Ballroom and latin dancing in the Ocean bar on the Eurodam?

[Cruizann]

My DH and I have booked a cruise on the Eurodam and wondered if there will be a band in the ocean bar for ballroom and latin dancing? Thank you.

[JimnKaren]

Timing is everything. We were on Eurodam a few months ago and The Band was present. Not bad, but not the same as a 3-piece combo as they have on Veendam, Amsterdam, etc.

 

If the entertainment does not work for you, then let the folks in Seattle know once you return.

 

Jim

[Cruizann]

Hopefully we will be dancing to the band. If not we will mention this to HAL . Thanks Jim.

[haladdict]

In recent months there has been less and less music and dancing in The Oceans Bar. If the band is needed for a show, they probably wont be in the Oceans Bar.

Sandra

[Sojourner2]

I just returned from Eurodam (Dec 24 to Dec 31, 2017). At the Oceans Bar the band played two afternoon tea dances from 3 pm to 3:45 pm during sea days, and on three days (two of them sea days) they played from 5 to 8 pm. There were not a lot of ballroom dancing opportunities on board.

[Cruizann]

We are happy to hear that we will be dancing for 3 evenings on the ship. Thank you Sojourner2.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I just returned from Eurodam (Dec 24 to Dec 31, 2017). At the Oceans Bar the band played two afternoon tea dances from 3 pm to 3:45 pm during sea days, and on three days (two of them sea days) they played from 5 to 8 pm. There were not a lot of ballroom dancing opportunities on board.

 

 

That is good to know.

[pooch1]

We love ballroom dancing and enjoy dancing before & after dinner at the Ocean Bar. But since HAL had cut back the dance floor & the dancing time, we now cruise on the Crystal which provides ballroom dance music in the Starlite Lounge ( Crystal Symphony) or Stardust lounge ( Crystal Serenity ). The phillipino band plays wonderful music for dancing and they play from 5pm to midnight with 15/20 minute break between each set (45 minutes). The dance floor is much bigger than the one in the Ocean Bar. Occasionally they will play in the Palm Court which had a rectangular dance floor.

 

Pooch1

[BJzink]

Timing is everything. We were on Eurodam a few months ago and The Band was present. Not bad, but not the same as a 3-piece combo as they have on Veendam, Amsterdam, etc.

 

If the entertainment does not work for you, then let the folks in Seattle know once you return.

 

Jim

When we started sailing with HAL in 2011, there were dance lessons every day in the Crow's Nest with the show dancers instructing - cha-cha, rumba, foxtrot, etc.......

but I haven't seen it on the daily program for several years now.

[EDLOS]

In recent months there has been less and less music and dancing in The Oceans Bar. If the band is needed for a show, they probably wont be in the Oceans Bar.

Sandra[/quote

When they show the video "Frozen Planet", the Dance Trio band and the Adagio or Lincoln Center group must play the live music that night and there is NOTHING else on board. (two Shows) And after viewing "Frozen Planet" twice "Its good, but not that good" decided to move on to another cruise line. Reason: HAL has decided what I will like with one size fits all, entertainment.

Edited February 4, 2018 by EDLOS
spelling

[DanceswithNancy]

We sailed on the Noordam last October, crossing the Pacific. Had a great 4-piece band virtually every evening in Ocean Bar, but when the ship arrived in Sydney, the band left the ship, and no one replaced them. Seven consecutive days at one point with no ballroom dance music. We also are looking at other lines.

[Projunior]

We were on the Eurodam last week. The dancing opportunities could not even be classified as meager. There was a "Tea Dance" on a sea day. Here is how it was listed in When and Where:

 

Tea Dance, Ocean Bar, 3PM

 

No other description, no further details.

Live music or recorded? Secret

Type of music/dancing? Secret

Duration of activity? Secret

Refreshments? Secret

 

In the middle of the afternoon, on a sea day, many passengers will be sunning themselves, in swimsuits, in lounge chairs around the ship. So the question becomes, "Do I schlep back to the cabin to change out of my swimsuit to attend this shrouded-in-mystery event"? Or do I continue to savor the ocean breezes along with my Mai Tai? Regrettably, we decided to give it a go. CLUNK.

 

The ship band played what, apparently in their minds, constitutes "ballroom" music. To them, this meant a collection of fuddy-duddy songs, each one played without any concept of strict tempo, fast then slow then fast again. Impossible to dance to, although, in reality, the dancing seemed besides the point to them; they seemed more interested in showing off their jazz chops as they riffed themselves through the 45 minutes.

 

They played one other night 5PM-8PM. Five minutes after we sat down they announced they were taking a 30 minute break.

 

Then we have the venue itself, the Ocean Bar with its small, weirdly shaped floor made even smaller because HAL, stupidly, constrains the size even more by putting chairs and tables right on the dance floor itself. So when the band leader said, "Next we will play a waltz", couples squashed themselves together in the scarce remaining space (travelling and line of dance were laughable impossible), and a chaotic version of human bumper cars ensued. This is HAL's current variant of the what used to be a hallmark of cruising, namely, romantic dancing at sea.

 

If you want to see further evidence of the cluelessness of HAL, the entire handling of the Ocean Bar offers a perfect example. We are 3-Star Mariners, we used to look forward to the pre-dinner dancing that was held in the OB every evening. And the place would be buzzing with a lively vibe. Now the OB is a morgue and HAL has to bribe people to visit with continual happy hour deals. The OB dance floors are being removed on the newer ships, as we found out to our chagrin when we sailed the Koningsdam, and during the reburbs of the older ones. At the very least, you might think that HAL could offer a cheap alternative and play recorded dance music before dinner in the OB's that still have floors, like on the Eurodam, but no, there is only barely audible, undanceable, cheesy elevator background muzak.

 

This was our 29th cruise. In addition to being 3-star on HAL, we are Platinum on Princess and Elite on Celebrity. We are loyal to no particular line. But this whole deliberate anti-dance initiative by HAL, part of their broader never ending quest to wring every last nickel and dime of cost out of their operating budget, has convinced us to scratch them from any future cruising consideration.