Ballroom dancing on the Princess ships

[simbasmom]

[quote name=PunkiC;36373523

 

We are currently on the Golden' date=' returning from Hawaii and, while the band in the Wheelhouse leaves much to be desired, the can play decent dance music when pressed to do so. Left alone, they would do endless jazz riffs.

 

 

[/quote]

 

FYI, for anyone on the Golden now or later looking for ballroom dance music, our son is a musician whose group alternates playing in the Wheelhouse with another group on the Golden. I passed on your comments and he'll be sure that when they play at least, they'll try to focus more on dance music and try to lay off the jazz a little bit. He majored in jazz performance in college, and confessed to his addiction for playing "jazz riffs". Appologizes.

[sminfiddle]

He majored in jazz performance in college, and confessed to his addiction for playing "jazz riffs". Apologizes.

What school?

Just curious; I'm a Berklee alumnus myself.

 

Rick

[simbasmom]

 

We just disembarked the Golden and were very disappointed in the band in the Wheelhouse. All of the dancers complained repeatedly to the band and the Cruise Director, as well as the purser's desk.

 

Sadly, the Cruise Director said, "Oh, I think they are a wonderful band". Obviously, she is not a dancer. Likewise, the band director would announce a song as a great "dance tune" which turned out to be totally undanceable. Maybe they should consult one of the ship's dancers before they hire a band.

 

On this cruise they didn't even have dance music prior to the Captain's party, which I have never before experienced.

 

On the plus side, the Hawaiian duo Elua did play some really lovely dance music in the Piazza from time to time, and there was an orchestra that also played danceable music, as well as a DJ and other recorded dance music.

 

 

Now that I've gone back and read this, I suspect (or at least I want to think) that you're talking about the other group playing in the Wheelhouse as being bad. Matt always refers to his group as an "orchestra" rather than a band. I honestly don't know the difference between the two (orchestra vs. band). I'll check into it-I know that he was telling me about a band that was playing its first ever Princess contract-maybe its last?

[PunkiC]

I wish we would have had Phoenix Rising on this cruise. We have sailed with them many times and they are (or at least were) a great dance band with a very good repertoire. The group on this ship was called Celine Deeaz and they were hard pressed to come up with anything danceable.

 

Here is an example of their "dance music".

 

 

I am not sure who hires the bands, but they were a huge failure in this instance.

 

SiBreeze, I know nothing about Dancers At Sea in particular. I simply don't want to cruise with any dance group of any kind. The floors just aren't big enough to accommodate the dancers who randomly sign up for a cruise, let alone a dance group in addition thereto. It is even more frustrating when dance venues are closed down to regular dancers on a cruise to accommodate a special group.

 

We cruise to dance and really look forward to a romantic evening of dancing after dinner every night and are very disappointed when there is nothing available but "shake your booty" music. :(

[Times Prince]

On this cruise they didn't even have dance music prior to the Captain's party, which I have never before experienced.

There is a Captain's party in the atrium on each cruise, where we have never heard dance music.

 

The Past Passenger party, typically held in the Fusion/Vista Lounge, will have the show band playing. It was at one of these where I got really hooked on ballroom dancing. We had taken a private lesson on waltz before the cruise, learning a simple but impressive counter-clockwise turn, and were one of 2-3 couples to actually take advantage of the live band and empty floor. At the conclusion of the tune everyone clapped for us, and I was hooked.

 

It is amazing to us that more people don't dance to the live band. However, some recent parties we've attended have had the prize table placed so that it blocks any possibility of dance flow (other than salon style Argentine Tango ;) ). It would be nice if they changed that.

[PunkiC]

simbasmom, when the orchestra plays in The Wheelhouse or the Vista Lounge, they always play excellent dance music.

 

I would be thrilled if this was the very last contract issued to the Celine Deeaz Quartet. We tried to be as nice as humanly possible in requesting danceable music, but they just didn't seem to understand what "danceable" meant. Very disappointing.

[simbasmom]

What school?

Just curious; I'm a Berklee alumnus myself.

 

Rick

 

University of North Texas.

And yes, he did mention that Celine Deeaz group.

[cafeDB]

Probably a little late in answering this but we're ballroom and latin dancers and someone here was asking about the dancing on smaller Princess ships.

