Best Lines for Formal Nights and Ballroom Dancing

Greetings All -

My husband and I are among the few who like to dress for dinner and really enjoy formal nights. We don't have much opportunity to get all dolled up in our work-a-day lives. Given the recent trend to a more casual style in the MDR on many ships, what lines/ships still have formal nights?

For our recent wedding we took dance classes and learned how to fox trot and the basic swing steps. We won't be mistaken for Fred and Ginger but we like to dance to big band/Sinatra classics. The chance to do this on ships also seems to have decreased. Any suggestions for ships with more dancing?

We are both in our 50s, live in NYC and love to sail out of local ports (no baggage limits other than what fits in the trunk or worry about flight delays and weather). Recent trips have been on Royal.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Vicky

Cunard.

Princess is not bad except that they have marble floor in the piazza and your feet may hurt.

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Cunard.

This ^^

And better yet, the Queen Mary II sails out of NYC to the UK - and back again, so you've got your comfy way home with more dancing :)

If you like that, Cunard has other ships and lots of other itineraries, of course.

The Queen's Grill is the most expensive class on the ship, with the Princess Grill next.

Those would probably have the most formal attire, etc., but the entire ship tends to be that way by design.

Ballroom dance is a part of the experience there.

Take a look at the descriptions on their website and/or ask your travel agent specifically about them.

Enjoy!

Cunard is the line for you

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Cunard, without a doubt. Also, HAL (somewhat) on their longer, non-Caribbean itineraries. I believe that one or two UK-based lines still retain dress codes and appeal to more tradition-minded cruisers.

Cunard, by a landslide and especially on a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic. Largest wood floor dance ballroom at sea. (Some of the Asian couples really love to dance and would put Fred and Ginger to shame.)

This is tailor made for what you say you want. BTW, there is a 14 day NY-Southampton-NY round trip coming up Dec 8th.

She normally sails out of the Brooklyn cruise terminal. (The Coast Guard doesn't like her backside extending into the shipping channel in Manhattan.)

There is a "Best Ships For Dancing" thread on Theme crusies. With your parameters, Cunard is the only choice, mostly QM2 from NYC, although I prefer Queen Victoria/Queen Elizabeth.

Purely for dancing, Costa is by far the best cruise line. No one will stop you dressing up even if other passengers are more casual. P&O Oriana (UK) has a good reputation, but less formal than Cunard.

I cannot recommend any other line. Holland America is for people far older than you (in attitude if not birth date), truly formal is pretty rare, everything shuts down by 10 PM. Princess is not much better.

There are several ships with decent dance floors (I've never seen proof QM 2 does have the largest floor) but expect no cooperation from management in scheduling music unless you can find/put together a dance group.

If you don't want to fly anywhere, the Stardust Dance Productions weekends in the Catskills might also fit your style.

PS. Be warned the Big Bands advertised by cruise lines do not really play good dance music.

My husband and I both started ballroom dance lessons when we were 7 years old. (We met when we were 13 at dance lessons at the club during the summers - we lived way apart rest of the year!)

It doesn't matter to us what kind of music is playing, we dance to it- double time it, 1/2 time, whatever. We also request songs we like to dance to. Just move to the music and have fun. Princess is good for good danceable music.

Another recommendation for Cunard here.

Even the more premium mass market lines like Celebrity and HAL have eliminated formal nights and gone with themes that are more casual.