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End of Dance Hosts?

infohunter

By infohunter,
in Holland America Line

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infohunter

infohunter

Posted
Posted

While talking to folks currently aboard the Rotterdam I found out that this is the last sailing with Dance Hosts aboard the Rotterdam. It is also my understanding that they are discontinuing dance hosts on a lot of the sailings. Not sure which ships will or won't still have them....

 

So if you are expecting dance hosts onboard you may want to check to see if they are still on your sailing.....

 

Not sure why they are doing this at it appears that they are in demand..... Anyone know why????

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jhannah

jhannah

Posted
Posted

Dance hosts have generally been only on longer sailings. I think the Rotterdam is doing 20-day South America sailings ... so that would qualify.

 

Didn't a dance host comment here some time ago about his duties? IIRC, they aren't paid, but cruise free in return for their services. However, that means a non-revenue cabin. I'd hate to think this was the reason for eliminating the hosts.

 

Hopefully someone in the know will be along to shed light on this for us.

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kakalina

kakalina

Posted
Posted

The KBYG booklet still states that dance hosts are available on cruises of 14 days or longer. I would hate to see them go as I make good use of their services during a cruise.

My "inside source" says there are no plans for changes re the dance hosts.

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
While talking to folks currently aboard the Rotterdam I found out that this is the last sailing with Dance Hosts aboard the Rotterdam. It is also my understanding that they are discontinuing dance hosts on a lot of the sailings. Not sure which ships will or won't still have them....

 

So if you are expecting dance hosts onboard you may want to check to see if they are still on your sailing.....

 

Not sure why they are doing this at it appears that they are in demand..... Anyone know why????

 

Are you certain it's not just the next sailing that won't have any Dance Hosts? While all cruises longer than 14 days should have Dance Hosts -- and all cruises 10 days or longer should have protestant clergy -- sometimes there are not any aboard due to the difficulty the Agency that books them is having finding enough to fly that far for such duty. There's a similar problem when it comes to protestant clergy.

 

If there aren't any Dance Hosts aboard for January 27th, perhaps I'll be able to pick up some tips and such by providing that service! :D

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ON cruiser

ON cruiser

Posted
Posted

On our recent (Nov. 5-20) Circle Hawaii cruise on the Zaandam, there were no dance hosts, and those passengers who had counted on them--& had been told that they would be present--were quite upset. One older fellow who for health reasons could not often dance with his wife expected the hosts could pitch in, as he had even phoned HAL before the cruise and was assured there would be dance hosts. He was unhappy with this incorrect information.

 

I would have offered to assist but, with 2 left feet, my wife suggested that my stepping on her toes was quite sufficient.

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RustaRoo

RustaRoo

Posted
Posted
IIRC, they aren't paid, but cruise free in return for their services.
Jim, here is a message I posted on this subject (which contains a link to further information on this topic): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=12145198&postcount=18 Dance hosts don't cruise for free, they have to pay a daily fee.
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the2ofus

the2ofus

Posted
Posted

Oh, Nooooooo! I am counting on dancing my way across the Atlantic next Fall on the Prinsendam. Say, Richard, why not contract to be a dance host for that cruise. That's what retirement is for, isn't it, cruising and dancing? If Heather comes along I promise I won't monopolize your dancing time.

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RustaRoo

RustaRoo

Posted
Posted
Say, Richard, why not contract to be a dance host for that cruise. That's what retirement is for, isn't it, cruising and dancing?
Haha, Jane - even though it sounds like a great idea (and I DO love to dance) I really don't think I have the stamina to do that day in and day out. But if you were to book the "Voyage of the Good Nuts" (Noordam, Jan '09), I'm sure I could fit you in :) So far, I just have Heather, RuthC and longtimecruiser on my dance card.
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RuthC

RuthC

Posted
Posted

The end of the dance hosts program would be no great loss, if you ask me. Most of the time they dance with the same two or three women all night. I find that the few of them who actually ask me to dance, can't. At least they can't dance well. They sure as heck don't know how to lead. :eek:

On my last cruise there were two dance hosts. One spent a few minutes the first night chatting with me; he never asked me to dance. He had to leave the cruise due to a family emergency. I used to watch the other one sitting at a table uploading his pictures to his computer. This was after dinner when he should have been tripping the light fantastic. :rolleyes:

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torpeedo

torpeedo

Posted
Posted

No dance hosts on the 11/25 14 day Veendam. There were two dance hosts on the same cruise in 2005. They did pretty well dancing with a lot of ladies who really appeared to be having a great time. They kept the Ocean Bar active for some of the ladies who were alone. Too bad it seems to be spotty coverage.

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longtimecruiser

longtimecruiser

Posted
Posted

Richard,

Great to see you too. Been awhile since we've chatted. Thank Greg for my new avatar. He took it on our last cruise in November on the Volendam. He sent it to me a few weeks ago but I had to wait for my daughter to get it set up for me. Hard to get a good picture of me.

