Dancing on the Silhouette

[wbierbra]

I'm planning on taking a group of dancers (ballroom,etc) on the Silhouette. Can someone tell me what kind of dance space they have and also how often during the day/evening is there music playing somewhere where we could dance?

[Esprit]

I can only answer from my experience aboard Solstice but I'd be surprised if the availability for Ballroom/Latin dancing is any different on other Solstice ships.

 

As a keen dancer myself I was very disappointed with the floor space made available. The small area below the main staicase is just too small and fitting in five couples is very tight. The live band do a good job but you can forget trying to dance a quickstep or foxtrot in the confined area.

 

The Sky lounge has a larger circular floor and again the live band will play requests but as the evening goes on the music played is tailored for all to enjoy and dance to. It becomes more of a night club/disco scene so you'll be able to jive and salsa. Cha cha's will have to be limited to basic steps as you wont have the room to spread around with the floor so full.

 

To summarise I would not recommend any Solstice ships if you are looking for a serious Ballroom/Latin dancing cruise.

[6502programmer]

I can second Esprit's comments, with the caveat that mine are based on other ships in Celebrity's fleet as well.

 

The atrium dancing isn't so much fun. On a 10 night cruise, expect perhaps three nights of music you'd care to dance to in the atrium (ie, not the string quartet or the party band [though the occasional rhumba or chacha can be done to them]). There's usually a jazz band with a singer in a lounge with a floor most nights, but requests are easier during the slower times, and the circular floor is less than ideal. You'll also be competing for floor space with people who understand neither the mechanics of floor craft nor the etiquette of dance.

 

We're avid dancers, but dancing is not a big factor for us in choosing Celebrity. If it's an overriding concern, go with Cunard. Dancing in the Queens Room is quite the special treat. We prefer Celebrity for a vacation, and will accept doing travelling dances only during lull times and staking out a corner for stationary dances any other time.

[bobby1119]

The best ballroom dancing space at sea is the Queens Room on Queen Mary 2 which has the largest ballroom dance floor at sea.

 

While we don't dance ballroom, we go to the Queens Room very often just to watch the ballroom dancing. It's wonder watching fellow passengers dressed up in TUX and beautiful gowns on the dance floor. Far better than the lame shows in the Theatre.

[highbridger]

Cunard is the best for ballroom dancing. We, however, love to travel on Celebrity. We do dance at the foot of the stairs before dinner, but that is not all that great. We eat early and go up to the lounge for dancing. We usually get an hour or 2 of dancing in before all the late diners come, and the music changes to 'wedding' music. Cunard, also, is not perfect. A beautiful big dance floor, but the floor can be so packed that you can barely move.

[pris993]

None of the cruiselines we usually go on have great dancing opportunities, except Cunard. We just returned from the Queen Victoria. Dancing in the Queen's Room was a joy all evening long. Much better than what is available on Celebrity, Princess and Holland American lines. I wish the other lines would wake up to the fact more folks are interested in dancing now days than ever.

[wbierbra]

Thanks everyone. Besides the sky lounhge and atrium floor are there no other places to dance? Where do they give their dance lessons?

[Esprit]

Thanks everyone. Besides the sky lounhge and atrium floor are there no other places to dance? Where do they give their dance lessons?

 

There's a lobby just outside the Quasar night club which I've seen used for a sort of line dance (dance off) event organised by the Activities team. By it's nature it is quite open and is overlooked by the next level so people will be wandering through to get to the shops and the casino.

 

Despite the ship's size the area's available for dancing are quite pathetic.

[gisnered]

Thanks everyone. Besides the sky lounhge and atrium floor are there no other places to dance? Where do they give their dance lessons?

 

I wouldn't get too excited about dance lessons on Celebrity. Any lessons I've seen have been conducted by dancers from the "Celebrity Dancers" troupe - back row. They've ranged from competent basic Cha Cha and Merengue on one cruise to downright dangerous on another, when Celebrity Dancers Dapper Dan and Darling Dawn carefully taught Closed Change steps in Waltz going against the line of dance!

 

As you can tell from the responses, "S" class ships aren't much use to ballroom dancers. There is a little more opportunity on the "M" class ships. The Rendezvous Lounge, just outside the main dining room on each ship, generally has a three or four piece combo playing fairly nice dance music through the evening.