Dance classes on QM2?

[jonmar]

My wife is making me ask this. Does anyone know if there are any dance classes offered onboard. Thanks.

[cruisr]

Hi,

Yes, when I was on my crossing there were dance lessons given by the cruise staff. Cha Cha, Fox Trot, etc.

Bring your dancing shoes.

Bon voyage

[cruise junky joan]

Oh come on Cruisr. How bad can it be. You get to put your arms around your lovely wife whom you are taking on this romantic cruise and she will be VERY appreciative, you watch and see. Actually my husband and I love ballroom dancing but with two school age kids we rarely get the chance to take lessons. Think of it this way: would you rather be swirling around the dance floor or hitting the tread mill in the gym? On our last 10 day we had lessons twice a day for about an hour and a half each. What a great way to burn all those extra calories and just think you can wow everyone on the dance floor with all the cool new steps you've learned. Be a sport have fun and enjoy something different! Joan

[e.durban]

The second day of our short QM2 cruise there were waltz lessons in the Queen's Room. We went and had a great time. Many people (including my girlfriend) had never danced a waltz in their lives, but it was easy and -as they say- a good time was had by all. The wierd part was that that night was the Mother's Day Ball, so we stopped by and lo and behold, the orchestra didn't play a single waltz! Nothing in 3/4 time at all! After 20 minutes or so we gave up and went to the disco. We never got to try out what we learned...Hmmm

[juneann]

I believe that there were dance lessons offered everyday. It is posted on the daily activity sheet that is left in your cabin each night.

[racinglawyer]

Someone said there were Ballroom dance lessons on the QM2, but no dance music for the dances the lessons were taught in. Waltz.

 

Does anyone know what type music the Orchestra plays in the Queens Room in the evening. Hopeful not dead Fox trots and blasting swings.

 

I would love to hear from someone.

 

Mike

[e.durban]

Well, there were songs you could fox trot to, and I guess you could have done some swing dancing (there was a really cute little boy twirling his sister around.) It wasn't bad by any means...there just weren't any waltzes while we were there...

[geoffUK]

On our recent 12 day QM2 cruise there were four one hour lessons, waltz, chacha, tango and swing. We didn't attend these as we expected they would be very basic beginnners lessons so i can't comment on them. As for the actual dancing there are usually two evening sessions 7.45 to 8.30 and 10.00 to 12.15 and also there were three afternoon tea dances when the ship was at sea. Music is provided by a seven piece band plus a resident vocalist who play all types of ballroom dance music, waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, swing, tango, chacha, rumba, samba, jive. The dance floor is quite a reasonable size for a cruise ship and the dancing proved to be very popular. I think it took some people a few days before they discovered the Queens Room as it is hidden away behind the Brittania restaraunt.

[e.durban]

We can second that last comment. Didn't even enter the Queen's Room until day 2, which explains why we missed the Latin dance lesson offered on day 1! There's an unbelievable amount to see on this ship...

[Glovie]

Although I haven't been on this ship, on all the others my husband and I have been able to request a certain dance from the band. The musicians always seemed to appreciate our interest and did their best to accommodate us. By the way, for the guy that started this thread, I nagged my reluctant husband for 15 years to take dance lessons with me. Once he did, he became hooked, and is much sought after by all the ladies on the dance floor!

[geoffUK]

Ladies .... If your partner can't or won't dance, there are six male dance hosts on the QM2 who do their best to look after you on the dance floor ....

[Paul NH]

My wife wants us to take dance lessons *before* we go on the QM2 on the June 9 voyage, and was wondering what type of dancing we should learn. This string is a great source of information.

 

Is there anyone out there who did not know "ballroom dancing" and learned on the QM2? We are wondering if we will learn all we need to know on board in time to put it to practice, or whether we should definitely get a head start prior to the voyage with our own lessons.

 

Paul

[JPEvans]

This is my experience with ballroom dancing on the QM2. I started to take lessons on a weekly basis starting in November. By the time my cruise came about in March. I was at the point where I knew just the basic steps, nothing fancy. I would recommend that if you want to take lessons, take it because you want to learn ballroom dance, and not for the cruise. You may be a little disappointed when you get out there on that big dance floor in the Queen's Room, and you feel like a you never danced. It takes lots of practice and patience to learn. Even though all the great dancers on the dance floor started just like you and I. Your ego wants to be a pro after your first lesson. Another thing. Cunard has "gentlemen host" on board. I found it hard to compete with them. Several women wouldn't dance with me because I was not a "gentlemen host". One dance that's easy to learn is the Merengue. It's a two step dance and you can make up the moves as you go along.

