ROLL CALL: 2/25/07 Caribbean Princess

[cjswitzerland]

Mike I quote directly from the paper from RSVP that accopanied my travel docs.

 

On Board Attire

With RSVP, your cruise can be as formal or as casual as you would like to make it. Generally, shorts, swimsuits and comfortable summer wear ar eppropriate throughout the cruise. We've suggested one formal night to coincide with the Captain's Dinner. Tuxedo or suit and tie are suggested but not required. All other nights on board will be casual. No tank top, t-shirts. shorts or swimsuits are allowed in the dining rooms for he evening meal.

Yes Matt this is closer to Atlantis who has no formal evening at all.

 

Though I imagine if you wanted to make a second formal evening for yourself, one could dress more dasingly for the Steakhouse or Sabotini's

 

 

 

Oh By the way.......who is Chi Chi`???

 

 

Christopher

[monumax]

Yes, Christopher, both Bob and I are heavily involved in theatre. We are currently in rehearsal for our local community theatre's production of Dracula: The Case of the Silver Scream, which runs Feb. 8-11. I've been in approximately 30 shows, most of them musicals; most recently I was Lumiere in Beauty & The Beast. I've also directed a few, such as Jesus Christ, Superstar and Annie.

Bob is more into comedy and drama, and won the best actor award several years ago in the Pennsylvania Community Theatre competition playing Harvey Fierstein's role in On Tidy Endings.

 

Mike & Gary: In St. Marteen we will be heading over to Orient Beach early also, so we will definitely be interested in sharing a van.

[Ftlwill]

I had to Google "Homer City", now I see how close it is to Indiana, PA. Looked like they were getting snow ! Altoona most likely too !

 

I'm going to have to go through these 18 pages of the thread to see what all I've missed... Also, I'll have to take notes !

 

I have no ideas yet for costumes, etc... Don't really want to dress up in a tux... I'm a South Florida boy now, casual all the way !

 

I may join the van crowd in St. Marteen... :)

 

Bill

[M&D]

What a lively thread this has turned into! We are both so looking forward to escaping for a few days to hang out with our RSVP friends (hi Janet, Maria, Greg and Dendren looks familiar too!) and friends to be.

 

We both got brave (or was that buzzed) and dared to wear a sarong and we will certainly pack them again...just in case. As for costumes....still looking but nothing is settled yet but I'm sure we'll have something just because it makes the parties that much more fun. D wants to bring the tux's and go "tux casual" with no tie or cumberbund or vest. I'll admit it looked great on the model in "GQ", but I'm not sure how we'll pull that look off.:confused:

 

For shore excursions, we are going to play that by ear. We are thinking about a scuba trip, though none of our stops are really scuba havens, but we'll see--snorkeling would be a much easier adventure. The catamaran sounds fun, especially with the CC group on board. But then again shore days are great days for "treatments" in the spa! :D Can you tell we have no plan for this trip? But that's what we like about cruising---no plans, no timetable, no phone, no watch. :)

 

Another great place for FREE "business cards" ahem....is from vistaprint.com. They aren't fancy, but you get 250 and only pay for shipping.

 

Looking forward to meeting you all!

 

Mark and Donny

 

 

 

 

[dendren]

What a lively thread this has turned into! We are both so looking forward to escaping for a few days to hang out with our RSVP friends (hi Janet, Maria, Greg and Dendren looks familiar too!) and friends to be.

 

Hey Mark & Donny... we met on the Acapulco cruise a few years back I believe. You spent a fair amount of time hanging with my best friend David on that cruise. Will have to keep my eyes open for ya on this cruise, will be great to see you again :)

[M&D]

Oh yes, we remember David and Acapulco well. Something about a gay hotel and umm...."entertainers" or something like that? :D The funniest part about that day was when I told one of the "entertainers" I was out of peso's and $1.00 bills he said, "Ok, thank you...bye!" :D We still laugh about that day. :) Cya soon

 

Mark and Donny

 

 

[MattInFLL]

Max et al - Joyce Prince is the name of the person I mentioned (and couldn't remember) many posts ago in St. Maarten. People on the St. Maarten board rave about her. She will arrange vans, tours etc for a reasonable rate... she and her hubby are quite the entrepreneurs will a full slate of services including a rental car agency. Anyway you might want to email her and get a quote for a van. http://www.joyceprince.com/

 

I'm thinking we will take a taxi to Orient, since I'll finish the America's Cup challenge and need to connect with Ralph. I also keep forgetting that my best friend and his partner are going to be there, too... I should be consulting them, too :) They actually met on the last (and first) RSVP cruise I took with him, back in 1999.

 

Christopher - my brother was a teacher/principal at ACS Athens, and always loved it so much more than teaching in the US.

 

M&D - second the vote for vistaprint... used them many times, and they do good work.

 

Isn't Chi Chi one of the pseudo hosts? I seem to remember a lively latin man in drag being called Chi Chi on the Westerdam. It is not Chi Chi La Rue.

[kalypso333]

Hi all:

 

Ken, my soulmate, and I will be joining everyone on the early excursion in St. Thomas and are also interested in the Orient Beach van. We'll see you all at the Tradewinds upon boarding.

