Make it more fun

I've been on four crossings, and on each one the cruise directors mentioned ballroom etiquette every night. They talked about line-of-dance, travelling couples dance on the outside and slow moving or stationary couples stay in the middle.

But no mention of the line-dancers???

Mario: You do have to agree that the Queens Room is often not a good place for casual dancing with all the Simply Ballroom crowd.

 

BostonSusie: Not the advice you're looking for, I recognize, but HAL offers what you seek with a dance floor in most venues that might have danceable music..

I agree, but I can't see how to solve the "problem".

I've been on four crossings, and on each one the cruise directors mentioned ballroom etiquette every night. They talked about line-of-dance, travelling couples dance on the outside and slow moving or stationary couples stay in the middle. And most important, that the dance floor is not a place for unsupervised children.

wife & I joked that these talks were aimed at the American passengers. We assumed the Brits already know their way around a ballroom.

Stop being Snarky about who is and is not trained or educated in, or aware of "Ballroom Etiquette". I am well aware of the rules of the road on a large "formal" dance floor- You guys don't get it! My request was not to change the Ballroom, but to simply open up more venues on Cunard for slower, romantic, or older couples, one of the latter I sadly have become. Having sailed over 15 times on various cruises and ships the thread about "sticky" floors and clumsy waiters is a bunch of malarky! And for what it's worth, both Canadian and American schools generally offer Ballroom dancing as part of their Phys Ed programs, or as an alternative, there are lots of private dancing schools for teens and pre-teens. So save the outmoded jingoistic remarks for reality-based situations! Just someone, please, pass the word to Cunard that a little space in the lounges for a slow two-step foxtrot would be appreciated..That's all I wanted to bring forward for discussion.

I agree, but I can't see how to solve the "problem".

Does the Yacht Club (QV) have a dance floor? I haven't been on QV or QE in an eternity (literally for QE since I've never been) but that seems like a place where another line would have a dance floor and live music suitable for casual dancing (such as light jazz or " lounge music").

It could be done, if Cunard and their passenger mix wanted.

I've had a couple of cruises on Holland America in the last year and as I've mentioned they seem to put a wood dance floor in almost every lounge that has live music.

Not to be impertinent, but, if you do not like the food (you mentioned it was the worst), don't like the placement of the buffet items, don't like the ice cream machines, and don't like the style of dance or the fact that there are not enough entertainment venues pleasing to your tastes, then why are you booked to go again?

OK- since you ask! My daughter is studying for an advanced degree at Uni. Duesseldorf and my husbnd has a mother in Germany- For health reasons I cannot fly long distances-Soooo,if I want to visit Europe I sail or swim! From anyplace between Toronto and Miami the only option is Cunard out of Brooklyn NY. Because necessity forces me to sail QM 2, that does not mean my opinions and evaluations and observations are not valid and worth considering! Anyway- Holland America beat out Cunard in cruise ship ratings this year and I can well understand why! As H. A. sails to Europe from Florida I am unable to sail with them. Too bad for me!

OK, let's just be practical about this. The bean counters at Cunard/Carnival are highly unlikely to let 100 sq. feet of existing revenue producing space be replaced with a wood floor for more dance floor space. Dance floors, including the the one in the Queens Room, do not generate revenue while being used. It is the people drinking while seated at the tables around the floor that generates the revenue. While you are dancing, you are not drinking (at least not on this ship;p). This is why most lines other than Cunard no longer have large dedicated ballrooms.

Removing and replacing tables in any of the lounges where live music is performed would reduce potential revenue, and in the end, revenue is the name of the game. In addition, when most people are seated and listening to a band performing in a listening venue, in my experience, they prefer not to have to have their view blocked by dancers, even "romantic" dancers.

Stop being Snarky about who is and is not trained or educated in, or aware of "Ballroom Etiquette". I am well aware of the rules of the road on a large "formal" dance floor- You guys don't get it! My request was not to change the Ballroom, but to simply open up more venues on Cunard for slower, romantic, or older couples, one of the latter I sadly have become. Having sailed over 15 times on various cruises and ships the thread about "sticky" floors and clumsy waiters is a bunch of malarky! And for what it's worth, both Canadian and American schools generally offer Ballroom dancing as part of their Phys Ed programs, or as an alternative, there are lots of private dancing schools for teens and pre-teens. So save the outmoded jingoistic remarks for reality-based situations! Just someone, please, pass the word to Cunard that a little space in the lounges for a slow two-step foxtrot would be appreciated..That's all I wanted to bring forward for discussion.

