Dancing Venues on the Journey

[punkinlr]

We are set to sail February 24 on the Journey. My DH and I love to dance - we wouldn't win any mirror ball trophies - but we have fun. What are the dancing venues/bands/DJs like? Did you have many opportunities to dance before dinner?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

[cruisecountess]

My DH and I were on the PC cruise in Dec. We too love to dance. There were no options for dancing prior to dinner on a regular basis, but once in a while the trio would play on the pool deck in the afternoon. Of course, we had nine sea days and only six ports. Several people asked about dancing so the band began to play prior to the first show, but that would put you after dinner ~ and you would need to dine early. On days when the band had to perform as part of the show, they did not play prior to it; I'm guessing it may have to do with their contracts and how much time they can play. After the show there is a trio playing up on the top deck (forgot the name). VERY FEW people ever went up there and the trio was most appreciative of our being there; they were always willing to take requests. You didn't say what type of dancing you like to do. My DH and I like East Coast swing (good old rock and roll); unfortunately the trio did not play that type of music, but we adapted some of steps to their tunes ~ it's all for fun, anyway, right? The DJ comes on after the trio, maybe around 11:00. There as well, very few took part and he began to remember our favorite songs and played them for us on successive nights. Basically, there are opportunities for dancing, but not always where, when, or what kind you would prefer. IMHO, much of it will depend on the passengers and what they ask for. If you have a lot of dancers on board, I think you'll find that they will accommodate them. AZ is always eager to please; at least that's been our experience. Have a great cruise

[Redtravel]

Sorry. When I was on the Journey, the band was not good at dance music. The crowd was old and dull. With all the walkers, wheelchairs, and canes, and scooters, it would be hard to find many people who were ready to dance. I also enjoy dancing, but the Journey wasn't the place. It's quiet. Great place to relax, watch a video, relax, talk to people, enjoy the ocean, and veg out.

[punkinlr]

Thanks so much!!

 

Cruisecountess: We ,too, love to EC swing! Our local dance club DJ plays for all types - EC, WC, ballroom and latin. My DH is learning to spread his wings a bit into WC. He's retired Army and they don't have "and one" or "one and two.." in their way of counting. I am a a former dancer/choreographer so we have had some interesting times on the dance floor. Yes - it's all for fun! I have always said if everyone is still standing and smiling when the song was over, it was a good dance! We've never been shy about getting the dancing started by being the first couple on the dance floor, so hopefully, we can engage other folks on the Journey.

 

Lordy Redtravel - I knew I was going to be on a cruise with older passengers than say a Carnival or NCL ship - but from the pictures I've viewed on webshots of past cruisers - I didn't see that many infirmed.... but if there are - that's fine too... they will be all the more appreciative of listening to some great dance music that might bring back memories. DH (63) and I (54) might be the young whippersnappers! And if any of them fall off their walkers - I can help - in my second career I'm an Orthopedic RN ;-)

[trinidad]

We will be on the same cruise and we also love to dance so I'm sure we will meet. Perhaps with 4 of us, we can stir up some action. We won a dance contest once on Celebrity- WOOHOO!!!

[satchiesmom]

We will be on the same cruise and we also love to dance so I'm sure we will meet. Perhaps with 4 of us, we can stir up some action. We won a dance contest once on Celebrity- WOOHOO!!!

 

Trinidad,

We have a great (though small) roll call going, please come and join us and sign up for the CC party, we'd love to meet you, even though all of us aren't dancers!;)

[punkinlr]

We will be on the same cruise and we also love to dance so I'm sure we will meet. Perhaps with 4 of us, we can stir up some action. We won a dance contest once on Celebrity- WOOHOO!!!

 

Sounds like a grand idea. Congrats on the Celebrity Win! Ya'll can teach us some new moves! To sign up for the meet and mingle, go to Azamara Club Cruises site and

search for the Cruise Critic connection link...it's pretty easy to find from there.

 

We have something else in common as well as dancing. I see in your profile that you are an RN. I'm a pediatric Orthopaedic RN at a freestanding children's hospital.

 

Looking forward to meeting you both and dancing till we drop ~

[trinidad]

All signed up. My husband is keeping a list of good dance tunes to request. Why don't you keep one also. It's so hard to think of something to request on the spur of the moment- other than "Johnny Be Good". Perhaps, you two can give us Tango lessons.

