2 cents, photos and locating friends new/old from Alaska Cruise

[cwoolson]

What an incredible trip -- the beauty of Alaska, the amazing friends we met (re-met), Kelli & Gregg and the fantastic R Family crew -- the cruise was wonderful.

Last year was my first R Family Cruise and I was dumbfounded on my first day, teary-eyed with the families and so many men who have adopted... it made this more than real for me, I could be a parent. I ran around the ship asking if I could take photos of people with their kids and I look back on that with fond memories.

Photos
Alaska is probably the best place I have ever cruises - beats the Caribbean anytime! Nothing like getting some sun while sitting on the deck... napping... only to be awakened by the sight of glaciers and snow-topped mountains. The photos are truly amazing! (http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=g1mhfbb.2rjhzhy7&x=0&y=28ao7w - over 600 photos knocked down to just a few good shots)

Crowding Issue
I've read the boards quite a bit because a few of us who were there previous years did notice that there were many more people and we expected it - it was sold out. We didn't have to wait in lines for anything but again we didn't have children so the specialty restaurants were pretty open for the taking.

Someone posted that it's not fair to compare this cruise to others and I agree, to a degree. Each cruise will be different, different location, different passengers and different dynamic so yes, it's not fair to judge it based only on previous years.

What I did notice was misbehaved children without parental oversight? Did anyone else experience this? The only time I had an issue with this was in the hallways of our cabin - kids running up and down the hallways and in the hallway above our cabin -- at late hours when they should have been in bed. It was a family cruise and we were looking forward to the kids but this threw a bit of a damper when we were awaken a few times - by a few adults too. Perhaps a "QUIET - PEOPLE MAY BE SLEEPING" in the residential hallways would help remind people.

When speaking with quite a few "3 timers" and "2 timers", we all agreed that something was different in the dynamic of this particular cruise and couldn't put a finger on it. Perhaps it's hit the tipping point of not being "special" because the reality of a gay friendly family cruise is here and here to stay? Could be...

Next Year
A few in our group signed up for next summer but I think my partner and I are going to try the February Cruise -- I can't stand the heat, moreso in the summer. The February Cruise will break the "winter blues" that set in ... and R Family puts together a great atmosphere, great shows and a truly wonderful trip. Hopefully the dynamic will rekindle itself next time... for us at least.

Keeping in Touch
We met so many people from the prior year and new ones this year... many of whom we forgot to instantly exchange numbers because we thought we'd see them onboard. Funny... it was crowded because, try as we might, we kept missing them.

That said, if any of you folks want to keep in touch, email me (chris.woolson@enchantingireland.com):

Lesbian Couple from California - I don't even know your names but we met you on deck and then at one of the shows - and many times throughout the week! Your niece was onboard and in the farewell slide show ... we'd love to keep in touch and if you're ever in Philadelphia, drop us a line!

Gina - Why didn't we swap contact info? Two years in a row now...

Kathy - It was just a joke that the straight people were last for the life boats! Honestly!

Rob & Reuben - We want to find out how the baby plans progress - you'll pave the way for us! And yes, we TRULY enjoyed the trip... hence we'll be back next year too.

Bennett & Mike - Lake kayaking in Skagway and taking our photos for us! Thanks guys... and please keep in touch, we enjoyed the limited time with you two on that tour.

For any others I've missed... forgive me as I'm still jet-lagged and haven't gotten my land-legs back (ugh!)

Cheers,
Chris (& Bob)

[NYLoya]

When speaking with quite a few "3 timers" and "2 timers", we all agreed that something was different in the dynamic of this particular cruise and couldn't put a finger on it. Perhaps it's hit the tipping point of not being "special" because the reality of a gay friendly family cruise is here and here to stay? Could be...

