JohnSC

We have the same problem. In today's mail we received two brochures and that is after receiving two others earlier this week. The cost of producing and mailing all these publication must add a considerable premium to the advertised fare. I suppose that it must pay for itself or they would stop of their own volition. Cunard is another line that inundates us with mailings. I don't mind getting a periodic update on cruise offerings but several mailings a week is wasteful and ridiculous.

Just finished reading the post about the Harry James band on the Osterdam last March. Too bad I missed it. Does anyone know of any future big band cruises?

HAL had long been our favorite cruise line but following two consecutive disappointing cruise experiences we decided to give other cruise lines a try. The Ocean Bar had always been our favorite venue for late night entertainment and dancing and we have many happy memories of enjoyable evenings spent there. The newer ships have been totaly redesigned and though they still feature an Ocean Bar, I don't know if it still serves the same function on these vessels. . Can anyone who is familiar with the line's newer ships please provide me with an answer?

The BB King group plays in the Queens Lounge on the E-dam. They start pretty early, too, with three sets of about 45 minutes each, starting at 9:00 PM.

There is no dance floor in the Dueling Pianos area (Billboard Onboard).

A follow-up question: Do they still have dancing in the Ocean Bar? This had always been our favorite venue on HAL ships.

We have just booked a ten day Caribbean cruise on the Maasdam. We are familiar with the ship having sailed on her before her 2011 renovations. I notice that they have changed a few things around eliminating a piano bar and adding three new cocktail bars. The review made no mention of the Ocean Bar although it is still shown on the deck plans. This has been my favorite venue on all HAL ships and I hope that it is still there. Does anyone who sailed the Maasdam since 2011 know the answer? I will be one unhappy passenger if they have eliminated it.

I have only been on one S Class, but it was enough to let me know that I prefer M Class. On S Class in June, we mostly danced in the atrium. The main stairs empty onto the dance floor. Very inconvenient. I called it "dancing with the stairs". On formal night, a ship's photographer set up right on the dance floor to photograph people near the stairs. So one had to try to dance around the stairs, the people coming and going on the main set of stairs, the photographer and their equipment, and the line of people waiting to be photographed. How anyone thinks that is reasonable for dancing is beyond me.

 

It also depends on what type of music and dancing one prefers. My DW and I love to "couples dance" where we actually touch each other the whole dance. On the Solstice the band played music for that kind of dancing only about 45 minutes of each evening. Then they changed to what I call music only suitable to "rhythmic bobbing", where one doesn't need a partner. Many more young people enjoyed that type of music. I guess that I'm just too old for S Class and am not the target audience. In the future I will try to stick with M Class.

 

Because of the dancing on the S Class, my next cruise is with Cunard where I won't have to be concerned about music and venues not designed with couples dancing in mind. No one compares with Cunard's dance venues. But then again, younger dancers probably wouldn't want to dance to that music. The good news is that the younger generation will have more room to dance because we will be on Cunard (or M Class if I can't find an itinerary on Cunard that I want.)

 

Jerry of Jerry and Lady Kathryn

We fully agree with you. At least on the QM2 those who prefer "bobbing" to dancing have the disco to go to.

The atrium is a transit point. Okay for listening to music as you transit the area but it is ni-ot a dance venue, If the S class ships prefr to dallocat spacse to restauranntr to the exclusion of dedisated dsnce ventue I will tape my businrr sldwhere

I would just like to thank all the folks who have taken the time to respond to my question. You have confirmed what I surmised from studying the deck plans of the S Class ships.I regret the loss of the rendezvous lounge, my favorite hangout on the M class and will probably look elswere to fulfill my need,

athank yiou for your fyyf bdb dndf hahhy silimntyuoall

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We are veterans of some fifty plus cruises with various cruise lines but have recently formed an attachment to Celebrity's Millennium Class ships.We were attracted by the size and configuration of the ships and, as dancers, by the Rendezvous Lounge. To expand the range of itineraries we would need to switch to the larger Solstice class ships. I have perused the various deck plans of the S class ships and could find no corresponding venue: just a proliferation of specialty restaurants where the Rendezvous lounge was located. My question to you who have cruised with the Solstice Class is what has replaced the Rendezvous long on these ships? Other than the "disco" is there an area for dancing? I suspect that it is on one of the upper decks away from the main flow of traffic and if so it is probably isolated and poorly attended. I hope that I am wrong and would like to hear from others who have cruised on there ships.