emjsea

I just got an email (over the weekend) with my cruise documents for a 5/31 sailing from the New Jersey port. I was quite surprised and not pleased. I want the email that says the cruise is cancelled so I know it's time to ask for my refund.

Past cruises would have Roseanne Barr, Wanda Sykes, Debbie Gibson, Kathy Griffin, Patti Lupone, Alec Mapa, etc.

 

I don't go to all of the dance parties, but I usually will stop by the night

ones to check out the costumes.

Wanda Sykes was so funny. I laughed myself sore. And Alec Mapa is really hysterical on Atlantis. Margaret Cho was a disappointment. Joan Rivers was very good also. We enjoyed Chita Rivera a lot as well as the American Idols contest whose name I can't remember now! She had that one dance hit and did the sailing out party on the Celebrity Solstice Jan Cruise a couple of years ago. Excellent!

Having been on four gay cruises and four "regular" cruises, I find I enjoy them both.

The non-charter, regular cruises are much cheaper and more relaxed as there isn't as much to do.

The gay cruises are more expensive, but you get what you pay for. The amount and quality of the activities and entertainment leaves regular cruises in the dust. Atlantis brings on big name comediens, the best DJs, great non-lip-synching drag acts, great singers and they often work with the entertainers already on the ship to put a gay-friendly twist into the proceedings. And then there are the fantastic piano-bar stylings Pamala Stanley and, also, Matt Yee.

Oh, and I've found that the gay cruises have all kinds of people on them, not just "scene" (whatever that means anymore) or "circuit" boys. There are plenty of circuit boys, but they keep to themselves and I've never gotten attitude from any of them. In fact the only unpleasant interaction I've ever had on an Atlantis cruise was from a snotty older, less in shape, "bear" type. Every night is a "circuit" type dance party on the deck of the ship, but at the same time there are tons and tons of shows and other carbaret style entertainment for those who aren't interested. We do a little of both. And at the dance parties, the circuit boys stick to the center and everyone else comes in and out around the peripheries. It is worth it just to see all the great costumes as the parties are themed and people put A LOT of work into their costumes.

I think that people that go on gay charters expecting attitude put off a bad vibe and get just that.

Finally, on Atlantis at least, we've never had an offensive or boring Cruise Director.

Or do you need to request them?

There were about 7 of them on our last Carnival cruise of 7 days. Some days there were two!

I have in the past when my avatar was a photo of myself. Met some folks that way that we've stayed good friends with.

These are indiviual showers we are talking about right?? Not one big open shower like I see on prison documentarys...lol??

 

How many showers are availble in the spa?

On The Pride they had 5 individual shower rooms in the men's locker room. There is a hallway that connects the locker area to the gym. On the outside of the hallwayare the sauna, steam room and toilets. On the inside are the showers. They are small rooms with doors (but bigger than your cabin bathroom). They have plenty of hooks to hang things and a wooden bench attached to the wall. Plenty of room to shower and dry off and I guess dress if you are that shy.

I just wear shorts and a t-shirt and then go right back to the room and get really dressed if it's for dinner. otherwise, i just stay in what i wore up there. maybe it is a guy thing as I don't need a lot of product :rolleyes:

Much more spacious and they usually have several shower heads. One large overhead one that comes down like rain and then two on each wall. Very nice! It is usually my habit to skip the shower in the room and have a steam then a shower every day (or more) in the locker room.

When the same thing happened in Laramie, WY, most of the nation was horrified and the perpetrators went to jail where they belong. This happens all the time and the perpetrators are heroes and don't go to jail. HUGE difference. Also, gay bashers in the US tend to do their bashing in isolation, not on a public street while being cheered on by spectators and encouraged by the police.

You call it an "adventure," I call it swimming in polluted toilet. I'd rather not. All the residents that I've spoken too in other Caribbean islands loathe Jamaicans as well.

In fact, the "religious" jerks in Cayman are, for the most port, Jamaicans living in the Caymans.

On the Dunns Rivers Falls excursion, you have to hold hands with people in a chain to make your way up the falls. You will be verbally harassed by the "tour guides" if two men hold hands as part of the chain. Happened to me and saw it happen to others on my one and only trip to that pit.

In general I found Ocho Rios to be the only port I've been in the Caribbean (after cruising for eight years) that I found disgusting, dirty, and that I'll never return to.

You will be harassed (sometimes grabbed) by vendors and bothered by drug dealers and prostitutes if you walk from the ship to the shopping center.

Personally, I'll never take a cruise or set foot in Jamaica for any reason. In Grand Cayman, a few religious nut jobs will stand silent in their church yard to "protest" you (maybe) if you are on a gay cruise, but for the most part they are nice and welcoming and your life won't be in danger.

Thought the food and service in David's on The Pride were incredible. Totally worth the $30 per person. It was a nice change of pace from the dining room. The dining is fine, mind you, but it was nice to be somewhere less crowded, with a bit more ambiance and less rush to the meal. We loved it and will be back on our next cruise.

We sailed the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore on 1/10 and had a great time. The assistant cruise director *had* to be family as well as the usual numbers of staff. Noticed that there were FOD meetings almost every day and some twice a day. Never noticed any homophobia, even in the entertainment (probably because of the assistant cruise director).

I think on cruise ships the problem is more often the climate of the other passengers rather than the ships crew.

Deck - 6 (Continental)

Cabin # - 6274

Class – Deluxe Oceanview with Veranda

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – in between. the desk and love seat area were right by the balcony door.

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Very quiet despite being over the dining room. Even though connecting (though the Solstice connecting cabins don't connect in the usual way with a door in the middle of the room). No noticeable sound during docking, etc. No noticeable sounds from any crew/public areas. VERY IMPRESSED with the quiet.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – First floor of balcony cabins, close to the lifeboats which cut off a very small amount view at the bottom. Only noticeable when looking down, not when looking straight out. Still lovely and we were happy to have our first balcony at such an affordable price.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal size

Was wind a problem? No.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? Was aft, but no problem.

Any specific problems with this cabin? None

Any other comments? Noticably larger than other similar class cabins we've had on previous lines and ships. MUCH more storage space so the room wasn't cluttered, everything- including four large pieces of luggage- were put away and out of sight. Very impressed with the layout as you never felt you had to "squeeze" to move past something or turn around.

No children.

Valley of the Dolls by Jackie Suzanne is the best poolside read every, in my book. Its trashy, has great characters, and you can read it in a few days spent at the pool or by the beach. It's also hard to put down.