Regent Newbie Questions & Ballroom Dancing

Hi: My DH and I have cruised a lot, but not yet on Regent. We are considering a 2016 transatlantic cruise on Navigator and wonder what it will be like. Here are the things we hope to learn more about:

- How much ballroom dancing is there on this ship? Where are the dance floors located? We don't see any on the ship's maps but we suspect they might not be marked.

- Is it possible to walk laps on the deck above the pool or is that space used for chairs? And, is the pool covered in cold weather?

- How is this ship in the open waters of the Atlantic? We'd love to hear from anyone who has done a transatlantic crossing in March/April.

- How does the experience on this ship compare to Azamara, Crystal or Oceania?

- On a 14 night cruise will there be any formal nights? If so, do most people dress formally (hope so...we love that part of cruising).

Sorry for having so many questions! It is fun to consider a new line but we want to make sure it is a good fit for us. The most important part is the ballroom dancing since we cruise to dance.

Thanks in advance for sharing your info!

Hello Carnevale (aka Farewell to Meat), some answers for you regarding Navigator:

Pool not covered at all in any weather.

Yes, you can do laps on the circular deck above the pool and yes you will dodge some deck chairs but there may not be that many during a TA.

I don't think there are any formal nights.

If you go, hope your voyage is smooth in all ways.

Hi -- just finished a transatlantic cruise last month. All of the ships have stabilizers but you can definitely feel the motion of the ocean if the seas are rough. We did not have rough seas last month but this obviously cannot be predicted.

It is difficult to compare the cruise lines you mentioned because two of them are not luxury cruise lines (Azamara and Oceania) and the ship sizes vary quite a bit. As you may know, Oceania is a sister company to Regent. We have been on their larger ship and enjoyed it very much. In terms of ship size, the Navigator holds 490 passengers while Azamara holds around 700, Crystal holds around 900 and Oceania has some ships that are the same size as Azamara and two ships that hold approximately 1,200 passengers.

There will be no formal nights on a 14 night cruise. However, many passengers dress up on the nights of the Captain's Reception and the Captain's Farewell (actually some passengers dress up quite a bit every night while others are more elegant casual).

Since ballroom dancing sounds like it is your #1 priority, I am not sure Regent will fit the bill. They do have dancing in two lounges on the ship (both aft) but we have not seen that much ballroom dancing. There are exceptions to this - hopefully someone else can chime in about that. Your best bet would be to talk to a travel agent that has a lot of experience booking premium and luxury cruises. They would be able to give you the best advice.

P.S. The most "formal" of the luxury cruise lines is Silversea (we have sailed them as well). Unfortunately, I have no idea about the ballroom dancing on Silversea.

We were on the recent 17 night Panama Canal cruise and enjoyed dancing almost every evening prior to dinner. At 6:30 Gallilo Lounge features the 4 or 5 person band for an hour of dancing. In addition, two of the on-board entertainers (in our case, Stas and Kseniya) were available on all sea days for group lessons. This was lots of fun...geared toward beginners...featuring Waltz, Rumba, ChaCha, Tango and Swing. Our only complaint would be that occasionally the band chose to play jazz rather than what we wanted for dancing. However, they would take requests. In addition - there was dancing after the evening show...but this was a bit too late for us so we never participated.

We were just on the transatlantic that Travelcat was on. On sea days at 1:00 pm there were dance lessons, and then just like Mushroom said each night at 6:00 pm dancing, and then we did a few nights of dancing after the show (usually started around 10:30pm)

Surprisingly the dance floor was almost always pretty packed at 10:30 pm. The band would play both dancing music (swing, waltz, or whatever you requested) and they would also play some more contemporary music.

I would not say it is the best for ballroom dancing, but my wife loved it since she was able to dance with me, and then when I did not want to dance there was always other gentlemen willing to dance with her.

I have only cruised Regent in luxury cruising so cannot compare between lines.

Three years ago I cruised from Miami to Spain in April aboard the Navigator. It was a seventeen day cruise. The water was as smooth as silk. We experienced delightful weather.

I am a walker and walked laps daily. Chairs were a non issue. A crew member always led a walk if you care to walk in a small group.

In seven cruises aboard Regent I have seen few tuxedos. Some cruises none. If you are looking for a formal cruise Regent may diappoint. Elegant casual is more realistic. Somewhere I heard or read longer cruises one will see more tuxedos. If you enjoy formal attire you might want to research a different cruise line. Sad to discourage you away from Regent.

While hubby and I do not ballroom dance we always notice some. I admire couples who know how to ballroom dance. I would not say we saw a lot of this beautiful dancing. Sure wish we had kept up on ballroom dance lessons. A huge regret for me. One of us was not interested.

I think I answered all your questions. I love Regent. However, everyone has there own preferences. It is good that you are researching so you have a good experience. Sure other cruise lines do a good job as well. Happy planning and best wishes for a great cruise.