And well said also. I have always noticed how well attended the Cunard Balls are - I can appreciate that for some/many they may well be too well attended. I have also noticed that ballroom dancing often brings out the "showoffs"

I like to watch the dancers in the Queens Room, I don't understand why people who have gone to the trouble of learning to dance are being described as "showing off".

We sometimes take to the floor on one of the party nights and I have even been known to dance in the Golden Lion after a few drinks !

OK, let's just be practical about this. The bean counters at Cunard/Carnival are highly unlikely to let 100 sq. feet of existing revenue producing space be replaced with a wood floor for more dance floor space. ......Removing and replacing tables in any of the lounges where live music is performed would reduce potential revenue, and in the end, revenue is the name of the game.

You're right. Many dancers don't drink while dancing. Most land-based cocktail lounges and restaurants don't have small wooden dance floors. A dance floor takes up space that could go to tables. Cunard knows this. They took the wooden dance floor out of the Golden Lion and small floor out of the Winter Garden.

The Queens Room is a draw for many on the QM2. That why we sail on Cunard. But we consume less alcohol when we know we'll be dancing the night away. At home we sometimes drink a whole bottle of wine with dinner. And maybe an after-dinner drink. But not on the Queen.

My suggestion to the OP is still the same, dance on the carpet. There no rule that says dancing can only be done on wood. And if enough people do it, maybe they'll put the floor back. But don't count on it.

BostonSusie - Are you local? Of so, let's get together and the 4 of us go out dancing some night.

I like to watch the dancers in the Queens Room, I don't understand why people who have gone to the trouble of learning to dance are being described as "showing off".

We sometimes take to the floor on one of the party nights and I have even been known to dance in the Golden Lion after a few drinks !

I did not say that all ballroom dancers were showoffs - but they do exist. Of course, it depends on your definition - mine is those whose dancing does not suit the conditions.!!! a small crowded dance floor on a rolling vessel is not the place to "show off' dancing prowess!!!

I did not say that all ballroom dancers were showoffs - but they do exist. Of course, it depends on your definition - mine is those whose dancing does not suit the conditions.!!! a small crowded dance floor on a rolling vessel is not the place to "show off' dancing prowess!!!

Over the years we have been dancing, I've observed many very fine dancers on the Queens Room dance floor on the QM2. I have no idea how you define "show off", but I can tell you from experience that it takes a good dancer with an excellent sense of balance to dance well on rolling seas. Lesser dancers will usually only try it once before retiring to their seats to watch the good dancers do their stuff. "Real" dancers know their limits. It's the once a year dancers that I worry about.

I think it's the best. If one thinks that dancing is romantic, the QM is for you. You just has to accept the idea that many other people think dancing on the ship is good idea and the two big dance venues get filled up with, dare I say it, dancers.

 

I read posts from people who compare Cunard to other ships and they complain the other ships keep the floors real sticky to be sure people don't fall. As a result, you can't dance on them. Or the dance floor is part of the bar/dining room where people or waiters walk through all the time. Not a good place to dance.

 

The OP wants a little dancing in the bars. Dance on the carpet. It's better than a sticky floor.

There's no rule that says dancing has to be done on wood. Dance wherever you can find space.

 

Correction to prior post:

My wife reminded me that it was the Golden Lion that had the small wooden dance floor, not the Chart Room.

The Chart Room ( QM2) did indeed have a small ( circular 'marble effect', not wooden) dance floor almost adjacent to the piano area. The former Winter Garden also had a small area ( adjacent to the white piano) both were suitable for 'basic dancing'. I've never known the Golden Lion pub ( QM2) to have a dance floor, although there is a wooden staging area which is often used for the musician.:)

OK- since you ask! My daughter is studying for an advanced degree at Uni. Duesseldorf and my husbnd has a mother in Germany- For health reasons I cannot fly long distances-Soooo,if I want to visit Europe I sail or swim! From anyplace between Toronto and Miami the only option is Cunard out of Brooklyn NY. Because necessity forces me to sail QM 2, that does not mean my opinions and evaluations and observations are not valid and worth considering! Anyway- Holland America beat out Cunard in cruise ship ratings this year and I can well understand why! As H. A. sails to Europe from Florida I am unable to sail with them. Too bad for me!

