San Francisco Cruisers

[digby]

"my dream cruise is a transcanal between my two homes: San Francisco and San Juan but they haven't had one of those in years...."

 

My partner and I took that very cruise a couple of years ago on the NCL Sky which has since been renamed the Pride of Aloha. It was a wonderful 16 day trip. We spent 4 days in San Juan before the cruise which was fun. It was wonderful to be able to take a taxi home from the ship!!

[Tedson]

We've had some really oppressive heat here lately, so we're planning to take a ferry ride from Vallejo to S.F. tomorrow...it'll be nice to escape the heat and also check out a couple of cruise ships in town (Regal Princess and Crystal Harmony). Anyone else?

[JoeAndMichael]

It's off to the Mexican Riviera for me. Just watched the Mercury leave thru the Golden Gate from Fort Point on this beautifully clear night. Can hardly wait for my turn...

We're on the 4/9/06 Summit Hawaii cruise. Hope to see you at an FOD.

[BEAV]

We've had some really oppressive heat here lately, so we're planning to take a ferry ride from Vallejo to S.F. tomorrow...it'll be nice to escape the heat and also check out a couple of cruise ships in town (Regal Princess and Crystal Harmony). Anyone else?

 

Ted,

 

Enjoy the "double show" at Pier 35 this afternoon. And Hi to Ralph! Gary and I both working today, otherwise we'd be over there cooling off ourselves! This heat wave is getting OLD (as am I) !!!

[cruiseone2003]

I just might take a walk down to Pier 35 and see the Regal and Harmony off at Butterfly's. They should both be there although last time both ships were in port together (I believe in May) the Regal was moved to Pier 30 last minute.

[BEAV]

Okay, so how was the "two ship show" in SF yesterday?

 

With this never ending heat wave, THE WC is rapidly falling on the list of "quality postal codes..."

[BEAV]

Hey.......completely off topic, but is anyone else going to see Debbie Reynolds this Friday night at the Castro Theater? After her appearance, they're screening a new print of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown". Okay, I know I'm dating myself here, but does anyone else on this thread dig the good ol' stuff ?? !! ??

[Blazerboy]

Dig it? Own it! And my gay sibling and I used to mimic the dance scenes as kids!:D

 

(And yet, somehow, Mother was surprised to hear the news...;) )

 

Alas, we're out of town. (P-town, to be exact) We did do the Gentlemen Prefer Blonds event last year (?) with Jane Russell, and it was lots o' fun. Enjoy!

 

Andrew

[johnsfo]

Yesterday, Bob and I drove down to pier 39 to see Regal Princess (scheduled to leave at 4PM) and Crystal Harmony (scheduled to leave at 4:45). There was a Japanese training ship on the side of the dock where by one could see the whole ship--it was the Nippon Maru--a four masted beautiful ship with a white hull with a blue stripe. While we could see the top of Harmony, we could not see Regal Princess. After a very long while (about 4:30 or so), we finally did see Regal Princess passing by--but she passed by way out on the bay and the fog was getting dense. Finally, about 4:55PM, the beautiful Harmony backed out. However, it was about 25 minutes or so before we saw her heading toward the GG bridge. Before Harmony left, Bob suggested that we could stow away. I said it was a good idea but we had no clothing with us that Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) would approve of. Seeing all three ships was a very nice experience. Afterwards, we had a late lunch (early dinner) at Houston's restaurant across the street from Pier 39 a towards the ferry building a little ways. We can recommend this restaurant--it's far enough away from the tourist area and is usually never very crowded.

[PRCruiser]

Beav:

 

I can only tell you that the Regal had their lifeboat drill around 4:15! Pablo and I did the AIDS walk yesterday and we were originally planning to run by the piers to see the Regal and the Harmony. However after the walk and lunch there was only one thing on our minds: NAP! So we went home and while I was in bed and right before I fell asleep I heard the ship having their drill. Since that was the last conscious sensation, all my dreams during the nap were about cruising and sailing under the Golden Gate..... Wishing I had sailed away on the Harmony or the Regal...

Wishful thinking!

