RSVP Alaska AUG 09

[zrob]

Almost time I have enjoyed reading everyone's postings.

 

Have had a head start w/ my friend and his partner; I'm the third wheel . We have been traveling through Alaska for the last week

 

Apparently we learned that Aug is the rainy season in Alaska, so be prepared.

Sometimes cool, cold and sometimes beautiful. Actually saw a beautiful rainbow against the mountains yesterday during a rainy period. (Dorothy was not there !) Havent worn shorts yet, but didn't expect to. So a word to the wise , be prepared for some cool and some rain and be pleasantly surprised if it gets really warm

 

Get use to hearing the term "lower 48 " . That's who we are to Alaskans.

 

Ready to enjoy the cruise !

[Bergen County NJ]

Hi all,

Just found the sight yesterday and am very thankful for all the comments and guidance provided. You have all been a big help for my partner and I in deciding what to pack. Now I have to find my gloves.

We haven't booked excursions as a colleague just back from an Alaska cruise said there are numerous kiosks at the docks to book excursions. Can anyone who has done a previous Alaska cruise provide insight to this? Thanks! :)

[Boytjie]

Hi all,

Just found the sight yesterday and am very thankful for all the comments and guidance provided. You have all been a big help for my partner and I in deciding what to pack. Now I have to find my gloves.

We haven't booked excursions as a colleague just back from an Alaska cruise said there are numerous kiosks at the docks to book excursions. Can anyone who has done a previous Alaska cruise provide insight to this? Thanks! :)

 

I remember seeing a lot of those kiosks in Juneau, not so many in Ketchikan and don't recall any in Sitka. Sitka is a small place and not as touristy; we just walked around and did not do an excursion there.

[Bayotter]

We haven't booked excursions as a colleague just back from an Alaska cruise said there are numerous kiosks at the docks to book excursions. Can anyone who has done a previous Alaska cruise provide insight to this? Thanks! :)

 

Booking shore excursions that way can be a good way to save a little money or to be able to participate in an excursion that is sold out with the cruise line. However, the cruise line will not hold the ship if you are late returning, nor take any responsibility if there is an accident or injury. That being said, several times in the past, I have used non-ship sponsored excursions with great success. But I do prefer to book with the cruise line. I consider the extra cost (assuming it is more expensive than others) as if it is a sort of travel insurance, since I am covered for some things that could go wrong.

[Bergen County NJ]

Thanks a lot guys! We are leaving in a couple of hours for Seattle. We are looking forward to seeing you all onboard!

 

Gene and Andres.

[Bayotter]

Safe travels guys! See you on board!

[RMS Olympic]

wish I was sailing wth everyone.

To all those I have had the pleasure of meeting on other cruises.....my best wishes for a fantastic cruise, lots of sights, sounds and experiences.

May the sun shine during your shore excursions.......providing wonderful memories.

Bon Voyage.

Tom aka Bertha

[Typhoon1]

Farewell Boyz. Enjoy your cruise. For those of you sailing the Eurodam in February, see you then.

[Tamaracboy]

wish I was sailing wth everyone.

To all those I have had the pleasure of meeting on other cruises.....my best wishes for a fantastic cruise, lots of sights, sounds and experiences.

May the sun shine during your shore excursions.......providing wonderful memories.

Bon Voyage.

Tom aka Bertha

 

Mr. Olmpic Tom,

 

Thank you (and all the others Typhoon{we}1 ) for such wonderful wishes.

 

Bertha, never knew you had it in 'ya ;)

 

HRH, r.

[Hobie]

Tom,

Thanks for the nice words. Wish you were with us! I'm sure I'll be cruising with you again soon.

I leave for Seattle at 10:30 a.m.

Can't wait to be boarding the Westerdam. Tomorrow night, we will all be rocked to sleep by gentle Pacific swells!

[nsdfw68]

Safe travels everyone! See you on board. We leave at 10:55AM from DFW today and are very ready for the vacation.

[RMS Olympic]

So glad to hear from you. Bestw ishes on your cruise. Please dont abuse the bears in Alaska. The ones on the ship are approved, those off the ship are vorboten, unless wearing a red flannel shirt.

