the huge Marquee Bar, which is said to be one of the largest cabaret rooms afloat.

It has to be said that this is not normal floorshow entertainment, and the casual, unpretentious style of presentation is quite deliberate, as an air of formality is not what Ocean Village is meant to be about. Guests on board are encouraged to do their own thing. There is no formal dress code and this ship, which cruises, according to the time of year, in both the Mediterranean and Caribbean, is proving to be an enormous hit. With eight bars, a cinema, a nightclub and, of course, the Marquee Bar, there is plenty to enjoy. There is a real circus theme, with the in-house entertainment team getting up to some extremely visual antics to set the on-board mood.

Wilkins described his experience. “These were not typical cruise customers and the atmosphere was more like that of a lively bar. The shows went well and the material we were allowed to use was a lot more relaxed than for other cruise lines for which I have worked.”

Of course, those looking for the more exclusive end of the market can still book with the likes of Los Angeles-based Princess Cruises or the old favourite, Cunard. The attractions booked to provide the entertainment for companies like these will always be working for guests who dress for dinner and are enjoying a best bib and tucker cruise experience.

Midlands agent Alan Warner, who has a working relationship with many of the movers and shakers in the industry, said: “It’s the biggest expanding market in holidays and there are more companies sailing out of Britain than ever before. The standard of acts is better and more professional and as there is little in the way of professional variety entertainment on television now, so all the acts who used to work extensively on TV are now on the ships.”

Warner explained that an ever-growing number of ships is swallowing up many of the available acts. “There is now actually a shortage of good acts, so we are running act-doctoring classes for those who want to work on the ships but don’t possess the necessary performance skills.”

He also mentioned the growing cruise portfolio of Gloucester-based operators Travelscope. He explained: “The company began by organising Rhine cruises, but now charters ships such as Funchal and Van Gogh.”

The entertainment programme can contain virtually anything and everything, as their marketing strategy means that certain voyages are family-orientated, while at other times the more mature clients take precedence. Travelscope even runs one- or two-night party cruises for younger people, which is surely a great way to introduce newer clients to the cruise scene. Royal Caribbean has moved towards ships with family appeal with the launch of its first Voyager family ship, Voyager of the Seas. Despite its name, Royal Caribbean operates all over the world and this move towards attracting families is reportedly paying rich dividends.

Clearly, all the companies are simply trying to define market requirements and no company has made its target more obvious than Saga. Its ships, Saga Rose and Saga Ruby, present entertainment specifically aimed at the over-55 market. Name comedians with “oldie appeal”and former sixties stars are great favourites with its well-established client base.

The shifting sands of big business have also been evident in the cruise business. Airtours has recently redefined its entire product, and as a result its last remaining ship, Carousel, completed its final cruise in April. However, London-based Live Business has been left in charge of part of the entertainment for the cruise wing of the Thomson operation, and executive booker Peter Chittenden outlined what was happening in this area: “We look after the requirements of Emerald, while another company, Partnership Events, takes care of the three other liners.”

A joint venture between package tour operators First Choice and Royal Caribbean has seen the formation of Island Cruises and Live Business is at the helm in providing entertainment and staff for this new addition to world cruising. Island Cruises’ ship is called Island Escape and sets sail from the bustling port of Palma, Majorca. Clients are simply flown out to join the ship and head off into the Mediterranean sunset. The ship is ostensibly an equivalent to Ocean Village, and is aimed at people who have either not cruised before or are looking for something more informal. Guests eat and drink whenever they like and there is no formal dress code. As Chittenden explained: “Guests can dip in and out of the activities and entertainment as they wish.”

Fred Olsen Cruises is just about to launch its new liner, Boudicca, but it too is presenting entertainment for three other liners, Braemar, Black Watch and Black Prince, which should have across the board appeal age-wise. An autumn tribute cruise featuring, among others, The Bandit Beatles and Abba Solution, is proving popular, as is a rock cruise with more crepes and drapes-clad musicians than you can shake a stick at.

Fred Olsen’s in-house entertainment manager Helen Bennett told m:e “We have trouble finding the right kind of new acts. Our artists are looked after very well but we are constantly on the lookout for new faces, though they must be right for us in every way.”

Keeping an eye on this ever-expanding scene is comparable to observing the British holiday centre business. This is a real shifting sands situation, if such a metaphor is possible at sea. It seems that the era of expansion is far from over. Cruises are usually chockfull, and the whole area provides fantastic, if not always well paid, work opportunities for British entertainers armed with the necessary performance skills.