Am I the only one who feels this way? Apparently so. This is my rant.
I am of the outlandish notion that a ship's disco should be just that, a disco.
Everywhere else in the civilized universe the term "discotheque" cannot be confused as meaning anything but a place where the very latest dance music is played, very loudly, and accompanied by a decent light show, and a fog machine. The DJ's they hire at these clubs are on the cutting edge at mixing what is fresh, new and upcoming. Why do the ship's staff, management, passengers, and ultimately the DJ all have serious and universal difficulty with this concept? Anywhere else on the planet, a club DJ would be showered with anything within convenient reach if he had the audacity to play 30 minutes of Rock-Around-the-Clock, or Glenn Miller type stuff, while the dance floor is obviously empty.
On my last cruise on the Enchantment, things started out in a very promising manner. The sound and light setup was fantastic, and the dance floor was thumping. Problem was, nobody on the dance floor. I went up to the DJ and asked him wassup? He said, "Glad to play anything you request, mon." Well, I did make a request. "Get the Party Started" by Pink. (Only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart for the last 8 consecutive weeks). "Sorry Mon, I don't got it". Way to go..... I'm beginning to see the problem. In fact, I had the very same problem the year before on Dawn Princess, so I came prepared. I whipped out a CD I burned just for this purpose, and "donated" it to him. Now he had it. Did he play it? About 45 minutes later. The reaction: Bum's-Rush to the dance floor. He followed it up with "CopaCabana", by Barry Manilow. Bum's-Rush to get OFF the dance floor. We left, and rarely went back.
My Peeve is this: If the pool band can play Caribbean Music, The Ship's Orchestra jazz oldies and the like, the piano man plays Standards, the lounge band Rock-n-Roll, and nobody complains, then why can't people understand that the Disco is the one and only place on the ship for music from THIS millennium? There are countless other places you can go if you don't like electronic dance type music, so why do so many wind up in the disco, and bellow for "Rock and Roll.... Man!!!!". The DJ is just that, a chooser of music. A creator of ambiance. A juke box plays whatever you tell it to.
Am I the only person who follows whats happening nowadays? I'm 38 years old, but work in the entertainment field with sound and lighting systems, so I am exposed to what's current. Everyone in my social circle is likewise "savvy & hip" to the modern vibe (I so hate to use that terminology, but it's accurate) or at the very worst somewhat informed, and are aware of what their kids, neices & nephews etc, are tuning in to. I have heard "Old Time Rock and Roll", "Satisfaction", "Ymca" and other similar tunes literally thousands of times, and they do wear thin, because they are now old. The only novelty is what is new and fresh, or oddly enough, what is so old that it comes around again like fresh. (Swing Music is a good example). Just because the passengers are old, doesn't necessarily imply that their musical taste is. The top local radio station here, tops in the 25-50 age demographic, plays mostly current hit music, with a smattering of oldies thrown in. I wish the ship's DJ would do the same.
I also really wish that they would post the following sign at the entrance to the disco:
Our DJ Plays current dance music for your dancing pleasure, and will gladly play requests within this genre. Other music styles can be found at other locations onboard this vessel. Please feel free to patronize the venue that most appeals to you.
My "Ship's Disco" Pet Peeve
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