 

They had a very nice wooden floor in the top deck, 12 floor (can't remember what it was called) usually with a DJ and there were only 2 other dancing couples on board. The Dj usually played danceable music and switched to undanceable music when he wanted to go to bed! (better than live undanceable music) and we were very happy to have the floor to ourselves almost every night.

 

Perhaps because of the itinerary (Holy Land), there was no one else in the lounge and it was obviously not making them any money so that may be why they took the dance floor out of Royal Princess -sob!!!

[sunsetbeachgal]

We cruised on the Royal in July and unless they have added something the only ballroom dancing venue was in the Piazza. There is a small dance floor in Club 6, but that was DJ music on our cruise. There is also a dance floor in the Vista Lounge in front of the stage but on our cruise there were no ballroom dance groups playing...Vista was used for art auctions, captain circle party, some of the game shows (most are in Princess Live), secondary evening entertainment venue, etc.

[SeagoingMom]

I would never take a "dance cruise" on any ship. The floors just aren't big enough to accomodate a lot of dancers and most of the groups come with too many women who sort of hover around the dance floor ready to grab any loose man--even if you happen to let go of yours for even a minute. :p

 

On most cruises, however, there is a small group of ballroom dancers and there are almost always dance venues available. We are currently on the Golden, returning from Hawaii and, while the band in the Wheelhouse leaves much to be desired, the can play decent dance music when pressed to do so. Left alone, they would do endless jazz riffs.

 

We have also had a lot of fun dancing to Elua in the Piazza most afternoons, and yesterday they had a ballroom showcase. Tonight they will have a ballroom orchestra in the Wheelhouse.

 

We also have a couple on this cruise who brought some excellent recorded dance music and they are playing it in the ballroom every evening from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m.

 

It all usually works out in the end.

Although you posted this awhile back, I would love to ask about your impression of dancing on HAL since the "Dancing with the Stars" program started, which, based on your list of previous cruises, you must have experienced.

 

My husband and I are contemplating an anniversary cruise, and we ordinarily love HAL. We are enthusiastic but very amateur dancers, who take lessons on board and try to practice what we learned in the evening. On board a cruise ship is the only time we dance right now, due to busy schedules at home. We are wondering whether the emphasis of the DWTS on HAL will be intimidating for us, as we don't mind being the only ones on the dance floor (no one to compare us to : ) but we might shy away from trying to find space among a bunch of flamboyant DWTS-ers.

 

We have been considering Princess for a while, and wonder if this may be the year to try Princess, as much for a relaxed dancing experience as for any other reason (as Princess ships are a little bigger than we prefer, and the balcony cabins smaller...)

 

Do you have any thoughts?

[brucedodge]

FWIW, I offer some comments:

 

We dance every night on cruise ships, and it's one reason we cruise as much as we do. Our line of choice for dancing is Princess. Of the Princess ships, we think the Island and the Coral offer the best opportunities. These two ships have FOUR wooden dance floors: The Wheelhouse, the Explorers Lounge, The Bayou, and the aft lounge. In addition, if you want to practice and bring your own music, there is a large wooden area in the floor exercise room.

 

We've found that although ballroom dancing has increased in popularity, it doesn't earn the cruise line any direct money, and cruise lines are more and more a collection of profit centers. Consequently, the larger ships don't offer the same opportunities. This is especially true on the Celebrity Solstice class ships, with the latest, the Reflection, being the worst. The Century class ships had good dancing, but Celebrity has let two or the three go.

 

The large Cunard ballroom floors are wonderful, but unfortunately we don't care for Cunard in other areas. We have been on board Cunard at the same time the Dancing at Sea group was on, and they were very considerate of others.

 

The R Class ships, being small, are quite limited, but on the Pacific and Ocean Princesses, they at least kept the wooden floors, and if the duo, or trio, or DJ is any good, the dancing can be great. OTOH, Azamara changed out the wooden floors for marble and made them smaller. Don't know about the Oceania R ships' dance floors.

 

Our cruises are mostly itinerary driven, and we take cruises on different lines, so we have to make dancing work for us regardless of the ship, but the Island Princess and the Coral Princess would be our preference.

 

Again, FWIW,

 

Bruce

[sashas_mom]

Sorry, caribill, I meant the Wheelhouse. I had "ballroom" on my mind.

