Strictly Ballroom

Last night we had a "Casual" night where the gentlemen did not have to wear a jacket. We had been in Aruba yesterday and it was very warm so this may only happen in such areas. It was very strange walking around the ship seeing everyone so casually dressed in the evening.

I had kind of wondered if it had more to do with the Caribbean Deck Party around the pool than the actual heat! For awhile I was flummoxed about what to wear myself :D

On the Formal/Informal choice night, I've noticed that some of the other balls that would be considered 'fancy dress' like the Buccaneer and the Neptune Ball actually fall on 'informal' nights. Perhaps someone up the chain making these decisions felt that those choosing to dress in Elizabethan 'fancy dress' might be viewed more as informal than proper formal?

Then again they expect folks to do Strictly Come Dancing that includes Cha-Cha and Jive on a formal night. . . which I cant figure out, since that's a long dress night, and Latin dances are usually competed in short dresses :D

I agree plus I really don't want albums full of pictures of me!:eek::eek::eek:

 

We arrive not so bright (it will still be dark) and early Saturday morning.

I thought that Captain Wells said that we were docking at around 9 AM in his address today? Then again I've been stateroom bound due to killer acid reflux all day. :/ Hope to see folks tomorrow!

I found what I considered a really top-notch Host on my October cruise while there was one I preferred not to dance with. However, beginner dancers had the completely opposite opinion to mine! It was a good reminder to me that we need Hosts with all different styles. Personally, though, my best memories of that cruise are dancing to the best of my ability with that one Host. :D

 

It's strange that two haven't turned up. Perhaps they have the dreaded Norovirus and are in quarantine! Were they introduced as Hosts? On my last cruise I danced with a passenger who said he turned up one night and found he was wearing the same 'uniform' as the Hosts - so went back to his room to change, so that he wouldn't be misidentified. ;) (He knew the drill; he had been a Host about ten years earlier.)

They definitely are, as they had the name plaques on the first night, and I had danced with one of them. The other I see up in Churchill's from time to time having a cigar, so I've no explanation whatsoever.

We've got one really top notch host on QE, I can't say enough good things about him! The others I can take or leave, and two haven't turned up since the first night, which is really quite surprising.

Paul Ritchie is aboard at the moment which adds a nice dimension. Tomorrow night is Strictly Come Dancing. I really wonder at the format, you have to do a waltz, a cha-cha and a jive. . . on a formal night? In our full length gowns? I've decided to give it a pass as the gown I had made for Starlight Balls (which this is) is not at all conducive to Latin, and is geared for more traditional ballroom styles.

Some of the hosts dance American style, the gent from Vegas dances all four styles, and there are at least two who seem to dance only International. They all depart in San Fran and then we will have all new hosts on. . .

Just popping in briefly before calling it a night.

Dancing has been a bit hit or miss. There is one host who is really quite good, from Las Vegas. He used to compete. All the hosts will be off at San Fran, and we'll have six new ones. I have to raise an eyebrow though as two of the hosts seem to never turn up.

Have definitely fallen into a routine already! I can't say enough about how lovely the ship is, and the service and food has been magnificent!

We are not quite live yet, but many of us are in Southampton ready for the exciting Bon Voyage send-off tomorrow evening.

 

I am hoping that during this voyage you will be able to read posts by many of the passengers (not just me) and get different perspectives of what this journey is like.

 

So, stay tuned!

I suppose I shall have to take up the baton on behalf of the Cunard cruiser ballroom brigade :D

Oh God. . .

Right now, I'm beginning to think. . . Maybe I should have picked up my world cruise in Ft. Lauderdale. Queen Elizabeth is making that crossing next Friday. . .

That picture is just. . . OMG. I have no words!

I normally fly at least a day before a cruise.

For my upcoming worldie, I opted to arrive on next Tuesday for a Friday departure. I figure that leaves room for possible grounded flights at DFW (American doesn't fly direct from PHX and BA direct was much more expensive), and also two days for luggage recovery (I've had lost bags twice at LHR in the past, crossing my fingers all six bags arrive with me lol), not to mention allow me time to pick up liter bottles of my shampoo and conditioner and adjust to UK time zone. I figure if I'm leaving home for four months, I want everything to go as smoothly as possible, and not take any risks of not getting to the QE on time :D

Flying from the West Coast is a long haul, do you really want to add any sort of risks to actually making your departure?

