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| 03/16/2008 05:00 AM |
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(Part one of a two-part series from Feb/March JustCircuit.MAG by JustCircuit Travel Editor JON ERICKSON) By now you have attended some form of Mardi Gras, a White Party, countless Tea-Dances, After Hours, a Military Party and who knows how many other themed events. We have all been to see the likes of Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho, Joan Rivers, Wanda Sykes, Jim David, Shan Carr, and many other comedians who have had us LMAOROF. Have you ever heard Deborah Cox, Kristine W., Charro, Deborah Gibson or Crystal Waters live in concert? As a matter of fact, how about the time you caught one of Dixie Longgates’ Tupperware shows, saw Pam Ann or even Ms. Richfield 1981? Well, if you have ever been on an Atlantis Cruise, RSVP Cruise, or for my lesbians an Olivia Cruise, you have probably experienced a combination of all of the above in just a week!
As a community we have spent millions on events such as White Party Weekend, Mardi Gras, Halloween, Black and Blue, the Dinah Shore Weekend and that just starts the list. These events are typically 3-4 days long. With airfare, hotel, meals, tickets to the event, clothing and unmentionables, you probably spend upwards of $1500-$2000 per person. However, because you pay for it in pieces when you have the money or there is a sale you don’t really think of how expensive the weekend away really is. One skeptic of gay cruising might say, “it is way to expensive…I can not afford that.” The truth of the matter is, YES YOU CAN! Having just returned from my fourth Atlantis Cruise, I am here to tell you that there are ways to meet your budget and get more out of your vacation then ever before. For those on a shoestring budget, there are cabins that start as low as $999 a person based on double occupancy, for several of the gay cruises out there. There are port taxes and gratuities in addition, which will generally get your cost up to about $1200. However, if you travel bare bones and are a frugal spender, you can play for seven days and never spend another dime.
The Gay Cruise Industry is in the process of exploding. We have all heard the knocks on going on a gay cruise: “I will be bored”, “it is a floating bath house”, “I don’t want to be locked up with the same people for seven days”, “it’s for the party crowd”. Sistah please, stop making excuses for something you have never experienced! Like anything in life, your vacation will be whatever YOU make it. On a traditional cruise you may get bored after a few days, but our gay charter companies bring on more entertainers and keep the ones the cruise line has, thus giving you more things to do then you can fit into your vacation schedule. And darling, if you lay in your apartment or home with the door open on your stomach with your naked bum in the air, your house is like a bathhouse. If you don’t want it, don’t advertise! Gone are the days where a cruise ship held 1200 passengers on six decks. Now we have ships like Liberty of The Seas by Royal Caribbean which can handle nearly 3700 passengers. Trust me, I was getting off the ship last week and was frustrated because there was at least 400-500 people I never saw in seven days at sea. There is enough space on board the ship that if you don’t want to attend a dance party you will never know there is a party crowd on board. Ready to book yet?
Jon Erickson is Senior Travel Editor for JustCircuit. Contact Jon: jon@justcircuit.com
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