 

I do notice, sad to say, that there is no dance floor in the Wheelhhouse on the Royal, and they have also eliminated Explorers. It will be curious to see if they have any dancing at all.

 

There was ballroom dancing every day in the late afternoon and evening on the Royal during the TA. Mainly it was,in the Piazza and was with live music. Two bands switched off. Sometimes,there was dancing in the Vista, which has a wood dance floor. I danced more on the Royal than any other Princess ship we've been on, and we've done 15 Princess cruises. I wonder if there is as much dancing now that the Royal is in the Caribbean?

Edited January 6, 2014 by sasha'smom

[cr8tiv1]

I wish we would have had Phoenix Rising on this cruise. We have sailed with them many times and they are (or at least were) a great dance band with a very good repertoire. The group on this ship was called Celine Deeaz and they were hard pressed to come up with anything danceable.

 

Here is an example of their "dance music".

 

 

I am not sure who hires the bands, but they were a huge failure in this instance.

 

We cruise to dance and really look forward to a romantic evening of dancing after dinner every night and are very disappointed when there is nothing available but "shake your booty" music. :(

 

Hi PunkiC,

 

I was on the November sailing to Hawaii with Phoenix Rising and will agree that they were a terrific group. Unfortunately, Joey and his gang got off with me but will be returning to the Coral for the Alaskan season.

 

Dance music was provided for the Captain Cirlce party. And surprisingly, there was an afternoon tea dance in the Vista Lounge toward the end to the cruise. First time for me and it was absolutely delightful. ELUA also provided very good dance music in the Piazza, Crooners, and for you, the wheelhouse.

 

I never understood why Phoenix Rising was in the smaller venue. They had a large draw. I do wish Princess ships had bigger dance venues. Too small for the large crowd.

[PunkiC]

Although you posted this awhile back, I would love to ask about your impression of dancing on HAL since the "Dancing with the Stars" program started, which, based on your list of previous cruises, you must have experienced.

 

My husband and I are contemplating an anniversary cruise, and we ordinarily love HAL. We are enthusiastic but very amateur dancers, who take lessons on board and try to practice what we learned in the evening. On board a cruise ship is the only time we dance right now, due to busy schedules at home. We are wondering whether the emphasis of the DWTS on HAL will be intimidating for us, as we don't mind being the only ones on the dance floor (no one to compare us to : ) but we might shy away from trying to find space among a bunch of flamboyant DWTS-ers.

 

We have been considering Princess for a while, and wonder if this may be the year to try Princess, as much for a relaxed dancing experience as for any other reason (as Princess ships are a little bigger than we prefer, and the balcony cabins smaller...)

 

Do you have any thoughts?

 

The HAL Dancing With the Stars program is a joke. Honestly it is the worst dancing experience I have ever seen on a ship. They show a DWTS video and then ship dancers (who are not ballroom dancers) teach "the routine". The "teaching" consists primarily of running around the floor flailing one's arms.

 

We went the first day, full of excitement, and were so disappointed. We went back the next day just to see if it was really as bad as we had thought--it was even worse.

 

The dancing in the evening in the bar was fine. They had good music and a decent floor, but forget about the "lessons".

 

Princess, on the other hand, had decent beginner lessons on all sea days. They usually have cha cha, waltz, swing, rhumba, and merengue, although they don't teach fox trot. I don't know why they don't teach fox trot as it is really a fairly easy dance to teach and lots of fun. These classes are usually taught by a member of the Cruise Director's staff, but occasionally there will be a guest teacher, or a ship dancer who knows ballroom.

 

With the exception of that Golden Cruise last year with the Cruise Director who appeared to be anti-dance, we have always had good dance experiences on Princess.

[SeagoingMom]

The HAL Dancing With the Stars program is a joke. Honestly it is the worst dancing experience I have ever seen on a ship. They show a DWTS video and then ship dancers (who are not ballroom dancers) teach "the routine". The "teaching" consists primarily of running around the floor flailing one's arms.

 

We went the first day, full of excitement, and were so disappointed. We went back the next day just to see if it was really as bad as we had thought--it was even worse.

 

The dancing in the evening in the bar was fine. They had good music and a decent floor, but forget about the "lessons".