May your sippidy do dah, your arreva derci, your wing wang, and your ring a ding (only after the sun sets).

Enjoy.

PS....why are you not on Eurodam in Feb.......? You could add to the festivities.

Bon Voyage

[Garix]

I think this thread is about to come to closing now, as the cruise has already started! Since Juneau weather has been improving and reaching the excellent mood of passengers abord the ship. I have met a few of the guys who posted here earlier, but who did not attend the meeting on Monday (We just saw it from a distance and it seemed that a serious "in-depth" discussion about the ship, the services provided and future programmes of the cruise-line was going on between some of the passengers and a cruise-line representative for which we lacked necessary experience). Thanks for the advice about "formal wear or not", "fixed and open dining times" and the advantages of the wine-card:)...Cruising is fun!

CU on some other cruise in the future!

[sej67]

How was it? And did they say anything about new cruises for next year?

[mikec5426]

The cruise was wonderful (although we missed Sitka due to "fierce" weather). The winds were hurricane force!

 

The cruise was not the same without Paul Williams though! Leslie Jordan, Amy and Freddy and the first comedianne from Last Comic Standing were wonderful!

 

I did not personally attend Charlie's session--- but I talked to a couple people that did. I heard he stated the Caribbean is the only MAJOR cruise scheduled for 2009 (over 90% sold out) and RSVP will be looking at other options including land vacations and smaller ships (i.e. Riverboat cruises, etc.). RSVP is afraid they won't be able to fill the larger ships.

 

Again, I did not personally attend but that was the general feedback I received. It looks like they will evaluate for 2010/2011.

[JonV]

How was the passenger mix and the weather the rest of the time? Did my favorite RSVP employee Nick, make it on the cruise? Was there any land based parties or get togetherss in any ports like Juneau where that hot gay fireman friend lives? How did you find the Alaska residents?

[Boytjie]

Welcome back, Mike. And happy birthday!

[sassy73]

Well, my dad, my friend and I had a blast. I have a straight girl crush on Amy Armstrong and love Freddie too. They are just incredible. My 'finale' of the cruise was drinking a cosmo while listening to their Last Call. The costume contest was fun, especially since I won second place, lol. (One of the RSVP guys stayed behind stage with me between the preliminaries and final judging for accessibility reasons, and he commented on everybody else's costume. Very fun.) The winners were a bit more risque than me, but I was Bristol Palin with baby Tripp. For the park ranger, they had a gay one whch was a nice touch. My friend enoyed the leather party. I think that was his finale, lol. I didn't go to any after hours parties.

 

I loved the scenery. I think just going through the glaciers was my favorite. In Junneau, our helicopter tour was cancelled due to wheather, so we just walked around. Went to the state capitol, which has no security. Coming from CA whose state capitol has a tent just to check people, it was weird. They had a small museum which was interesting too. We saw a bear of the animal variety in Ketchican, and had a lovely tea in victoria. I was a bit bummed about sitka, but more bummed about the helicopter ride not being done. I noticed in Jeaneau, a couple of businesses had rainbow flags up, and I think in Jeaneau, someone said a local bar had decided to become a "gay" bar for the day. Im not sure so much if it was total acceptance, or just a way to try to make more money, (or a bit of both) but I tend to be cynical about such things.

 

However, all and all it was a blast. I actually had semi looked for Nick, since he helped me so much, but couldn't find him. Just sent him a thank you note though. Im not sure I will go on a RSVP cruise again, but definitey plan to go on other cruises. It is just a relaxing way to travel, while still seeing lots of places.

[rbyrd2531]

we had a great time but did not get top meet everyone. We were late to the CC meeting but did get to finally meet Sassy and later her wonderful father. Regret that we did not get to say goodbye to them or meet her friend Winston.

 

Went to a couple of events but did not go to any of the shows..(I was worried that Steve would have lost interest and embarrassed me by leaving during a live show.) More a result of his injury than a reflection of the quality of the entertainment, but I still wanted to avoid hurting feelings.

