Dancing question Equinox

[emptynest1]

Is there a place for pre dinner dancing on Equinox? We have enjoyed dancing on Constellation and wonder if there is a similar place on Equinox.

[Lois R]

Is there a place for pre dinner dancing on Equinox? We have enjoyed dancing on Constellation and wonder if there is a similar place on Equinox.

 

Hi,:) deckplans are totally different when it comes to dancefloors M class vs S Class.

There is an area on deck 4 that has a spot for dancing but it is not the same set up as the Rendevoux Lounge on the M class ships.

When I was on Equinox in November they had a wonderful band and they set up in that area and lots of folks were dancing but its not what I

would consider a true dancefloor but everyone looked like they were having a great time.:D...the band had a lot of horns to it...they were really good:)

 

There is also the Sky Lounge (all the way forward uptop) where there is a DJ and live band for evenings.

 

Maybe someone else can tell you if there are other areas for dancing that I am missing.

Oh there is Quasar...that is a nighclub too.

[WehoAtlantis]

At the bottom of the staircase by the passport bar is a place where people danced earlier. There was piano and and an electic piano playing there. It is also where the line dancing class was held. Quasar is a late dancing spot and so was Sky, but there are no rules. Have a great time.

 

Mike

[Lois R]

At the bottom of the staircase by the passport bar is a place where people danced earlier. There was piano and and an electic piano playing there. It is also where the line dancing class was held. Quasar is a late dancing spot and so was Sky, but there are no rules. Have a great time.

 

Mike

 

Hi Mike, thanks:)..I could not remember the name of that bar.

Yes, there is the area between the Passport Bar and Guest Relations.

That is where you could see the folks dancing:)

[emairs]

One of the most disappointing things about our recent TA cruise on the Equinox was the lack of a lounge, such as the Rendezvous lounge on the M class ships, to have a drink before dinner and listen to or dance to a nice band.

The dance area was at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby. There was limited seating, and it was very congested before dinner, impeding traffic through the area.

You would think that a beautiful, big new ship would have a dedicated dance lounge.

[Mimi33]

Wow, that is disappointing. My husband and I love to do a little dancing before and after dinner. You really need a dance floor for ballroom dancing. Guess we'll have to stay on the M's.

[emptynest1]

Thanks for the info. I am sad we won't be dancing before dinner, but I'm sure we will adjust.

[brucedodge]

Dancing is one of the reasons Gail and I cruise, and we make it work out despite occasional obstacles.

 

We were on the Equinox four weeks (oct/nov) and we were disappointed that Celebrity ship designers haven't realized the resurgence of ballroom dancing and dancing in general.

 

However, IMHO the ship did make good use of its resources, and dancing was available to those who sought it (and many did). There were lots of dancers on these two cruises.

 

 

The area on deck three at the bottom of the staircase is actually a nice place to dance, and pre-dinner either had the party band playing, or the DJ. On our cruises, the DJ was Scott, and he was excellent. He had thousands of selections, and he seemed to know songs by rhythm (which is more than most DJs, who seem to know only disco or rap). He would play whatever rhythm was requested, or a specific song. The "dance floor" in the foyer is marble and it blends over into additional space near the bar. Also, it was possible to dance in the marble floored spaces around the customer service desk. We made a suggestion that during the first drydock they remove some of the carpeted areas, and expand the space suitable for dancing.

 

The Sky Lounge has a large dance floor, and the DJ or party band played there frequently. I think the party band was called Top Secret and they are outstanding, but I believe they will be going to the Eclipse when it launches. Two other party bands Celebrity uses which are outstanding are Top Notch and Headlines.

 

The Rendezvous Lounges on the M Class ships (and Mercury) are nice, but those dance floors are smaller than the foyer dance floor on the S Class ships.

 

Just one guy's opinions,

 

Bruce

 

Incidentally, we also bring on cruises a ballroom dance CD, which many DJs are happy to use. They can put it on "random" and it's a nice mix of rhythms.

[hajekfam]

I too was very disappointed when looking at the deck plans for the S class ships and seeing the lack of dance space. We have cruised Celebrity since 1992 and were disappointed with the M-class ships cutting out one dance floor from the C-class. But over those 17 years, we have seen the dance floors become more and more crowded over the years that on our last couple of cruises, people end up dancing in the walkways around the rendez-vous lounge because there was no more room on the dance floor. And they usually had a duo in the Rendez-vous who knew true dance music - in fact most of them would announce the type of dance music they were going to do next (for example: "And now we'll do a waltz") So when we saw the Solstice layout, we were quite surprised that they got rid of that lounge instead of making the dance floor bigger.

[emptynest1]

I have to agree, the dance floor was always crowded on the M class ships. We looked forward to dancing before dinner. Ballroom dancing has come back and we are not the only people who enjoy "cutting a rug".

 

I am surprised that X did not consider this in the plans.

