Tagged: Panama Canal RSS

  • Randall Shirley 3:51 pm on June 29, 2011 COMMENT
    Tags: , Frequent Cruisers, Panama Canal,   

    Power Cruisers: gay cruise travelers who can’t stop sailing! 41 cruises and counting… 

    Jimmi & Kevin; Kevin is a very frequent cruiser!

    Jimmi & Kevin (right). Kevin has been on 41 cruises... and he's sailing again!

    One of the most fascinating things I’ve learned both as a passenger on cruises and in my work with editing this site, is how many gay people take lots and lots and lots of cruises!

    If you read about the recent mainstream Holland America Oosterdam cruise Denni and I took to Mexico, you’ll recall there were lots of gay passengers on the ship. Among them: Kevin and Jimmi from Phoenix. They’re relatively young guys, so I was shocked to learn that Kevin has been on a lot of cruises.

    How many? 41 cruises and counting!

    A few interesting nuggets from Kevin:

    • First cruise: Sovereign of the Seas, in 1988
      Favorite Ship for overall experience: Dawn Princess – Kevin has spent more than a month onboard that ship.
    • Favorite ship for appearance: Celebrity Eclipse
    • Favorite itinerary: full transit of the Panama Canal

    Watch for some additional favorites and thoughts on cruising from Kevin in the future!

    Are you a power cruiser? Tell us about your favorites by commenting below (or send Randall an email).

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    • David 1:29 pm on July 6, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      My first cruise was Nordic Empress (RCCL) back in 1993. For my 40th birthday, in 2000, I decided to do my fourth cruise, a gay-group cruise with Pied Piper, and do my first t/a crossing on the QE2, and that hooked me.

      I’m getting ready for cruise #33 – another t/a crossing, my third trip on the QM2.

      Most of my travel has been on Royal, Celebrity and Cunard, but I’ve been on Azamara, Windstar, NCL, Princess and HAL once each. I’m looking forward to seeing the Oceania Marina next year, and to completing the Solstice class set, with Silhouette and Reflection crossings already booked.

      I really love the feel of the newer Celebrity ships – each new Solstice class ship is my new favorite.
      I loved going thru the Panama Canal, and docking in downtown Shanghai was absolutely magical.

    • Gordon 6:42 pm on July 6, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      My own total is 39 cruises so far, many of them maiden voyages. Nine were transatlantic crossings (eight of those on the QE2, one on the maiden voyage of HAL’s ms NOORDAM). My longest was a 22-night transpacific cruise from Vancouver to Xingang (Beijing) on Norwegian Wind. Spent three weeks onboard ss NORWAY. A favorite was a two-week cruise around Indonesia on ms PEARL OF SCANDINAVIA. Latest cruise(s) were the pre-maiden and maiden voyage on OASIS OF THE SEAS, which definitely spoils one for lesser ships…!!! :-) I’m hoping that my income situation improves so that I can resume pleasure travel… I especially want to sail on ALLURE OF THE SEAS, QUEEN MARY 2, and several others. My smallest cabin was aboard the Hurtigruten vessel ms RAGNEVALD JARL, a single where one barely had room to enter the cabin, turn around, and close the door.

    • Jimmi 5:28 pm on January 12, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I think we have been on 3 more cruises since this post. I know, we are obssessed! :) We have two more booked for 2012. One in March & the other in May. We need to figure out something for the end of the year too.

      The reason for so many cruises/vacations? You only live once and why not take advantage of as much as you can.

    • Mdhphx 2:47 pm on February 7, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I can’t believe the cruise lines are still having issues with this. I guess you can’t slow down a virus.

  • Randall Shirley 8:12 am on April 8, 2009 COMMENT
    Tags: , , , , Panama Canal, , zipline   

    Panama Canal Cruise: planning tips for gay cruise passengers 

    A gay friend just asked me for suggestions on upcoming Panama Canal cruises. If you’ve followed this blog, you should

    You can actually touch the side of the Panama Canal from your cruise ship, as my partner Kevin is doing.

    You can actually touch the side of the Panama Canal from your cruise ship, as my partner Kevin is doing.

    know that both my partner and I consider our 2005/06 canal cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas our best-ever vacation, for many reasons.

    Perhaps the biggest reason was the many gay men we met on board — about 40 of them, mostly couples — some of whom we had “pre-met” through Internet searches… long before MeetMeOnBoard.com was born. Many of us dined together each night in 4s and 6s, but still at larger tables with straight passengers… it was a BLAST. (We’re still friends with many of them, and still travel to see each other).

    The gays also took shore excursions together, including one that I had pre-arranged privately — a really remarkable zipline experience in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Check it out in the list below.

    Anyway… I could go on and on about what a great cruise it was. But I suggest you go book your own! Here are a handful of tips for that trip:

    Ziplining in Costa Rica is a great "gay group" shore excursion.

    Ziplining in Costa Rica is a great

    1. Do a full-transit sailing, not a partial.
    2. Go east to west (start in Florida, end in California) so you’re always adding hours to the clock.
    3. Stay on the ship through the entire canal–that’s what you’ve paid to experience. Guests who get off at/in the canal to do shore excursions miss the complete wow of having sailed between the two oceans.
    4. If your ship stops in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, arrange privately for a full-day zipline & waterfall tour with http://www.finca-daniel.de/
    5. If you stop in Acapulco, you MUST see the cliff divers show.

    Bon voyage! Randall

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