 

The wind and waves were something else!

[sassy73]

we had a great time but did not get top meet everyone. We were late to the CC meeting but did get to finally meet Sassy and later her wonderful father. Regret that we did not get to say goodbye to them or meet her friend Winston.

 

Went to a couple of events but did not go to any of the shows..(I was worried that Steve would have lost interest and embarrassed me by leaving during a live show.) More a result of his injury than a reflection of the quality of the entertainment, but I still wanted to avoid hurting feelings.

 

The wind and waves were something else!

 

Sorry I totaly forgot about lunch. My memory, lol. It was so nice to meet you and Steve. You seem like a great couple!!

 

I hope you had a fun cruise. Even with the wheather, I had a blast.

[Tamaracboy]

OK, so there was some weather

Well . . . . there's always weather it just depends on what kind.

I personally like the Rock & Roll and seem to have a cast iron stomach.

My sympathies to those of greener constitutions.

My only disappointment was not getting to meet some of the CC'ers that I have corresponded with here.

That is the point of the M&G. :p

Really liked the "Westie" and met some old crew members from previous RSVP cruises on other DAM ships. It is amazing how they can remember anybody out of the thousands of passengers they go through on an annual basis.

But, it does make you feel like family.

UBER ditto being with Danny Williams and Gert and Jeff and others from the RSVP Tribe. :cool:

Since I am the (semi-official) shutterbug and do take far too many photos, here is something to look forward to:

Eventually all my photos will be uploaded to Gay Cruise Pictures dot com

http://www.gaycruisepictures.com/page2.html

BUT, don't hold your breath, I'm still working on my Eurodam photos. :o

I for one will eagerly cruise back to Alaska because there must be so many options, routes, and excursions that one mortal could not do them all.

There are a very few cabins still available on the Eurodam for February 2010. I encourage you all to gobble them up. The Caribbean RSVP experience is not to be missed. :eek: ;)

See you there,

r.

[uci_david]

I felt really bad that I missed the M&G ... but it was because I was already feeling bad :p

 

After all, I really wanted to see rbyrd2531's tuxedo-hoody combo :D

 

There's always next cruise!

[RMS Olympic]

Was any information provided on future cruises?

RSVP told me there was something in the works for 2010 after the Eurodam....

So I figured they would hold off till after the Alaska cruise.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Boytjie]

Tom, Mike posted some info here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1051000

[Tamaracboy]

NOTE TO HOST TYLER:

Perhaps this thread should be tacked on to the end of the other Alaska cruise thread ???

 

Well, my dad, my friend and I had a blast. I have a straight girl crush on Amy Armstrong and love Freddie too. They are just incredible. My 'finale' of the cruise was drinking a cosmo while listening to their Last Call. The costume contest was fun, especially since I won second place, lol. (One of the RSVP guys stayed behind stage with me between the preliminaries and final judging for accessibility reasons, and he commented on everybody else's costume. Very fun.) The winners were a bit more risque than me, but I was Bristol Palin with baby Tripp. For the park ranger, they had a gay one whch was a nice touch. My friend enoyed the leather party. I think that was his finale, lol. I didn't go to any after hours parties.

 

I loved the scenery. I think just going through the glaciers was my favorite. In Junneau, our helicopter tour was cancelled due to wheather, so we just walked around. Went to the state capitol, which has no security. Coming from CA whose state capitol has a tent just to check people, it was weird. They had a small museum which was interesting too. We saw a bear of the animal variety in Ketchican, and had a lovely tea in victoria. I was a bit bummed about sitka, but more bummed about the helicopter ride not being done. I noticed in Jeaneau, a couple of businesses had rainbow flags up, and I think in Jeaneau, someone said a local bar had decided to become a "gay" bar for the day. Im not sure so much if it was total acceptance, or just a way to try to make more money, (or a bit of both) but I tend to be cynical about such things.

 

However, all and all it was a blast. I actually had semi looked for Nick, since he helped me so much, but couldn't find him. Just sent him a thank you note though. Im not sure I will go on a RSVP cruise again, but definitey plan to go on other cruises. It is just a relaxing way to travel, while still seeing lots of places.

