The Magic Formula For Building A Themed Entertainment Powerhouse

If you’re looking to find the latest trends in themed experiences, luxury cruise ships don’t sound like a sensible place to start. Famously traditional, they usually host quiz nights, tribute bands and black tie dinners. However, one operator is turning the tide by following a magic formula which is transforming it into a titan of themed entertainment.

A decade ago Princess Cruises was entering choppy waters. The company was founded in 1965 and in 2003 it was taken over by cruising giant Carnival. This gave Princess the wherewithal to navigate growing competition from waves of consolidation in the industry. However, it also made Princess just one of several luxury brands in Carnival’s portfolio alongside the historic Cunard line and ultra-upscale Seabourn.

Princess’ clientele was not as elderly as that of the former and its ships were not as luxurious as the latter’s so it lacked a point of differentiation. It was aimed at a family market and although it wasn’t adrift, it wasn’t plain sailing as its competitors were building increasingly bigger and more outlandish ships.

As we have reported, Princess charted a new course by hiring veteran theme park innovator John Padgett in 2014. He developed groundbreaking wireless technology which enabled vast volumes of passengers to receive the kind of personalized swift service that is usually only available to travelers on high-end yachts.

It is such a strong point of differentiation that Princess created a new industry category for its cruises and called it MedallionClass after the button-shaped wireless devices given to guests to enable staff to locate them. As revolutionary as this is, it is only one of the factors which has kept Princess on the crest of the wave.

Thanks to his background at Disney, Padgett knew the premium that customers were prepared to pay for high-quality themed entertainment so he made it a priority at Princess. It has given the brand another crucial competitive advantage but it took more than the wave of a magic wand to pull it off.

Princess has followed five steps to build up its reputation in the themed entertainment industry and the first came when Padgett assembled a crew of of some of the finest minds from the heydays of Disney’s parks.

Vicki Johnson, Princess’ supremely talented senior vice president of communications worked for the Mouse for 13 years and rose through its ranks to become director of worldwide sales and travel operations PR for Disney Destinations.

This involved publicizing Disney’s parks in the United States as well as Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line. She didn’t just get coverage in business and travel media but also promoted the parks to travel agents, tour operators and meeting planners. It built on experience she gained as director of public affairs for the US Travel and Tourism Administration and made her a perfect fit for Princess given the wider travel industry impact that cruising has.

A number of the attractions she promoted were the work of Canadian Francois Leroux, former head of creative entertainment at Walt Disney World and the ex-chair of Disney’s worldwide creative council brainstorming forum. Prior to that Leroux headed up the entertainment division at Disneyland Paris where he came up with the iconic installation of LED lights in the turrets of its fairytale castle which make it look like it is covered in icicles at Christmas.

In 2016 Leroux became Carnival’s senior vice president of creative experience and design and was joined the following year by Katy Harris who worked with him at Disneyland Paris. Harris spent nearly 25 years working at Disney’s parks culminating in a role as senior show director creative entertainment at Disneyland Paris where she was behind the award-winning Mickey and The Magician stage show and Disney Dreams!, one of the Mouse’s most beloved fireworks displays.

Both Harris and Leroux have developed entertainment on board Princess ships but they were only the tip of the iceberg.

The second step on Princess’ journey to becoming a themed entertainment juggernaut was partnering with external industry experts. Padgett was aware that Princess is primarily a travel company so didn’t dilute that by developing in-house design departments when there are already expert agencies to do the job.

When it came to selecting collaborators, he didn’t do it by halves. Testimony to this, in 2015 Princess unveiled Magic To Do, a stage show combining magic and music which was made in collaboration with Oscar, Grammy and Tony award winning composer Stephen Schwartz. In order to develop the show he amassed a group of theater and theme park powerbrokers including Cirque du Soleil costume designer Dominique Lemieux, Don Frantz, associate producer of The Lion King on Broadway, and Alex Calle, CEO of the Hidden Lemons design agency and the former art director of Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, the world’s leading indoor theme park.

This was just the start as Padgett created an entertainment category for Princess called Extraordinary Experiences and launched its first entry in the series last year. Called 360: An Extraordinary Experience, it is a seven-course dining spectacular for just 20 people. They are encircled by a 4K LED screen which tells the story behind the food they are eating whilst interactive projections are beamed onto the table and scents are pumped in to make diners feel like they are in the countries that the produce comes from.

