Ships' productions put Cuban culture in the spotlight

Dancers and musicians perform in "Amor Cubano" at the opening of Carnival Cruise Line's new rehearsal studio in Davie, Fla. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

Cuba, the hottest cruise destination of the last year, has now become the hottest theme in cruise ship entertainment.

The island's recent opening to U.S. tourism is inspiring show producers and casting directors at several of the Miami-based cruise lines, and production teams are using it as a springboard to explore Cuban culture and stress the authenticity of the music, costuming and overall approach.

Each of the three contemporary cruise brands in South Florida either has a Cuba-

themed show on its ships or has one in development.

Royal Caribbean International's "Bailamos" is already being staged on the Empress of the Seas as that ship sails from Tampa on itineraries that include Havana. Carnival Cruise Line is shifting a production of its "Amor Cubano" show to the Carnival Paradise when it begins Cuba sailings in June.

Carnival Paradise

Norwegian Cruise Line, meanwhile, is preparing an ambitious show developed by Tony Award-winning choreographer Warren Carlyle for the debut of its next ship, the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Bliss, in 2018.

It was perhaps telling that when Carnival held an open house for its new 45,000-square-foot entertainment rehearsal hall, Carnival Studios, in Davie, Fla., earlier this month, the show it chose to highlight was "Amor Cubano."

The show is a blend of Spanish and English language songs, sung and danced by a cast of 12 and backed by a four-piece Cuban band. It is performed against a backdrop of scenes from Cuba projected on a 480-square-foot LED screen.

Kerry Stables, director of creative development in Carnival's entertainment department, said the show was proposed in 2015 by Peter Flynn, a Broadway director who had done five shows previously with Carnival's creative team.

Stables said Carnival chose the show because it only had one other Latin show in its repertoire, which was a "Latin pop crossover style."

In contrast, "Amor Cubano" is authentic enough that audience members born on the island have cried during some of the numbers, said Sarah Beth Reno, Carnival's entertainment vice president.

The show, which debuted on the Carnival Vista, was added to the Carnival Glory in the fall of 2016 and will open on the Carnival Paradise next month.

"Once the announcement was made about the Paradise going to Cuba, it was a given that we should add the show to that ship, as well, to truly expand the guests' experience while enjoying Cuba first hand," Stables said.

Royal Caribbean's cruise to Cuba aboard the Empress of the Seas features two shows that have elements of Cuban entertainment. The first, "Bailamos," which means "let's dance" in Spanish, showcases Latin music in a broad range of styles, from nostalgic Hollywood to new musicals on Broadway.

Empress of the Seas

The second, called "Three," is a tribute to showgirls of yesterday, today and tomorrow. The costuming, with its towering feather headdresses, is reminiscent of those that tourists in Havana can see if they visit the legendary Tropicana Cabaret for its two-hour outdoor extravaganza.

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the entertainment team has been working for nine months on an original musical.

"It's basically going to be a celebration of Cuban culture and Cuban music," said Richard Ambrose, Norwegian's vice president of entertainment. "It's also going to be [cast with] Cuban or Cuban-American artists. So it's really going to be an authentic feel, under the helm of Broadway's best."

Ambrose said the costuming will be done by New York-based Cuban-American fashion designer Isabel Toledo, while the art direction and scenic design will go to her husband, artist Ruben Toledo.

The show is targeted for the Norwegian Bliss, which debuts in June 2018 in Seattle with "Jersey Boys" as its lead show. Ambrose said the Cuban production will be equally exciting but in a different vein.

"We think this is going to blow the roof off entertainment, not only at sea but everywhere in the world," he said.

Norwegian Bliss

Agents get reacquainted with Royal Caribbean's Empress

Royal Caribbean International recently spent $50 million to refurbish the Empress of the Seas. It originally joined Royal in 1989 as the Nordic Empress and had been sailing for Pullmantur until earlier this year. 

The 1,602-passenger ship is currently doing 4- and 5-day Caribbean cruises from Miami through Oct. 29, but Royal expects to use it for cruises to Cuba once the Cuban government gives permission. Shown here is the pool deck.

Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean International has an unusual dilemma with the Empress of the Seas.

Because it is planning to sail the ship to Cuba when it gets approval from Cuban authorities, it can't plan cruises very far ahead on the ship's current Caribbean itineraries.

So, for example, it can't sell groups early in the booking cycle to get a base of business going. It only has inventory available through Oct. 29, basically a three-month window.

Moreover, Empress is an old ship — the former Nordic Empress — albeit with a recent $50 million makeover. There's nothing really like it in the rest of the Royal fleet.

So Royal held an open house for agents last week, in a bid to show off the improvements, help agents get a better understanding of the ship and bring it top of mind.

The ship looked remarkably good for a 27-year-old vessel. Some minds were changed.

Cheryl Scavron, a Dream Vacations franchisee in Pompano Beach, Fla., said she initially thought the ship and its four- and five-day itineraries was best suited as a party cruise for young people. "Now that I see it again, I think this would be nice for a couple," she said.

Over the course of a couple of hours, about 200 agents got a thorough tour of the ship's cabins and public spaces. They also got entertained by a Cuban combo in boleros; had a sample of the mixed drinks served onboard; saw snippets of two main theater shows, "Bailamos" and "Three"; and had a lunch of branzino or steak in the main dining room.

Two Royal executives, senior VP of hotel operations Mark Tamis and senor VP of sales Vicki Freed, hosted the event, but Scavron was impressed that Royal brought sales reps, not only from South Florida, but from as far away as California, to conduct the tours.

"Vicki really knows how to sell a ship," Scavron said. "She brought in enough people, and had good entertainment. She made the ship look the best it can look," she said.