Disappointed

To my disappointment, I have just learned that, effective January 1, 2017, there will be no Dance Hosts on any HAL cruises and Bridge Directors will only be on board 30-day or more cruises. :mad:

Welcome to Cruise Critic - it's too bad you weren't here earlier; you could have been disappointed about a month ago when it was first announced. Many people were unhappy that the Dance Hosts would no longer be available on the longer cruises, as they really looked forward to them. Hopefully you'll find something else to keep your toes tapping on the Dam ships.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

I'll add my welcome to Cruise Critic.

Over the last 6 or so cruises, I have peeked into the area where the bridge players were scheduled to meet. Never more than one table.

If you are good enough, offer your services to Holland America. Typically, you would do your teaching only on sea day. For the days in port, you would be able to do whatever.

Jim

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Lots of changes over the last couple of years and more next year.

There used to be dance hosts on our 21 day repositioning cruises from Ft Lauderdale to either San Diego or Seattle. We noticed this past spring there weren't any.

Bridge -- we have also looked into the rooms where they play -- as said -- barely 1 or 2 tables. HAL is starting to attract the younger cruises and the majority don't play cards let alone bridge.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

You can always try to get a bridge group together on your roll call. Even without an instructor, players can learn from each other.

Perhaps without dance hosts they could afford to buy some sheet music for the bands so they could play something written after 1945! But in a more serious vein, those dance hosts were important to quite a few ladies on our longer cruises. Younger folks (on HAL that would be most under 70) did not seem to avail themselves of the dance hosts on a regular basis (we even heard this from one of the dance hosts). So first we have HAL banning balcony smoking, now getting rid of the dance hosts, and next one might believe that HAL is really trying to attract cruisers under 60 years of age.

Hank

P.S. Before we get flamed we should disclose that we are OVER 60 years of age.

Sad as it is the Greatest Generation are not traveling as much as they used to and are slowly leaving us. The younger side of the Baby Boomers and the Gen-X crowd are the client bases who Holland America are now needing to attract to fill ships for the next 2 decades. These generations are less into social/ballroom dancing and involved card games like Bridge. I know very few people under 60 who do either, hence why we see the introduction of BB King, Billboard Onboard, etc.

HAL know their market demographics and who use what services/perks and in what amounts. If Dance Hosts and Bridge instructors were allowing them to charge a fare premium they would stay. As it is, the use of these free perks is dwindling and HAL needs to best allocate resources, whether we as cruisers like the change or not, to entertainment and pursuits that will attract and retain clients.

What bothers me is that HAL is messing with the Grand cruises which, due to their length, attracts the retired generations (and about 25% singles) who expect the elegance, the added amenities like dance hosts, lecturers, clergy for a variety of faiths (Catholic who will be on the ships, Jewish and Christian), a various instructors and more upscale food - and we are willing to pay the extra fare to enjoy these. Maybe they will decrease the fares - yeah right.....

HAL has clarified via email that dance hosts will be on the 2017 WC and then they will be gone!

...... and next one might believe that HAL is really trying to attract cruisers under 60 years of age.

 

The oldest Boomers are now entering their 70's -- They (We :)) will be the dominate demographic, for a while. Active, retired, with resources.

Maybe we can approach our single male friends to cruise and find single ladies who want to dance. Maybe a name tag that reads "Ready to Dance!"

As one of the (barely) under 60 crowd I have to agree with a lot of the comments here about us not really dancing or playing cards. However, one of my absolute favorites has been the HAL piano bar. It always attracted a fun & friendly group. I can't sing a note without a mass exodus but always had great time. I will miss that!

As for BB King- I would probably like it just fine if I could sit in the room. But the volume has been sooo loud it was unbearable. And enough people must agree because seating outside the venue has always been full.

I do find it funny, though that they lump people who were born over an 18 year period together as "baby boomers"- as if they shared a common "growing up" experience! lol:)

I would suspect that "saving money" is only part of the reason for the loss of Dance Hosts. Passenger behavior is probably another part. As in so many situations in life, the behavior or attitude of some can ruin things for many.

