Queen Mary 2 transatlantic - ballroom dancing and weather

[Cruizann]

My DH and I would like to book a transatlatic cruise in mid November.  This would be our first cruise with Cunard.  We would like to know please what the weather would be like during a crossing from Southampton to New York in mid November.  Also we both enjoy ballroom dancing and I believe there is dancing on the ship but could you confirm this for us.  Many thanks for your advise.  

[jimdee3636]

As to the weather, pretty damn chilly is a good guess but who knows? 

 

As to ballroom dancing, I don't have to guess. There will be a lot of it, probably every night. We were on the QM2 for 21 nights this past July. I can't remember a night when the Queen's Room didn't have two to three hours of after-dinner live dance music. There may have been dance music at other times of day, too. There was also, if it interests you, very good disco/r&b-type dancing most nights in the G32---sometimes a live band, sometimes a DJ.

[BobBranst]

The QM2 has one of the largest ballroom dance floors at sea.  There is a 7 piece danceband (and vocalist) that plays most nights and occasionally there is a big band night that features the combined members of the theater show band with the members of the ballroom dance band.   In addition, there is usually recorded strict tempo music for dancing earlier in the evenings.  There is also an afternoon tea dance in the ballroom once every crossing.   In short - the QM2 has excellent ballroom dancing!  

Edited October 20, 2019 by BobBranst
Typos

[loerie]

weather will be hit or miss -have done quite a few in Nov-had many a big storm for 3days or else dead calm.Lots of dancing and very interesting to Americans is something called Sequence Dancing -know mostly by die hard Brits and Australians and now Asians are learning it .Wonderful  to watch.-it is always  listed on your program.Enjoy!

[navybankerteacher]

We have done two November T/A’s on QM2  to New York.  Of course, weather and sea conditions are unpredictable, but the fact is that the Atlantic keeps much of its summer warmth into November, so you may very well have temps near, if not in, the seventies. 

 

If if you are thinking of a balcony cabin westbound, go for one on the port side - which will be in whatever sun there is all day every day - it makes a huge difference that time of year. 

 

Yes, as far as dancing - many opportunities.

[Bigmike911]

I have made two westbound TransAtlantic crossings on QM2, the latest last year. The sailing was smooth with mostly cloudy days. I always select the Port side for westbound and had weather nice enough to sit on my balcony and read. As we approached NYC over the Grand Banks, the sea got choppier and the weather, cold and rainy the day before our arrival in NYC. The morning of the arrival, It was cold as we stood on the Balcony to watch the ship go under the Verrazanno Narrows Bridge and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visable from the Port side.

[tv24]

Dance!  Dance!  Dance!  Dancing every night and sometimes lots of experts to watch.  Weather in November?  Cold to be sure.  You may be rocking and rolling or the passage may be smooth.  Who knows!  But if it is rocky, the QM2 is your best vehicle to manage the turbulence.

[Bigmike911]

2 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

I have made two westbound TransAtlantic crossings on QM2, the latest last year. The sailing was smooth with mostly cloudy days. I always select the Port side for westbound and had weather nice enough to sit on my balcony and read. As we approached NYC over the Grand Banks, the sea got choppier and the weather, cold and rainy the day before our arrival in NYC. The morning of the arrival, It was cold as we stood on the Balcony to watch the ship go under the Verrazanno Narrows Bridge and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visable from the Port side.

I see that I failed to add the crossings were in November, which was the OP question. Sorry, it was too late to correct by edit. 

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

I have made two westbound TransAtlantic crossings on QM2, the latest last year. The sailing was smooth with mostly cloudy days. I always select the Port side for westbound and had weather nice enough to sit on my balcony and read.

 

...

 

The morning of the arrival, It was cold as we stood on the Balcony to watch the ship go under the Verrazanno Narrows Bridge and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visable from the Port side.

Of course, New York harbor at, what -5:00 AM, on a mid-November morning is likely to be cold .

[ew101]

It is possible some dancing would be curtailed a bit by large seas in late season crossings.  The QM2 is a sturdy ship but Force 7/8 winds and 30 foot seas are possible.   You could also have it totally calm the whole week.  We had very bad weather on a recent crossing and lost an evening of dancing.  The ship is fast so you will move in and out of storms.  

