Lesbian Couples who love cruising

[norac]

funlady,

Thanks.....we have always just worn slacks and a shirt...neither one of us likes to wear sparkly things. But I was a little afraid of the fashion police that would enforce the dress code. And believe me.... me in a dress is not pretty sight:p .

BTW, did you by chance do Stingray City in Grand Cayman?

Hey funlady,

 

I know you didn't ask me but I did the stingray city in Grand Cayman and it was awesome! We had a ball. It was somewhat intimidating at first but I got over that very quickly. Don't miss it if you have the opportunity.

 

Caron

[mithryl]

Don't miss Stingray City! There are very few other places (if any) where you can take advantage of this opportunity. You can swim with Dolpins in lots of places, but Stingrays are unique!

[wigglewomyn]

You look very nice and not like a linebacker at all. I haven't read back the couple of pages that I missed but I noticed your quote that you are leaving for LV tomorrow. Where are you staying and what are you going to be doing there, duh, besides gambling that is <G>? My partner and I are flying to LV for my daughter's wedding in May. I am looking for things to do while we are there.

 

We are getting SO EXCITED! We leave on Sunday for our second cruise. We are doing Rosie & Kelli O'Donnell's RFamily Cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines to the Eastern Caribbean. We did a cruise to Alaska with NCL this past summer and really enjoyed it. We took our son on that one but this time it is just my partner and I going by ourselves, which will be the first time in 6 years that we will be alone more than 2 days, we can't wait!

 

If we like this one as much as we think we will, we are going to book with them to go to the Mexican Riviera in March 2008. We are still a bit skeptical about going on a straight cruise. I have been reading the boards to see how y'all do on straight cruises and y'all seem to enjoy them very much. What are the typical problems y'all encounter on them?

 

Wendy......leaving for her second cruise on 2-18-07 on NCL's Jewel

 

 

My wife and I are both femme and I for one love getting dressed up! I think she does it just because I like it so much. We're both the dress-wearing type. She will never let me post pictures of our formal pictures together, so here's one from the RSVP cruise I was on by myself:

(click to enlarge)

 

I swear I don't look like a football linebacker in real life!

[wigglewomyn]

Is anyone else planning to go on the RFamily cruise next week?

 

Wendy

[wigglewomyn]

Hi Marlene,

 

My partner and I went on the RFamily cruise to Alaska this past July with our 14 year old son and enjoyed it so much we are cruising with them next week to the Eastern Caribbean minus the 14 year old. He opted not to go. We originally were booked to do the Bahamas in July but when they dropped the one port, we didnt' feel that we were already paying double the price and didn't want to only stop at one port, as one of our reasons for cruising is to see different places so we changed our booking to the February cruise.

 

As I said, even though we are paying double what a straight cruise would cost, we think it is worth it because of everything that is offered and the entertainment that Rosie brings onboard is just fantastic. I don't know if regular cruises have the names that RFamily offers (anyone???)

 

I hope if any of you have children that you do consider an RFamily cruise. I think you will really enjoy the experience. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me via email at wigglewomyn@aol.com

 

Wendy

 

My partner and I have a 10yo daugther and are embarking on our third family cruise this summer. We originally did Disney and the inaugural RFamily cruise to the Bahamas. Now,we just booked the RFamily Bermuda cruise leaving in July. This is definietly the way to go for anyone interested in traveling with other gay and lesbians. We did their first trip in 2004 and are so excited about returning. It is an absolutely incredible experience that cannot be duplicated on a mainstream cruise. I would definietly recommend it to anyone. I have been on several less expensive mainstream cruises, and I can sincerely say that it is worth the extra cost to take an RFamily cruise.

 

Anna (BananaCruzen) if you get the opportunity to book another trip definitely consider taking one of these trips. Your children will absolutely love it.

 

Happy sailing,

Marlene

[etoile]

You look very nice and not like a linebacker at all. I haven't read back the couple of pages that I missed but I noticed your quote that you are leaving for LV tomorrow. Where are you staying and what are you going to be doing there, duh, besides gambling that is <G>? My partner and I are flying to LV for my daughter's wedding in May. I am looking for things to do while we are there.