As mentioned earlier, prepay as many on board expenses as possible. Use cash or travelers checks to cover your on board account. Any unused amount will be refunded to you on the last night/day. Or if your cruise companion can secure your account with their CC; you pay them back at the end of the cruise.

Make certain, however, that your cruise line of choice even accepts travelers checks. Some, like Cunard, do not accept them.

This thread really got me to thinking about my cruising habits! In the past (as an adult) I usually have several cocktails (mai tais these days) then wine with dinner, and sometimes something like a Grand Marnier to top it off. . . I actually don't drink much most times, only when out to dinner with friends and family.

I just realized while that's fine for a 7 or 14 day cruise, I'm going to really have to rethink that coming up here on a 118 night world cruise. A) it will cost a fortune, B) I will come home pickled! :D :D

I believe that this is a UK based scheme, I have one but the several times that I've phoned her I have found that she is as much use as a chocolate teapot. Other passengers that I know have had great success with theirs so it must be a lucky dip.

I'm actually wondering if it's more of a Carnival based thing. After my sailing on HAL's Oosterdam, I was contacted by the woman who would be my HAL personal cruise consultant from here on out.

I don't think anyone does a midnight buffet anymore. Too much waste.

 

If you thought the desserts were bad on Princess, skip HAL. On my one HAL cruise, we actually wrote on the comment card to send the pastry chef back to school. Chocolate cakes only identifiable as such by the label, definitely not by the taste.

 

Unfortunately, the mass market lines have to cook for so many people, that unfortunately, things will be a bit bland.

Interesting, when I was on the Oosterdam back in September giving HAL a try I thought the pastry on that particular ship was quite good, but the actual food left a lot to be desired. When the best thing other than desert is the pizza in the buffet. . . there's a lot left to be desired :D :D

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise itself, just felt a bit let down by the food.

Having just looked on the US website, all stateroom types are available for the 2015 cruise on Queen Victoria. As was already noted, I bet the rep was looking at the 2014 cruise. :)

Hopefully, you're located midship. We wouldn't want the ship tilting too far to one side,now would we? Afterall it's a vista class ship & not a true ocean liner!

Keith, I do believe that Glojo has arranged some sort of barge to be in tow in order to accommodate all of our Dear Mrs. Mou's baggage. . . particularly the shoes! Glojo has even been so kind as to provide us with a preview picture of this arrangement so that those in the posh suites on the aft can be prepared for the sight that will greet them! :D :D

It's interesting to read that you're hoping to have dance hosts that dance American style.

 

On some of the Cunard cruises I've sailed on, I found that the dance hosts did dance 'American style' and it was really quite different to the way we dance ballroom in the UK.

I'm crossing my fingers to be honest! My strongest style competitively is American Rhythm, although I do know basic Latin, I compete both at the Bronze level. I'm Silver level in American Smooth, but I've never so much as danced a step of International Standard. The idea of being in hold all the time is very daunting, I really enjoy the freedom of Smooth! :D

You should be able to enjoy the Queens Room by dancing Walsh and Foxtrot. A Viennese Walsh would be a bonus.

Jac1976. . . I should point out here, that if you and your father are American, you may want to specify to the studio that you want to learn international style ballroom dances and international Latin!

If they teach you American Smooth ballroom dances and American Rhythm, you and your father will be able to dance together, but not necessarily with other passengers, or in your case, some of the dance hosts. Most US studios will teach you American Smooth and Rhythm as the default, you may have to shop around for a studio that even offers introductory International styles.

ETA: Also if in the States, a heads up that either Fred Astaire's and Arthur Murray studios teach their own separate syllabi apart from the usual bronze syllabi. You might want to look into a non-chain, independent studio!

I'm still hoping against hope that the QE World Cruise has some hosts that dance American style!