[TheOldBear]

24 minutes ago, ew101 said:

It is possible some dancing would be curtailed a bit by large seas in late season crossings.  The QM2 is a sturdy ship but Force 7/8 winds and 30 foot seas are possible.   You could also have it totally calm the whole week.  We had very bad weather on a recent crossing and lost an evening of dancing.  The ship is fast so you will move in and out of storms.  

 

In 2017 it was force 11 winds - but the ship did not rock, and there was little pitching [quite a smooth ride]. We danced a bit in the Queens room with no issues.

[BobBranst]

1 hour ago, TheOldBear said:

 

In 2017 it was force 11 winds - but the ship did not rock, and there was little pitching [quite a smooth ride]. We danced a bit in the Queens room with no issues.

 

We were on board the QM2 in December 2017 (Westbound) with force 10-11 winds and high seas and there was some side to side rolling that was noticeable on the Queens Room dance floor.   Many of the more experienced dancers were able to continue dancing, but for less experienced dancers it proved difficult.  At one point, the entertainment director joked "you don't need to know how to dance on the QM2 .  Just get out on the floor and the ship will do all the work for you".   However, that only occurred one night during our 14 day back to back crossings.   The other nights were dancing as usual.

[BklynBoy8]

8 hours ago, BobBranst said:

 

We were on board the QM2 in December 2017 (Westbound) with force 10-11 winds and high seas and there was some side to side rolling that was noticeable on the Queens Room dance floor.   Many of the more experienced dancers were able to continue dancing, but for less experienced dancers it proved difficult.  At one point, the entertainment director joked "you don't need to know how to dance on the QM2 .  Just get out on the floor and the ship will do all the work for you".   However, that only occurred one night during our 14 day back to back crossings.   The other nights were dancing as usual.

I remember a sailing on the QE2 along the Eastern Sea Coast where there was quite a system sitting out in the water, it caused quite interesting activities on board.

 

At Noon time the unfortunate announcement was made that the evening show was being cancelled since the Cast was unable due to the conditions to rehearse in the Showroom.

 

All the deck stairs were brought inside the ship due to the rains and heavy winds blowing them around or overboard.

 

Surprisingly, dancing was still going to be held in the Queen Room that evening. It was interesting to see all the dancers and couples balancing themselves in the middle of the dance floor which was the most steadiness part. Everyone else dancing around the floor had to balance themselves from swaying from starboard to port or port to starboard  at each turn.

 

Interesting to hear laughter and "WOW's" from the couples waltzing or dancing the swing.

 

A QE2 memory.....  

[Dancer Bob]

QM2 is much superior to any American ship I've ever seen, but the worst of any ship that really offers dancing. The floor is maybe 1/3 the size of the Westway in Toronto, often packed with people pretending they're 30 years younger and 30 kg lighter, or doing nothing that needs a dance floor or dance music.

Read the daily program carefully. The Queens Room is often pre-empted for mucky-muck gatherings. Unlike QE and QV this cuts off access to the nightclub G32, so no dancing alternative.

QR music tends to be dull and dreary, sometimes good tempos, sometimes not. A huge number of Quicksteps, do not expect the quality and variety you find around here. Bob Brandst I believe is an American style dancer, I defer to him regarding those figures. G32 tends to be 30-minute Caribbean mish-mash, although the bands often can do decent latin/rhythm. Sometimes the sound technicians put on good dance music during the breaks, introduce yourselves to the Social Hostess, she might be able to help. TA's tend to attract more gays than dancers, that may work in your favour.

The Cunard experience varies wildly. My last trip on QE, the musicians were playing to a half-dozen passengers, all night, every night, but a few months later, someone reported the exact opposite.

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

Some of the judgmental comments on these dance threads make me sorry we spent the money on lessons. Then again, I suppose we can ignore the snickering and just enjoy ourselves without making snide remarks about those either more or less gifted than ourselves.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said:

Some of the judgmental comments on these dance threads make me sorry we spent the money on lessons. Then again, I suppose we can ignore the snickering and just enjoy ourselves without making snide remarks about those either more or less gifted than ourselves.