We are staying at the Venetian for most of the trip - and there is SO much to do in Las Vegas! We are going to go to the Mirage for the dolphin and tiger exhibits, and we both want to go to the Luxor pyramid and the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. There are also some roller coasters there - one at NY-NY and one at Circus Circus. I am planning to go on both of those! We want to see the water ballet at the Bellagio and we are going to see "Zumanity" which is a Cirque du Soleil show, and also Penn & Teller. There are a lot of Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas. We also are planning to go to the Fremont Street Experience, which is where they have that overhead canopy of lights!

[KL&KR]

Wendy--on our first cruise, it puzzled the cabin steward that we wanted the beds together, but only that time, and after that the only thing we ever encountered, and it was just funny, was that on a Princess cruise to Panama, where the average age was 70+ I think, whenever we came out (they always ask us "Are you sisters?" "Are you twins?"), it turned into an adhoc PFLAG meeting. Everyone would start telling us about their sons, daughters, nephews, grandchildren etc who are family, and the next time they saw us in the hall, it would start up all over again. On shore, in Mexico, it made me nervous to come out, and we were asked the same question often by would-be guides. Sometimes I just said, "Somos esposas" and let them figure out what I was trying to say. We've never been on Olivia, but we went to the West Coast Women's Music and Comedy Festival for many years, so we have an inkling what that great feeling is.

Kristen

[etoile]

When we went on our first cruise, the beds were apart when we got there. Not knowing any better, I started rearranging myself! When the cabin steward showed up, she was quite surprised - but it was only surprise that I was doing it myself! She was also amused because the previous occupants had wanted them together, and she had just separated them that morning - oh well! :)

 

(As you can see from my ticker, our flight got canceled today and we can't fly to Las Vegas until Saturday...boo!)

[mithryl]

I always put our bed preference on the cruise personalizer, but most times, someone from the cruiseline thinks they know better. I think all but twice, we've had to asked after we boarded to have the beds put together. It's never been an issue though. Staffs have been very accommodating with all of our requests. I'll let you know if they "get it right" this time, or if we have to request them to change things after we get to our cabin. It's no big deal either way.

I think being in our 50's probably makes things a little easier with coming out. We've never had any problems and usually have similar experiences to KL&KR. Many people have family members or friends who are "family". If I was a lot younger, I might worry about guys trying to hit on us. Anyway, we are pretty open and "out" with whoever we're around and it seems to always work out ok.

[BlondyX]

Hi Everyone! I am so excited that I found this thread, I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without seeing it. So many posts I would like to respond to, but I’ll try to keep this relatively short. I am a writer, so my definition of short doesn’t always jive with other peoples. I apologize in advance.

First let me introduce us, I am Juli and my DP is Marianne. She just turned 43 yesterday and I will join her in June. (I get to hold it over her head until then). We have been coping with the strains of a long distance relationship for almost 3 years, but hope to be living in the same country by late fall. She’s in Toronto and I am in Phoenix. The one and only good thing about living apart is that our time together is usually planned around a trip of some sort.

I, too am the designated VP and talked her into doing an Alaskan Cruise last August. She immediately fell in love with cruising and we are doing a transatlantic in 60 days! So those of you who have posted interest in the TA’s, I’ll give you the scoop when I get back. We are going from Fort Lauderdale to Amsterdam, 7 full sea days, followed by stops in Ireland, England, France, and Belgium. I agree that cruising gives you a great taste of places that you may want to return to at a later time for a land based vacation. Our one big regret with this trip is that it is 3 hours from the port to Paris and we can’t justify sitting on a bus for 6 hours to have only 6 hours to spend in Paris. At least that is an excuse to plan another trip to Paris itself.

Alaska is amazing and those of you who are going this summer will have a fantastic time. No matter what the weather, it is breathtaking. We went whale watching and kayaking and of course, one of my favorite past times, SHOPPING!. It was great. We sailed with Celebrity and had no issues whatsoever. We are relatively open, but I think people have a tendency to see 2 women together and think sisters or friends, I don’t think 2 men get viewed in the same light. Whether that is good or bad I don’t know. We’ve just never had an issue.

