News item: Dancing With The Stars will continue to be featured on Holland America ships through the 2015-16 cruise season.
Well, there’s a surprise.
ABC’s immensely popular TV series first sailed with Holland America after the cruise line cleverly made a deal to launch “Dancing With The Stars: At Sea” in 2013. For two years now, the show at sea has been just like the show on land.
A hit.
The professional dancers from DTWS — Tristan MacManus, Kym Johnson, Sharna Burgess (right), 
Emma Slater, Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower, Derek Hough and Mark Ballas (left) — have 
performed on a number of select theme cruises, culminating with a Champions Cruise each year. The same, of course, will apply next year, with the grand finale set for January 10, 2016 on the Nieuw Amsterdam.
There are six cruises on next year’s schedule: two in January, two in June and one prior to the Champions Cruise the following January. Obviously, they have to be worked around TV tapings. Two are on the Westerdam (Caribbean), two on the Veendam (New England) and the final two on the Nieuw Amsterdam. Passengers have a chance to qualify for that all year on all 15 Holland America ships.
Holland America is extending the deal with DWTS because, simply, it works.
“On every cruise throughout the year our Dancing with the Stars: At Sea lessons are a huge draw and the competition to dance for the Champions Cruise is intense, which tells us we have a very successful and engaging program,” said Executive Vice-President Richard Meadows.
Cruise lines have found in recent years that entertainment on land — from concerts to Broadway shows to TV reality specials — are at least as popular on ships.
Kind of makes you wonder why it took so long, doesn’t it?
Today at portsandbows.com: Quantum leaps to Royal Caribbean
Norwegian Breakaway
7 nights
November 30, 2014
New York (return): Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, Nassau
Inside: $399
Cost per day: $57
www.ncl.com