Ten years ago when I first discovered dance cruising I went a bit crazy. Ballroom dancing is partner dancing, and as many dancers may agree, without a regular partner, opportunities for social dancing can be limited.

 I was casually surfing the web, looking for dance camps and other opportunities for dance, when  I came across Dancers at Sea, who were advertising a cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver. With some trepidation I joined the group for this West Coast Cruise -Dancing and Wine, enjoyed dancing every night, made new friends ... and was hooked on dance cruising.

Over the next two years I cruised with DAS on Cunard, Princess and Costa, to the South Pacific, Asia from Beijing to Dubai, the NA East coast, often spending a few days in New York pre or post cruise, to review theatre and fine dining in New York.

Then a back injury culminating in emergency surgery sidelined me for over a year but my passion for dance relentlessly drove my rehabilitation and ten months after surgery, I took my next dance cruise - South Pacific from Tahiti to Hawaii... Over the next 3 years I travelled to the Peruvian Amazon, round the Black Sea, to the Arctic Circle, round the the Baltic Sea, from South Africa to England and did several transatlantic cruises on the fabulous Queen Mary 2. I was truly a dance cruise junky.

With few destinations left on my bucket list and the birth of a new grandchild, my desire to travel diminished. I had earlier retired from a 30 year career in medicine holding dual specialties in Paediatrics and Medical Biochemistry, to focus on writing for my travel, theatre, food and lifestyle website. When I discovered the possibility of starting a risk free, home based business as an independent entrepreneur partnering with a global company, leading in the application of epigenetic (gene expression) science to health and beauty, I decided to take on the challenge. My days were full and rewarding and dance cruising was low on my priority list. So after my last cruise Travelling Solo on a Transatlantic Cruise I decided to take a break.

Then a Meetup message caught my attention. A Los Angeles based group were planning a Pacific Adventure dance program in the spring of 2019. Starting with a pre-program in Honolulu, Hawaii, the group would then board Holland America's Noordam to cruise back to Vancouver.

Hmmm...fly to Hawaii and dance cruise back to Vancouver. Sounded like a no-brainer for a Vancouverite. Group lessons with five awesome professional instructors. This would be a whole new level of dance cruise experience. My hesitation was brief. I remembered my apprehension ten years earlier. stepping out of my comfort zone to take that first West Coast cruise, and how it changed the course of my life over the past decade. Clearly it was again time for a second step out of my comfort zone!

Signed up on the spot and here I am. In sunny Honolulu, about to start this Pacific Dance Adventure. The fun starts with a Welcome party at the Aloha Dance Sport Center.

Follow along with me. Hopefully I'll  have time to keep up with the posts.