I agree with the formal night comments, my DP doesn’t wear dresses either and formal nights were great fun. The only time we get a nice picture of the two of us.

Etoile, I hope you read this before you leave for Vegas. We will be there the 19th- the 21st. We are staying at Bally’s this time. This is our 6th trip there together (only a 4 hour drive from Phoenix). You will love Zumanity! Don’t make plans for after the show though, because you’ll just want to go back to the hotel room! We’ve also seen KA which is amazing. Haven’t done the Fremont Experience with her yet, so that is on the agenda for this trip.

Okay this is long enough. I’m sorry.

[etoile]

Welcome to the thread BlondyX! Thanks for your tips on Zumanity - how funny that we are going to be in Vegas at the same time! (I actually would have read this even if we were already there...which we would have been if our flight hadn't been canceled! I am looking out the window and it is not that bad...but at least we will get there soon. *sighs*) We will have to walk back up from NY-NY to the Venetian but we will make sure not to make any other stops. ;)

 

As for Paris, my in-laws went there on a long TA with Holland America last year (via Greenland). They said the ride was not too bad - they felt they got more out of the shorter time in Paris than they would have if they had stayed at the coast the whole time.

 

Alaska is great, I can't wait to go back! It will be my wife's first time and my mother's too. I was there on Holland America in 2005, this May we are going on NCL. I prefer Celebrity myself too. :)

[BlondyX]

We really hemmed and hawed about whether or not to try the trip to Paris, and ended up deciding to go to Honfleur while in France and planning a separate trip to go back and see Paris. There are great package deals from Toronto to Paris, so we'll wait and do it then. I have read a lot of good things about Honfleur, so we are looking forward to that.

 

My gf is flying out here (to Phoenix from Toronto) Friday and we are driving to Vegas on Monday. I will be devastated if her flight gets cancelled so I am willing the storm away.

 

I'm anxious to hear what you think of NCL. I think the freestyle cruising is an interesting concept, but I really like the traditional and hard to force myself to go for the change. I'd really like to try Olivia as well, but between the extra money and a couple of other issues, we are staying with mainstream for now.

[mithryl]

Welcome BlondyX,

 

I'm really interested in hearing about your TA experience when you return. It sounds awesome! If I had the time and money I'd plan a TA over to Europe, then 10 to 14 days on a N. Med. cruise, then a S. Med. cruise, then a TA back to the States. (I think I must have been a sailor or a pirate in another life!)

[BlondyX]

Being a pirate must have been a great life. Do you think there were lesbian pirates?? :D

 

I would have loved to have done a TA back to the states instead of flying. Darn work has a thing about being off for a month at a time! :rolleyes:

 

I will definitely let you know how it goes. The planning has been a blast. I am flying to Toronto first so wife and I can fly together to Fort Lauderdale then flying home from Amsterdam to Toronto then Toronto back to Phoenix and back to work the next day. Yikes!

 

We had to ask the cabin steward to put the beds together last cruise, and he said he had just separated them because he saw it was two women. But he was cool after that. I am pretty sure these cabin stewards have seen it all, I bet nothing much phases them.

[mithryl]

I'm positive there were lesbian pirates!

[2rowboats]

Etoile - Vegas is the best! I'm not a huge gambler at all, but I love Vegas. Zumanity is terrific. I think what I love the most about it is that is celebrates sexuality in all forms and not just the perfectly shaped, "beautiful" people we see on TV. I also love the french restuarant at Paris (the one on the ground, not in the Eifel Tower). I think it's called Mon Ami Gabi. Delicious.

 

Grand Cayman is one of my most favorite places on earth. Another option besides the Sting Rays is to visit Rum Point Beach. It's across the island from the pier, but well worth the journey. The beach is the most perfect I've seen. There's an old weather beaten bar called "The Wreck Bar" and I had a Mahi sandwich that was most likely caught while I waited. It was that good.

[Marylis]

KL&KR - Your comment about the adhoc PFLAG meeting made me laugh.

 

Hi BlondyX - Can't wait to hear about your transatlantic.