How interesting. We just sailed HAL in what we thought would be a comparable category minus the special dining, but found it quite bad. We now toss all HAL brochures in the trash - though some love it, so I suppose to each their own. I believe Disney sails TA's out of Dover each year to NY as repos, and the other way also, though they are 11 days. Perhaps you could give them a try. Very cheerful line, it is hard to be Grumpy on board. I detest flying to Europe so we do Iceland air when we must. A shorter 4.5 hours to Reykjavik with a night over to enjoy Iceland, then 4.5 hours to Europe.

My wife and I took our first cruise 25 years ago to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. Before the cruise we decided to take a few dance lessons. 25 years on and we are still dancing. It's the best thing we ever did as a couple. This year it's our 50th and we've booked another Cunard cruise because we love the large ballrooms. We understand that we have to share the dance floor with other couples better or worse than us, but 25 years of dancing has taught us the skills of floorcraft and hopefully we can dance around other couples. We don't find cruise ship dance floors any different to our local ballrooms where there are always dancers of different skill levels. I hope we don't frighten anyone off the dance floor on our next cruise.

How interesting. We just sailed HAL in what we thought would be a comparable category minus the special dining, but found it quite bad.

... Holland America beat out Cunard in cruise ship ratings this year and I can well understand why! As H. A. sails to Europe from Florida I am unable to sail with them. Too bad for me!

When I first read this about Holland America beating Cunard in cruise ship ratings I was surprised. But after thinking about it I realised it shouldn't surprise me. HAL has five times more ships than Cunard has and therefore they have many times more loyalists. We are friends with three couples who are regulars on HAL. Two of the couples have not cruised with anyone else because they assume HAL is the best.

A few years ago we cruised to Alaska on HAL's Noordam just two years after we had a Norway cruise on the Queen Elizabeth. Despite the similarities in the two Vista-class ships, the QE was a considerably better ship. To be sure, HAL did some things quite well, but not much. Regarding the comments I have read on here about "terrible food" and "the worst food at sea" on Cunard, I had to smile. We are Diamond level members on Cunard and have not once had a terrible meal in any of the four main restaurants. Some of the meals we had on HAL were terrible. Food quality is usually subjective, of course, but as one example: if short ribs of beef are described as tender and they resemble shoe leather then that is a different matter. Even the lunch for members of the loyalty programme (called "Mariners" on HAL) was poor.

Two positive points: the Noordam had real teak decks as opposed to the fake stuff on the QE; those in Neptune Suites (similar to Queen's Grill) received complimentary laundry service. That was about all.

There were many aspects of the Noordam, that left negative impressions, other than the food. The atrium was basically a hole cut in the deck with a single curved glass staircase - a far cry from the vast lobby of the QE. Getting a decent cup of tea was nearly impossible. Knowing that HAL ships are really American (despite the port of registry) I brought our own tea-bags but getting boiling - or even very hot - water was difficult. Afternoon tea in the dining room was a joke: I have never seen such small scones.

Suite passengers were invited to a reception with the captain and officers. Not a single officer showed up. We did, however, have a pep-talk from the manager of the shops and the tour director. The drinks were generous, however, so it wasn't a total loss. Whereas Cunard offers a full range of entertainment to cater to all tastes, the only entertainment on the Noordam that was not over-amplified pop or blues was the violin/piano duo. As for talks, the Noordam had a few presentations about shopping and the only alternative was the park warden who came on at Glacier Bay and gave an interesting talk about glaciers. The equivalent of the Commodore Club was frequently closed for a private group function.

HAL has a strict policy on bringing alcohol on board. We brought our permitted two bottles of Champagne and at security we were directed to a desk like naughty school-children. After a few minutes in the queue our bottles were examined carefully and the person in charge held them up to the light to make sure we had not opened them and replaced the bubbly with some contraband like gin. Then we had to sign a form and stickers were placed on the bottles.