 

Andres

[BEAV]

Alas, we're out of town. (P-town, to be exact) We did do the Gentlemen Prefer Blonds event last year (?) with Jane Russell, and it was lots o' fun. Enjoy!

 

Andrew

 

Dang blast it, Blazerboy, WE were there last year, too! Didn't you see us ?? Didn't we stand out as queens from THE WC? LOL !! Who can forget Jane singing "Big Bad Jane".....

[BEAV]

Dig it? Own it! And my gay sibling and I used to mimic the dance scenes as kids!:D

 

(And yet, somehow, Mother was surprised to hear the news...;) )

 

 

 

Izzat because yo Mama was too busy being President of the PTA and Chairwoman of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League to notice her two "boys" were taking turns playing Debbie Reynolds in the bedroom?

[Tedson]

Sorry to report we never made it to the city yesterday. But I did watch both ships leave on Kroooz-CAMS website.

[BEAV]

Sorry to report we never made it to the city yesterday. But I did watch both ships leave on Kroooz-CAMS website.

 

Okay, Ted, but next time bring a note from home excusing......

[BEAV]

Before Harmony left, Bob suggested that we could stow away. I said it was a good idea but we had no clothing with us that Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) would approve of.

 

Somehow, I think Victor would have welcomed you back with open arms, complete with a tray of caviar and C-Chardonnay! Hyacinth-approved clothing or not! Oh the memories.......

 

Sounds like they had a foggy champagne sailaway yesterday compared to our PHABULOUS sunny one on Memorial Day....

[BEAV]

So we went home and while I was in bed and right before I fell asleep I heard the ship having their drill. Since that was the last conscious sensation, all my dreams during the nap were about cruising and sailing under the Golden Gate..... Wishing I had sailed away on the Harmony or the Regal...

Wishful thinking!

 

 

Hi Andres,

 

Congrats on the AIDS walk...

 

You guys must live close to the water in order to hear the ship drills, huh?

[Blazerboy]

Beav, now you're scaring me. We met two guys in line last year from Walnut Creek WHO LIVED IN YOUR COMPLEX! Are you SURE you didn't meet me before? Shades of Destcruz and the Harmony!:confused: :eek:

 

Andrew

[BEAV]

Beav, now you're scaring me. We met two guys in line last year from Walnut Creek WHO LIVED IN YOUR COMPLEX! Are you SURE you didn't meet me before? Shades of Destcruz and the Harmony!:confused: :eek:

 

Andrew

 

Oh, no. We're not going down THAT road again, are we? It COULDN'T have been us for the following reasons....A) People residing in QUALITY postal codes always leave a lasting impression on me. B) I never forget a boy in a blazer! But then again, I can't remember whether I ordered my Venti nonfat decaf soy mint caramel macchiato frappuccino with or without extra foam this morning @ Starbucks!

 

 

OMG....your being in "P" town just reminded me that DESTCRZ is in Massachussets this week! Marlborough to be exact........ He's there on business. I'm not sure what KIND of business, but business.

 

It's 2:00pm right now here on the Left Coast. And you know what that means.....5 o'clock in P-Town. Time for cocktails.......You and DESTCRZ should rendevouz somewhere in the state and get this "did we meet" thang settled, once and for all....... The GLBT community residing in quality postal codes would certainly rest easier at night knowing....

[cruiseone2003]

We didn't make it out to send off the Regal and Harmony. As anyone who is self employed knows, once you make a plan the calls from the clients begin to come in! I think I'll start making a lot more plans and become very wealthy.

[Blazerboy]

The "we're out ot town" line refered to the date of the performance- still here in downtown S.F., having just been swept off the street in that bomb scare at Powell Street.:eek: P-Town starts Thursday.

 

But we'll be in Sudbury in a few weeks for my (straight) brother's wedding, which is right next to Marlboro, so Tell DESTCRUZ to stay put!:D

 

Andrew

[BEAV]

The "we're out ot town" line refered to the date of the performance- still here in downtown S.F., having just been swept off the street in that bomb scare at Powell Street.:eek: P-Town starts Thursday.

 

But we'll be in Sudbury in a few weeks for my (straight) brother's wedding, which is right next to Marlboro, so Tell DESTCRUZ to stay put!:D

 

Andrew

 

Dang! And here I was shoving that 5 o'clock cocktail down your throat THREE HOURS EARLY!

