Dancing through the Pandemic

Dance provides expression, connection, laughter, release, and so much more. These are all things we need now more than ever. I am so excited to announce my next contract on Quantum of the seas. I’ll be sailing between Australia based in Brisbane for half the contract and Alaska based in Seattle for the second half.

Welcome back to the blog! My name is Dani and I am currently a cruise ship dancer. My first ship contract was on Spectrum of the Seas where I sailed the oceans in Asia. It was quite the adventure and full of excitement. The only major roadblock was COVID-19 herself. This caused a lot of setbacks, delays, quarantines, and distracted from the full potential this job has to offer. (More details on a previous blog)

After the most emotionally challenging, physically draining, socially isolating, and ever changing contract of my life, I stepped back on land and took some time to recover.

After a good amount of time at home acclimating to land again and navigating the pandemic, a few major life events occurred.

First, we got a puppy! Her name is Penicillin and she is a petite goldendoodle. She is 7 months old now and is our best friend. We call her Penny for short and we think it's the perfect nickname considering her copper colored fur coat. Sweet Penny had a major role on September 23rd 2023. The day we GOT MARRIED! Haha yes we are officially hitched. Major life event #2 since my last contract onboard Spectrum of the seas. Penny served as our “ring bear”at the ceremony and came trotting down the aisle with our rings on her collar. It was so precious.

Honestly it was such a fun series of events. We had the best time celebrating, dancing, socializing, partying, and could not have asked for a more perfect wedding celebration. Our wedding weekend in the woods suited us both so well.

That brings me to this new journey back to the sea. Dance definitely served as my "medicine" during the pandemic. I am so happy to be moving past that crazy chapter. I recovered most with a little Penicillin (my puppy). She was the best distraction and gave me so much purpose as we neared the end of the pandemic. I had such a wonderful time training her and exploring with her, teaching her about the world she just recently came into. Then I got to marry my best friend. After many years of being in love, we officially tied the knot. Not only was it so special and unique, we got to celebrate with loved ones and our pictures showed smiles instead of masks.

Most recently I was pleasantly surprised by an email titled “Royal Caribbean Offer” with my full name and the ship title in the subject line. I was ecstatic and full of joy to have the opportunity to accept this unique job again (on a different ship) uninhibited by the regulations and restrictions of a global pandemic. I can officially say I danced through the pandemic and now I get to experience the true potential of life at sea, COVID protocols aside.

What does that really mean? Well because of the timing of the pandemic coinciding with my last contract nothing was really what we anticipated. Now, with COVID behind us, it means we (crew and guests included) get to experience a lot of positive changes and benefits we didn't get last contract.

For example, when we come into ports, we’ll have the opportunity to get off and discover new lands. We won't be trapped in a room for weeks on end. We get to perform multiple shows on the ship to a full capacity audience. We will get to see the audience smile back at us, no masks interfering with our breathing abilities. We get to eat in dining areas they restricted us from entering before. Our families can come on board. I am so excited to start this new adventure.