Formal nights on the Noordam were shabby compared to Cunard, so we were not surprised that they have since been downgraded to "gala nights". I am told by the regulars that means anything goes. I could go on, but what's the point.

The fact that HAL gets better ratings than Cunard convinces me that ratings are irrelevant.

. We are Diamond level members on Cunard and have not once had a terrible meal in any of the four main restaurants.

Thank you david.Mississauga. I live near you!

Humans are herd animals, and most huddle inside the bell curve, so are easily manipulated.

I was a loyalist to Celebrity until 2015 when we had a few bad cruises (conforms to the timeline when Celebrity was maximizing their downgrading) that did not conform to the Celebrity marketing hype, specifically I did an audit of what I got relative to what their marketing said I would get. Celebrity failed twice.

So moved on to Cunard and Oceania and HAL.

We found that Oceania fits us to a tee. When Oceania tries to downgrade their product, they will also be fired.

People, experience other cruise lines, see what works for you.

Please don't assume that those of us who enjoy sailing on Cunard haven't tried other cruise lines.

 

Dear Cunard and QM 2 Administration,

Alright, I’m willing to put up with the worst food on the high seas ( even Royal Caribbean is Soooooo much better)- An upper deck buffet area that always smells like old fish! And is designed by someone who does not eat there-nothing where it should be in relation to dietary norms: bread and rolls nowhere near the cold cuts or cheese, no butter anywhere near where you would use it-no cutlery handy anyplace, loud ice cream machines that sound like a 747 taking off in the dining area! (Have you gotten them fixed yet?) etc. etc.

What I really regret is that there are no romantic little dance areas set aside in any of the cocktail lounges where a couple could have a romantic dance before or after dinner-

The Queen’s Ballroom couples look and act like contestants or rejects from America’s Got Talent (or not!). All these fancy-schmancy show-offs are very off-putting, intimidating and don’t leave much room or atmosphere for an anniversary or birthday couple to “slow dance’ and cop a little hug or squeeze.

PLEASE, couldn’t you set aside that 10’ x10’ piece of floor that nobody needs for a little dance space near the music in the Carinthia, or Lions’ Den, etc., or in the main central area! These places are seldom so crowded that it would not accommodate such an improvement.

EASY FIX- very romantic and fun and would be greatly appreciated! I have heard other passengers mention the same issues. Sailing on QM 2 should be a higher-classed experience when in reality it is a poorly planned tribulation. Sincerely, Susan

You are so right!! hit the nail on the head!

I understand completely about the fancy schmancydancers, but also relate to Host Hattie’scomment about people who have gone to the trouble of learning to dance. We have been dancing for about fifteen years,and we enjoy taking classes and sharing a hobby we can do together. Most weekends find us ‘social dancing’ at alocal studio with dancers of varying levels and occasionally we, and othercouples in our classes, take part in ashowcase or exhibition of dancing which is when we get to do the ‘fancyschmancy’ stuff. We assumed that dancing in the Queens Roomwould be akin to social dancing but were surprised to see that there was a minority of dancers who didseem to dominate the floor. I’m nottalking about intricate step patterns, but couples doing arm styling that cleareda large area around them as other dancers tried to avoid the flailing limbs,progressive fast spins in a crowded area and (I thought this one was rather brave), a lift! Justbecause you CAN do something does not always mean that you SHOULD.

During a crossing last year we found a couple dancing in thehallway just outside the Queens Room doors. We asked why they didn’t just go inside and they replied that whiledancing another couple had made a rude remark about them being ‘in the way’ sothey felt they had to leave the floor. Nomatter what your level of expertise – or even no expertise at all – there is roomon the ballroom floor for everyone to enjoy dancing as long as we all show someconsideration.

OP – sorry I can’t offer anything as regards a more intimateplace for a slow dance. However, did youever think about going up to deck 12 near the Boardwalk Café? There’s a hugearea, with a wood floor, perfect for dancing under the stars. Ok, it involves one of you humming a song andit may not work in January in high seas, but it’s worth a thought.

I hope you dance!

No idea why some of the words ran together in my previous post - it was fine when I previewed it! Apologies.

Please don't assume that those of us who enjoy sailing on Cunard haven't tried other cruise lines.

lol I'm trying one right now and believe me...Cunard ain':')t all that bad!