As an example, on one long cruise, a dinner table-mate was, what we would now be called "bullied" by the core of women wanting to have dance hosts to themselves. She was an excellent ballroom dancer. Due to medical issues her husband, who was on the cruise, was no longer able to even think about dancing, so she put herself into the mix of women wanting to dance with the Hosts. Well, talk about jumping into a hornets nest - at least some of the other women caused an uproar. They made no bones about their distain for this woman - who had a husband and therefore had no right to dance with the Dance Hosts. First apparently wanting to chase my table-mate off (this failed) by rude comments to her and about her in public settings, they appealed to the Cruise Director to remove this thorn in their sides (my words). He met with the women and explained that no where in HAL policies did it state that the Dance Hosts were only for single women or solo passengers. At least some of the complainers still did not think this fair but my table-mate persisted in dancing with the hosts who apparently loved to dance with her as she was such a good dancer.

When I travel solo, I sometimes like to sit in the Ocean Bar and watch the good dancers and enjoy the music. So I have seen many other situations of a few would-be dancers making life difficult for other women and the Hosts. Then too, I have witnessed women who just seem to enjoy what time they do have dancing with the Hosts.

one of my absolute favorites has been the HAL piano bar

I will miss that!

No piano bar on HAL? :( One of the funnest activities on RCCL has been their Schooner Lounge piano bars. Very fond memories of singing songs there with my late Mother and my brothers and our wives until the wee hours. I had heard something about dueling pianos but did not think it was "instead of" piano bar. Bummer.

I checked into this for my Grandmother and this is the reply I received from Holland America

I am happy to advise that Dance Hosts will continue to be offered on the 2017 Grand World Voyage.

I suspect that the confusion may have come from our Dance Instructor program on sailings of 30 days or more which will be replaced in 2017 with regional dance instruction to reflect the ship’s itinerary.

Please rest assured that your customer will be able to enjoy Dance Hosts on the World Voyage.

I'm a "young 'un" for HAL standards and would love to learn to play Bridge and even re-learn Canasta. Its too bad they don't have this but I understand about trying to appeal to everyone.

Hello

If you want dance hosts and great orchestras for dancing in real ballrooms try Cunard Line. That line typically has between 6-8 dance hosts depending on the sailing. Of course, Cunard only has three ships so the choice of places to go is more limited than HAL.

Deck Chair

I'm sorry but could someone tell me what exactly is a Dance Host?

Not having dance hosts on HAL's longer voyages is disappointing. In our early days of cruising we went to the Ocean Bar where we liked the music for dancing. DH was an outstanding dancer, and he always noticed who also could dance. If it was a lady without a partner he often asked her to dance. We then would gather together and have a grand evening. But those days are gone now. Dancing to me is/was more fun than sitting and listening in the Piano Bar. Guess I liked the exercise. Thanks for the heads up on the Cunard Line. I think I'll look into that cruise line.

Marianne

Hello

I neglected to mention that on just about all Cunard sailings there is at least one afternoon Tea Dance to the orchestra in the ballroom that is hugely popular. A lot of passengers dancing and all the dance hosts joining in.

The Queen Mary has over 30 musicians alone. There is LIVE music every where you turn especially at night.

Deck Chair

I'm sorry but could someone tell me what exactly is a Dance Host?

Simply put - They are staff on board that ask passengers to dance. So, if you are single or with a partner who doesn't dance you can still dance.

Perhaps HAL should revert to a ticket system.

Buy a book of tickets. Use one ticket for each dance. Pay as you play for cruisers. One ticket for one dance.

Dance hosts get paid for how many dances they work.

Hello

 

I neglected to mention that on just about all Cunard sailings there is at least one afternoon Tea Dance to the orchestra in the ballroom that is hugely popular. A lot of passengers dancing and all the dance hosts joining in.

 

The Queen Mary has over 30 musicians alone. There is LIVE music every where you turn especially at night.

 

Deck Chair

Curious, is chair hogging a problem on the Queen?

Curious, is chair hogging a problem on the Queen?

Hello

There are plenty of deck chairs scattered over the many outside decks of the Queen Mary. Not saying chair hogging doesn't happen but it is rare. True also on the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. It helps that each ship has fabulous 360 degree promenade decks with tons of deck chairs lining the railings. Check out the pictures.

Deck Chair

Perhaps HAL should revert to a ticket system.

 

Buy a book of tickets. Use one ticket for each dance. Pay as you play for cruisers. One ticket for one dance.

 

Dance hosts get paid for how many dances they work.

:D

My daughter was 24 (now 33) on her first HAL cruise (a seven day). She had taken ballroom dancing in college and it was popular among the college set in Baltimore to go to the Belvedere for the monthly ballroom dances.

I had told her there would be dance hosts available so that she could dance. She was very disappointed to find out that there were none on the cruise.