James C.
Yelp
The review is specifically for a reservation for the Burlesque Mermaid show on a Friday night. The pricing model has changed for The Wreck since a lot of the reviews here were written, and none of the people I spoke to locally were aware this is now a paid ticket - $65 with $35 of this going towards your food.
I wouldn't want anyone to think the show itself isn't a lot of fun, so let's talk about the most important thing first. The performers are great! The night we went, Pilikia hosted - starting in the bar with us. She noted that the leader was not performing that night, so she was running the show instead. You'd never think she wasn't in charge, so I'm guessing this is a role she takes up fairly regularly. She then joined the other performers, 4 of them in total, and the show lasted about 30 minutes in total. It felt the perfect length as naturally there is only so many things you can do in the water, and each took turns in the spotlight, sometimes pairing up. We liked the diversity of the performers, certainly something for everyone! The only disappointment was they don't wear their tails, but I'm guessing this is probably for logistical reasons. I have zero complaint with regards to the creative aspect of the night, so the final score definitely doesn't reflect this aspect.
The bar itself is small and fun, having the swimming pool visible is definitely a unique aspect and it's the perfect environment for the show. The hotel itself seems nice and upscale too, I've been here briefly before some years ago but this was the first time at The Wreck itself. The hostess and wait staff were friendly and catered to our requests with no issues, checking on availability of things that weren't usually served.
Prior to the show starting at 8:30, for about 40 minutes the DJ brings the crowd up to a roar and was definitely more amped up than I was expecting. I'm glad we arrived early and had eaten our dinner by this point, as the music gets loud and he's on the mic regularly playing games with everyone. If it's your birthday or you're celebrating, do not tell the servers this unless you're into crowd participation because you *will* be dancing with him in front of everyone. You have been warned!
On to the part that stops this from being a strong recommendation. It feels that for the experience, they should either uncharge on food and drink or charge an entry fee, but unfortunately they decided to go with both. For 3 of us to watch, have a simple meal (no appetizers, and the most basic entrees), soft drinks except myself who had 2 beers it came to around $250. Previously the show was free if you spent a minimum of $30 while there, but adding the extra charge takes this from a night out you could partake in whenever you had friends in town up for a unique experience to one you'd probably just tell them to enjoy by themselves once you've been once. And that's a genuine shame! I guess with the small capacity and hotel guests with plenty of money to burn they've decided to just push the locals aside these days. The food itself was... fine? I've attached the menus to my review because the price might shock for what was essentially serviceable food. I could easily get better elsewhere for half the price, but that would've been fine if not for the $30 entry fee.
If I was to do it again I'd come as a couple (or perhaps a group divisible by 2?) as even though we arrived super early and the place was empty, we were put on the tables at the back. In front of us were tables for 2, and then the bar. It's still a good view, but feels like getting up close to the glass would be the best experience for a show like this. One group of 3 was at the bar, but they didn't give the 3rd person a chair! It did feel like we wasted an hour though, as we were hoping to get better seats, and it's 2 hours before the show starts. I'd also probably eat and drink a few cocktails at a happy hour beforehand and will definitely be in the mood for the party environment, with the $35 credit covering 2 drinks at The Wreck. Nobody at the bar was eating from what we saw.
In other things that really should be included in the writeup when you buy tickets - you can valet and they'll stamp the ticket at the bar, but the prices for this looked super high too (unsurprisingly). We used the public lot next door and it cost around $12 based on guesswork as to how long we'd be there. If you don't want to hang around after the show you'll be out around 9:30 or so.
But more importantly... bring cash! Once the show is over, the mermaids come to the bar and each have 'treasure chests' for tips, and it's nice to show appreciation to them, chat, take photos etc. We scrambled to get what we could between us because - it's 2022 and most of us only carry our cards most the time! It could've been a bit embarrassing, and I wonder how many people get caught out.
It seems the setup for this has changed a few times over the years, and hopefully it will get looked at again.