Dance and Dancing

[danceguy]

Dancing has been disappointing on my previous cruises, but I have usually been on older ships. Not enough room, wrong kind of music, hard to find dancers who know how to dance! I am wondering if the larger and more modern ships are better equipped for it - Royal Caribbean, HAL and NCL Caribbean cruises departing south Florida in November and December. Any input as to which ship and line would be most appropriate would be appreciated! Dance is my passion, and though I teach it it would also be nice to find ladies who already know swing and or ballroom and or latin - just to dance! :)

[Kamloops50]

Dancing has been disappointing on my previous cruises, but I have usually been on older ships. Not enough room, wrong kind of music, hard to find dancers who know how to dance! I am wondering if the larger and more modern ships are better equipped for it - Royal Caribbean, HAL and NCL Caribbean cruises departing south Florida in November and December. Any input as to which ship and line would be most appropriate would be appreciated! Dance is my passion, and though I teach it it would also be nice to find ladies who already know swing and or ballroom and or latin - just to dance! :)

 

I would suggest HAL or Cunard, both have ballroom dancing. Cunard claims to have the largest ballroom dancing floors at sea.

[calliopecruiser]

Also consider Crystal, which has regular ballroom dancing on each cruise, as well as some particular ballroom-themed cruises. And Ambassador Hosts on every cruise to dance with women who don't have partners (actually a couple of Hostesses too for unaccompanied men).

[cb at sea]

The passenger mix will determine how many "real" dancers there are. Some folks just like to get out there and move! I know...it's not "ballroom" or "latin" or "swing"...but they enjoy it just the same!

 

If you are a good leader, then a woman with a decent sense of rhythm can follow you.

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

You might want to consider Oasis/Allure OTS. Lots of places to dance and they stay open late. ;)

LuLu

[dancinman66]

I suggest Cunard

Great floors that won't kill your shoes and loads of ladies to dance with and great band music every night

 

Larger royal ships have more dance areas and choice of music to suit but finding partners their and princess etc also hit and miss

 

 

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[Karysa]

The problem is finding a lady who dances. I mostly see couples dancing together. Some stay on the dance floor for an hour or more at a time. You could ask women sitting if they dance but you may have to ask a lot of women before you find one that knows how to ballroom dance. Many people can dance a simple waltz or foxtrot but you may have trouble finding a tango or swing partner.

 

Does anyone know if any cruiselines do dance themed cruises?

[t60]

I´m sure you´ll find someone to dance with if you are a good ¨leader¨. Even if you have to start with just a basic social foxtrot ie walk, walk, side close. My OH was not a dancer to start with, but our dance teacher always manages to get him in the right place when learning something new.

Some ships (thinking Princess, P&O) have pretty basic dance classes and there are always spare women who need a partner

 

Sandy in Spain

[dancinman66]

The problem is finding a lady who dances. I mostly see couples dancing together. Some stay on the dance floor for an hour or more at a time. You could ask women sitting if they dance but you may have to ask a lot of women before you find one that knows how to ballroom dance. Many people can dance a simple waltz or foxtrot but you may have trouble finding a tango or swing partner.

 

 

 

Does anyone know if any cruiselines do dance themed cruises?

 

 

Yeah there are a few rock n roll ones with royal

But best is Cunard as lots of ladies book only to dance

Plenty to dance with

 

Being a good leader is not enough on a lot of cruises to find the partner

It really depends on what solo people are on board and if they can dance

 

I go to the lessons looking for dancers but usually it is full of absolute beginners only sometimes have I found a partner there

 

Crystal and silver sea also promote dancing utilizing dance hosts as do Cunard. But Cunard is bees knees for it

Got loads of my regular dance partners cruise there

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Forget HAL.

They have tiny dance floors on the smaller older ships. A little larger on the Vista and Signature class ships. But HAL has the HAL Cats playing in the Ocean Bar where the dance floor is. And we have found their music to be loud and horrible.

