ballroom dance cruise

[ballroomdancertoo]

Has anyone been on those cruise ships for ballroom dancing? Are there really dancers who work on the ship to be partners to ladies or gentlemen.

[tanya_the_dancer]

I've been on a dance cruise last year. It was a very small group out of the whole ship and they did have hosts to dance with the group members. The lady who organized that said that she gets hosts based on the group, so for our group there were 3 male hosts and 1 female.

[DennisBeach]

Has anyone been on those cruise ships for ballroom dancing? Are there really dancers who work on the ship to be partners to ladies or gentlemen.

Some cruiselines have dancehosts. They are expected to dance equally with all the ladies or gentleman desiring a host to dance with them. You would have to check with the cruise line to see if a sailing has dance hosts.

We go on cruises with ballroom dancing being one of the main reasons for cruising. Since we are a couple, we pick the line with the most dance space and dance music. Which currently is Costa cruiseline. Costa does not have a dance hosts program. So you would need your own partner to dance on their ships. They do have by far the most dance music and biggest/best dance floors.

[Zhena]

This summer DH and I took a cruise that included dance hosts, though it wasn't a dance cruise. (Only the first post is related to the cruise.)

http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=18712

This January we are planning to go on a short cruise with two studios - ours and a related one. I believe there may be about 80 dancers on the cruise. The difference from a dance cruise is that it is being organized by the studios, not by the cruise line, so we will start out with some built-in relationships.

I've always been intrigued by the dance cruises -- I'm also interested in hearing the details if anyone else has any experience with them.... Tanya, how much did you dance? How much teaching (if any) was included? What were the other dancers like (age, dance experience, etc.)? Was it an established group, or was it a bunch of people who didn't know each other before the cruise?

[fascination]

these things vary in quality...I have heard of top notch coaches attending and giving workshops ...and I have been on a ship that was offering a dance cruise at the same time and from what I saw of it it was very fun for the participants but a bit lacking in quality...

[waltzgirl]

This is the first I've heard of female dance hosts. A male friend of mine who's retired does several stints a year as a dance host on cruises and has a great time. I've often bemoaned that that option wouldn't be available for me when I retire. What cruise lines have female hosts?

[Katarzyna]

That sounds great, would totally be up for something like this even before retirement.. sounds like vacation with a bit of work to me... anyone did something like this before?

[tangotime]

The format for dance host, has changed somewhat over the past few yrs.

Initially , the host would be paid $ 100 per day all found.


It now, is quite commonf for the " hosts" to pay the cruise line, a fixed daily rate ( includes all ) which is well below the cruise cost .

There is ample time for teaching during the day, and class as well as private, are made available .
If Prof. couples are booked- they have to perform nitely shows and also may teach-- they are not required to " host " ,and are paid for their services .One has to audition for Prof. bookings .

A cabaret type show , is required, for the Pro,s to entertain the guests .

Colin Hillary (runs comp. in S.Carol. ) has been a booking agent for many yrs .

[waltzgirl]

I don't think my friend pays the cruise line, but I'll ask him.

[elisedance]

I heard that at least on some lines, the hosts (I assume these are not pros but trained amateur dancers) are not allowed to have any relationships with the passengers - even friendly ones - and have a status be treated rather like very junior ship staff.

Also what impact does this have on one's amateur status? Presumably this would make you a pro?

[tangotime]

The majority of hosts are mature gentlemen ( age limit is 72 for most Lines ) and yes, frat. is frowned upon .

[tanya_the_dancer]

I've always been intrigued by the dance cruises -- I'm also interested in hearing the details if anyone else has any experience with them.... Tanya, how much did you dance? How much teaching (if any) was included? What were the other dancers like (age, dance experience, etc.)? Was it an established group, or was it a bunch of people who didn't know each other before the cruise?

The group was very small. I think the average age of people in the group was 45. There were 3 couples and 3 single ladies. Nobody knew each other before the cruise, we booked it through a company which does dance cruises, I think it is called dancingvacations or something like that, but I don't remember. The organizer said it was her smallest group, she usually gets about 30 people. They did not have any group classes, but they gave everyone 2 hours of private lessons. I felt they were not particularly useful for me personally, but my husband liked them.

[tanya_the_dancer]

This is the first I've heard of female dance hosts. A male friend of mine who's retired does several stints a year as a dance host on cruises and has a great time. I've often bemoaned that that option wouldn't be available for me when I retire. What cruise lines have female hosts?