[punkinlr]

All signed up. My husband is keeping a list of good dance tunes to request. Why don't you keep one also. It's so hard to think of something to request on the spur of the moment- other than "Johnny Be Good". Perhaps, you two can give us two can give us Tango lessons.

 

Hmmmm.. Tango lesson - maybe if we stay at a Holiday Inn Express the night before ;-)...

My sweetie doesn't Tango - does a bit of rhumba and cha-cha...but he does love to East Coast swing. I have to get my West coast dances with somebody else.

 

A list is a smashing idea! We'll get one together. Luckily, EC can fit most songs just in case...

 

Good deal - now we have 22 signed up for the party - At 25, azamara will have a fairly nice get together for us - so if you know others that are going with us - encourage them to sign up too

[JJPacer]

When are you going. We love to dance. You seem like fun couples on the dance floor. We're hoping to have the opportunity to dance on the Journey. Making a list of songs to request sounds great. Can you post your list? Wish I had thought of it! We're leaving tomorrow. So maybe we can get the musicians tuned up for you! Bon Voyage!

[brucedodge]

Punkin and Trinidad,

 

One thing you might do is take with you a CD with a variety of ballroom rhythms on it. We take one with us with about 20 numbers on it of all types (waltz, tango, nightclub, rumba, etc.). We find many of the DJs (not all) do not always do well with ballroom music (too many gravitate towards disco and rap), and many do not understand music by rhythm. With our CD, they can play it in shuffle, or they can play a specific song.

 

We also find that sometimes bands don't identify their music by rhythm. Rarely do we find one that can play a West Coast without having us ask for a song by name. So we carry a small card with about 20 West Coast numbers on it, and when they look at it, they almost always know one or more of them.

 

We find the Philippino bands the most versatile, and the ones most likely to be able to play by requested rhythm.

 

Sometimes it takes some effort, but we haven't been on a cruise yet (30+, small ships and large) where we haven't been able to adapt to what's offered, or to make reasonable suggestions to the cruise directors.

 

Have fun,

 

Bruce

[punkinlr]

Bruce,

 

Fabulolus suggestions! Thanks so much!!

 

I shared your idea of CDs with DH - and he just presented me with 5 CDs that a guy in our dance club made for us (he never tells me anything ;-))

 

Would you be willing to share your card list? You probably have some marvelous tunes that I would love to dance to - that might not be on these CDs.

 

JJ - I'm afraid we'll be getting ON the Journey as your are coming off. We sail on the 24th. I hope you have an incredible cruise.

 

Bruce and JJ

 

This is my first Azamara cruise (26+ on RCL, X, NCL, Princess, Carnival (in my younger days) - and would love to hear your impressions.

 

Happy Cruisin'

Lee

[brucedodge]

Bruce,

 

Would you be willing to share your card list? You probably have some marvelous tunes that I would love to dance to - that might not be on these CDs.

 

Bruce and JJ

 

This is my first Azamara cruise (26+ on RCL, X, NCL, Princess, Carnival (in my younger days) - and would love to hear your impressions. Lee

 

Lee,

 

I'd be happy to share my list, but I've looked all over and can't find it. So I'm creating a new one. I listen to a variety of classic rock stations over the internet, so it doesn't take long to compile a list. As a starter, Gail and I like "Mustang Sally," and our dance studio, among many others, likes Lionel Richie's "Up All Night." If you want to email me at brucedodge at comcast point net, I'll email you when I have about 20 good ones.

 

As to Azamara, we love it. It appears you've been on larger ships, and we like those as well. We've done Quest for 14 nights in the Caribbean and 24 nights from Athens to Singapore, and we'll be doing Journey next year. We've also done 24 nights on Pacific Princess (Tahiti to Fort Lauderdale) and in May we're doing Ocean Princess (31 nights Cape Town to Dover). These are all former Renaissance Cruise ships (referred to as R Class ships). We think the service is far more personal, the food better prepared, and we like the coziness of the smaller ship. But it is smaller. We were docked directly across from a huge Carnival ship at Grand Turk, and ours looked like a miniature. We began referring to the Quest as a "real, if not life size" cruise ship :D.

