This is really a complex question. One of my dancing friends just returned from a cruise on Seabourne, and they had one barely adequate dance floor, but oftentimes it was taken up by food service or some other non-dance need.

The Queen Mary probably has the largest dance floor afloat, but there are a whole bunch of dance hosts, and people get up to sway, not to dance.

Dance cruises, of course, always have too many dancers on the floor. I want the floor to myself!

I was on a Princess cruise a few years ago, where they had 2 dance floors, one for swing and the other for Latin or ballroom, and we ran back and forth from one to the other all night for the entire trip. That's what sold my wife on cruises.

But then, we were on the Golden Princess last year, and the floor was small, oddly shaped, and often preempted by other needs like Bingo or Trivial Pursuit.

Jerry

Jerry,

We're doing this one in March:

http://www.cruiseholidaysvictoria.com/cruisedancer/cd_info.html

Originally out of New Orleans. This is one of the biggest ships out there. I have no idea what the dance floors will be like. This one has a skating rink if I recall correctly. I've heard they cover the rink for an acceptable dance floor on those that have them.

I'm the one squinting.

OB

Janet: Here is a website that sponsors ballroom specific cruises. They would know better than anybody which ships are the best hosts. http://www.dancersatsea.com/index.html

Having been on no less than 6 cruises, (none geared to ballroom dancers) I have never benefited as a dancer. Personally, I would never use NCL, although they might be the best for dancing, they have terrible customer relations. Royal Carribean (most recently on the Adventurer of the Seas) doesn't know what dancing is and has postage stamp lounge dancing. Celebrity provided 2 dance hosts on a mediterranean cruise - who were goofy and barely adequate for an experienced dancer. Hope this helps.

Thank you all for your replies. You have said pretty much what I have found so far.

I find that the cruises that are longer in length, and usually have older passangers have the best music to dance to, and floors that can somewhat accomdiate.

Remember a lot of the dancers are new to ballroom, and the size floor they require is smaller.

We have found so far that Princess was the best ship to dance on, Celebrity OK and RCCL and Carnival non exsistance. We will be on NCL in July, HAL in November. Most 3 day cruises out of Miami have good latin and Salsa music.

I'll be on the Crystal Symphony in March. Their website actually names the dance instructors and the FOUR dance hosts on board!

I'll let you know what the dancing was like after the cruise is over.

Jerry

Standard,

I know from experience from where of you speak.

An experienced dancer should not choose a cruise just because it has dance hosts on board.

While many lines have a stated requirement of bronze in 5 dances minimum ability I found many lines lowered that standard considerably just to get someone. Even if at was a case of "You're a male and can stand up" the key to success as far as the cruise director was concerned was whether the person had strong social skills. I sent one person who only had 11 weeks of group lessons and they've taken him 5 times now but it's based on social skills. Considering 99.9% of the passengers have never taken a lesson it's understandable. Dance hosts are there to entertain everyone as much as possible.

Now, if you do want a better partner, the more exclusive the line the pickier they are about ability. I have sent lower than bronze to Radisson in an emergency and they were successful but generally only higher ability dancers go there. Crystal (because they are down to two ships at the moment) are extremely picky. They have more than 2 DHs and rotation is slow as many of the hosts stay for extended periods. I have one fellow back who just did 7 ten & fourteen day cruises in a row in the Mediterranean with them. The people I've sent on Crystal also tell me there is a dance host director who gives the hosts daily instruction. Right now Crystal is repositioning ships and several hosts are staying on for a half way around the world trip.

Sometimes there are interesting confrontations. We teach International here. I sent one bronze DH on Crystal. He and the dance director ended up at loggerheads as the director insisted he dance American Style which he'd never been exposed to.

OB

okay - if there won't be any dance hosts on a Royal Caribbean cruise, any creative ideas on how I might "find" the dancers. On one cruise, I simply went to listen to the band and tap my toe. I ended up dancing the entire cruise with a really wonderful, much older man whose wife just didn't like to dance...

This is wonderful... I am learning a lot.

It does absolutley make sense that above all the dance host should have good social skills, dosent it?

At our studio we had a student that an instructor was teaching for a host job(He had prior dancing exerience) What he wanted was bronze level, and every varation there was, so he could keep the passengers interested... He was such a charming fellow, I can see how he was successful. BTY, he signed on often, he loved it! I have had visions of that movie Overboard with Walter ??. and Jack Lemmon....

Bee, I think you are on the right track. Visit the lounges and you are bound to run into someone longing to dance.

Not to go on, but a few years back we went on a short cruise, invited our 20 yr old.... He came in one night in the early AM, said was dancing all night, I assumed the disco... The next morning at the pool a group of Sr women were calling him by name, saying hi to him... Turns out that they needed a dance partner, grabbed Danny and taught him a few foxtrot steps, he danced with them all night... He said they we cool!!! Never know what dance opportunity you will find!

Again, thanks guys for helping me to put together this information.. You are all the best!!

Lines I supply hosts to regularly are:

Celebrity, Radisson, Crystal and Delta River Queen.

Others I know that use them are MSC, Orient & Silversea.

Best to check with each line though as they don't use DH's on every cruise. e.g. I've supplied a lot to Celebrity in the Caribbean but they decided not to use hosts on Alaska last summer.

I've heard Carnival has started using hosts. As I'm doing a cruise on Carnival in March I went through their booker to see if I could get a couple of local people on to induce a few single ladies to go from here as well. The booker said they'd see if there was a need for that particular cruise but never got back to me.

Holland uses them.

OB

Here are some specific cruises I'm looking for dance hosts for in March.

When were you planning on going? If I know that I can look for some specific ones during that period.

Note: There is a need for hosts on these cruises but if the positions aren't filled there is no guarantee hosts will be on board.

OB




March 6-17
11-night cruise
Mexican Riviera
Roundtrip San Diego

Celebrity
Mercury

Mar 9-18
9-night cruise
W. Caribbean
Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale

Celebrity Cruises
Century


March 9-20
11-night cruise
Panama Canal
Roundtrip Galveston

Celebrity
Galaxy

Mar 9-23
14-night cruise
South America
Rio De Janeiro to Barbados

Silversea
Silver Cloud

Mar 14-Apr 11
28-night cruise
S. America
Valparaiso to Montego Bay

Orient Lines
Marco Polo

March 17-27
10-night cruise
Mexican Riviera
Roundtrip San Diego

Celebrity
Mercury

Mar 19-Apr 2
14-night cruise
South America
Valparaiso to Ft. Lauderdal

Celebrity Cruises
Millennium

March 20 –April 1
12-night cruise
Panama Canal
Roundtrip Galveston

Celebrity
Galaxy

Mar 21-Apr 18
28-night cruise
Iberia
Lisbon to Barcelona

Silversea
Silver Wind

Mar 23-31
8-night cruise
E. Caribbean
San Juan to Ft. Lauderdale

Radisson
Navigator

March 26-April 9
14-night cruise
Hawaii
Roundtrip Los Angeles

Celebrity
Summit

March 26-April 7
12-night cruise
Eastern Caribbean
Roundtrip Cape Liberty

Celebrity
Constellation

March 27-April 7
11-night cruise
Mexican Riviera
Roundtrip San Diego

Celebrity
Mercury

OB