Texas_Diver Posted March 14, 2008 #1126 Share Posted March 14, 2008 OK....so we booked the Conquest again for Feb 8, 2009!!! We had such great time last year we want to go again. I wanted to book it for the week of my birthday in Jan. but the ship will be in dry dock for the last 2 weeks of Jan 2009. So we changed to Feb. and hopefully the ship will be all nice and shiny after be in dry dock for 2 weeks. We would love for some family to join us. Any one interested in going?? Texas Diver.....we would love to go with you in Dec 2008, but we both work for the USPS and we are not able to take vacation time in Dec. I never really thought about postal employees not being able to take Dec vacations but it makes sense. Have a great time in February! Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah071303 Posted March 15, 2008 #1127 Share Posted March 15, 2008 My gf and I are going to be on the carnival conquest 5/4/08. First cruise for both of us! I'm even more excited after reading a few posts here with great reviews for the conquest. We can't wait! I was wondering about the FOD meetings. I'm assuming it's just a time to meet some family on board, but I thought I'd get the scoop from some frequent cruisers. Is there usually a good turn out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas_Diver Posted March 16, 2008 #1128 Share Posted March 16, 2008 My gf and I are going to be on the carnival conquest 5/4/08. First cruise for both of us! I'm even more excited after reading a few posts here with great reviews for the conquest. We can't wait! I was wondering about the FOD meetings. I'm assuming it's just a time to meet some family on board, but I thought I'd get the scoop from some frequent cruisers. Is there usually a good turn out? There were only four people at our FOD meeting. (and we were two of those people!) The other two were men. One was the ship's chaplain. Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlisakson Posted March 17, 2008 #1129 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hi Vicki, I'm new to the board but I saw that we are neighbors so I thought I should say hello. My partner and I live in Spokane, just a short drive to Post Falls. We are going on our first cruise with her family in April and I am very excited! I cannot wait for some hot weather, sun, and snorkeling! Tracy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyshine Posted March 17, 2008 #1130 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hello ladies! My gf and I just booked an Olivia cruise!! We are so excited! This is our first Olivia cruise. I know someone in here had posted they had been on Olivia before. Was it worth the money? We went with RC last summer but decided to splurge tis year. We'll be going to Cabo San Lucas Mexico and a few other places in Mexico. Woohoo!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrauen Posted March 17, 2008 #1131 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Hi everyone, Just checking in after an incredible month Down Under. Took a cruise on the Sapphire Princess that left Auckland on Valentines Day and sailed around New Zealand, Tasmania S Australia and ended up in Sydney. We had a wonderful time. Spent two more weeks traveling around Australia. A very gay friendly place indeed. Instead of Friends of Dorothy meetings the "Patter" announced GLBT Rainbow get togethers. At lease 2 dozen people showed up the first night. All men except me and my partner Liz. Seems we always meet lots of gay men cruising but where were the women???? Would love to try an Olivia some day. Would also like to see more lesbian couples on the regular cruises. Look forward to hearing your stories, Holley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pussycat Posted March 17, 2008 #1132 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I know someone in here had posted they had been on Olivia before. Was it worth the money? quote] Well, we think it's worth the money & thousands more women agree with us.:D It depends on whether you feel the extra $'s are worth spending 7 days with 1800 other women ;). Being entertained by (mostly) lesbian entertainers, meeting sports icons etc. Plus, being pampered by both Olivia & Holland America staff...their service is super. I believe that on your cruise you have Paula Cole, Billy Jean King, (she's a fantastic speaker) Vikki Shaw, Rene Hicks, Suede & many others. What a great lineup. I dont think you'll regret doing this trip. I'm sure you will have the time of your lives. You might decide it's not worth the money though, some do. It's a matter of choice. We've been on 7 because we prefer it to any other way of travelling. Cheers Julie > ^..^ < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormloca777 Posted March 18, 2008 #1133 Share Posted March 18, 2008 My wife and I are officially married!!! What a wonderful night :D I can not believe how time flies, it was amazing everything came out perfect!!! Thank God :) Now onto our honeymoon LOL 11 More days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas_Diver Posted March 18, 2008 #1134 Share Posted March 18, 2008 That is so awesome! You sound very happy! Congrats on the wedding and on the upcoming honeymoon. Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postalgrrl Posted March 18, 2008 #1135 Share Posted March 18, 2008 My wife and I are officially married!!! What a wonderful night :D I can not believe how time flies, it was amazing everything came out perfect!!! Thank God :) Now onto our honeymoon LOL 11 More days... Congratulations!!! Have a great honeymoon!