 

Princess, on the other hand, had decent beginner lessons on all sea days. They usually have cha cha, waltz, swing, rhumba, and merengue, although they don't teach fox trot. I don't know why they don't teach fox trot as it is really a fairly easy dance to teach and lots of fun. These classes are usually taught by a member of the Cruise Director's staff, but occasionally there will be a guest teacher, or a ship dancer who knows ballroom.

 

With the exception of that Golden Cruise last year with the Cruise Director who appeared to be anti-dance, we have always had good dance experiences on Princess.

Thanks for sharing your perspective!

[Dancer Bob]

For PunkiC- which ship(s) would you recommend for a first time Princess experience?

Needless to say, the liklihood of encountering women ready to grab any unattached man is highly desirable- somehow it never seems to happen to me.

Just to note DancERS At Sea and DancING At Sea are different companies. I have travelled with Dancers At Sea but not the other.

[cr8tiv1]

For PunkiC- which ship(s) would you recommend for a first time Princess experience?

Needless to say, the liklihood of encountering women ready to grab any unattached man is highly desirable- somehow it never seems to happen to me.

Just to note DancERS At Sea and DancING At Sea are different companies. I have travelled with Dancers At Sea but not the other.

 

Contraire mon ami

 

I beg to differ with you. I cruise often and am always looking for a dance partner. On my two cruises to Hawaii, I met a nice couple who let me borrow her husband because of a bad foot injury.

 

Sail on the West Coast and just let me know when you are booked. I would love to have you as a partner on the Coral to Alaska this May. I am sure that I will have lots of competition for your dance skills. Remember, I was the first to make an offer.

[Times Prince]

Princess, on the other hand, had decent beginner lessons on all sea days. They usually have cha cha, waltz, swing, rhumba, and merengue, although they don't teach fox trot. I don't know why they don't teach fox trot as it is really a fairly easy dance to teach and lots of fun. These classes are usually taught by a member of the Cruise Director's staff, but occasionally there will be a guest teacher, or a ship dancer who knows ballroom.

 

With the exception of that Golden Cruise last year with the Cruise Director who appeared to be anti-dance, we have always had good dance experiences on Princess.

We agree with you about the dance lessons which are held whilst at sea. The classes are pretty uniformly good, and we've even had a couple of cruises where Princess had some professional dance instructors onboard.

 

Regarding Foxtrot - this is a smooth dance, and done properly travels a lot. About the only venue where it works is the big dance floor in the Vista/Fusion Lounge, Deck 7 aft on many larger ships. Even the waltz is taught with the basic box and not a travelling box - likely because it is simpler and more useful on small dance floors.

 

We've joked with our instructors at our local dance studio after cruising that they should teach "Small Dance Floor Tactics", which certainly would be more useful aboard ship in Wheelhouse Bar and Explorer Lounge venues which tend to be smaller and more crowded. That would include tiny steps for Foxtrot and Waltz, tighter styling (that's those broad arm movements one sees) for latin dances like Rumba.

 

Then again, after dancing Foxtrot in the Wheelhouse Bar I received a comment from a fellow passenger that I "was no Fred Astaire" :( (but my wife was a Ginger Rogers :D).

[richla]

My wife and I love ballroom dancing. I agree that the best is usually in the wheelhouse, with some in the Explorer Lounge depending on the band. The wheelhouse floor ranges from smallish to a nice size depending on which Princess ship. There are also a few other opportunities.

 

Not many on the floor is generally a blessing to ballroom dancers as it gives freedom for patterns and line of dance. I agree, when the floor is crowded, there is little room for line of dance. However, that doesn't preclude good in place box steps with tighter patterns that can be done at most skill levels. We always figure those that know how to dance need to be responsible for not colliding with others.

 

We like the Princess dance floors the best out of the four other lines we've been on. We are about to cruise on the Sapphire and hope for a good band. But, we have a blast on all of them and so will you!

 

As for dance groups, we have been on a couple "Sundancer" group cruises and had a great time. Dance on!

[Bonnie J.]

We too like ballroom dancing and have fun deciding which couples just got out of dance school. We both started ballroom dance classes when we were 7 years od but didn't meet until we were 13. Our 1st lessons were the box step - hadn't heard term box step for years!