HAL's Vista and Signature class ships have the Northern Lights -- playing Disco music.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Krazy Kruizers

[Essiesmom]

My HAL cruises have always had dancing in one lounge every night, not the HAL Cats. Agree to try Cunard...QM2 has a 12 night cruise from NYC Dec 22 to Caribbean. Believe it or not, Carnival Elation has a Latin dance charter Nov. 7, only 3 nights. Google Aventura Dance Cruise. EM

[Bonnie J.]

My husband and I both started ball room dance lessons when we were 7 years old. (the 'box step'). We met when we were 14 at of all things dance lessons at the club. We love to dance. I am always on my toes when we dance and always take my shoes off. We do the fox trot no matter what kind of music is being played, just dance in time to it. Older men have seen us dance and when we sit down will come ask me to dance. I get my husband's ok and enjoy dancing. He was taught to lead and can dance with other ladies, he leads them.

We have been asked if we were professional dancers but, No, we just have fun and have been dancing together since 1958!

 

We have fun watching other couples dance and deciding who had lessons at a dance school. They never touch each other and when they're with another couple both dance exactly the same, same school, still never touching, always away from each other. Some day I'm going to ask where they went to school.

[Karysa]

Yeah there are a few rock n roll ones with royal

But best is Cunard as lots of ladies book only to dance

Plenty to dance with

 

Being a good leader is not enough on a lot of cruises to find the partner

It really depends on what solo people are on board and if they can dance

 

I go to the lessons looking for dancers but usually it is full of absolute beginners only sometimes have I found a partner there

 

Crystal and silver sea also promote dancing utilizing dance hosts as do Cunard. But Cunard is bees knees for it

Got loads of my regular dance partners cruise there

 

 

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Good idea to go to the dance lessons OP to see if a lady or 2 has the same idea. A meet n mingle dance for an hour early on the cruise would be a nice way to get folks who like to dance to meet each other. At our DD's camp they have interest groups. Might be something the cruise lines could do. Ballroom dancing, wine lovers, early morning walkers, and nature lovers and the such could meet on the first full day which is often a sea day. Getting people with the same interests to meet seems like a really good idea. :)

[LandlockedCruiser01]

Carnival ships don't have much in the way of ballroom dancing. But some of their itineraries---the ones sailing out of cities with large Spanish-speaking populations---have an amazing Latin dance scene. There are always crowds dancing up a storm whenever Latin music plays, live band or recorded. It's a really easy way to meet people, considering that the etiquette encourages you to dance with everybody, even other people's partners (with boundaries in place, of course). In many cultures and in the dance community in general, it's just a friendly way to interact, with few or no romantic undertones.

 

For ladies, it's really easy. As long as you can follow and work at the lead's level, you're golden. For men, it's a bit more difficult. You have to know at least the basic step and a little extra, to keep things fun. But even then, if you do the steps correctly and respect the boundaries, you won't have a bad time. You can pick up salsa basics at almost any land-based dance school. I myself took dance lessons before my cruise, and I'm glad I did.

[Dancer Bob]

Costa is the only cruise line which provides decent dancing, reliably. Luminosa and Mediterranea will be based on Miami this season.

Cunard has its good points, but the orchestra music is quite unreliable, and I find the quality of partners to have declined drastically over the last decade. If they have any Caribbean itineraries, they'll probably be very expensive.

Crystal was a farce. On a cruise billed as a ballroom theme, the orchestra "didn't know what I was talking about" when I asked for a waltz at 90 beats per minute, and cruise director flatly refused to consider strict tempo recorded music. HAL- not just bad music, they put sticky gunk on the floor- you could actually hear your shoes pulling loose.

You might find a bit of decent contemporary Latin/Rhythm on the mass-market ships, but I doubt you'll find many women who can keep time to music.

You don't mention whether you do American or International style. I presume you're not from the Toronto area?

[YubaSutter]

Dancing has been disappointing on my previous cruises, but I have usually been on older ships. Not enough room, wrong kind of music, hard to find dancers who know how to dance! I am wondering if the larger and more modern ships are better equipped for it - Royal Caribbean, HAL and NCL Caribbean cruises departing south Florida in November and December. Any input as to which ship and line would be most appropriate would be appreciated! Dance is my passion, and though I teach it it would also be nice to find ladies who already know swing and or ballroom and or latin - just to dance! :)

 

We've seen a lot of people dancing on Carnival. They do many dances. The running man, the Dougie, the tootsie roll, the Harlem Shake and others will be seen in the dance clubs.