As we reported, the elements are perfectly synchronized to create an enthralling experience which has an air of so-called flying theater attractions. They suspend guests in front of a soaring screen on seats which move in time to the footage. There is good reason for the similarity to 360.

Princess partnered on the restaurant with California based Super 78 Productions which specializes in creating flying theaters including Wings Over Washington at Miner’s Landing entertainment district in Seattle and Flying over America at the Window of the World park in Shenzhen, China.

Princess broke new ground in gastro theatre with 360 and it is still hands down the most innovative dining experience at sea. It was hard to imagine how Princess could create a more immersive environment but it has recently done just that.

Last month, Princess launched its latest cruise ship and it soon made a splash. Named the Sun Princess, the vessel isn’t as big as the almost supertanker-sized ships from its rivals but at a height of 200 feet and 1,133 feet in length it is no minnow. What separates it most from its competitors is its approach.

Most mega cruise ships focus on the extravagant attractions onboard and although the Sun Princess is home to entertainment which can’t be found elsewhere, it also recognizes that the view is the star attraction.

This becomes apparent after only a few moments onboard as the main rotunda is set inside a three-storey sphere with curved glass windows which bulge out of the side of the ship so that sunlight floods in from all directions. The main restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows and an infinity pool hangs over the back of the ship so that travelers can watch the wake as they soak under the sun.

Another pool can be found under a glass dome on the top deck surrounded by padded loungers which transform into seats at night when high-flying acrobatic performances from Canadian contemporary circus troupe Cirque Éloize take place there.

Princess has embedded entertainment throughout its new ship, even the restaurants. Chefs in its Teppanyaki eatery juggle the eggs before they are cooked on a skillet to make fried rice right in front of the diners. A similar experience is found in the steakhouse run by Dario Cecchini, dubbed the world’s greatest butcher by the New York Times. Its chops are carved on a table in the middle of the dining room by chefs whose hands move so fast that they are a blur.

With this kind of entertainment in the restaurants, the ship’s main show needs to make waves. Due to debut over the coming months, it is being developed by TAIT, a live entertainment expert which has been behind Olympic Games opening ceremonies and Superbowl half time shows.

Its creation for Princess plays out on a circular stage set against a curved pin-sharp LED screen. Cleverly, the banks of seats around it can be angled closer to the stage for a more intimate setting depending on the number of guests.

The show is a dizzying display of high-flying acrobatics as pirates on ropes soar around a set which transforms in the blink of an eye from outdoor scenes of ransacked ruins to the interiors of taverns.

Thrill-seekers onboard will soon be able to try the Rollglider, a nippy cross between a zipline and a rollercoaster. An almost identical attraction can be found at the mighty Snow Abu Dhabi theme park though the one on Sun Princess is the first at sea. Guests strap into a seat suspended from an overhead track which weaves above a platform on the top deck and swings out over the edges. Made by specialist ride manufacturer Walltopia, it brings a theme park quality attraction to a cruise ship though Princess didn’t stop there.

The third part of Princess’ magic formula for success in the themed entertainment industry is that it isn’t afraid to chart its own course by creating new Intellectual Property or taking existing IP into a new space. This started with 360 and it has pushed the boat out even further with the second of its Extraordinary Experiences which is found on the Sun Princess.

It begins at night in the ship’s gleaming airy rotunda which becomes a bustling dance floor as bands belt out rock anthems. Amidst the hustle and bustle it’s easy to miss an inconspicuous black door set into the wall with a flowery emblem embossed on it. It is flanked by a doorman dressed in a top hat and a dark flowing robe with gold fleur-de-lis stitched into it. Stepping through the door is like taking a trip into a real-life Narnia as the atmosphere inside the venue couldn’t be much more different to the hubbub in the rotunda.

Called Spellbound, the venue is the first permanent outpost of the Magic Castle which is one of the most exclusive private members’ clubs in the United States. It is exclusive because it is only open to the world’s most senior magicians and to get in you either have to be a member of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) or be invited by someone who is.

Behind the black door is an old-fashioned wood-panelled drawing room with a fireplace facing the visitors. Somehow the blaring rock tunes outside cannot be heard in the room and the crackling sound of the roaring fire fills the air.