The dancingvacations company we used for our cruise hires its own hosts and decides how many it needs based on the makeup of their group. The organizer told us that one year she had a surplus of single men who bought the cruise, so she had to hire a couple of female hosts. But typically she has a surplus of single ladies.

[tendancer]

There's one called "working vacations", which has had an ad on nycdc (nyc dance connections) site for the longest time. Evidently it has sold those operations to another company:

http://compassspeakers.com/gentleman_host.html

Plenty more info about dance hosts on that link.

My favorite part is besides the obvious reason to get "disembarked" (i.e. fraternizing with passengers), they are allowed to kick you off the boat at the next port and you'll need to find your own way home if you get injured and can't dance...

[ballroomdancertoo]

i wonder if this dance cruises can be expanded to other venues, like ???? would be a good business opportunity???

[old dog]

We go on cruises with ballroom dancing being one of the main reasons for cruising. Since we are a couple, we pick the line with the most dance space and dance music. Which currently is Costa cruiseline. Costa does not have a dance hosts program. So you would need your own partner to dance on their ships. They do have by far the most dance music and biggest/best dance floors.

My wife and I have made three cruises with dancing being the primary consideration. Our 4th trip is just a month away.

Our first cruise with dancing in mind was with Costa, on their ship "Mediterranea." We chose this cruise based not on the ship but just because we were able to affiliate with a big band that invited guests to join them and enjoy some extra perks (for a small extra fee). The group consisted of about 20 couples -- all strictly social ballroom dancers. There was no instruction of any kind and the cruise line did not provide dance hosts nor did they have professional dance insructors available. The band turned out to be pretty good, but the band/dance venue was a club setting with a small stage and even smaller dance floor. We had several 'private' dance events scheduled but when other passengers heard the band (or heard OF the band), the last two or three events were 'invaded' by drop-ins and the already crowded dance floor soon over-flowed. The 17-piece band we were with could not fit on the club stage so the saxaphones and clarinets etc. shared the small dance floor! Not good. The ship (at least at that time) did not have its own dance band -- only small combos, fine for the very limited space they had available for dancing. This Costa ship does not have what you can call a ballroom -- only 'clubs.'

Our second (dance) cruise was on the Norwegian "Star." We choose this cruise and ship only because we wanted to travel with a group sponsored by the USA Dance organization. This affiliate group had 15 couples and three single women. The extra cost was about $250. The group organizer (not the cruise line) arranged for one 'dance host' and also for a 'semi-pro' couple who conducted two to four hours of group instruction on most days. The dance floor (the largest on the ship) was larger than the Costa ship's, but barely adequate for this many couples. Our lessons and evening dance events were (thankfully) not opened to the public. We had to provide our own recorded music for our dances, but the ship did have one or two small bands that were good. Once again, the ship did not much promote anything like ballroom dancing and they didn't really have a decent size floor. There was a professional dance couple on board who did one free large-group Cha Cha class, but mostly private lessons and evening stage performances.

Our third 'dance' cruise was on the Cunard "Queen Mary 2." We traveled with three other couples who are local friends and members of one or more social dance clubs we belong to. We have a good friend who has worked as a dance host for two or three different cruise lines. I must say that he was right when he told us that the Cunard ships have, by far, the best facilities and music for serious social dancers. This ship has what is correctly labeled a "ballroom." The floor is well maintained (not sticky with spilled drinks) and can comfortably handle 25 to 35 couples, though on special occasions, there will be many more wanting to share the space. The ship sponsors several "Balls" (some formal) and provides a great dance band that plays every evening in the ballroom. When the band takes a break, the house sound system has good recorded music for dancers. There are about 10 or 15 'dance hosts' provided and they seem to be kept busy. A professional dance couple do stage shows, ballroom showcases and also provide a few free group classes (packed to over-flowing). Their private lessons are pricey, but we split the cost with two of our traveling friends.
We will soon make another cruise with the same friends on this ship.

I'm sorry for the length of this posting, but it seemed like several readers would be interested in our personal experience.

Pick your ship carefully and have fun!

RC

[waltzgirl]

Thanks for the info! Were the dance hosts on the Queen Mary all men?

