Nightclub music - lame or as-expected?

[Lugger11]

I have been on 4 cruises (Carnival and RCCL) over the last 10 years or so, all as a single, and twice as part of a singles group.

I've been going to dance clubs of various kinds in the Toronto area since I was old enough to drink, and really enjoy them.

But ***** is going on at the nightclubs of these cruises? The music is terrible!

Look, I know we all come from different parts of the world, and we all have different tastes in music. But there are some global trends and standards for nightclub music, and The Electric Slide is not one of them. You want to do that silliness at the sail-away party, sure. My kids love that crap. You want to do that early on in the night when the elderly or your parents want to dance like it's a wedding or bar mitzvha, fine. But can't we up the quality after say 11:30 or so? Is it too much to ask to have actual nightclub music at a nightclub on a cruise?

Or maybe it's that by some standards this IS nightclub music. A friend on my last cruise, who runs a bar, says that this is the formula for your average bar on a Saturday night in most of America. How sad. It could be so much better, so much more fun.

Ideally, you could have different bars or nights for different kinds of music. I'll admit, not everyone is going to dig Ultra-Festival-style Trance Music. An Urban/Hip-hop night would likely go over well, as would a country and/or rock night. I'm not suggesting an Industrial-goth night (unless it's the goths at sea cruise, of course).

But as singles, don't you cringe when the music is that lame? Doesn't it just ruin the vibe?

Am I alone in this?

[Gypsymimi]

Yes, you are apparently at least in the minority, since cruises do what appeals to their customers. I know plenty of 20-somethings who enjoy doing the electric slide- especially the women because most men their age won't dance with them. It's a great way to get a crowd up and dancing. Then the music usually changes to more recent stuff, with some slow numbers for the couples. Don't be such a snob! In a city like Toronto, nightclubs can specialize, and people can choose what kind of music they want to listen to. On cruise ships, especially the low-end lines like Carnival, the musicians are getting minimum wage, and often have to work in the galley during the day. For recorded music, they'll play what seems to attract the passengers. 

[MSUjohn]

T.O. = city of 3,000,000

cruise ship = city of 2500

 

there is not going to be the specialization there is going to be lowest common denominator. 

[uncleg]

I think it depends on DJ, I have been on cruises were the club was rocking every night and have been when all the patrons  were sitting around trying to figure out what the heck the DJ was doing.    One cruise in particular on the Carnival Dream maybe eight years ago the DJ would play a good song the dance floor would be full and the transition right in middle of song to some mixed up mess, everyone would just stop and stare.  We nicknamed him Sir Mixes To Much.  He was also the DJ who told me when I requested a song that the reason the glass was in DJ both is so he did not have to listen me.  Rude.  I was polite when I asked.  Just had to walk away.

[bosslaydee]

Fellow torontonian here.

It really depends on the DJ. I was on Carnival December 2018 and the main DJ was trash but a girl came to relieve him and the party took OFF she took requests where the main guy didnt, she played caribbean soca and dancehall and EVERYONE, of all ages, was getting low. my family definitely helped start the party but Olivia killed it with her set. Then the main DJ came back and we all left the venue lol

[3HrTourist]

It's really difficult to characterize what one may encounter in terms of entertainment today.  Case in point, the new Carnival Panorama MDR still thinks it is cool to request diners to do La Macarena during "showtime".  At the same time,  they had an incredibly talented Latin band in the Havana Bar.  I always check out the live performers first.  Most larger ships seem to have one or two gifted groups.

[Lugger11]

So I just got back from the RCCL Mariner of the Seas and witnessed something very strange. They had a silent dance party. Everyone wore headsets and could choose from one of 14 music styles. On the surface, this would seem to solve the problem. Everyone could choose their own music and have a good time. But it didn't really work, for a number of reasons.

The space wasn't really a club environment. Worked better as a cool martini bar (one of the few places on the ship to get a drink at night where it's quiet). But even with the headphone on, people where singing along to pop songs at the top of their lungs, ruining the peace for the rest of us. There weren't lights or anything like that, so the energy was kinda low. People could tell what music you were listening to by the colour of the LED in your headset, so they would then congregate together, so there were these little pockets of dancers.

The other "disco" was in the ice arena. I only went once after the adult Quest show. That was hilarious. You have all these adults all energized from the show and ready to keep the party going, then the DJ starts off with more of that pop-line-dancing music and the place just cleared out, except for a few young couples. I stayed for a few songs to see if it would pick up, but it didn't. It got worse, so I left.

I took some time to think about my aversion to line dancing on this trip. Then it hit me. This is what children do at school dances up till middle school where I'm from. Then they outgrow it and won't even consider it, because it's childish. It's like watching Sesame Street instead of Game of Thrones. Oh well.