Chris may have hit the nail on the head. I am a second timer who also felt there was something different about the dynamic of this cruise but couldn't quite put my finger on why I felt that way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed myself and am grateful to the R Family team who very obviously worked hard all week to keep us all happy. I certainly don't think it was because there were too many straight people on board. The crowd was an issue for me. I live in New York and work in the City and I go on vacation to get away from the hustle, bustle and the crowds. IMHO you just can't feel as relaxed when you are waiting a long time for elevators that are full, you are constantly bumping into people, you are looking for a seat at the show and see whole rows that are empty but being saved, there is no place to sit at pool side because people have left their "stuff" all over the chairs and tables so they will have the table when they decide to return, all of which you will find on "regular cruises" even if not sold out. This is an observation of how I felt and certainly not a call to bar straight people from coming aboard or to tell Grandma and Aunt Sue you can't come because the ship will lose it's special feeling. Obviously I want R Family to make money in order to stay in business. I am sure they made money on this cruise but might consider in the future whether they can restrict the number of people on board to a little less than full blown capacity. It is also quite obvious that many people come on board for the stellar entertainment. Therefore, R Family must come up with a way to accommodate everyone who wants to see the show in person, live, and not on TV. That could mean barring people from seeing two of the same show, handing out tickets, having ushers seat people as they come in, or any of the above. I for one got real tired of hearing seat saved, seat saved, seat saved. At the Cyndi Lauper show we were directed to a group of seats by NCL personnel only to have the woman at the end of the row refuse to move while a man came running with his family shouting "Oh no, those are our seats." It was annoying, frustrating, and put a damper on the evening. The Pirate dinner was another story. I feel that R Family learned from the cruise, dealt with problems as they arose, but I for one will be reluctant to sail with them again if the ships continue to be oversold.

[cwoolson]

NYLoya,

It was hard to put words behind that "feeling" and the close we could come up with was that it didn't feel so special - people weren't discovering "gay families" or the possibilities and hardships of starting one in the gay/lesbian community. Because R Family is here - and I honestly believe they're here to stay - it becomes commonplace, expected and under appreciated. That's what happens to all things new... starting with gay travel in general.

Unfortunately Kelli and Gregg (and Rosie) have big shoes to fill when it comes to keeping that "spark" alive in old, and new, cruisers. I can't tell you how many times I heard people asking, "Is Melissa here?" and I even hoped to hear her again as she totally rocked... but I hope people weren't disappointed in the end because the entertainment was wonderful. Last year the entertainment was icing on the cake for me... see and talking to two dads smothering their two boys in suntan lotion, snapping a photo of two moms snuggling their daughter at one of the shows -- or snapping a photo of two guys walking with their sun on the P-Town pier ... arms stretched and skipping along. PRICELESS...

You brought up a great idea for the shows -- we did run into the "sorry, these 12 seats are saved" many times and it was quite annoying since we did show up early. TICKETS -- put the tickets in the staterooms, one for each adult and voila, problem solved? Perhaps ask what "seating" they want on check-in and give the tickets out then? This way they know how many for each show?

I'm hoping to go in February -- just depends on friends.

[goofygirl]

1st of all I have to say- those pictures were AMAZING- you are a GREAT photographer! Thank you for sharing them with us!

[WAVEJourney]

Love your photos! It's always fun seeing the same scene through anothers eyes. You've got a great eye for the camera.

Cheers!

Viv and Jill
Women's Adventures, Vacations & Experiences! (http://www.wavejourney.com)

[sjs5572a]

I was on the inaugural cruise and on this year's cruise. Although I had a great time this sailing with my partner and family, I felt that fellow cruisers were overall less willing to chat with potential new friends.

I made many friends on the inaugural cruise (with people who unfortunately couldn't make it this time.). However, our attempts to connect with other couples on this cruise
were largely fruitless. I monitored ourselves for bad-breath and body-odor (lol, none detected), and grotesque growths on visible parts of our bodies (lol, not too many detected).

I can only conclude that many of the male couples that we encountered were either jaded by the first two cruises, or were more interested in "cruising" than making friends.
My advice for the latter, stick with "Atlantis."

This being said, kudos all around to the R-Family team. I never saw a group of people
work so hard and so competently!

Signed,
Monogamously Coupled Guy

[cwoolson]

Goofygirl - (blush) You say that to everyone I'm sure :) With hundreds of photos to choose from and narrowing it down to 150... only the good ones are shown.

