Dance Club International, Canada

Royal Caribbean - Serenade of the Seas - July 28th, 2007

Website of Dance Club International

After some extensive research on the web, we finally found our ballroom dance cruise to Alaska. I called Susan right away and after a great conversation with her, I was sold and we booked without hesitation.

On the first evening we met the members of the dance group at dinner. We were very lucky to be seated with our host and organisers, Bill and Susan who soon made us feel at home and welcome. We got very excited hearing about all the dance lessons planned and all the fabulous ports we were visiting that week. What a treat we had in store!

We couldn't wait to start the workshops with Bill and Susan. The workshops were held during the days at sea. They taught a number of really interesting routines in Intermediate Slow Waltz, Argentine Tango, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Cha Cha, Jive and West Coast Swing.  We were amazed and thrilled by how patient and calm Bill was. He is a true master of teaching.  The whole experience was wonderful and made the cruise to Alaska one of the best holidays we've ever had.

Lessons by Bill in the Centrum on the Serenade of the Seas

We had 3 main ports of call during the cruise with our first stop at Icy Straight Point, home to a historic cannery where you can purchase local goods and delicious smoked salmon. We were thrilled to see an orca while walking along the shore. However, the main thrilll and highlight of the cruise was Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard Glacier is the longest river of ice in North America and also one of the most active glaciers of its kind in Alaska. Our captain prides himself on getting his guests the best viewing possible of this massive natural wonder with its 1,350 square miles of ice.

Our next port of call was Skagway where we were lucky enough to get the whole day to explore. During the historic Gold Rush of 1898, thousands of gold-crazed adventurers flocked to Skagway in search of their fortunes. At one point the town exceeded 20,000 making it the largest city in Alaska. In the beginning, most prospectors lived in tents and shacks and there were few permanent structures. Civilization first appeared to arrive when the White Pass and Yukon Route began constructing its ralroad in May of 1898. Since 1900 Skayway has served as a railroad town and port of call and the town still retains the 1898 Gold Rush atmosphere. We took a tour to an old klondike ghost town just outside of Alaska where the only remnants of the gold rush were false-front buildings.

Juneau, the capital of Alaska was also founded during a gold rush in 1880. Today, the former gold-mining town counts amoungst its riches some of Alaska's most spectacular scenery, nestled at the foot of Mt. Juneau. Here we took an excursion to the beautiful Mendenhall Glacier. Mendenhall Glacier is one of the 38 large glaciers that flow from the 1500 square mile expanse of rock, snow and ice known as the Juneau Icefield.

We had some memorable evenings and particularly enjoyed dressing up on the formal nights to enjoy a night of good food, entertainment and dancing.

Bill and Susan, our Hosts and Organizers	Dance Club International Dancers

These are just some of the experiences we had on this wonderful Dance Club International ballroom dancing cruise.  We're looking forward to the next time – it was an experience we would definitely love to repeat! Next Cruise - Panama Canal 2009.