 

Sassy,

Well now I know which one is you (you is ?? be ye ???).

If I had known I would have marched right up and introduced myself.

But, then again you probably saw me every place. :rolleyes:

I saw you every where, so you really did get around.

Loved your Palin Parody !

Hope you do make some future RSVP cruises since your participation was infectious.

Your helicopter in Juneau must have been later in the day since mine flew. It was cold up on the Glacier. I really enjoyed the flight and views up and back much more than the time actually on the glacier.

Yes there was a "Gay Bar For A Day" it was packed and Alaska beer isn't half bad. And as to the "Acceptance", one Jewelry store owner tried to match make me with his assistant who had just broken up with boyfriend.

I think like in most "frontier" environments, everything is accepted since they are so far removed from "Society" just like in the wonderful movie "Big Eden".

In Katchikan the later sea plane tours of "Misty Fjords" were also canceled due to "low ceiling".

If Nick wasn't there, he would be the only RSVP volunteer not on board. They had many, many more than I have ever seen before. But for me, as long as Jeff is on board I feel at home.

 

The cruise was wonderful (although we missed Sitka due to "fierce" weather). The winds were hurricane force!

 

The cruise was not the same without Paul Williams though! Leslie Jordan, Amy and Freddy and the first comedianne from Last Comic Standing were wonderful!

 

I did not personally attend Charlie's session--- but I talked to a couple people that did. I heard he stated the Caribbean is the only MAJOR cruise scheduled for 2009 (over 90% sold out) and RSVP will be looking at other options including land vacations and smaller ships (i.e. Riverboat cruises, etc.). RSVP is afraid they won't be able to fill the larger ships.

 

Again, I did not personally attend but that was the general feedback I received. It looks like they will evaluate for 2010/2011.

 

Sitka was only a minor disappointment for me since it gave us an extra sea day. The Captain (who was so much in the spirit he should have been doing stand-up) said that in his entire career it was the the first time he could not anchor a ship OR had to cancel a port ! The winds had been predicted to be 15/20 Knots with gusts to 30. Well they were 45 with gusts to 60 ! ! ! truly Hurricane Force.

I did attend Charlie's talk. LOTS of people were asking about new and new types of cruises and vacations. His answer to ALL of them was "We've been looking into that" People asked about longer cruises, small ship, upscale cruises, land-sea cruises. Seems we might be relegated to once a year Caribbean with the the occasional alternate itinerary.

 

How was the passenger mix and the weather the rest of the time? Did my favorite RSVP employee Nick, make it on the cruise? Was there any land based parties or get togetherss in any ports like Juneau where that hot gay fireman friend lives? How did you find the Alaska residents?

 

The passenger mix was definitely skewed towards the older. According to one RSVP staffer, the average age was 10 years older than the typical Caribbean cruise. It did also seem that way.

Leslie Jordan was a Hoot and a half. He was even funnier than hoped for. the two shows were somewhat different. And he was on board the whole cruise with his Mom and two twin sisters who were also having a blast.

AFAIAC he could be a standard on all RSVP cruises and I would not get bored. Amy is even thinner than in February, but still a "big girl". The comedienne was side-splittingly funny. Everyone wanted a 2nd night of her.

Yes Paul was missed (who could not), but Gert was Awesome ! Some of her outfits were nothing short of Historic. (the Purple/Plaid Party) OMG ! ! !

As for the Alaska residents see above about a certain straight jeweler, now that's what I call friendly.

Weather ? Yes, we had a lot of it and most of that was wet ! Which did help the waterfalls. Some rough seas, but I love those. However there were a LOT of green faces. Once at a dinner table of 7, one by one 3 had to excuse themselves never to be seen again. Me ?, I've got a cast iron stomach and was asking for 2nds. Apparently August is the wettest month. So WHEN I go again it will be early in the season (May / Sept by law) to see more snow cover.

 

All in all I want to do more Alaska cruises since one mere mortal could never exhaust all the possibilities.:rolleyes:

 

r.