Costa Luminosa- What's It Like For Dancers

I'm looking at the Costa Luminosa sailing from Guadaloupe next winter. Costa markets this ship to Europeans and doesn't have info on the US website, but I've confirmed they will sell cabins to North Americans. There's a possibility a dance group I travel with might be interested.

As you might guess from my screen name, I'm primarily interested in the dance environment on board; that's why I choose Costa. How does this ship compare to the Atlantica? They're both Panamax, so I suspect Luminosa is one of the later versions with the theatre dropped one deck, eliminating the lower lounge.

Are there any experienced dancers who can give me more information?

Hi Bob: I don't have the info you need on the Luminoso ship, but thoroughly agree with you on the dancing end of it. Costa has the best dancing of any line out there. We have been on seven cruises with them and they have set our standard for dancing (ballroom). We are disappointed that it looks like they will not be returning to the US market. I cannot find where they will be here next year anywhere. We were looking forward to taking the transatlantic trip to Italy in 2013 out of Miami. Do you know if that will be happening? We have a group that wants to go and are reluctant to be stuck on a ship with lousy dancing (nothing worse). Any thoughts or info you have would be appreciated. Thanks.

There´s a lot of stuff on the Italian website that they don´t put on the US. If you have someone who speaks Italian it´s easy, but I manage to understand it pretty well anyway. Costa does tend to be later announcing itineraries.

You can get to PTP via MIA/SJU, for Luminosa Guadeloupe, but it´s probably not much cheaper than a flight to Europe for a Mediterranean itinerary. I did Serena in Adriatic a year ago, great trip. Fortuna class ship with a much improved aft lounge.

Queen Victoria did a Caribbean ininerary last year. Dance floor is actually a bit larger than Atlantica. The recorded music has improved greatly recently but the orchestra varies from mediocre to abysmal. QM2 has the largest dance floor I´ve found but G32 (disco) entrance is through ballroom. If there´s a reception, there´s no alternate dance venue. I calculated my TA in January cost me close to $100/hr for actual dance floor time.

There´s a lot of stuff on the Italian website that they don´t put on the US. If you have someone who speaks Italian it´s easy, but I manage to understand it pretty well anyway. Costa does tend to be later announcing itineraries.

Hi DancerBob,

Costa is apparently moving into the Asian market here and I've been getting my information on http://www.costacruise.com which is in English.

Anyway, I was searching for information on how the dancing is on Costa Luminosa; as I am considering a Scandinavia/ Russia cruise in June this year.

Did you eventually go on the Luminosa? If so, how's the dance floor and music.

I don't really care if its a liveband or not, give me a dance-friendly DJ who plays strict tempo danceable proper ballroom music over a band who can't tell their rhumba from chacha anyday!

It has the most appropriate timing and itinerary, and our kids get to go free although my family is joking a lot about how its the one cruise line where people actually have a high chance of using the lifeboats.

On the Luminosa there's dancing with a live band every evening in the Elettra Grand Bar/Lounge on Deck 2, towards the bow and the Theatre.

On the Luminosa there's dancing with a live band every evening in the Elettra Grand Bar/Lounge on Deck 2, towards the bow and the Theatre.

I can not dance for the life of me BUT

On Luminosa, Deliziosa, Atlantica, and all the others I have loved watching

the dancing couples, dancing to a live band, ALL evening

During the day the instructors teach dancing, and although not participating, I remembered and had a sly go in the cabin :o

chicky chicky two two, chicky chicky chicky or whatever

I am sure you would be well accomodated

Jack McH

Never did get on the Luminosa, I'm on Deliziosa in April for Black Sea, I think it's a very similar ship.

After over 25 Costa cruises with & without dance groups, Costa dancing can be good, sometimes not so good. There are dance groups of 400+ who feel the ship belongs to them & have never heard of "dance floor etiquette." Other times, dancing on Costa is the best dancing at sea. It's "luck of the draw" & you never know what you'll get until you board. By night 2, you have a pretty good idea if you will be dancing the night away or being pushed into an Arthur Murray corner. I do not remember a Costa cruise that didn't have couples on board there to showcase well-practiced dance routines. There are usually other music choices in a smaller lounge....and yes, we will keep returning to Costa & take our chances! Tried several other lines & prefer some dance to nightly karaoke....

I did make it onto the Deliziosa, review posted. It seems to be very similar to Luminosa. Three dance floors have been deleted compared to Atlantica/Mediterranea, but it should be just fine for small groups. Even though it was an older. staider crown than usual, lots of dancing. Stardust is using the Luminosa in January, but I think Linda's keeping the group size smaller. Costa uses mostly live musicians who seem to take great pride in playing what passengers want to hear, unlike a certain other cruise line that boasts about its dancing. They can play very decent tempos when there are people who want it.

There's a "dance etiquette" thread on another board, HAL I think.

I did make it onto the Deliziosa, review posted. It seems to be very similar to Luminosa. Three dance floors have been deleted compared to Atlantica/Mediterranea, but it should be just fine for small groups. Even though it was an older. staider crown than usual, lots of dancing. Stardust is using the Luminosa in January, but I think Linda's keeping the group size smaller. Costa uses mostly live musicians who seem to take great pride in playing what passengers want to hear, unlike a certain other cruise line that boasts about its dancing. They can play very decent tempos when there are people who want it.