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mithryl Posted March 19, 2008 Author #1136 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi All, Bonnie and I just returned from our Diamond Princess R/T Hawaii cruise and it was fantastic. We didn't like the ship as well as the Island, but the crew was great and we met lots of nice people. Went to the LGBT meet and greet...not a surprize that it was all men, but they were very friendly and easy to talk to. Saw a few Lesbian couples aboard, but they didn't seem interested in meeting anyone else. It's a great itenerary. I'd recommend it to anyone, but be prepared for the "much older" crowd. Lots of walkers, wheelchairs and scooters. Time moves a bit more slowly and night life is our passion, this is not the cruise for you. The sea days are wonderful with lots to keep you busy. Ebven tought we just wnet last year, it was still hard to decide which activities to participate in that hapened at the same time. We experienced anytime dining for the first time and would do it again. We loved the option and found it fairly easy to get any table size we wanted without much wait. We spent several evenings with a table to two and many other times with larger groups. There were about 40 Cruise Critics aboard that I was aware of (no others that were LGBT), and we had a few get togethers. The second one included the Cruise Director Dan, who is a CC member and the Assistant Cruise Director Andre, also a member. They shared a ton of interesting information and everyone had a great time interacting with them. Welcome to all the newer poster on this thread! Can't wait to hear about all of your upcoming adventures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DND Fun Team Posted March 19, 2008 #1137 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi everyone me and my partner love to cruise as well. I wish that more people would get on the cruise critic and do roll call on this site. It seems nobody is ever on the cruises we pick, at least not talking on roll calls. Then when you get on the ships, you can start to see others on the ship. But it makes it easier and faster to talk if you no them ahead of time. we have never had a problem on any cruise ship. It is always funny the first night the steward see's us moving the beds or the next morning the beds are pushed together. They just smile. Our hawaii cruise we meet a bartendar that was totally gay and open what a blast we had all week at his bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormloca777 Posted March 20, 2008 #1138 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Just wanted to stop in and thank texasdivers & postalgrrrl :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why-wait-to-retire Posted March 21, 2008 #1139 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Hi All, Bonnie and I just returned from our Diamond Princess R/T Hawaii cruise and it was fantastic. We didn't like the ship as well as the Island, but the crew was great and we met lots of nice people. Went to the LGBT meet and greet...not a surprize that it was all men, but they were very friendly and easy to talk to. Saw a few Lesbian couples aboard, but they didn't seem interested in meeting anyone else. It's a great itenerary. I'd recommend it to anyone, but be prepared for the "much older" crowd. Lots of walkers, wheelchairs and scooters. Time moves a bit more slowly and night life is our passion, this is not the cruise for you. The sea days are wonderful with lots to keep you busy. Ebven tought we just wnet last year, it was still hard to decide which activities to participate in that hapened at the same time. We experienced anytime dining for the first time and would do it again. We loved the option and found it fairly easy to get any table size we wanted without much wait. We spent several evenings with a table to two and many other times with larger groups. There were about 40 Cruise Critics aboard that I was aware of (no others that were LGBT), and we had a few get togethers. The second one included the Cruise Director Dan, who is a CC member and the Assistant Cruise Director Andre, also a member. They shared a ton of interesting information and everyone had a great time interacting with them. Welcome to all the newer poster on this thread! Can't wait to hear about all of your upcoming adventures! Hello and welcome home, Our Hawaii cruise is just 6 weeks away!!! So we're dying to hear all about it. What kinds of things did you do while you were there? Did you do any shopping in Lahaina? We are thinking about checking it out. What would you guys consider some of the must see places? When is your next cruise? We're already thinking about another one. But we'll have to wait a while. Talk to you later, Kay & Cherie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cath317 Posted March 23, 2008 #1140 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Hi all, Is anyone doing a Mexican Riviera Cruise the first week of October. I finish my Masters on the 1st and want to get away and party for a week after that. I travel single so I like to have people to meet up with on the first day. Cath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mithryl Posted March 23, 2008 Author #1141 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Hello and welcome home,Our Hawaii cruise is just 6 weeks away!!! So we're dying to hear all about it. What kinds of things did you