My brother-in-law asked me if I had gained weight on my last cruise?

"No," I replied. Perhaps that was due to my fairly good metabolism or the five hours of dancing I did each day. I was on the annual Cajun/Zydeco Dance Cruise on the Carnival Conquest. 2008 marked their 10th anniversary of dancing in a warm Caribbean breeze at sunset and under the stars at midnight.

Women wearing cowboy hats and swanky boots drew some men onto the floor and the dancing began. Minutes later a group of 50 were dancing to the homegrown Louisiana music that has French roots and Creole accents.

The week on the sea with dancing in the evening and visiting Caribbean port cities during the day started officially when a robust woman named Louisiana Sue — who books many of the best known Cajun and zydeco bands at festivals and concerts around the country — took the microphone and congratulated the group for dancing to the sound check.

Then Geno Delafose, with his million-dollar smile, appeared onstage and a serious Southern booty shake began!

There were some middle-aged hot mamas on the dance floor and there were some Ken dolls, too, but for the most part we turned out to be a group of fun-loving average folk from 29 states and six foreign countries who came here because the music makes their toes tap and the dance provides aerobic activity that's much more fun than sit-ups.

For many, the music makes their hearts sing. They enjoy the physical connection of dancing closely with another human being while their feet are at play.

Beginning- and intermediate-level dance instructions are given during the day. An arts-and-crafts class is offered gratis so dancers can come well dressed and decorated to the Mardi Gras Dance.

"This was my favorite zydeco cruise," said Cathi Sassin, after the last dance of the cruise, beads of sweat still gathering on parts of her forehead. Sassin, who works as a dietitian in the San Francisco Bay area, has attended four previous Cajun-zydeco dance cruises.

Another dance-and-music cruise that includes masquerade-style dress-up is the now twice-yearly Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise that sails the Mexican ports of the Pacific in October and the Caribbean in January. Three of their dances are masquerade parties in honor of the Blues, Dia de Los Muertos and Mardi Gras. These people know how to party. Not everyone dressed up but enough did to give the blues cruise a real flair.

And the blues folk stayed up later than the zydeco folk, who usually shut down about 1:30 a.m. That's when the blues cruise legendary jams were just beginning with artists Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, Marcia Ball, Curtis Salgado, Tommy Castro and John Lee Hooker Jr. all taking part.

The brainchild of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise is Roger Naber, a former Kansas City club owner. With his experience running a music club during the 1980s, he became an expert on sound quality and production and grew to know a prime roster of blues musicians.

Before the Holland-America Oosterdam departed from San Diego, Naber had rented a crane, which lifted a bandstand up nine stories onto the ship's outdoor pool deck. He covered the pool to create more outdoor dance space. One pool on board was enough for this crowd.

These dance cruises are like summer music festivals with one exception — here festival-goers and artists become neighbors. I stood next to Taj Mahal as he mouthed the words to a song being sung by Janiva Magness — the two-time Blues Foundation winner for best female contemporary artist in 2006 and 2007. Marcia Ball invited Magness onstage during a morning concert on Day 2 of the cruise. And with her saxophone player wailing, two-dozen dancers jumped onto the dance floor of the Oosterdam's cozy Vista Lounge.

Both cruises seem to draw about half married folk and half singles. The Blues Cruise drew a crowd of 1,650; the zydeco cruise gathered 550 dancers. Many blues cruise passengers come onboard packing their own instruments because pro/amateur jams are encouraged. Zydeco cruise organizers help singles find roommates on their website so those expensive single supplement charges can be avoided on the cruise ship.

One can log onto Google and type in dance cruises and several pop up, but read the fine print to determine where the salsa or swing or tango cruise has a track record and more than a handful of participants.

Another option for people who just want to get their feet wet regarding cruising and music and dance, is the riverboat cruises offered by Amanda Gresham's Delta Music Experience. Gresham organizes the summer blues cruises at the annual Portland, Ore. Blues festival as well as spring land and river cruises in the southern states of Mississippi and Louisiana.

"Dancing is good for the soul," says Gresham, who worked in public relations for the hotel industry before leaving and opening her cultural travel business four years ago.

IF YOU GO

The Caribbean Blues Cruise Sails from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to Dominica, Tortola, Samana aboard The Holland-America Eurodam, Jan. 24-31, 2009. For information visit online www.bluescruise.com or call 888-Bluesin, 816-753-7979

For information on River Cruises, visit Delta Music Experience online at www.deltamusicexperience.com.

Stuart Wasserman is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.