We met at summer dance classes at the club. We have even danced just outside the lounge when its crowded and right on the promenade deck with music nearby. You don't have to be in a lounge to dance!

We even find we can dance in the disco with their music.

[ccrain]

For the April CB TA and the Ruby November TA, we danced ourselves out. The supergrands with Fusion have 3 good dance venues (Wheelhouse, Fusion, Explorer's). Fusion was the best and on the Ruby TA we had two R&R bands. One in Fusion and one in Explorer's. The Piazza, with its tile floor, and Skywalkers, with its glass floor, is really not good on the knees and ankles during ballroom dance steps. (One5 on the grand was wood the last time we were on, small, but better than glass.)

 

For both cruises there was canned music in Fusion pre-dinner and selections of canned music in Explorer's. Wheelhouse was live duo's, trio's or quartets, although sometimes the ship band shows up. Wheelhouse is traditionally the "ballroom" spot, but we actually prefer Explorer's and the Rock and Roll band. Yes, lots of hustle, cha-chas, rhumbas and night club two step, not many tangos or waltzes, but Explorer's is a decent sized wooden floor. Definitely bigger than the aft wheelhouse or even the more forward wheelhouse on the Ruby, Sapphire and Crown.

 

In both cruises we ran into, and brought along, fellow dancers, and all of us let the CD (Neil Roberts on the CB and Dan Styne on the Ruby) know what we wanted, and in both cases, we got it. All you have to do is drop them a note at the pursers desk, or catch them having coffee in the morning at the IC. They will do their best to accommodate. And if you can't find them, just talk to the DJ or one of the other cruise staff and they will pass on your request.

 

We also take our music with us and speakers. We can use fusion on port days, the gym floor at night, or we have been known to use the forward and aft elevator lobbies on the upper decks just to get in some practice.

[richla]

Our 1st lessons were the box step - hadn't heard term box step for years!

 

Ha! Well, I thought using "box step" would be more understandable to many rather than the terms "bronze, silver, continuity, etc."

 

Also. I read some posts on dancing in the Piazza. Was their really much ballroom dancing there? It seems common on some other cruise lines, but I hadn't seen it as much on Princess except some of the parties.

 

I read some previous posts on the band "Phoenix Rising". We had them on our British Isles cruise. Joey and his group were outstanding for playing all sorts of ballroom music. I also remember that being the first place we did the tango to the song "Indian Reservation"!

 

We aren't bringing any other dance couple friends with us on this cruise, but, I do like that idea of speaking more to the CD and DJ. We'll try it on our upcoming cruise on the Sapphire.

 

I think "Dancing With the Stars" has really perked up the interest in ballroom dancing. That's good.

 

PS, CCRAIN, I think we danced with you and your lovey wife on the Golden back in 2009, along with our favorite instructor, Wehan. It looks like you've really kept up with the ballroom scene.

Edited January 22, 2014 by richla
Addition

[ccrain]

 

PS, CCRAIN, I think we danced with you and your lovey wife on the Golden back in 2009, along with our favorite instructor, Wehan. It looks like you've really kept up with the ballroom scene.

 

Yes I believe we did dance with you all back then. It might interest you to know that we've kept in touch with Paul and Elizabeth from Texas. They sailed with us in April on the CB with Mom, and then in October the four of us did 51 days on the Ruby. Mom was not with them and they had a mini all to themselves! Elizabeth may never go back to an inside again!

 

Vian and Jane did return to South Africa, but apparently got recruited back to sea on Royal Caribbean. Have not heard from them in years.

 

We're still dancing as much as we can.

 

Cheers!

[richla]

We read Paul & Elizabeth's Christmas letter each year. We're still connected with Vian (Wehan as he spells it) on LinkedIn.

 

Maybe we'll cross path's with you on some other cruise for more ballroom fun. It won't be a 51 day cruise till after we retire....

[ccrain]

We read Paul & Elizabeth's Christmas letter each year. We're still connected with Vian (Wehan as he spells it) on LinkedIn.

 

Maybe we'll cross path's with you on some other cruise for more ballroom fun. It won't be a 51 day cruise till after we retire....

 

I'm trying to reduce hours this year, but they keep wanting me back...

 

We actually cruised with Paul and Elizabeth for 78 days this year!

 

And we still like each other!!