[ciaobella]

My husband and I took lessons for about a year - about 10 years ago! My husband is the one who signed us up! It was fun, but most of the dacnce "clubs" don't want you to get too good, they want you to keep buying their packages and begin to enter "competitions" - we were just interested in learning a few basic dances and in having fun! We still go to the whatever is offered by the cruise line to "brush up." We're not terribly talented, but, we have fun, and we enjoy being together! And, it's great exercise. I also agree that most cruise bands will play whatever you ask them to play. 1,2,3....1,2,3...1,2,3.... Have a ball!

[geoffUK]

My wife and I took our first cruise about ten years ago and a couple of months before the cruise we decided to 'learn to dance' After a few basic lessons, we became addicted and continued dancing well after the cruise and all those years of practice have really helped us enjoy other cruises particularly on the QM2. Although its possible to pick up basic waltz, foxtrot, quickstep fairly quickly, it does take quite a while to become an accomplished and competant dancer - we are still learning after more than ten years !

But look at it this way - the sooner you start the sooner you learn. Don't think about it - do it now.

[nkpeeps]

Hi I just came off the QM2 in March. I was one of the dance hosts. They have live ballroom music each night for 2 or 3 hrs. They had a dance lesson each day that the ship was at sea. The disco is just a few steps from the ballroom so you can try both with no trouble. Most of the dance host would welcome any help with keeping the ladies dancing. The hosts are restricted to the ballroom whenever the band is playing. They are required to ask any single ladies to dance. This was the first cruise that I lost weight on.

 

Eric

[dtwtraveler]

We were on the QE2 in 9/03, and my husband sprained his ankle, couldn't dance and retired early to our room. I was so pleased to learn that I too could dance with the hosts! I don't know if the married ladies know that they can also have the honor of dancing if their partner is unavailable. Can the hosts dance with married ladies even if their husbands are with them in the ballroom?

[Paul NH]

Hi I just came off the QM2 in March. I was one of the dance hosts ... The hosts are restricted to the ballroom whenever the band is playing. They are required to ask any single ladies to dance. This was the first cruise that I lost weight on.

Eric, I always wondered about that job. Do you get free room and board with being a host? Are you at liberty to say? Is it something you could earn a living on if you were a permanent host? How did you come to be a host on a liner?

[Zipper25]

This is georgous! It reminds me of an old Joyce Grenfell Song - "

 

"I've joined an Olde Thyme Dance Club,

The trouble is that there

Are too many ladies over,

And no gentlemen to spare.

It seems a shame, it's not the same,

But still it has to be,

Some ladies have to dance together,

One of them is me"

 

Please, this is not meant in any derogatory way. I just had visions of cohorts of ladies all fighting over the dance hosts. Fabulous!

[Paul NH]

My wife and I have been practicing the Fox Trot at home, compliments of a VHS tape instructor on our TV. Additionally, we just took our first dancing lesson ever last night - Salsa lessons.

 

I have a new respect for formal dancing. It seems very hard to me to do any of this smoothly! I am getting the hang of the Fox Trot - at a very rudimentary level, but Salsa seems much more challenging. Salsa music is much more hip, though, without a doubt.

 

Before my wife and I break a couple of each other's toes practicing Salsa some more, can someone confirm that it is played in the ballroom?

 

Paul

[ciaobella]

Paul,

Please let us know about your "dancing" experiences in June! I think you're great to learn with your wife, and I hope you both have a fabulous time!

[Paul NH]

Does anyone recall what type of dance music is played by the band in the Queen's Room? Fox Trot? Salsa? Rhumba? Would appreciate and recollections.

 

Ciaobella, thanks for kind words. I will let you know how it goes on the floor.

 

Paul

[DanZ]

I fear you shall show me up on the dance floor! Don't worry, though, I am sure you will be yards ahead of most couples.

 

Best,

Dan

[Paul NH]

Dan,

 

Trust me, you do not have much to fear.

 

Still looking for advise from anyone who knows which dance music is predominantly played (Fox Trot? Salsa? Rhumba? etc). Since formal dancing is not as near as easy to learn as I first thought, I would like to focus on the most common found in the Queens Room.

 

Paul

[ciaobella]

I think that the Fox Trot and Rhumba will get you through most anything! Otherwise, just enjoy dancing with your sweetheart - the rest really doesn't matter.