Cruise FAQ's:
Where does the ship leave from and how do I get there? The ship leaves from the port of New Orleans, LA. If coming from out of town and not using one of the pre-cruise hotel package options, you will need to arrange your own travel to the port which is very accessible from the New Orleans airport, and anywhere in the vicinity. There are many shuttles and taxi's available throughout the region, as well as Uber, Lyft, and other shared ride services.
Who is the organizer and administrator for this cruise? This dance portion of the cruise is being co-organized by Ari Levitt at "Roll Up The Rug & Dance, Inc" & Dave Serfling at "Rocking Horse Dance". The ship booking and travel portion of the event is being administrated by the travel professionals at "Cruise Specialists, Inc."
- For questions related to either the cruise and/or your travel, please contact Bridgett Quinn (with "Cruise Specialists") at (800) 544-2469; or email her at bquinn@cruisespecialists.com
- For questions regarding the dance workshops, please contact Ari at arilevitt@hotmail.com or Dave at dave@learn2dance4fun.com
If I am single and would like to share a room, how can I find other participants who would like to do the same? If you are interested in connecting with other single participants who would be interested in sharing a cabin, please indicate this on your registration form. Alternatively, you can direct any specific questions or requests to Bridgett at Cruise Specialists and she will be more than happy to help arrange room sharing for you. You can reach Bridgett at (800) 544-2469; or email her at bquinn@cruisespecialists.com
How can I find out more about the ship? More information about the ship can be found on the Carnival website
When do I need to have my down payment submitted by? A deposit of $250 ($500 for single occupancy) is due with your reservation of the cruise. Full payment is due Feb 13th, 2018.
What is included in the price? What additional charges/fee's should I anticipate? The price includes your cruise, taxes, port charges, dance workshops, and all onboard gratuities. It does not include transportation, optional onboard amenities, excursions, or incidentals.
Are prices guaranteed? Yes, but only through Feb 13th, 2018, or until the number of group cabins allotted to us by Carnival are sold out. After that, the pricing cannot be guaranteed, and will fluctuate based on Carnival's current room charges and availability. Please check with Bridget at Cruise Specialists to confirm the latest status and pricing for rooms.
What is the refund policy? Final payment is due on Feb 13, 2018. You would need to cancel before Feb 12th to receive a full refund of your deposit.
What is the typical day's dance schedule? Dance workshops will take place from 10am-noon during the day at sea, and on the free mornings or afternoons when we don't dock until the late morning or come back in the early evening. Other classes will be inserted during cruising times when not in port. The schedule will allow you to fully take advantage of all of the ship's activities and amenities during the rest of the day. There will be plenty of music and dancing in the afternoons and evenings, as well as opportunities for more informal gatherings and "tune-up" lessons.
What kinds of dance classes will be offered? Specific workshops topics will be decided closer to the sailing date (and on the ship) in order to best tailor the lessons to the group's abilities and interests. Styles will be selected from among swing (ECS, WCS, blues, shag), latin (salsa, cha cha, merengue, rhumba), ballroom (waltz, foxtrot, etc), night club 2-step, 1-step, fusion, and line-dancing. We can be fairly flexible with how all of this is set up.
Will there be opportunities for private lessons? Yes, these can be arranged individually with Ari or Dave onboard the ship or beforehand by email. If you are taking advantage of the pre-cruise Jazz Fest Weekend in New Orleans, we can also schedule lessons on shore then.
What level will the dance classes be geared toward and what will be their focus? Group classes will be geared toward the non-novice beginner/intermediate level dancer (ie: you should be comfortable with beginning level dance steps, connection, and framework, and be ready to move forward from there). If you still consider yourself a novice dancer, not to worry. You have plenty of time between now and April, 2018, to sign up for some local partner dance classes and get ramped up! (I would recommend classes in swing, salsa, latin, or ballroom, although just about any kind of social partner dance would be fine).
The class format will be very much geared toward fun, playful social partner dancing, which is to say that we will not be focussing on performance choreography or competition styling. In each workshop, we'll start by laying the groundwork for strong partnering foundations, imparting a clear understanding of how connection, framework, and energy can be utilized to create playful movement and improvisations, and reviewing basic steps and combinations. On top of this we build a wide-ranging repertoire of fun moves and variations.
What is the evening dress for the ship? Each night on the ship, there is typcically a different theme for dress. Our week of cruising will include two formal nights, two informal nights, and three casual nights. The recommendations for dress typically applies only to the ship's dining room and public areas after 5:00pm, and are as follow:
- Formal attire (optional): For men this might include either a jacket & tie, a suit & tie, or a tuxedo; and an evening dress or gown for women.
- Informal attire: For men this might include shirt, jacket, and slacks; and a summer dress, or slacks & blouse for women.
- Casual attire: This is fairly flexible, though the ship does request that you not wear shorts or jeans.
What travel documents will I need? As per all international travel, you will need to bring a current passport from your country of citizenship. A driver's license is also recommended. No special visas or further documentation will be required for US citizens in these ports-of-call.
Do I need any special immunizations for international travel? While you should make sure that your regular shots are up-to-date, no special immunizations are needed for travel to these ports.
If I have any questions, who should I contact?
- For questions related to either the cruise and/or your travel, please contact Bridgett Quinn (with Cruise Specialists) at (800) 544-2469; or email her at bquinn@cruisespecialists.com
- For questions regarding the dance workshops, please contact Ari at arilevitt@hotmail.com or Dave at dave@learn2dance4fun.com
