Royal Caribbean has a well-deserved reputation for offering the best entertainment that rivals New York or Las Vegas, and there's someone new in charge of it all.
Christine Coachman is the Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, and she was promoted to oversee all of the line's entertainment in May.
Taking the reigns of a company that has almost 30 cruise ships with thousands of performers, singers, dancers, and musicians is not a simple task, but Ms. Coachman has been with the company for a long time. She's been at the forefront of Royal Caribbean's entertainment since the '90s.
At a sit down panel interview on Utopia of the Seas last week, Ms. Coachman spoke to Royal Caribbean Blog and other media outlets about her experience, plans for the future, and what Royal Caribbean has up its sleeve.
Coachman is no stranger to Royal Caribbean. "I've been around for quite a while," she said.
She started in 1990 as a performer on Sovereign of the Seas and has familiarized herself with entertainment on Royal Caribbean ships for the past 34 years.
She explained how a brand-new ship like Utopia of the Seas needed a new approach to entertainment, especially since the vessel is starting by offering 3 and 4-night cruises.
Coachman's vision for future entertainment combines technology with human talent
When asked what she sees for the future of Royal Caribbean's entertainment, Coachman spoke about how much the cruise line has grown over the years.
When she first started on Sovereign of the Seas, she performed in one venue with a cast of 12 performers.
Decades later, on Utopia of the Seas, she now heads up a team of over 200 entertainment staff in 23 venues.
Coachman herself had a hand with Royal Caribbean's record-breaking Broadway shows: "I negotiated every single Broadway contract. So it's very important to me and the brand."
Although Utopia of the Seas is one of the only Oasis Class ships without a Broadway show (besides Wonder of the Seas, which boasts the in-house Effectors 2), Royal Caribbean isn't done producing them.
It will all depend on the demographic and ship's itinerary.
Original shows, like The Effectors, aren't going out of style, either. Coachman called brainstorming and creating these shows "the fun part of the job."
Her team has no lack of creativity, she said.
Moving forward, the cruise line looks toward incorporating modern technology with human talent.
"As an innovative corporation, technology is important in many aspects of what we do."
"But also it's really important to remember the human artistry. Without humans bringing that entertainment to life, what's the point?"
Comedians, for example, continue to be the cruise line's favorite headliners.
Out of 5,400 headliner bookings across the fleet this year, nearly 1,300 are comedians. That's nearly a quarter of all bookings.
Royal Caribbean—and Coachman herself—loves comedy.
"I always need to find at least one time [to] sneak in the back [of a comedy show] and just laugh and forget about everything for a second," she said.
Utopia offers a taste of Royal Caribbean entertainment
Because Utopia of the Seas is an Oasis Class ship offering shorter itineraries, passengers have a lot of entertainment to cram into a few days.
"If you look at the big picture, Utopia is a taste," Christine Coachman said.
Entertainment on the vessel is intended to be "a taste of what you could experience on a longer itinerary."
To offer guests a preview of what longer sailings on Royal Caribbean could look like, the entertainment team worked to create several new parties.
To help prepare for the experience, they even created a new position called "Director of Parties and Nightlife." Ken Rush, former Cruise Director, serves in this position for Utopia.
Coachman called the ship a family experience that is also "one party after another."
First, guests will be immediately greeted by "Hey Utopia, Let's Get This Party Started," on the pool deck, which immediately transitions into the high-energy Sailaway party.
Royal Caribbean has designated crew members to become the Party Squad, a group intended to hype up the crowd and invite participation.
"You can participate or you can watch," Coachman said. She personally enjoys people-watching.
Read more: Utopia of the Seas preview: Sneak peek photos of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship
Utopia of the Seas introduces several new parties to guests as a party of the fast-paced experience.
The Silent Toga party is similar to the SHUSH! Silent party, but with ancient Roman togas for guests to style.
Senses will feature chill house music with projections of sunsets visible from the Royal Caribbean fleet worldwide.
At the Plunge pool party, the Party Squad will bring the hype with water guns that blast champagne into guests' mouths—a fan favorite.
Royal Kappa Chi is the cruise line's first after-party, a frat-themed throwback to college days of beer pong and flip cup.
High-energy, live musicians set the mood
To help set the fast-paced mood onboard Utopia, Royal Caribbean has hired 29 resident musicians—more than on any other Oasis Class ship.
Cruisers love live music, and high-energy musicians bring the fun.
Coachman had a personal anecdote of experiencing the loud, high-energy fun at the outside Plunge pool party.
"Then I went inside the Royal Promenade and I was listening to the most elegant music from Enchanté, the duo onstage, and it was a complete switch within a matter of 15 minutes."
She remarked that music serves as a great method for setting the mood and appealing to multiple generations at once.
Utopia of the Seas features an eclectic variety of music, with high-class entertainers.
From the live music inside Bolero's to the soundtrack for shows like Aqua 82, the entertainment team works to mix up multiple genres and eras of music.
"The combination helps keep it fresh," Coachman said.
Read more: New Royal Caribbean cruise ship sets sail. It's a cruise so nice you'll want to sail it twice
Family still has a place in Utopia's perfect weekend party
Royal Caribbean has always been a distinctly family brand, so how will families and kids fit into the new party-heavy Utopia of the Seas?
"There are a lot of parties and entertainment," Coachman explained, "There's a lot that families will want to do together."
However, the entertainment team is also planning for moments when parents want to go have a date night or hit a late-night party.
The Adventure Ocean children's program is ready to accommodate kids for even longer.
Utopia of the Seas introduces several changes to the program, which Royal Caribbean is hoping to extend out to other ships.
Starting on Day One, parents can drop off their kids "all the way up to the moment you drop off your luggage in your room."
Instead of having a longer orientation period, parents can take their children to Adventure Ocean as soon as they step onboard.
Utopia of the Seas has plenty of family moments, but also more opportunities for parents to get away.
Adventure Ocean will stay open until 1:00 A.M., and the team is considering extending that until 2:00 A.M.
For parents with younger kids or those who simply don't want to leave family for more than a few days, a weekend cruise is the perfect chance to get away.
Utopia will provide opportunities for family time, as well as adult get-aways and parties.