[danceguy]

Thanks for the info Dancer Bob - I am in Fredericton NB, a small community that has it's own challenges finding partners! I will check out Costa.

 

I am surprised at the number of respondents who think a woman can "just follow" if there's a good lead. A lady can certainly follow something simple but for more advanced moves lessons are very helpful! :)

Edited August 6, 2014 by danceguy

[LandlockedCruiser01]

You might find a bit of decent contemporary Latin/Rhythm on the mass-market ships, but I doubt you'll find many women who can keep time to music.

You don't mention whether you do American or International style. I presume you're not from the Toronto area?

I actually had an easy time finding women to dance with on Carnival, and most of them followed pretty well. The thing is: there is no need to be a pro. No woman expects you to do fancy spins and dips right off the bat; doing steps beyond someone's level might even make them uncomfortable. As long as you get the basic step down solid, throw in a fun turn or two, and not get too close, you're golden. (This applies mostly to dancing with strangers; if you came with someone, you two decide on the rules.) It's like speaking someone's native language. (Music/dance is a form of language, after all.) They will respect you for doing it well, and they know that demanding total fluency is unreasonable.

 

I don't know the difference between American and International. And I'm from Chicago. The styles I did the most (outside line dances and freestyle) were salsa and swing. Not sure which category they fit into.

Edited August 6, 2014 by LandlockedCruiser01

[dancinman66]

I find that it is cruise by cruise as far as being able to find a partner

 

Depends who is on it rather than the ship except Cunard of course

 

 

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[Dancer Bob]

There are several dance groups planning trips this winter, but the only one I'm sure about at this point is Stardust, on Mediterranea in March. It's almost entirely American (the company mostly does dance camps in New York), there are quite a few women but not too many International style (my friends from Toronto who usually go on this one are planning an earlier trip in January, still waiting on confirmation on that one). There are a couple of groups from the Tampa area in Nov/Dec that I know about (they advertise with the local USADance chapters), but looking at the ships they're on, I have my doubts about how serious they actually are.

I know exactly what you mean, the "love to dance, good natural dancer, can follow anything" crowd.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Dancer Bob

[Steffaniecruise]

Dance is my passion, and though I teach it it would also be nice to find ladies who already know swing and or ballroom and or latin - just to dance! :)

 

I'm looking for my first cruise to go on and I love to dance! I am worried of being the only single on a ship and no one to dance with.

[Bonnie J.]

Don't know what ship you'll be on but they often have meetings just for single. I 've seen 35 and under and 35 over parties. You might be able to find dance partners at one of these parties. Just read your daily news to see if one is scheduled and some ships seat singles together for traditional dining.

[dancinman66]

I usually go to the lessons and watch those learning and the ones sitting down

Can usually spot the dancers out of those crowds

Plus you can't be shy one good dance pRtner after 20 knock backs is worth it

 

 

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[danceguy]

Dance is my passion, and though I teach it it would also be nice to find ladies who already know swing and or ballroom and or latin - just to dance! :)

 

I'm looking for my first cruise to go on and I love to dance! I am worried of being the only single on a ship and no one to dance with.

 

That's what happened to me on the last cruise. The Lessons that people are talking about are often brief one time things so it's hard to find mingling time. Did dance with one Spanish lady who knew bachata but neither of us knew enough of the other's language to find each other again! If you get a chance to take a few Salsa lessons before you go it might be helpful, most dancers know New York style.

[Dancer Bob]

I spend most nights in whatever place has the best music, so if a woman never shows up again, I assume she really wasn't interested. (It's better than assuming she saw me sitting there, said "Yuck" and walked out.)

Personally I find Samba and Merengue will fit much of the music you'll find, and in their basic forms aren't too difficult. A true salsa is too fast for most people and has a very difficult beat. Look at most Latinos, you'll see they're not dancing at all, just wiggling (or, as I think LlC01 meant, worse). Myself, I don't like bachata, but it's becoming rather popular around here, so I end up doing it.