Antiques sit on the shelves and faded photos in gilded frames hang on the walls. In traditional Victorian style, the surround of the fireplace is formed from green lacquered tiles and hanging on the wall above it is what appears to be a painting of the Magic Castle itself. The three-storey mansion sits at the foot of the Hollywood Hills and looks like a fairytale fort with turrets and battlements. The picture of it begins to glow and it soon becomes clear that it is actually a cleverly-disguised LED screen which shows the house transforming over the years as a deep voiceover explains its storied history.

The mansion was built in 1909 and was taken over in 1963 by magicians, Milt Larsen, William Larsen Jr. and Irene Larsen who converted it into a private clubhouse for members of the AMA and their guests. The club is more than just a meeting place for magicians, it is also home to a team of performers who showcase their skills to guests in the lounges, bar and restaurant.

Known for having standards as strict as the most exclusive country clubs, its management has long banned denim, hoodies, sneakers and shorts. It is in-keeping with its formal furnishings which include wooden balustrades, bookcases, grandfather clocks, leather-bound seats, chandeliers and purple velvet curtains. The club is also packed with magical effects such as bar stools which seem to sink and tables which turn on their own. The voiceover in the Spellbound drawing room tells of how the Magic Castle is also home to Irma, a piano-playing ghost whose cousin Isabella inhabits it counterpart at sea.

The tale heightens the tension as the guests wonder what will happen next. Then, all of a sudden, the lights go down, the flames in the fireplace turn green and, as the doorman shouts ‘Open Sesame’, the wall slides to the side revealing the Spellbound lounge. It epitomises Princess’ new direction and is perhaps the clearest evidence of the fourth secret to how it became a themed entertainment powerhouse – it has left no stone unturned.

The Spellbound lounge is the second of four rooms in the venue and they all have deep layers of detail.

The lounge looks like it has come straight from the pages of The Great Gatsby as its wooden walls are packed with antiques and curios. Art Deco magic show posters hang on the walls whilst handcuffs and straightjackets sit in cabinets. There are plush red chairs, velvet curtains with golden tassels and golden lampshades in the shape of banana leaves.

It is designed to reflect the turn-of-the-century era when the Magic Castle was built and iconic illusionist Harry Houdini was at the peak of his fame. Like its bigger brother, enchanting effects are embedded in the venue and some are much more subtle than others.

Princess hasn’t just recreated a mystical setting for Spellbound, it has also infused a story into it. Irma’s cousin Isabella is supposedly sitting at an ornate piano as it plays tunes if you call out their names. Apparently by design it doesn’t always get the selections right and, so the story goes, that’s because Isabella is hard of hearing.

On the wall near to the piano is what seems to be an oil painting of a cockatoo which miraculously sways in time to the tunes. It has an air of Harry Potter’s moving portraits and is actually a video screen with a sheen which makes it look like artwork. Thanks to an eerily convincing effect, at one point the cockatoo seems to strut out of the painting and into the seemingly empty bird cage above the piano where it appears as a holographic projection.

Access to Spellbound is limited to just 90 people a time and costs $149. This gives guests access to the venue all evening so that they can come and go as they please, just like they could if they were members of the Magic Castle itself. It includes a special dinner in a dedicated corner of the ship’s main dining room and unlimited drinks at Spellbound’s vintage bar. Even they are served in a suitably theatrical way.

Instead of being delivered on trays, the drinks come in old-fashioned oil lanterns and padlocked treasure chests which have smoke billowing out of them revealing the glasses when it clears. Befitting the era, the drinks are largely cocktails and are as magical as their surroundings. A shot of blue liquid turns purple when it is poured into one of them whilst a glass of champagne goes blue when green candyfloss is dropped into it.

You could be forgiven for not noticing all the details as there is so much going on, especially when magicians from the Magic Castle perform tricks at the bar. They don’t just use cards and coins, but also other random items, like lemons and even pieces of shrimp.

The tricks start simple but are still mind-bending as the magician correctly guesses which card guests have secretly chosen from a deck. Then he uses a tiny plunger to pick up a pile of loose cards before things get more mysterious. One magician somehow makes a piece of raw shrimp disappear and reappear in fried form before it re-materializes raw again but this time on someone’s shoulder. The crescendo comes when he guesses the precise pattern on a Rubik’s cube after guests have mixed it up behind his back.

