Where is everyone cruising to in 2013?

Made some changes to our original 2013 plans. SO now we are booked on back-to-back cruises on Freedom of The Seas next April 14-28.

Although my partner has been on several cruises, this will be my first. We booked on the Grand Princess leaving San Francisco on March 31 for 10 days to SoCal and the "Mexican Riviera". I'm a little unhappy - originally the ship was scheduled to visit Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas (as well as San Diego and Avalon, Catalina Island). Although a primary attraction was the departure from our home city (our schedules are ridiculous) Mazatlan was dropped (just because a busload of cruisers were held up at gunpoint. Whiners!:D) and a second day was added in Puerto Vallarta. NOW, they've reduced the stay in Puerto Vallarta by one day and are staying in Cabo (zzzzzzzzzzzz) overnight. I'm trying to keep an open mind about the whole cruising experience - I know many, many people who love it) but if they change the itinerary again...

The Roll Call for this particular cruise was fairly active. However, once I chimed in *crickets*. Someone finally said "Welcome!" and offered to add us to an online list but...I guess people really are afraid of us. I'll bring along some spray to offer them.

My best friend and I are once again spending our birthdays cruising the Western Med on the Norwegian Epic out of Civitavecchia from October 9-16, 2013. We met some great people through the FOD gatherings on this same trip out of Barcelona when we went on it in 2009 and we're looking forward to meeting more this time around. Anyone else out there going to be on the same sailing?

Mike

We are on the Celebrity Silhouette in March for a 7 day Caribbean cruise with my parents (their Christmas present from us). In the fall we are on a 14 night TA from Barcelona on the Celebrity Equinox. We are flying in early to spend a few days in Barcelona. Looking forward to relaxing sea days before the hustle of Christmas. We may have to find one more short cruise to get us through the summer, but nothing specific right now.

Our small group has been doing Mexico the past few years but Carnival is not sailing out of San Diego these days... our favorite port.

So we are going to do Alaska, probably in August or September. Will be about 40 of us.

As usual, on Carnival.

Heading off to the south Caribbean with HAL/RSVP in february. ( my first cruise ever )

Slight change of plans...make that the March 9 sailing on Reflection. Same itinerary.

Just booked it last week so we will be on Reflection's March 2, 2013 sailing to San Juan, St Maarten & St Kitts.

Slight change of plans...make that the March 9 sailing on Reflection. Same itinerary.

We like to plan way ahead. Have 2 cruises booked for 2013 that you can see below. Thinking about maybe doing a gay cruise in 2014 once they finally announce those (Atlantis, RSVP, etc.)

Just today I booked the Caribbean Princess 3-30 from Miami to Aruba and Curacao. Have never been on Princess before. Five times on HAL though.

Now that I've read where everyone else is cruising I'm green with envy. Maybe one day when I grow up... <grin>

My partner has given me a cruise to Alaska as a present for finishing my Ph.D. (I defend next Tuesday and he said if I don't pass, we're cancelling! Hah.) I've dreamed of going to Alaska for year and am really, really excited to go. I plan far ahead, but this is the furthest ahead yet.

-Danny

Just today I booked the Caribbean Princess 3-30 from Miami to Aruba and Curacao. Have never been on Princess before. Five times on HAL though.

I think you'll love it! Caribbean Princess was our first cruise (out of San Juan, PR) and we really enjoyed it. Met two other gay couples, one younger and one older, and alternated spending time/dining with each of them for the rest of the cruise.

A word to the wise -- we had to inquire about FOD Meet&Greet at the purser's desk, as there was nothing in the Princess Patter the 1st day. Magically, there was one listed for the 2nd day, and it was hosted by a gay Asst. Cruise Director.

Have a great cruise!

-Chad (and Ryan)

My partner and I will be making our Celebrity debut on the Equinox for the 10-day Southern Caribbean sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on February 22nd, 2013. We've cruised twice before on Princess, also in the Caribbean.

We're both excited to try out an Aqua Class cabin and are looking forward to eating at Blu!

So far I don't see a gay roll call for our ship, and the main ship roll call looks to be the same 5 people making all of the posts. Hopefully there are some other fun gays out there who will be on our sailing! Otherwise we'll just have to be content talking with each other and soaking up the sun and fun. :cool:

Happy cruising everyone!

-Chad & Ryan

We're also taking our first Celebrity cruise next year on the Eclipse to the Canaries & Azores after several cruises on Princess and NCL.

We too are in an Aqua Class cabin and hope that it's as good as the reviews I've read on the Celebrity forum. :) It will also be interesting to have a speciality restaurant (Blu) as our MDR.

We're also taking our first Celebrity cruise next year on the Eclipse to the Canaries & Azores after several cruises on Princess and NCL.

 

We too are in an Aqua Class cabin and hope that it's as good as the reviews I've read on the Celebrity forum. :) It will also be interesting to have a speciality restaurant (Blu) as our MDR.

Good stuff! I hope we all have as much fun in Aqua Class as the reviews say. And just in case you didn't know, you are allowed to eat in the MDR or Blu. Don't let anyone tell you differently!