Yes, I have booked the "voyage of the good nuts". You are a great dancer and I look forward to dancing with you again. It will be so nice to see you and Heather again. I am anxious to sail with you again in a little over a year. Adele

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  • 2 weeks later...
kryos

kryos

Posted
Posted
I would have offered to assist but, with 2 left feet, my wife suggested that my stepping on her toes was quite sufficient.
LOL ... I think that's actually the primary reason for the dance hosts. Many wives don't appreciate their husbands dancing with other women, even if those women are old enough to be his mother. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

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kryos

kryos

Posted
Posted
On my last cruise there were two dance hosts. One spent a few minutes the first night chatting with me; he never asked me to dance. He had to leave the cruise due to a family emergency. I used to watch the other one sitting at a table uploading his pictures to his computer. This was after dinner when he should have been tripping the light fantastic. :rolleyes:
I think they serve a good purpose, though ... and they really don't cost HAL much. They all share an inside cabin and receive their cruise in return for services. Actually, if they do the job right, they work pretty hard for that cruise. They have to show up at dance classes during the day, be available for pre-dinner dancing in the lounges, show up for any evening events that involve dancing, etc. Depending on the cruise, and how many single ladies there are, they can put in some Godawful hours.

 

They also do more than serve as dance hosts. They also are expected to socialize with the single ladies, providing stimulating conversation; are sometimes called upon to escort shore excursions and tables in the dining room. It may seem an easy job, but that actually is a lot of work. As far as their dancing abilities, I tend to think that the ones who can't dance very well are not invited back for subsequent cruises. It really is pretty hard for HAL to screen these people like they can folks serving other functions, such as lecturers. A lecturer can submit an audition tape, a bridge instructor has certifications to prove his expertise, etc. What are you going to do with a dance host? Dance with him? So, while I'm sure the cruise line does a background check on them, I imagine they just hope these people can dance and hold a conversation. If not, they become a "one cruise wonder." I think the cruise director evaluates their abilities and makes that determination for each one of them.

 

I don't know about the cruise you were on, but I'm surprised a dance host was sitting there uploading photos. They wear name badges, and if he wasn't asking ladies to dance, I'm surprised they weren't swarming him ... unless, of course, there weren't that many single ladies on your cruise? I know they are not permitted to dance with accompanied ones.

 

On my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in 2006, we had four dance hosts. One of them hurt is back a few days into the cruise and was pretty much incapacitated. He could barely walk, let alone dance. Another was so deaf that he could barely hear the music, let alone dance to it. So, that left the other two to carry the load. Since there were over 100 singles and solos on that cruise, most of them female, those two were kept pretty busy. I would see them at dance classes by the pool and in the Crow's Nest during the day, see them in the Ocean Bar and Explorer's Lounge before dinner, see them again after dinner either in one of the lounges or at special events around the ship, and even sometimes see them late at night up in the Crow's Nest if there was something going on. Even on port days, I would see them on various shore excursions, helping the tour guide keep track of passengers and whatnot. It seemed they were always on duty.

 

So, I think they do serve a viable purpose and would be missed if HAL did away with them. Of course, you could get the occasional host who does not perform his job very effectively for one reason or another, but I think that's rare ... and usually when someone like that is encountered, their "engagement" turns out to be a one-cruise affair. They are not invited back. It's up to the cruise director to keep an eye on them and on how well they are taking care of the passengers they serve.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

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happy cruzer

happy cruzer

Posted
Posted

I've have very good experience with the dance hosts. I hate to think that HAL is cutting back on them. It was after all one thing that did set HAL apart from the other major cruise lines. Strange timing too since ballroom dancing is starting to surge in popularity again. Seems that there is a good marketing opportunity for dance classes and dance hosts. All the dance classes I have attended have been mobbed.

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Gerd

Gerd

Posted
Posted

Hello "Infohunter"

 

Concerning your statement about the onboard dance host, I was told by HAL while on board, that there is not only a question of the length of the cruise, but also the number of sea day in a raw.

 

That’s why one should indeed have dance host onboard during a Hawaii- or a transatlantic cruise.

 

 

We did have dance host on board on several cruises.

 

But we detected lately a strange manner, by what HAL – or the concerned agency - did select them.

"As old as possible" was certainly the main issue.

We have ask them (mostly older then 80 years:rolleyes: ), and also the manner they are "dancing"…..:mad:

 

 

Best regards

 

Gerd

 

 

 

Our marvelous cruises :

 

MS Ryndam – Wayfarer – March 1997

MS Noordam - Transatlantic Island Hook - April 2001

MS Volendam - Southern Caribbean - April 2002

MS Volendam - Westfarer Caribbean - April 2004

MS Prinsendam - Windmills & Waterford – September 2004

MS Westerdam - Western Caribbean - April 2005

MS Statendam - Hawaii Circle - September 2005

MS Rotterdam - Vikings and Czars – July 2006

MS Veendam - Southern Caribbean – March 2007

 

106 days - 29'479 Nm

 

 

Future Cruise :

 

at least a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the next 18-month => just won from its MS Veendam raffle, oh happy cruising days....

 

 

=>> MS Volendam, April 1st 2008

 

event.png

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RevNeal

RevNeal

Posted
Posted
I agree with all that Ruth said about dance hosts. Some have not even been able to walk well, much less dance. If there are no dance hosts on the January cruise on the Rotterdam, I nominate Greg to take over. Greg can walk, dance and be charming. Notice the avatar Greg? Adele

 

LOL! Thanks, Adele! Didn't see this until just now! :D

I'm charming, am I? :)

I'll try not to step on your feet next week. :D

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