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Tagged: ship RSS

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  Randall Shirley 7:21 pm on January 30, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cruise ( 14 ), ship, Straight Cruises ( 2 )   

  Gays love Disney…but do we love to sail them? 

  I’ve personally never been on a Disney ship. I simply fear the number of kids on board… unlike their parks, which I (and many of you) love, at the end of the day you can’t exactly leave the ship.

  But I have to say, their new ship, Disney Dream, looks incredible, and the waterslide looks AMAZING. Not sure if I’d be willing to put up with the rug rats to give it a try. I prefer my kids to be Peter Pans like many adult gays I know…but never say neverland.

  Disney has also announced they’ll be sailing into Alaska waters from my home port, Vancouver, during the coming season, so maybe I’ll give them a chance.

  Have you cruised Disney? Tell us about the experience. Add your comments below.

  
  Video Courtesy Disney Cruise Lines via YouTube.

  

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    Michael 2:31 pm on February 2, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    Partner dude and I have sailed on 7 Disney cruises, usually on the Disney Wonder with 2 sailings on the Disney Magic, including the 2010 westbound transatlantic crossing (Barcelona to Port Canaveral). We are currently scheduled on the Wonder’s repo from Vancouver to L.A. in Sept of this year and will stay on the ship as she sails the first Mexican Riviera of that season. We will be on the Disney Dream for 5 nights in March of 2012, spend a few days at Disney World, and then join the maiden voyage of the Disney Fantasy. I guess you could say we’re hooked on it. We do not have children (well, the dogs think they count but they stay home) and it is surprising how easy it is to actually forget most of the kids that are on the cruises. Disney has done a great job with their various kid’s clubs in keeping them entertained and out of our hair (which, yes, is getting thinner and we don’t need any more aggravation in that regard).

    We’ve cruised on Princess (a former employee), NCL, and HAL prior to our “obsession” with DCL and right now DCL is the only thing on which we’re focusing.
    Is the night life (after 10:00) quieter? Yes, it is but that really works for us. If you’re looking for the casino you won’t find it on Disney but that’s fine, too (at least for us). You would be amazed at the amount of gay travelers that are on Disney cruisers; quite a few cast members, too, which is always a good thing!

    We are really looking forward to a few rides on the Aqua Duck.

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  Randall Shirley 8:47 pm on April 21, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Celebrity ( 7 ), ship, Variety Cruises ( 3 )   

  Hot Cruise Deals 

  A handful of interesting deals I’ve seen lately. It’s worth noting, most solid & reputable cruise agents should be able to match these fares. Cruising remains one area of travel where I’m still a BIG believer in building (and using) a great relationship with a travel agent.

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  • $1995 Balcony
    

    Queen Victoria, Photo courtesy Cunard Line

    12 Night Cruise
    Sailing November 12, 2010
    Cunard Queen Victoria
    Rome Roundtrip
    Including up to $500 onboard credit + bathrobe

  • Advertised by onlinevacationcenter.com

  _______________

  • Greece
    50% discount for the second person based on double occupancy.
    No supplement required for single travelers.
    Includes choice of two-nights at a deluxe Athens hotel OR a $140 shipboard credit per person.
    Aegean Odyssey: Seven-night cruise including stops in Kusadasi, Turkey and Patmos and Samos islands. Regular fares begin at $1,935 per person.  Sale dates: May 7 & 28, June 4, July 23, August 13 & 20, September 3, October 8, 15, 22 & 29.
    Jewels of the Cyclades: This seven-night cruise heads southeast of mainland Greece through a collection of charming islands.  Regular fares begin at $1,530 per person.  Sale dates: April 30, June 4, August 27, October 15, 22 & 29.
  • Advertised by varietycruises.com

  _______________

  • $299 Night Western Caribbean
    Departs from Miami
    Celebrity Cruise: Century
  • Advertised by orbitz.com

  _______________

  I’m not endorsing any of these–just reminding you that there are a variety of interesting packages and deals out there. Go cruising! And don’t forget to post your cruise on your PROFILE!