do while you were there? Did you do any shopping in Lahaina? We are thinking about checking it out. What would you guys consider some of the must see places? When is your next cruise? We're already thinking about another one. But we'll have to wait a while. Talk to you later, Kay & Cherie Hi Kay and Cherie, Out of Hilo we went to Kilauea Volcano aand the Thursten Lava Tube. It was a great day and Kiauea has been pretty active lately and is spilling back inot the ses (it haf stopped for awhile a few months ago). Out of Kona, we went to the Sea Horse farm. It was fun, intereting and educational. It's one of only three sea horse farms in the world. We did mosst of our shopping in Honolulu, but Lahaina has great shopping as well. While in Kauai we did the Blue Haeaiian Helicopter tour...fabulous!! and in Maui we did a whle watching excursions. Our second time doing that there, and we weren'y disappointed at all...whales all around us! I'm not sure how that will be in six more weeks. I think the whales start heading back to Alaska in May. No matter what you do, you'll have a great time. It's all different and all beautiful. I'm not sure about our next cruise yet. We talked about doibng Alaska again this summer, but we're not sure yet if we will or not. My top two choices for our next cruise are the Greek Isles and the Panama Canal. The airfare alone to Europe right now is about the same as the cost of the Greek Isles cruise, so I don't think that one will happen for a few years, but you never know. Hope you both have an excellent cruise! Vicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosesq Posted March 23, 2008 #1142 Share Posted March 23, 2008 I've enjoyed reading through this threads. I thought I'd chime in on Olivia trips and mainstream (straight) cruises. My spouse and I have done many, many Olivia cruises and land-based trips (we've been traveling with the company since 1992). We have also done many straight cruises and resort vacations. We've never had a bad experience on any, but there is something enlivening about being in an environment where you can be openly demonstrable and have your relationship acknowledged while making new friends. Olivia also does a fabulous job of smoothing the way and ensuring that everything is as promised and the trips are adjusted to meet the needs of the guests. Our last Olivia vacation was over two weeks in India, and I couldn't imagine going with any other travel company. There is no doubt that you pay a premium to go with Olivia. However, if you can afford it in your budget, I recommend giving it a try. YMMV:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Why-wait-to-retire Posted March 23, 2008 #1143 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Hi Kay and Cherie, Out of Hilo we went to Kilauea Volcano aand the Thursten Lava Tube. It was a great day and Kiauea has been pretty active lately and is spilling back inot the ses (it haf stopped for awhile a few months ago). Out of Kona, we went to the Sea Horse farm. It was fun, intereting and educational. It's one of only three sea horse farms in the world. We did mosst of our shopping in Honolulu, but Lahaina has great shopping as well. While in Kauai we did the Blue Haeaiian Helicopter tour...fabulous!! and in Maui we did a whle watching excursions. Our second time doing that there, and we weren'y disappointed at all...whales all around us! I'm not sure how that will be in six more weeks. I think the whales start heading back to Alaska in May. No matter what you do, you'll have a great time. It's all different and all beautiful. I'm not sure about our next cruise yet. We talked about doibng Alaska again this summer, but we're not sure yet if we will or not. My top two choices for our next cruise are the Greek Isles and the Panama Canal. The airfare alone to Europe right now is about the same as the cost of the Greek Isles cruise, so I don't think that one will happen for a few years, but you never know. Hope you both have an excellent cruise! Vicki Hi Vicki, When you did the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour did you go in the eco-star (larger) or the A-star (smaller) one? Was motion sickness a problem on the flight? We don't get seasick but I'm not sure about the helicopter ride for me. We're booked with Blue Hawaiian also. But ours is out of Hilo on the Big Island. The Volcano & Waterfalls tour on the smaller A-star. We were also looking at the Greek Isles! But like you said the airfare is pretty high. And we promised my brother we would do a cruise with him in 2010 or 2011 so we are looking at doing a less expensive trip like the Mexican Riveria (7 day cruise), and also a couple of days at Disneyland after the cruise. (Maybe we can plan it so we'll be there on Gay Days weekend!) Thank you for all the info. Kay & Cherie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyboo Posted March 24, 2008 #1144 Share Posted March 24, 2008 hi all My girlfriend and i are Brits and booked on the Grand Princess trip in August round Norway/Iceland & Ireland. I can't see any roll call on here for it but would be good to hear if there will be any other gays on the ship for our trip. We've previously sailed on Ocean Village which was brilliant but we did seem to be very much the "only gays in the village"! We're also interested in the Friends of Dorothy meetins - is this an American thing as don't remember anything like that on OV? has been great to read this thread - has put our minds at rest about formal wear! happy