 

DESTCRZ is Marlborough until Friday. But he may stay over if he doesn't find the Marlboro man before then....

 

You have STR8 siblings? What happened? Not enough Molly Brown outfits to go around?

[cruiseone2003]

I'm going on a Canada/New England cruise in September out of Boston. Wondering if anyone has been to the ports I will be visiting. If so, do you have any recommendations? I have been checking the cruiseline site for shore excursions and nothing is really talking to me.

 

Martha's Vineyard, Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, St. John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

[Blazerboy]

You have STR8 siblings? What happened? Not enough Molly Brown outfits to go around?

Well, SOMEONE had to play Molly's ruffian brothers!

 

I, myself, prefered to play 'Gladys' the snarky next door neighbor in Denver, but I always did set my sights high. It was either her or the Duchess (walkin' on crutches!). Only time I really wanted to be Molly was when she was with that Prince- HE was cute. J.J.Brown/Harve Presnell? What a QUEEN! Pul-lease. His skin was better and more moisturized than Debbie's.

[Blazerboy]

O.k., CruiseOne2003, we'll take a break from totally queening out to help you!

 

 

In Martha's Vineyand, you'll probably either tender to Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. In Oak Bluffs, make sure to see the lilliputian gingerbread victorian homes- many of these were part of a large middle class Black settlement, very unusual in that part of the world. You can walk (a bit of a hike) between there and Vineyard Haven- home to the famous Black Dog Tavern- all those ubiquitous t-shirts and caps with Black Labs on them started here. And then there's Edgartown, which has the most concentrated commercial area, shops, inns and restaurants. A cute walking village, and close to the beaches of Chappaquidick- think Teddy Kennedy. The beaches on the North side of the island are nice, but there's a beach on the West (Southwest?- I always lose my sense of direction) side called "Gay Head." Don't get your hopes up too much, but it is where the few nudists tend to hang out- covered in some mud that oozes from the cliff. This side of the island is more 'artsy' than Edgartown. By all means rent bikes to cruise around. The architecture and ocean views are two of the highlights.

 

Never really that impressed with Halifax, but there are battlements there, and one of the most popular excursions is out to Peggy's Cove, though I'm not exactly sure why- if you're not used to the New England/Eastern Canadian Coast, it would be interesting to see the was the rocky coast is formed, but other than that, it's a light house.

 

Bar Harbor is known for Lobster shore excursions, but I'd either find a restaurant on my own, or skip the organized lobster bakes altogether. I think they also offer shore excursion to Acadia National Park, which would be worth doing.

 

Portland may have some similar excursions from it. If this is a straight cruise, and you feel you MUST gay out a little, Ogunquit is a little beach town just South of Portland, and quite cute, with a large gay following, especially from Quebec. Antiquing is also popular up and down Rte. One. But the towns of Kennebunkport and Cape Porpoise might have better "lobster right from the pier" experiences, and then you could drop in on George Sr. and Barbara.

 

That's all I can think of now, but feel free to ask more.

 

Andrew

[BEAV]

 

I, myself, prefered to play 'Gladys' the snarky next door neighbor in

 

Thanks for clarifying. For a moment there, I thought you meant Gladys Kravitz, the over-the-top-snarky neighbor on 'Bewitched'. (or "neighbour" if dam1050 from VancoUver is reading.....have to be careful, what with the 'global' readership here at CC).

 

But back to good ol' Molly.....I recall seeing her house while on a funky Gray Line tour of Denver back in '81. Yes, Nineteen and 81. Such a lad back then. Such a DUMB naive lad...LOL!

 

And poor Debbie, she HAS had her ups and downs in life, eh? Ever catch her museum at her lil' hotel in Vegas (OFF strip, of course!)?? And I suspect her lowest may have been when we saw her at the Solano County Fair about 6-7 years ago. Yes, SOLANO County Fair! But she's a trooper fer sure!

 

Enough of my rambling. Time for my 3:00 rendevouz with the Tunnel de la Caldecott. Hopefully my huzban will have cocktails ready when I get home back in THE WC....