There was huge buzz and dancing day and night onboard Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam. Though the 'Dancing with the Stars: At Sea' program has been a fixture on all of Holland America Line's cruises for some time, this sailing was particularly special.
That's because the Jan. 12 Caribbean sailing was The Dancing with the Stars: At Sea championship. Starting with 15 contestants who had won finals on various Holland America cruises throughout the year, the seven-day cruise would end with one winner.
The finalists of HAL's Dancing with the Stars: At Sea competition. // (c) 2014 Holland America Line
The eliminating competitions each day were so well attended that passengers who arrived only an hour ahead of time had little chance of getting seats as 1000-plus people filled and lined the sides of the show lounge.
During a Q&A session with stars from the "Dancing with the Stars" television show __ including Derek Hough, Kym Johnson and Carson Kressley __ the audience proved to be extremely knowledgeable fans and dance aficionados, asking the panel about changes in the show's emphasis and production and how each professional's own career evolved. Guests of all ages picked up the spark of enthusiasm, even those who simply booked the right cruise at the right time.
Passengers were excited about the fashion show with costumes from "Dancing with the Stars," and they were dancing with contestants, the stars and each other every night, while the normal life and activities of the ship continued. The shipboard culture was quite warm and friendly, with total strangers discussing the contestants and showing one another steps in elevators and restaurants and on shore excursions.
With all that was going on, guests may have been a little short of sleep, but they have some memories to take home that could never have been acquired anywhere else.
This was a guest post written by TAW Cruise Editor Marilyn Green.