Hi there,

I'm doing the full voyage, starting in Southampton, but my aunt is coming aboard in Fort Lauderdale, thus avoiding the cold weather! She'll be with us until Tokyo, so you definitely will not be alone in boarding there.

Have you joined our roll call thread? We're a chatty, friendly group! There's information on our planned meet ups, some passenger arranged tour, the Luau in Hawaii, etc. No doubt not long after you join, Scrapnana will post up the roll call booklet information. Please do join us! The thread can be found here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1692699

ETA: Whitemarsh... we miss you over yonder. Pop your head in and at least say hello! :D

What's this? Talking about toast I see. You had best be careful, toast is a sensitive topic around here.

 

I can't even remember what the toast is like on board. Either I am not inquisitive enough, or perhaps I am too busy enjoying my cruise.

 

Either way, there's nothing about toast in Cunard's FAQ.

Whitemarsh,

Come pop your head in the roll call from time to time, we miss your shining presence! :D :D

I have ALWAYS found reading the side effects of medication to be terrifying, I cannot help thinking it is the manufacturers trying to cover their backs 'just in case'

 

What appeals to my sense of humour is when ladies state they do not take certain medication because of the risk of side effects and yet they smother themselves in all sorts of make-up!

 

Just had a quick peep and wow!!

 

This was from an American site but everywhere I looked sites were offering similar warnings.

 

That depends on how choosy one is about one's personal care products. :) I'm as picky about that as I am about other things. Obviously sometimes one has to make exceptions, for instance, Cunard does not offer organic food (do any of the lines offer it?), but that's one of those things I'm going to have to forgo in order to do our worldie! :D

After reading all those side affects? I'll just stay on the ship! Psychotic episodes? No, thank you. I'm also not a fan of dousing myself in toxins like Deet (no offense, Maggie :D).

I used to really enjoy Royal Caribbean back when most of their ships were Vision Class (under, or around 2,000 passengers), and the Brilliance ships were brand new. It was once they started with the behemoths that I wanted nothing to do with it any more. In some ways I still *do* miss RC those ships were a lot of fun, but I just cannot handle that many people in an enclosed space.

I really like Bill but I agree he should be gone now. Elizabeth was a great dancer and she should be in the final. I also think that Amber is good but not as great as the judges think, but what do I know?

I would like to see them change the way the votes are counted. I think more weight should be given to the judges scores and less to the voters. Instead of 50/50 make it 75/25.

Amber was not her best this week because of her knees. I could tell how much that was impacting her dancing. That said, when she is on top form, Derek has really instilled an excellent technical base in her. When on form she's got a good frame, and excellent foot placement and hip action in her latin dances. Couple that with her ability to really go out there and perform, which is why she's actually my favorite dancer this season.

A lot of my complaint with Elizabeth was I felt that sometimes her upper body was a bit loosey-goosey and almost balletic at times, and needed to be crisper. I have to say that Jack's Viennese waltz, his frame was absolutely magnificent.

Okay,

While I personally didn't care for Elizabeth, I always felt she would make it to the final. As I said last week Bill should be gone, and Brant and Elizabeth should both still be in the competition.

This is worse than any other season so far. I mean at least Bristol Palin kept improving in the season she made the final.

The show has become a parody of itself.

How lucky you are! I can't think of a better place to spend four months than QUEEN ELIZABETH! Maybe I'll see you, as I'll be back onboard at the very beginning of the world cruise on January 10th in Southampton. Unfortunately I'm only going as far as 10 days to Ft. Lauderdale. :(

 

Regarding the craps table, I will go out on a limb here and say no, there isn't one. I really didn't spend much time in the casino and certainly don't recall seeing one. The casino on QE is quite low key and it was never that busy. In part because the cruise was so port intensive, but also because there were so few Americans onboard and generally the Brits are not big gamblers.

 

Ernie

Eroller,

We've got a great, active and friendly roll call going on! Please do come join us! It has info on meetups and such as well! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1692699

Too bad about the craps, that's always the most fun as far as I'm concerned!