In fact, there was a forum recently on Cruise Critic (first part of October 2012) where they had a daily Q&A with the CEO of Celebrity. Someone asked this very question, and he wrote back that Aqua Class passengers are free to dine in either room. They just have exclusive rights to Blu (except suite passengers who have the option but must make reservations and pay a cover charge). I'm printing off his post to take with us in case we try the MDR and get grief from the Maitre'D.

Here's the link to the CEO's post: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1714320 (scroll down about 4 posts)

-Chad

Good stuff! I hope we all have as much fun in Aqua Class as the reviews say. And just in case you didn't know, you are allowed to eat in the MDR or Blu. Don't let anyone tell you differently!

 

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-Chad

Thanks for the info! Only 11 months left for us to wait until our turn on Celebrity, so please post a review when you're back from yours and let us know what you think. :D

A word to the wise -- we had to inquire about FOD Meet&Greet at the purser's desk, as there was nothing in the Princess Patter the 1st day. Magically, there was one listed for the 2nd day, and it was hosted by a gay Asst. Cruise Director.

Was that sailaway day or the first full day at sea? The Patter has always listed LGBT meeting on the first full day, without, as far as I'm aware, much prompting. Unfortunately, the initial meetings aren't always hosted.

Hope your PHD thesis defense went well!

Now that I've read where everyone else is cruising I'm green with envy. Maybe one day when I grow up... <grin>

 

My partner has given me a cruise to Alaska as a present for finishing my Ph.D. (I defend next Tuesday and he said if I don't pass, we're cancelling! Hah.) I've dreamed of going to Alaska for year and am really, really excited to go. I plan far ahead, but this is the furthest ahead yet.

 

-Danny

We are going on NCL Jewel out of NYC Jan 20. We will be in New England/NY for the holidays this year and will stay and take this cruise with friends and family who will NOT fly to Fla anymore to take a cruise. Have not been on NCL since before "Freestyle"...don't know what to expect! On another note....anyone do "Travelzoo"? We have taken some amazingly inexpensive trips with them (mostly not cruises, though) Just booked a Prauge/Vienna/Budapest trip for $1200 incl the airfare!

We will probably book another weekend on the NCL Sky in January with some neighbors...It'll be a nice chill weekend after a hectic Holiday Season....

Looking at booking a week-long cruise in June sometime...My partner would like to do the Oasis/Allure, but I am still have trouble spending that kind of money....

We will probably end up doing the Breeze or Liberty, or perhaps driving up to Canaveral to do one of the ships out of there...

Carnival Liberty on March 17, 2013 (Mexico, Honduras, Belize and Grand Cayman) with fiancé and my mom. Should be interesting...at least they get along well! HAHA

Mona and I, along with our two DS (18 & 16) will be sailing the southern caribbean on the RCCL Jewel of the Seas on June 29, 2013. This will be a graduation cruise for our oldest DS. Each son is also bringing a friend.

Anyone else out there cruising this sailing? We would love to meet up with some people.

We will be booking the New Celebrity Reflection for the 2013 Post Thanksgiving cruise with Pied Piper. Although this is the newest of the Solstice Class of ship, she looks amazing! The Suites are like no other!

We finally had to abandon our attempts at the three-part cruise aboard the Grand from FLL to SFX via the Horn, as it was an all or nothing venture and so nothing it is. But we are now booked on the Pacific for the cruise up the Amazon to Manaus from and to FLL and while a repeat itinerary gives us 28 fewer days of winter than had we not.

If you are on Celebrity and travelling Aqua Class you will love Blu, but dont let that stop you from making up a table with friends you meet on board in the main dining room. You go to the top floor at the "Select" entrance and book a table for whatever time you want. Ask for a table upstairs.. the service and food is better and the view near the gallery over the lower restaurant give a great atmosphere too.

The main dining room is one of the most beautifully designed grand dining rooms afloat! Stunning art deco glass staircase and cream leather chairs pipes in burgundy. Blu, on the otherhand is quiet, well mannered and a little up itself, and can be a bit hot or miss until the table staff get to know you. Tables of 6 - 10 have the most fun, and if you want a quiet table for a romantic 2, Blu can not be beaten.

As my name suggests, since a break up, I travel solo. On the TA aboard Solstice this year (FL - Rome) I travelled Aqua. I only had to go in to the restaurant on my own one night, as I met so many wonderful people from Germany, Scotland Chicago and Florida. Even on that night, as I was asking the Maitre d' for a table for one, two other passengers were already asking their water if they could pull up another table so I could join them.

I am not sure if I want to pay all that again for Blu, as travelling solo it can make it more difficult to join a table, but the year previous I had a table from hell (racist and homophobic born again twosome after a day visiting thr holocaust museum in Jerusalem) in MDR and got upgraded to Aqua so I wouldnt have to sit with them again.

I am now looking at Silhouette for the T/A from Fort Lauderdale to Rome. It looks like a wamr route south to Puerto Rico and Cocoa Bay... on to Madeira and then Rome.. Loads of days at sea which I prefer having done all these ports before anyway.

For gay travellers, I can not recommend Celebrity enough.. On a T/A one can expect 40 - 60 gay guys and a few girls... who generally get on well together with Martini Bar being the place to meet before dinner to make up a table.

This will be my 4th on Celebrity in 2 years.

Happy sailing everyone, and wear your Speedos!!!