cruising ladies! Bettyboo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyshine Posted March 24, 2008 #1145 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I know someone in here had posted they had been on Olivia before. Was it worth the money? quote] Well, we think it's worth the money & thousands more women agree with us.:D It depends on whether you feel the extra $'s are worth spending 7 days with 1800 other women ;). Being entertained by (mostly) lesbian entertainers, meeting sports icons etc. Plus, being pampered by both Olivia & Holland America staff...their service is super. I believe that on your cruise you have Paula Cole, Billy Jean King, (she's a fantastic speaker) Vikki Shaw, Rene Hicks, Suede & many others. What a great lineup. I dont think you'll regret doing this trip. I'm sure you will have the time of your lives. You might decide it's not worth the money though, some do. It's a matter of choice. We've been on 7 because we prefer it to any other way of travelling. Cheers Julie > ^..^ < Thanks for the info :) Missy Higgins has also been added to the lineup and what I'm most looking forward to! I don't think we'll be dissapointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mithryl Posted March 24, 2008 Author #1146 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Hi Vicki, When you did the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour did you go in the eco-star (larger) or the A-star (smaller) one? Was motion sickness a problem on the flight? We don't get seasick but I'm not sure about the helicopter ride for me. We're booked with Blue Hawaiian also. But ours is out of Hilo on the Big Island. The Volcano & Waterfalls tour on the smaller A-star. We were also looking at the Greek Isles! But like you said the airfare is pretty high. And we promised my brother we would do a cruise with him in 2010 or 2011 so we are looking at doing a less expensive trip like the Mexican Riveria (7 day cruise), and also a couple of days at Disneyland after the cruise. (Maybe we can plan it so we'll be there on Gay Days weekend!) We rode in the eco-star...great copter! We also did the eco-star out of Kona last year and toured the volcano. The A-star is a good helicopter too and Blue Hawaiian has the best reputation on the islands. Motion sickness should not be a problem. Both our flights were extremely smooth. Tobias was our pilot (both years, differrent islands). He flies on different islands at different times for them and he's an outstanding pilot. Gay Pride in LA is really fun (used to live there several years ago). I don't know when Disney does Gay Days, but I know I've been there on all gay days before and it was reaaly a blast! The park takes on a completely different feel when it's all "family"! Have fun. Vicki Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DND Fun Team Posted March 26, 2008 #1147 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Hi Cath My partner and I are going on the oosterdam 10-11-08 to the mexican riveria It might be too late in the month for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator83 Posted March 27, 2008 #1148 Share Posted March 27, 2008 I know someone in here had posted they had been on Olivia before. Was it worth the money? quote] Well, we think it's worth the money & thousands more women agree with us.:D It depends on whether you feel the extra $'s are worth spending 7 days with 1800 other women ;). Being entertained by (mostly) lesbian entertainers, meeting sports icons etc. Plus, being pampered by both Olivia & Holland America staff...their service is super. I believe that on your cruise you have Paula Cole, Billy Jean King, (she's a fantastic speaker) Vikki Shaw, Rene Hicks, Suede & many others. What a great lineup. I dont think you'll regret doing this trip. I'm sure you will have the time of your lives. You might decide it's not worth the money though, some do. It's a matter of choice. We've been on 7 because we prefer it to any other way of travelling. Cheers Julie > ^..^ < Hi Julie, You said you had been "pampered" on your cruise and I've been on a few cruises (including Olivia ones) and never felt I was pampered so I am wondering what I have been missing out on. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pussycat Posted March 27, 2008 #1149 Share Posted March 27, 2008 Well Gator83, on every cruise I've taken, with or without Olivia, I have been pleased with the service, I've been catered to with good food & entertainment. (Although, not nearly as happy with entertainment on non-Olivia cruises) By definition pampered is being catered to, being pleased, satisfied. Maybe the value of service etc is in the eye of the beholder. I expressed an opinion in response to someone's question. Gee, I hope you're not missing out on anything. Travelling is all expensive whether it's upscale or not. We all need to feel satisfied that we're getting value for money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKcruiser Posted March 30, 2008 #1150 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Just found this thread and I feel obligated to read the whooooooole thing! I may have to reign in my ambition, but I thought I would check in anyway. My wife and I will be on NCL's Dawn to Bermuda on July 20, 2008. I haven't seen anyone who says that they will be there with us yet, but I'm still hopeful............................................. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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