 

Chi Chi is a great personality and a wonderful person who is contracted with RSVP more or less in the host capacity. He was on the Mexican Riviera cruise and apparently others. A wonderful person!

 

Amazing energy being generated - this will be something!?!?!?

 

See you all soon.

 

One more thing Matt, we will be arriving about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and staying at the Hilton Garden near the airport. Should we attempt getting to the Cubby Hole - will time before closing permit?

 

Kip

[monumax]

Click here for a photo of Chi Chi: http://www.gaycruisepictures.com/rsvp2005caribbean/maxbob/day2/DSC02310.JPG

 

When I say about taking a "van" to Orient Beach, I'm actually referring to a taxi. I hear they are kind of like an open van. With 6 people it should be $6.oo each to Orient Beach. I do have a question about touring St. Thomas in the afternoon after the catamaran cruise, but the info is at work so I will ask tomorrow.

 

I'm glad to hear that you guys are still bringing your sarongs. That is always a fun and frisky dance, and I think the BALLZ dance sounds like the time for it!

 

Come on, Mark & Donny! Join us on the catamaran! Then go to the spa!

[kalypso333]

Matt:

 

We will be staying until Monday AM upon our return to FLL. I have reserved a car to visit Miami for the first time. Do you suggest something else?

 

Kip

[Boytjie]

I'm glad to hear that you guys are still bringing your sarongs. That is always a fun and frisky dance, and I think the BALLZ dance sounds like the time for it!

 

Come on, Mark & Donny! Join us on the catamaran! Then go to the spa!

 

Well, I plan on doing the sarong tropical tease (hopefully it is warm enough!)

 

The trip to Orient sounds fun as does the catamaran, we'll see. We - being of the 2-for-1 kind - we have not gotten anything in the mail yet.

 

And we still plan on bringing our tuxedos.

[dendren]

Oh yes, we remember David and Acapulco well. Something about a gay hotel and umm...."entertainers" or something like that? :D The funniest part about that day was when I told one of the "entertainers" I was out of peso's and $1.00 bills he said, "Ok, thank you...bye!" :D We still laugh about that day. :) Cya soon

 

Mark and Donny

 

hahaha... yeah, I remember that day. We "lost" David that day and he ended up at stripper hotel. He had a great time while we stressed that he was lost in acapulco LOL That was a very fun cruise for sure :)

[MattInFLL]

Hi Kip - this is from an email message from one of the Cubby Hole organizers: "...starting around 6:30. Realizing that a lot of folks will still be getting into town it will be an all evening event, get there when you can before midnight....For the new cruisiers we will be playing Videos from previous cruises on the monitors in the bar." There is a chance that some people will move onto Georgie's Alibi, since that always seems to be the place out of towners know about.

 

As for your day in FLL/MIA... If you haven't been there, then it is definitely worth it to take a drive down to South Beach and enjoy the atmosphere along the beach, and on the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall. On Sunday, you can generally get down there in about 35 minutes or less. On the southern side of downtown Miami is Coconut Grove for eating, shopping, looking at Biscayne Bay, etc.

 

If you want to stay in FLL for the day...although you may be beached out, Sebastian Street beach (right on A1A on the famed Fort Lauderdale beach strip) is the gay beach and if the weather is cooperating, it will be hopping. Or you might want to go over to the Las Olas river front area down town and catch one of the water taxis that cruises the intercoastal and see all the mansions etc. I remember the first time I was on a boat on the intercoastal - it's like a whole different Fort Lauderdale. But again, you might be boated out :)

 

I don't have the specifics, but in FLL there's always stuff like going to an alligator place, or taking an air boat ride in the Everglades. Some people talk about the butterfly farm. I don't get that one. In MIA, there's also a great aquarium and a place called Parrot Jungle (not sure if you like that kind of thing).

 

Hope that helps. :)

 

---

 

In case anyone is wondering about tipping (I know I was). The $10/day per person added to your bill goes into a tip pool and is shared by many besides your waiters and cabin attendants.. You can elect to have this taken off your bill if you think you had poor service. Anyway, if you give extra cash to your cabin attendant, he is supposed to turn it into the "pool". If at the end of the week, you have not rejected the auto tip, he gets it back and gets to keep it. If you rejected the auto tip, your cash stays in the pool. At Sterling Steakhouse or Sabatini's, a service charge is included in the extra charge for eating there, though many tip extra (typically $5pp) in cash, which is shared among that restaurant's staff. 15% is added to every drink you purchase. If you tip your favorite bartender in cash on top of that, he more than likely gets to keep it. But if you add it to the charge slip, it goes to the tip pool. For some reason room service waiters are not big participants in the pooled tips, and it is suggested to give them a dollar or two if you want. Of course tipping is a personal choice and I am not advocating one way or another. But if you like to tip a certain person for their particular good service, you should bring some cash to do it.

[mikec5426]

Matt:

 

We will be staying until Monday AM upon our return to FLL. I have reserved a car to visit Miami for the first time. Do you suggest something else?