 

Cheers,

Bruce

[punkinlr]

Bruce,

 

Thank you soooo much! An email is heading your way. I know our fellow dancers on this cruise thank you too!

 

Oh my gosh! 31 days at sea? I would have to pack 2-3 sets of clothing in different sizes just to accomodate my "admiration" of all that amazing food!

 

Please come back and tell us all about it. Another dream cruise of mine is do the Australia/New Zealand route - lovely!

 

Happy Cruising!

[punkinlr]

All signed up. My husband is keeping a list of good dance tunes to request. Why don't you keep one also. It's so hard to think of something to request on the spur of the moment- other than "Johnny Be Good". Perhaps, you two can give us Tango lessons.

 

 

Hi Trinidad ~

 

Have you checked ou the Azamara Roll Call forum for our cruise date? We're trying to get a list of names/cabin numbers just in case we don't get our magic number of 25 for a CC Meet and Minge we will have a way to find each other for a get together somewhere.

"Satchiesmom" has started the list....

 

Just a few more days! Here comes the sun!!

 

Le

[cruisecountess]

While it can't hurt to have the names and cabin numbers of those on your roll call, rest assured that your party will take place. Azamara is great about having the CC party, even if 25 have not signed up. Just read your daily paper for time and location, as individual invitations are not sent. DH and I will be on an Oceania cruise in June and have learned that they no longer host CC get-togethers due to money saving strategies ~ at least that was the reason cited by several who posted on the O board.

[punkinlr]

Thanks Cruisecountess! We have 22 so far - I'll let the group know that the chances are good that we will still have a party.

[JJPacer]

We just returned from the Journey. We were anxious about the dancing opportunities after reading the posts. AZ must have read the posts, and responded to our concerns. They had dance music (recorded) in the Looking Glass starting at 6 PM for those who wanted to dance before dinner. They had a trio playing in the Looking Glass. We thought they were excellent. We went up there after dinner, about 9 PM or so. When the trio wasn't playing, a DJ was there. He did a great job, and would take requests. The Trio also took requests. Sometimes the Journey band would play in the Looking Glass, too.

 

They had a Party on the Pool Deck, and a lot of people danced. Another night they had a dance where the Journey band, dancers, and singers were present. It was very popular and a great night of dancing.

 

I thought this was a great idea, and it was so much fun. They had Dancing with the Officers of the Ship. It was like Dancing with the Stars. They asked passengers to volunteer to dance with an officer, chosen at random. Male & female officers volunterred to participate. Then they had a dance contest. There were approximately 15 couples. The band chose the music. The couples didn't know what type of dance was going to be played. The couples danced to 3 songs. They played a salsa, cha cha, & tango, for example. They divided the larger group into 3 smaller gorups. The Captain of the ship, another high ranking officer, and a passenger were on the 3 judge panel. Each group danced the 3 dances, and the judges decided which couples would go onto the next round. There were supposed to be 3 couples in the final dance off, but the judges couldn't decide on 3, so 5 couples were chosen for the final round. Those 5 couples danced to 3 more random songs chosen by the band. Then the judges chose the winner.

 

I had the honor of dancing with a very HOT officer, and we won second place! :D We didn't know the dances, and most in the dance off didn't either. It was all for fun. You created whatever dance you could perform, and sell your performance with the joy of dance! It was exciting and entertaining.

 

Another night they had Rock A Reoke. A passenger chooses a song to sing with the band, like Kareoke. Only the band played and sang too, so you didn't sound too bad. We had such a good time with the band, and the DJ every night, we decided to sing our choice for the first song...Celebration... for Rock A reoke to get the party started. :eek: We have NEVER sung Kareoke, and probably never will again. But we felt like we wanted to give something back because we were having such a great cruise! By the way, we were stone cold sober! It was a lot of fun. The next night the DJ told us he appreciated our getting things going. He said that was the best Rock A Roeke party they had ever had.:p

 

There were dance lessons offered. Very basic steps.

 

The Journey did a superior job of offering music for your listening pleasure or for dancing opportunitites to satisfy everyones tastes. It was fantastic. So, get out there and kick up your heels! :rolleyes: