Left to right: Linda Hart, Dianne Johns, Cheryl Ludeman and Pat McCallum
In late April the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Navigator of the Seas” was taken over by 2,000 zumba lovers! These zumba lovers came in all shapes, sizes and ages. They came from all over the globe with team names such as Team Sweden and Carmen’s Costa Rica Dolls. The Navigator of the Seas was commissioned only for the second annual international zumba cruise. Cheryl Ludeman, SBR Zumba Gold Instructor, and her three students, Linda Hart, Dianne Johns and Pat McCallum, signed up for this zumba adventure.
Upon boarding the ship they were greeted by zumba logo on elevator doors, zumba inspriational messages throughout the ship and plenty of zumba souvenirs.
Each day offered 35-40 different zumba courses taught by their professional cadre of instructors. Examples of classes offered included flamenco, salsa and Caribbean zumba. These instructors came from all over the world: Turkey, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the US. Although some of these instructors did not speak English, they all spoke the universal language of zumba dance. The instructors of these classes made sure everyone had fun and “shook their booties” in one form or another.
Beto Perez, founder of zumba, also taught classes on the ship’s deck, which were standing room only. Beto introduced some of the newest songs and movements. A zumba store was also on board with shoes, dance wear and accessories for purchase. Opportunities to go on shore excursions, nightly shows and other cruise activities were also available.
After five days of cruising, the ship came into the dark Miami skyline on day six, and the passengers were greeted by a light show of a zumba dancer on one of the skyscrapers bidding “Adios” to all of us. Next year we hope “Team Cheryl SBR” will bring more of her students to experience the international world of zumba dance!