 

Kip

 

Kip-

 

Same for us here! We got a very early flight back to DC Monday morning. However, we will also probably rent a car and drive down to SoBe and just enjoy the day! We wish we had time to drive to Key West. ;-)

 

 

Matt-

 

Any suggestions for a decent hotel (pref. Marriott brand) close to FLL airport?

 

Thanks guys! Is it 25 days and counting yet? :p

[cjswitzerland]

Max,

 

I was so intrigued by your theater credits that I had to goggle the Altoona Theater to see what it is all about. ACT seems to very vibrant and active. I'll have to ask my grandparents (who now live in Indiany, PA) if they have ever seen anything there.

 

Anyway, I noticed that you portrayed Neville Craven in Secret Garden. Would you be interested in singing the duet of Lily's Eyes just for fun if we can find a pianist. Not for the talent show or anything, but for fun. I have trouble finding another tenor who can sing that piece.

 

Just a thought. I can stick my music in my bag.

 

Christopher

[Cruisydave]

jet blue airlines is just fine and dandy. usually hassle free. always had good experiences. you'll be fine. and what a great fare!!!

[MattInFLL]

Mike - well nothing exactly proximate to the airport except for the Sheraton airport, which is fine. But if you are worried about getting to the airport, don't...this is not a big place :) You could stay on the beach, by the port, downtown, or in Hollywood, and be at the airport in a few minutes via US 1. Rental car return is in the airport parking garage. Under the Marriot umbrella, you've got the Renaissance by the port... then the Marriot Beach Place and the Harbor Beach Resort (both right on FLL beach)...south of the airport there is a Courtyard in Dania Beach which would be fine for a night. I would go with the Renaissance by the port, or the Courtyard. I also hear a lot of people have luck with Priceline getting the Hyatt Pier 66 when choosing the FLL beach area.

[Cruisydave]

i'm having a devil of a time logging on to this site, but have been reading all your posts for weeks. finally got on tonight.

we live in fort lauderdale, but still need a vacation as much as the rest of you.......just not necessarily to thaw out.......<G>

 

a few thoughts.

you all sound like way more seasoned travelers than we, this being our 2nd gay cruise. (we've done a lot of straight cruises in groups).

we no longer opt for the tuxedos. it's vacation, and there's so much drag on this ship with the parties, that one uncomfortable black outfit seems too much for us. just a personal choice. and like some of you, i wind up with my jacket off by the soup course....<G>

 

we're opting for free-style dining, thinking 6ish is too early (not enough time for cocktails) and 8:30 is too late. (although the complicating factor here is that the main shows in the theater are at 7 and 9. so how we manage that is a good question. (some are repeated throughout the week).

 

also, i didn't see much mention on this board about the "movies under the stars". there are some great films scheduled, if you haven't seen them, such as:

1) Another Gay Movie

2) Tarnation

3) Boy Culture

4) Borat: Cultural etc......

5) The Devil Wears Prada

6) Eating Out 2-Sloppy Seconds

7) Kinky Boots

8) Marie Antoinette

9) The Queen (ok, ok, the one with Helen Mirren)

10) My Super Ex-Girlfriend

11) The Departed

12) The Women

13) Little Miss Sunshine

14) Infamous

 

So we movie buffs will have some fun as well. And this of course if after the Academy Awards on sunday, which will also air.

 

haven't decided on shore trips yet, but still thinking. most party outfits are covered......pretty easy this year, except for that danged super-hero thing........maybe i'll just put on a speedo and go as hercules....in the declining years..............LOL.......

 

looking forward to meeting you all.

david (of david and john)

[cjswitzerland]

Wow that's quite a list of movies Dave. I don't think I have seen any of them. Where in the world did you find that listing?

 

Christopher

[cjswitzerland]

Double Post, Ugh!!!

[RMS Olympic]

Matt...you mentoned tipping...although I am well versed on that subject I am still curious as to how much I need to tip for that room service I am expecting. You know, the personal service along with the chocolate chip cookies.....LOL

Christopher......so you are an opera singer......now I will listen for those high notes coming from various cabins late at night......while I munch on my cookies....wink wink wink.

Matt....I get into Ft L. on the 22, any suggestions on what to do during the day (without a rental car)? I like to walk, so are there places to go things to do within a 4 to 5 mile radious of Pineapple point?

And any info on these water taxis? A web site maybe?

Tom aka Bertha

[Cruisydave]

i got the entire itinerary from my TA. this ship has an outdoor theater.....

you lie by the pool and watch movies. people say it's awesome, although with this crowd might be too loud to enjoy. we'll see.

 

and christopher.......an opera singer? i'm a huge opera fan. say hello. we simply must meet and compare notes........LOL.......

david

[Cruisydave]

cj,

you are the opera singer..........

well we must meet........

david

[cjswitzerland]

Yup Dave and Tom, opera but not as much now as I used to. More musical theater singing and simple songs with my students. Crossing the fingers for reaching some high notes on my cabin sometime in the week.

Though I wouldn't mind the chocolate chip cookies either.

 

And fear not Dave you were right cj and christopher are one in the same.

 

Christopher / cjswitzerland

[Tim-n-Rick]

Dave, thank you for posting the movie listing. After seeing that list I might not leave the big screen!