Tom brings a wealth of information to our MeetMeOnBoard members.

Tom brings a wealth of information to our MeetMeOnBoard members.Tom Baker, president of CruiseCenter, found his passion for cruising as a five-year-old while on a transatlantic crossing. Like countless sailors before him, a lifetime romance with the sea and ships was born. That crossing would be the first of more than 200 cruises -- and counting -- Tom has taken.

Tom Baker found his passion for cruising as a five-year-old while on a transatlantic crossing.  Like countless sailors before him, a lifetime romance with the sea and ships was born.  That crossing would be the first of more than 200 cruises and counting Baker has taken.

After college, Tom knew he had to work in cruise travel.  In the past 20 years, He’s been the L.A. District Sales Manager for Holland America, and worked with Atlas Travel in Houston, where Tom met future business partner Ellen Kalish, and the company CruiseCenter began.

Eventually, CruiseCenter became it’s own entity; Tom and Ellen rode the dot-com wave through the 90s, and eventually added a division called Aquafest GLBT Cruise Events to help meet the needs of travelers looking for  less-expensive options than a full-ship gay charters. To date, Aquafest has produced nearly 30 events and taken roughly 9,000 GLBT Travelers on cruises and tours worldwide.

Aquafest/CruiseCenter is considered  among the world’s leading vacation experience agencies, and has been co-owned by Baker since 2003.

We’ve ingrained a culture of cruising here,” says Baker, who was named World’s Leading Large Ship Specialist by Conde Nast Traveler in 2008 and 2009. In late 2009 Baker was awarded one of the most prestigious hospitality awards from the HSMAI “Adrian Awards” as “One of The Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds In Sales & Marketing”. When planning a vacation, Baker treats each guest arrangements as if it were his own.

*Note: MeetMeOnBoard.com remains an independent entity; Tom Baker’s cruise reviews and news are intended only to inform about ships and itineraries.  MeetMeOnBoard.com and Tom Baker realize that you have – and want – options in your cruise and travel plans. Randall Shirley’s content will always include other gay-group companies, all-gay companies, and mainstream companies, as and when appropriate.