[old dog]

Yes, waltzgirl, all the dance hosts we have encountered were men. They ranged in age from about 30-something to about 60-something. They varied in their dance skills, but were generally very good at leading their varioius partners around the floor.

[JANATHOME]

We sailed on the Queen Mary 2 this summer and I thought the dance floor and the band was great. There were only male dance hosts, but a lot of them!!

[DennisBeach]

We sailed on the Magica and they had one very nice dance floor with a duo or trio playing most of the time. They called it the grand ballroom and it was large for a cruise ship. Mediterrenea has a different configuration and evidently does not have as large of a grand ballroom. Our two times on the Magica, there were large groups ( not dance related ) and they had the big lounge most evenings, which is probably what your group was given. That is a nice room, but it has a small dance floor and bandstand. They had 2 piano bars and a latin lounge with lot's of music in each. Those rooms had small dance floors and we would go to them when the main ballroom got crowded.

Special dance cruises have the negative impact of overwhelming the limited dance facilities. Other than the theater, most do no have room for more than a 4 or 5 person musical group. Many do not have adequete space for 2 couples to do smooth or standard dancing. Upside is there normally is only one couple dancing ( us ), so we have enough room most of the time.

What we have liked about Magica, was they played a lot of music 9 5-6 hours each night ) and we had plenty of room to dance most of the time. One couple we met on the Magica, thought the Mediterrenea was better, because the lounges had bigger dance floors than the Magica, except for the main ballroom which they said was smaller.

One downside on Costa is the main musical group only plays a few times and it is in the big lounge with the small dance floor.

I also heard the Cunnard Queen's had the only real ballroom floor and atmosphere.

[pnoisette]

On some cruises there are hosts as well as professional dancerts. The hosts are retired gentlemen whose dancing abilities may vary from very good to shall we say not so good. The professionals are usually there to teach classes and give private lessons. On the CrystalCruises which prides itself with going first class all the way the pros are usually dancers who are currently competing or who have competed in some pretty major international competitions. I have had the pleasure of actually being coached privately on the cruises I've been on by some pretty highly ranked dancers. On the social scene the gentlemen hosts are there to social dance. Period. Since there are usually more women, and there are generally not more than half a dozen of these hosts don't expect to get much dancing if you are an "unescorted" woman.

I know that serious ballroom dancers on the west coast including studio owners from California and Arizona and their students often sail together in a group on the Crystal ships. Some well to do women bring their teachers. These parties obviously aren't short for dance partners who can actually dance well.

I usually bring my routines along and get the resident dance pros to practise during private lessons. Rates are usually comparable to what you'd pay for private lessons on land.

[elisedance]

that sounds like a heap of fun. Its sort of like retiring and moving next door to a top studio - no driving, no distracting job, just dance till you fall apart.

I've never wanted to go on a cruise but this certainly sounds interesting. Now if one was rich enough to bring your partner (pro or am) wow...

[Zhena]

The professionals are usually there to teach classes and give private lessons. On the CrystalCruises which prides itself with going first class all the way the pros are usually dancers who are currently competing or who have competed in some pretty major international competitions. I have had the pleasure of actually being coached privately on the cruises I've been on by some pretty highly ranked dancers.

Ohhhh... I thought they were mainly there to perform and teach group classes. I think we missed a great opportunity for coaching .... #$%^ .... double #$%^

[reb]

that sounds like a heap of fun. Its sort of like retiring and moving next door to a top studio - no driving, no distracting job, just dance till you fall apart.

I've never wanted to go on a cruise but this certainly sounds interesting. Now if one was rich enough to bring your partner (pro or am) wow...
I know nothing about other cruises and dance cruises, but I highly recommend an Alaskan cruise. Glaciers, dog sleds, otters, bald eagles, history, rugged wilderness, such wonderment at every stop and every waking moment.

[tanya_the_dancer]

I know nothing about other cruises and dance cruises, but I highly recommend an Alaskan cruise. Glaciers, dog sleds, otters, bald eagles, history, rugged wilderness, such wonderment at every stop and every waking moment.

The one and only cruise I did was Alaskan one. I agree, go there before glaciers all melt up :) And Westerdam is a really nice ship. However, the dance portion of the cruise was so-so, imo, and personally I would not recommend going on a cruise for the sake of dancing. There are better ways to get a dance fix, like dance camps. My friends go to a dance camp in Vegas every summer.