2Oldpeopleinlove,

I think you will enjoy your sailing and all the activities on board. We have passed by the Lessons in the Queens Room and really seen many people having fun even those making mistakes. The instructors are very understanding and helpful if you have a question. And those we've seen tried out their newest moves in the Queens Room at night. 

 

My DW and I are not Harvest Moon Ball Winners but have advance skills and blend in to all enjoying the music. It's your cruise, enjoy your experience and bring home memories to remember...

[57eric]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 4:55 AM, Dancer Bob said:

QM2 is much superior to any American ship I've ever seen, but the worst of any ship that really offers dancing. The floor is maybe 1/3 the size of the Westway in Toronto, often packed with people pretending they're 30 years younger and 30 kg lighter, or doing nothing that needs a dance floor or dance music.

Read the daily program carefully. The Queens Room is often pre-empted for mucky-muck gatherings. Unlike QE and QV this cuts off access to the nightclub G32, so no dancing alternative.

QR music tends to be dull and dreary, sometimes good tempos, sometimes not. A huge number of Quicksteps, do not expect the quality and variety you find around here. Bob Brandst I believe is an American style dancer, I defer to him regarding those figures. G32 tends to be 30-minute Caribbean mish-mash, although the bands often can do decent latin/rhythm. Sometimes the sound technicians put on good dance music during the breaks, introduce yourselves to the Social Hostess, she might be able to help. TA's tend to attract more gays than dancers, that may work in your favour.

The Cunard experience varies wildly. My last trip on QE, the musicians were playing to a half-dozen passengers, all night, every night, but a few months later, someone reported the exact opposite.

What would you cite as examples of ships that really offer dancing?

[Underwatr]

Unless I'm mistaken the mucky-muck gatherings in the Queens Room are during the day, not at night when most people who dance are interested in dancing.

[BobBranst]

On 11/3/2019 at 3:55 AM, Dancer Bob said:

QR music tends to be dull and dreary, sometimes good tempos, sometimes not. A huge number of Quicksteps, do not expect the quality and variety you find around here. Bob Brandst I believe is an American style dancer, I defer to him regarding those figures. G32 tends to be 30-minute Caribbean mish-mash, although the bands often can do decent latin/rhythm. Sometimes the sound technicians put on good dance music during the breaks, introduce yourselves to the Social Hostess, she might be able to help. TA's tend to attract more gays than dancers, that may work in your favour.

The Cunard experience varies wildly. My last trip on QE, the musicians were playing to a half-dozen passengers, all night, every night, but a few months later, someone reported the exact opposite.

 

Unlike Dance Bob,  we prefer to dance to a live band rather than dancing to recordings made by musicians playing with a metronome "click track".   The Queens Room dance orchestra plays a good variety of dance songs and tempos.   While the tempos may not be absolutely metronome perfect, we have never found their tempos to be a problem.  However, there is recorded dance music before the band plays and on the band breaks for those who desire dancing to "strict tempo" music. 

 

The QM2 Queens Room band does frequently  start the dance sets with a Quickstep.  (Prior to our first TA crossing, we knew nothing about this dance.   However, when we saw how much the dancers enjoyed doing it, we brought a Quickstep instructional DVD course and taught ourselves enough to get around the floor without  embarrassing ourselves on our next crossing.)  I don't ever remember the band playing more than one Quickstep per dance set.   The band plays all the usual ballroom dances including Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Cha Cha, Tango, Viennese Waltz, etc.  and they will take requests.   There have been both male and female dance hosts for those who do not have a dance partner on our last few crossings.  

 

On the QM2 dance floor is usually totally packed on "Ball" nights and many dancers choose to come in late because the floor is frequently very crowded earlier in the evening.        

 

In short, our experience on the QM2 Queens Room dance floor during  7 TA crossings has been quite different than what Dancer Bob says he experienced on the QE.   

Edited November 5, 2019 by BobBranst

[57eric]

12 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Unless I'm mistaken the mucky-muck gatherings in the Queens Room are during the day, not at night when most people who dance are interested in dancing.

I'm not sure exactly which events mucky-muck gatherings comprise, but on my recent voyage, on each segment, there was a Captain's reception and a World Club Elite reception in the Queen's Room in the early evening.