[LongTimeTvlr]

My wife and I are also dedicated ballroom dancers, and now focus more on Cunard ships because of their relatively large dance floors and associated live bands.

We have cruised on all three forms of the Celebrity ships. The Century was ok, but actually had support beams in the middle of the dance floor.

The Summit was OK, but very crowded. They had another floor on a higher deck but as I recall the floor was rubber which was not suitable for ballroom.

The Solstice does have the Sky lounge, but on our recent cruise, after an hour or so of ballroom they drifted over to the loud, fast rhythms, and people got up and wiggled and hopped around the floor, and that's all they played for the rest of the night. Fun, but I thought that is what they had the Quasar lounge for. Strangely we went to the Quasar and it was mostly empty, but we got the DJ to play swing and actually found it more enjoyable for our tastes than the Sky lounge once they started the tribal dancing mentioned above.

 

What amazes us is we go to the ballroom lessons on these same cruises and they are filled to overflowing every time, but the entertainment staff make no effort to provide opportunities for these new dancers to try their stuff. Several times we sat through for example a cha cha lesson, then went to the Sky lounge that night and they would play one or maybe two cha chas the whole night.

 

I don't sense any effort on their part to serve the ballroom crowd.

 

Check out Cunard.

[Glovie]

I made the decision to avoid Celebrity after cruising on the Horizon in 1995 with its postage stamp-sized dance floor that had room for us and one other ballroom-dancing couple. What a disappointment. I agree that the Queen Mary has a lovely floor, but big floors in general seem to be disappearing. The Norway and the Crystal Harmony with their nice floors are now gone. Sprung wood is being replaced by hard-on-the-feet marble and granite. If it were not for the nightly dancing on ships I would just as soon vacation on a warm island with good snorkeling and swimming.

[Fred&Lily]

Our experience to date is that Costa and Princess both cater nicely to dancers. We'll be on Millenium January 22 and if there isn't some good latin and ballroom dance music after dinner we'll be disappointed. Our cruise priorities are dancing, good weather and beaches and interesting ports, while the dining room experience is at the bottom of our priorities. So please, please, let there be a few foxtrots, waltzes and cha cha's on the Millie in two weeks!

[gemcam1]

Hi,:) deckplans are totally different when it comes to dancefloors M class vs S Class.

There is an area on deck 4 that has a spot for dancing but it is not the same set up as the Rendevoux Lounge on the M class ships.

When I was on Equinox in November they had a wonderful band and they set up in that area and lots of folks were dancing but its not what I

would consider a true dancefloor but everyone looked like they were having a great time.:D...the band had a lot of horns to it...they were really good:)

 

There is also the Sky Lounge (all the way forward uptop) where there is a DJ and live band for evenings.

 

Maybe someone else can tell you if there are other areas for dancing that I am missing.

Oh there is Quasar...that is a nighclub too.

 

I was on her in november and there was a Michael Jackson tribute hour in Quasar one night - very fun.

[Mimi33]

Our experience to date is that Costa and Princess both cater nicely to dancers. We'll be on Millenium January 22 and if there isn't some good latin and ballroom dance music after dinner we'll be disappointed. Our cruise priorities are dancing, good weather and beaches and interesting ports, while the dining room experience is at the bottom of our priorities. So please, please, let there be a few foxtrots, waltzes and cha cha's on the Millie in two weeks!

That's all we ask, too.

[chihuaha]

We'll be on Millenium January 22 and if there isn't some good latin and ballroom dance music after dinner we'll be disappointed. Our cruise priorities are dancing, good weather and beaches and interesting ports, while the dining room experience is at the bottom of our priorities. So please, please, let there be a few foxtrots, waltzes and cha cha's on the Millie in two weeks!

 

 

Not to hijack an Equinox thread, but we were aboard Mille Nov27-Dec 7 on the 10 day Southern Caribbean route.

We love music of all kinds and had a ball listening to the wide range available on her. My favorite was the De Rissio Quartet, (guitar, piano, drums, and female vocalist) who played one full set of very danceable music every night in the Rendezvous Lounge (deck 4 just forward of the MDR) before both dinner seatings. Their forté is Latin dance such as cha-cha, salsa, meringue, and tango, etc. but they are very versatile and will play just about any request from a waltz on up. The dance floor is small but was adequate for those who wished to do so. I'm pretty sure this group will be aboard at least through the winter season, if not longer.

M & J

[lovespositano]

We were on the Equinox in October and had GREAT dancing. The area in the atrium is lots of fun for pre-dinner with the Celebrity Orchestra. The Sky Lounge has a large dance floor and there is live music every single night for 3 to 5 hours. We had a great band, Top Secret, and LOVED the cruise because of this wonderful band. Quasar has a DJ starting around 8 or 8:30 and it's a very beautiful and cozy area with a good dance floor (marble). This combination was more than enough for us VERY avid dancers!!

[Mimi33]

Did the orchestra play every night in the atrium? What about after dinner? What kind of music was played in the Sky Lounge?