  
  

  
   
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  Randall Shirley 7:21 pm on July 8, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: CTMA cruise, ferry ( 2 ), gay B&B, gay cruise ( 20 ), Les Iles de le Madeleine, Magdalene Islands, mainstream, Montreal ( 3 ), ship   

  Cruises you probably never heard about 

  Hello cruisers. I’m going cruising this week, and doing it on a cruise line you’ve likely never heard of: Groupe CTMA. The cruise sails entirely in Canadian waters, departing Montréal and sailing up the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Magdalene Islands (Les Iles de le Madeleine). While most passengers on the ship will sail round-trip back to Montréal with stops in the Magdalenes, Québec City, and Chandler, I’ll be staying in the islands for several nights at a gay-owned B&B, la Butte Ronde.

  I’ll keep you up to date on the experience, but I suspect it will be fantastic. The eye-candy alone in Québec should make it a delightful journey!

  I suspect gay cruise passengers do more of these types of trips than anyone knows, on small ships or through ferry companies. A couple of years back I took a cruise in the Arctic on Cruise North – another line most people have never heard of. You can learn more about that experience by clicking here.

  Have you ever done a cruise on a little-known cruise line? Share your experience below!

  
   
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  Randall Shirley 12:41 pm on April 7, 2009 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: 2010, accommodation, cruise ( 14 ), gay ( 10 ), Norwegian Cruise Line, ship, Vancouver Olympics hotel   

  Cruise to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, then stay on the ship! 

  This is one of the coolest cruise options I’ve seen in a long time.

  

  The Norwegian Star will sail to Vancouver, Canada, for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Image courtesy NCL.

  A company called New West Special Projects has managed to arrange for Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star to provide additional “hotel” space during the winter Olympics, to be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada during February 2010.

  Packages start at US$2,010 per person for a four-night stay, but just like a regular cruise you can cheaply add a 3rd person in the cabin, starting at $400. And like a cruise, onboard food is included. Packages also include some ground transportation, and the Olympics will be shown on shipboard TV…although I’m unsure whether they’ll feature NBC or Canada’s CTV.

  The ship will make this unusual winter sailing into Vancouver from Los Angeles, and you can book the sail-in cruise, too. The sailing date is February 6 from LA, arriving Vancouver February 10. Prices for the sail-in from L.A. start at a very cheap $99, inside cabin.

  I personally think we gays should quickly book out the ship and have quite a party!

  The ship will dock on North Vancouver for the entire run of the Games, as Vancouver’s normal cruise terminal at Canada Place will be blocked by security.

  Too cool. As always, if you book the sailing or to stay aboard during the Vancvouer Winter Olympics, be sure to post it to your MeetMeOnBoard.com profile!

  Click here for more info on booking either the sail-in cruise or the onboard Olympic accommodation.

  Randall

  

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    Intheknow 8:33 am on April 9, 2009 Permalink | Reply

    Looks soooo cool! It looks like the prices have gone down, and now there is a on board cabin credit!! This makes it ALL INCLUSIVE!

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  Randall Shirley 1:37 pm on December 9, 2008 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Celebrity Cruises ( 2 ), cruise ( 14 ), gay ( 10 ), group ( 2 ), lesbian ( 7 ), ship, Solstice, travel ( 3 )   

  Gays love Celebrity, so we should love this ship! 

  

  Tom Baker, owner of Aquafest Cruises (an agency that organizes gay groups on mainstream ships, among other things), was super lucky–he got to check out the brand new Celebritiy Solstice on a recent agent preview cruise.

  Tom’s a shutterbug, and has a couple hundred photos posted at SmugMug, including the shot at right. Check them out.

  As for Celebrity…I’m happy to say I’ll be sailing on them for the first time next week, with a small gay group. Should be a blast. Stay tuned for updates!

  

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    Jake 4:11 pm on December 10, 2008 Permalink | Reply

    Wow! The Celebrity Solstice looks like a fantastic ship! Trendy and stylish but not losing the elegance the line has become known for in their ship designs and decor. Very nice pictures. Thanks for the link. Too bad my schedule doesn’t permit me to do the Atlantis charter on her this March.