There are three dancing areas on the Navigator. The "Stars Lounge" on deck 6 aft dance area is on the starboard side. It is very small, like 15' across. Also, the 7 Seas theater is located just behind and one entrance is through the dance floor, which is sometime problematic. Live music might be a piano player, a duo or trio, or some members of the orchestra, all of whom will play requests. They also have a self service disco music box.

Sometimes before or after a show there are a few minutes of dancing in an area in front of the stage in the the 7 Seas theater.

The last area is on deck 11 in "Galileo's" Dance floor is app. 15' x 20'. Live music includes the same as in "Stars Lounge" and on some night shows like Beatles night or a cabaret singer from the production staff.

Cha-cha and swing are ok, but if ballroom dancing, particularly traveling dances are important, the Navigator is not for you. The other ships have a little larger dance area in the Horizon lounge.

But, AFAIK only Cunard has true ballrooms. The QM2 has a huge one that is the width of the ship, maybe over 1,000 square feet. Crystal ships also have larger dance floors.

j

In seven cruises aboard Regent I have seen few tuxedos. Some cruises none. If you are looking for a formal cruise Regent may diappoint. Elegant casual is more realistic. Somewhere I heard or read longer cruises one will see more tuxedos. If you enjoy formal attire you might want to research a different cruise line. Sad to discourage you away from Regent.

If dressing formally is your cuppa, then you'll want to sail Silversea or highest-level Cunnard.

If formal dress is not appealing, you'll be at home on Regent.

I'll have to say, if you want ballroom dancing, Oceania Riviera might fit the bill.

We did our only transatlantic on this ship in 2013, and the large Horizons Lounge was where the ballroom dancers practically lived. There's a nice big floor, often a live band, and a lot of camaraderie among the dancers. We were just watchers. Lovely lounge, underused somewhat at cocktail hour.

I have been on Navigator and Voyager and their dance floors, as I remember, are rather small, although they exist.

Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed and for the great info you've provided - you've given us lots to consider. CC is such a great resource for this.

At this point I think we'll do a little more looking around, but we certainly haven't ruled the Regent cruise out yet.

It was interesting to hear comments about dancing on other lines. We sailed once on Oceania and most days we had zero opportunities to dance and, when there was dancing, we were usually the only couple. I guess a lot depends on how many dancers are on board as I think they may change things up based on how it all appears to be going. Cunard was also a disappointing dance experience as while the QM2 had a fabulous floor (for a ship), the band was pretty bad and the space was often used for by invitation only events. So far, our best dancing experiences have been on Crystal and some of the non-luxury brands that have small floors but we manage to make do and get a few hours on the floor everyday (Princess and HAL in particular have small spaces but they are geared to dancing).

And well done OctoberKat! You are the first to figure out that my handle, Carnevale, is both a reference to our love of Venice (and, in particular its Carnival) as well as our vegetarian diet as Carnevale does indeed mean farewell to meat (although just for Lent as the tradition of Carnival had it).

Thanks again to all of you for your helpful info - it is greatly appreciated!

Go on the cruise on the explorer on oct 22 2016 . My husband and I have been taking ballroom dancing lessons for three years. We will be dancing - I promise!!

By far the best dancing we had would be on Crystal. However, we first started dancing on the Mariner in 2001. The dance floor was a decent size but on the Navigator is is very small and with a very awkward shape. Most traveling dances would be difficult but it is not impossible. We've at times on cruises been the only couple dancing. Enjoy! Don't let non-dancers sway you because there is dancing on Regent if you are willing. However, look into Crystal!

Don't forget that Carnevale can also mean "goodbye to the flesh" (not just meat in that other sense)-- as in the very famous, wonderful, horrible E.A. Poe story "Cask of Amontillado," which takes place in Venice during Carnevale, and which ends with the horrific murder in the catacombs. Tee hee.

Don't forget that Carnevale can also mean "goodbye to the flesh" (not just meat in that other sense)-- as in the very famous, wonderful, horrible E.A. Poe story "Cask of Amontillado," which takes place in Venice during Carnevale, and which ends with the horrific murder in the catacombs. Tee hee.

Oh no! :eek: I did not know about that reference. It does put it all in a different light!

Poss. You sound a bit dark - I love Poe!! Something new besides what is to eat 🐙🐓🐄

No, no, not dark at all. I just think that Poe is one of the early masters of the American short story. Plus, ok, we lived in Baltimore for a while, and that's where the poor chap is buried. Every year on his birthday, in the middle of the night (and I think on Halloween as well), someone lays a single rose and a bottle of Amontillado on his grave. Tales like "Amontillado" are certainly macabre, but they have real genius imo.

Carnevale: We love Regent (actually the only cruise line we've sailed-- a dozen or so times), but I have to say that I think there are probably more appropriate lines for someone for whom ballroom dancing is one of the main pleasures. But I should also say that my husband and I are usually in our cabin by 9-10:00, so clearly I don't know what goes on after we old-farts are stacking zzz's.

I hope you have a wonderful time, whatever you choose.