There's a "dance etiquette" thread on another board, HAL I think.

There are 3-4 dance groups booked on Luminosa in Jan. 2014 (checked on that) including Stardust, NY. We have been on board same cruise week as Stardust group. A group this size (usually around 300)is too large, in our non-professional dance opinion, for dancers (including those in the group) to enjoy the floor. Friends who cruise with us are competition ballroom dancers & agree that there just is not space for practiced dance routines & swirling around the floor's edge. Costa also has many Europeans on board who enjoy regional dances & line dancing. I'm Italian-American, it's fun & I get it! However, it's not for those who came to dance Latin & ballroom un-interrupted all night. The ballroom is also used for nightly games. This is what makes Costa unique. You take it for what it is or choose another cruise line. We are booked on Costa, once again & will continue to cruise on the "different" Italian cruise line. Looking forward to Luminosa.:cool:

USA Dance is advertising its dance cruise on the Luminosa for the January 16th sailing. They usually have 200 - 300, too.

Yes, ladydancer ~ Costa is in the USA less than 4 months & is booked by small & larger dance groups most every 10-day cruise. Since ballroom dance gained in popularity, Costa ballrooms are full of experienced & not so experienced dancers. We take it with "a grain of salt." It is expected. For those dancers who need a large ballroom for their group alone, a cruise ship is not the best venue. Like it or not, cruise ship dance areas may be enjoyed by every passenger on board. Our friends, competition dancers & amateurs, will cruise Costa Luminosa out of Miami again this winter & enjoy the ship no matter what's going on in the grand ballroom. P.S. We did not book Luminosa in January as originally planned!

Dance groups aren't created equal. Some promoters guarantee having dance hosts who are actually competent dancers, which makes all the difference for some women, regardless of price. It takes a large group to have clout with management on cruise lines which normally don't provide good music, which is just about everybody except Costa.

The technical term for dancing on a crowded floor is floorcraft. Every good American-style teacher I've ever met has mentioned something about floorcraft, but unfortunately, American style has an emphasis on arm-flailng, prancing around without a partner, and 10-bar-long figures which isn't conducive to good floorcraft. Still, there's been many comments on other threads that any "accomplished" dancer knows this and does their best to share. With so many music choices on Costa there's always quiet times to do routines. No, you shouldn't have to deal with obnoxious floor-hogs, but you shouldn't have to deal with chair-hogs or table-hogs either. If you look at other threads, the situation on Costa is still better than you find on other cruise lines.

Yes, agree Dancer Bob, Costa dance areas are better than most other lines we have cruised (cruise #37 coming up). Costa has better dance areas, better music. Unfortunately, not all dancers or dance groups understand "floor craft" or dance floor etiquette. You are correct that there is no space for arm flinging (too often seen in dance groups) or space for dancing without a partner as part of a routine. There are chair hogs & table hogs on many cruises hosting large dance groups....we have been on board. They stake out their tables & chairs for the night, expect them to be there when they return from another area of the ship....been through this! Watched as food was carried to the dance area so the chair guards did not have to leave their post. Best bet for etiquette on the dance floor is to stick with a line that hires professional gentleman dance hosts eg. HAL. The lounge may be smaller but you won't get elbowed off the floor. This past February, on Costa, watched a dance couple kick a gentleman sitting on a chair on the rug off the dance floor. No apology given. Watched the same couple push an older woman to the floor. It took only the first cruise night to know that this one couple alone would be a problem for other dancers throughout 10 nights. We could not have been more correct. As I said, earlier, we are non-professional dancers but our cruise-mates are medal winning ballroom dancers. Our dance friends, at home or on a ship, dance by the rules. Seems a cruise ship can bring out the worst in certain dancers....they paid for the cruise, came to dance & forget "floor craft" technique. We will be sailing on Luminosa this time around and will continue to enjoy the Italian flavor of the ship. If the main dance floor is crowded, so be it.;)

And of course there are the parents who consider the dance floor just another venue to keep their little darlings entertained. Bereft of ideas of what to do with their sea-apes at 11 PM, they send them scampering out on the dance floor while videoing the entire (to them) hilarious experience. Floorcraft while mommy, daddy, and junior join hands and sway to the music out on on the floor? Not hardly.

Agree Projunior. Been there, seen that! It's not at all unusual on a cruise ship (including Costa) to see young children diving through dance couples late night while parents socialize with friends. Many parents are oblivious to their children's actions on a dance floor; they are on vacation & anything goes. What's It Like For Dancers? No one can answer that question because every cruise is different. We've cruised with large dance/music groups, small dance groups & with just one or two other couples. We have cruised with swing dancers, Carolina shag dancers & ballroom dancers (including A.M. friends). As I posted earlier, you take it for what it is & expect anything. There are dance venues, outside of cruising, that assure the attention & dance space desired. This is not guaranteed on any cruise ship, Costa included. Costa is an International cruise line. Europeans are excellent dancers & love to dance. Keep this in mind when booking & you will not be disappointed if the band plays nightly to a German, Italian or French or Latin crowd. Can't wait to see who will be on our next Costa cruise....always a surprise! :o