 

On the subject of Stingray City, we were there in December and it was great fun, but I would agree it was a little bit intimidating. Mainly because the stingrays were everywhere and they warned us against accidentally stepping on them, so I was a little paranoid. But it was great, and we especially loved how the stringrays would glide by and rub their velvety wings along our legs as they went. They reminded me a lot of cats.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that it's just a spot in the ocean and not some man-made tourist attraction, and that the stingrays are wild (in the way that pigeons in Central Park are wild).

 

etoile - sorry your Las Vegas trip was postponed. Your plans sound really great.

 

Lis

[paddy Anne]

 

First let me introduce us, I am Juli and my DP is Marianne. She just turned 43 yesterday and I will join her in June. (I get to hold it over her head until then). We have been coping with the strains of a long distance relationship for almost 3 years, but hope to be living in the same country by late fall. She’s in Toronto and I am in Phoenix. The one and only good thing about living apart is that our time together is usually planned around a trip of some sort.

 

Welcome Blondx. I am also 43, the VP and from Toronto. I am in process of getting my partner addicted to cruising. Hopefully by our 2nd cruise she'll be done in. I was wondering from your post, is your GF moving to Phoenix or are you joining us up here in Canada? If so you'll love it here.

cheers,

PA

[BlondyX]

PA, I am moving to the Great White North! I've been up there several times and I do love it! At this stage in the game it is much more practical for us to be there. I am hoping by September at the latest. Sending my youngest to college in the fall in NYC and plan to move then.

 

It only took the one for my partner to be hooked so I wish you luck, it is a glorious thing when its their idea to go!

[funlady]

Hey funlady,

 

I know you didn't ask me but I did the stingray city in Grand Cayman and it was awesome! We had a ball. It was somewhat intimidating at first but I got over that very quickly. Don't miss it if you have the opportunity.

 

Caron

 

funlady,

Thanks.....we have always just worn slacks and a shirt...neither one of us likes to wear sparkly things. But I was a little afraid of the fashion police that would enforce the dress code. And believe me.... me in a dress is not pretty sight:p .

BTW, did you by chance do Stingray City in Grand Cayman?

We did do Stingray city and went through Capt. Marvin's- the other boats were too full and this tour as small by comparison. It was a snorkeling/stingray city tour. The snorkeling was fabulous, but I was tryly overwhemled by the stingrays! Have never come so close to "walking on water" to return to the boat. Vicki loved the little creatures, but my take was "I did not invite you into my body space". Stingrays are beautiful from a safe distance(for me).:) Grand Cayman is so clean, that was a great stop.

[postalgrrl]

Funlady,

Thanks for the info about stingray city. I think I may try to "walk on water" too. Jennifer says she is real excited about it about it, but I may enjoy the stingrays from the comfort of the boat:p . I have alreay book us on Capt. Marvin's.

[mithryl]

Postalgrrl,

 

You'll have fun. Try to at least stick your toes in the water! I bet you won't be able to resist getting in once you see how much fun everyone else is having. Try not to think about it too much, just enjoy.

[oc_chick]

For the folks heading for Las Vegas,

 

If you felt like dancing a beat with other ladies of a similar persuation, you might want to check out Girl Bar at Krave on the strip (in front of Aladdin Hotel I think). It's women's night every saturday at Krave and is run by the LA promoters of the same name. We usually go to LV Sun-Thurs so I've never had the opportunity to go, but I suspect it's similar to their long-standing LA club.

 

Happy gambling!

[paddy Anne]

PA, I am moving to the Great White North!

 

Well then welcome. Hopefully you'll be able to come up early for pride. It's the best.

I look forward to the day my partner says let's go cruising. At least for now we are booked on our next one. Kids and all! Only 320 days to go.

 

cheers,

PA

[BlondyX]

Thanks for the tip oc_chick, unfortunately we won't be there on saturday either, maybe next time.

 

PaddyAnne, Thanks for the welcome. If I remember right, pride week is the same as my birthday week, missed it last year but will probably come up this year. Not sure I could ever wait 320 days to cruise! If it wasn't booked I'd be okay, but knowing I had it booked and having to wait that long, I'd go CRAZY.