It’s a completely different experience to watching magic on the television or on Broadway as, not only is it close-up but the guests are also part of the show as CruiseCritic reported. Its journalist Marilyn Borth said that the magician “put two coins in my hand and somehow, when I opened my fist, there were three.”

Even the ornaments on the shelves seem to play tricks on you. Walking through the library next to the bar you’ll do a double take as the shelves are lined with antiques which seem to move but stop when you turn towards them. A globe spins, pictures on the wall change from people to skeletons, a ship in a bottle bobs on a wooden wave and the eyes of cleverly-carved spooky marble statues appear to follow you as you walk by. It’s an effect which will be familiar to anyone who has been on Disney’s classic Haunted Mansion ride and there is good reason for this.

The design wizard behind Spellbound is Alex Calle of Hidden Lemons who also developed Dubai’s Dragon Gliders How to Train Your Dragon ride which is one of the best theme park movie tie-ins of all time.

The Spellbound lounge appears to be inspired by the 1930s-era Adventurers Club dining and entertainment venue which ran at Walt Disney World in Orlando from 1989 until 2008. Likewise, the drawing room follows a similar format to the pre-ride briefing for Disney’s Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror freefall attraction. And the marble statues aren’t the only effect in Spellbound which will appeal to fans of the Haunted Mansion.

The main event comes when 30 guests are led into an old-fashioned parlor room where an even more mystifying magic show is introduced by a holographic head hovering inside a crystal ball. The acts rotate and it currently hosts card trick artist Woody Aragon who has played to celebrities such as Steve Buscemi and Conan O’Brien.

The 30 minute show culminates in him correctly guessing which playing card will be shouted out over the phone by a relative of someone in the audience who calls them. It is truly baffling and casts a powerful spell.

One guest who has visited its historic Hollywood counterpart says that “areas of the Castle have been brought into Spellbound and the décor and essence of the Castle has been translated into the venue.”

Denise Saviss, vice president of entertainment experiences for Princess adds that “while nothing is as the original, our team created Spellbound by Magic Castle to give those who have not been to the iconic venue in Los Angeles, a sense of it.” She explains that “the entrance, piano, bar, library and theater are spaces in the Castle.”

Spellbound is a theme park calibre nightspot which is ahead of the curve as a bar based on the Haunted Mansion attraction is due to debut on the Disney Treasure cruise ship when it launches in December.

Spellbound is a world away from typical cruise entertainment and the leading cruise experts concur. “The attention to detail they have in this partnership is like nothing I’ve ever seen,” says Doug Parker, founder of Cruise Radio, one of the most authoritative cruise industry networks. “Other lines have fly-on magicians in the main theater. Nothing dedicated, and certainly not to the extent of the programming in Spellbound.”

That view is shared by Stewart Chiron, America’s most quoted cruise industry expert. Known as The Cruise Guy, he has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Good Morning America, CNBC, the Travel Channel, CNN and more. He describes Spellbound as “a very unique and exclusive experience” and adds that it comes at just the right time as operators are packing their ships with increasingly breathtaking attractions to grab travelers’ attention.

“The cruise industry continues to be extremely competitive especially with each brand trying to present the latest and greatest. This could be dining, service, activities, amenities, and even experiential categories,” explains Chiron. Specialising in themed entertainment has given Princess a Unique Selling Point and it hasn’t rushed into it. Careful planning is the fifth and final secret to how the operator has become a heavyweight in the themed entertainment industry.

Princess didn’t dive in head first with Spellbound and instead tested the water with cruises featuring performances, workshops and lectures from Magic Castle magicians as well as magic-themed movies, meals and cocktails.

The success of this proved the appetite for the format and gave the Magic Castle a chance to dip its toe in the water with Princess. “The businesses both started around the same time in the early 60s, right here on the west coast and we have always shared a true connection and love for entertainment,” says Erika Larsen, president of Magic Castle Enterprises and niece of the venue’s founder Milt.

“Princess Cruises has had magicians from the Magic Castle aboard its ships to entertain guests for years. They approached us as they were ideating what unique new experiences, they could bring on board.” She adds that it was magical to see Princess “taking aspects of the Castle and bringing it to sea – from the magical Victorian design to actual artefacts from the Castle.” Few people know the Magic Castle and Spellbound better than Larsen so it is high praise indeed and it raises one big question – how will Princess top it?