Thanks WAVEJourney! I'm enjoying your photos and the others posted as well -- you're right, we all have the same photos, perhaps a different angle :)

sjs5572a, your comments are interesting because I did hear a few jaded comments but didn't experience any of the male couples "cruising" -- one of the reasons I prefer R Family over the Atlantis or RSVP. I do agree, if that is the reason for the cruise then go somewhere else but again, didn't see it - then again I tend to be clueless to that anyway.

I met both male and female couples this time, I think it's just a matter of the right opportunity (kids aren't pulling mommies or daddies in another direction) and putting yourself out there (interjecting into someone else's conversation worked well for us!)

Cheers,
Chris

[canadian cruisers]

Wow those are nice photo's..........Glad everyone is willing to share as we lost our camera in Juneau...........There are so many different sceneries that I apparently missed.
Thanks!!

[Tico 1011]

Hi Chris & Bob! A fond hello to each and everyone that attended this year's Alaska cruise from Robert & Ruben! In reading the postings I think that it's important to mention some key points to think about when you think about booking next year:
No one can argue that the ship was crowded......super crowded and several of us "3's" felt the difference because the first cruise was more "intimate".
Understanding why is key for each and everyone of you....The first cruise left New York way below capacity and the second year was a bit "heavier" but nothing like this year.
I am one half of a very strong & commited couple that's been together 11 year's, we are still without children & in our mid 30's & we can afford the close to $6,000.00 it costs us to travel with RFamily each year & in the style to which we are accustomed. We also recognize that we may not be the exact demographic that this charter is looking to accomodate.
NOTE: We all have to think about these facts each and every time that we decide to give our vacation dollars to the RFamily Corporation.
Everyone booking a cruise with RFamily should think about that before making a reservation.
I'm sure that many of you experienced the following:
Waiting a long time for an elevator and then finding it filled to capacity or - finally getting an elevator on your way to dinner to find it stopping to fill up with sopping wet kids that leave puddles on the marble floor of the elevator was not something that most of us probably thought about when we booked this trip but in fact - we survived because we were able to reconnect with our "RFamily Friends", bond as family's, and have great entertainment.
Laughing is very hard to do these days Rosie Odonnel and Kathy G. gave us some incredible and much needed relief this year.
As for Ruben and myself we feel honored to be a part of the RFamily group each year that we board that ship and we hope that the Bermuda cruise will be just a bit less crowded since the vessel's capacity is less than the Flagships we are usually on.
I'm sure that the RFamily Corporation is thinking about:
*Adding more child care.
*Thinking about assigning group times to the evening shows.
*Limiting the number of guests on the vessels may help even if it means paying a bit more to increase service levels for passengers aboard.
*Allowing the most senior and loyal passengers to experience some type of "loyalty program" like first choice in booking and reserving state rooms - the longer you have cruised the more RFamily may want to "recognize" these groups. RFamily lost money - but many took the "leap of faith" right along with them in 2004 and we have not looked back since.
*Thinking seriously about always improving the product will get you far on these most enjoyable vacations.
Best regards and keep up the great work. It's not perfect but then again no one should ever think that your not doing a major service for us.
Your legacy has become that of leaving the world a much better place by finding a spot where we can all be ourselves for at least one week of our hectic lives, where children can see that it's ok "to be who you are" and that there are many people out there that will always keep them safe and do there best to make them happy.
Much Love,
Robert Hidalgo & Ruben Cardona - Stateroom #9200
PS: Just remember the couples without kids yet! We are always somewhere on that ship!

[cwoolson]

Canadian Cruisers,

You weren't the one's with the Nikon D50 posted in the elevators were you? My heart sank thinking someone would keep that camera rather than turn it in... Thanks for the props on the photos -- it's all in the camera, a Nikon D70 as well :)

Tico,

Rob & Ruben! So glad to catch you two -- I sent a private email to keep in touch! Glad to have bumped into the two of you again and to set the record "right", we LOVED the 1st year and are looking to go again. Put that one in the notebook :)

Cheers,
Chris

[Gregg]

Hello R Family Cruisers,
We miss you terribly!!!

I wanted to address the issue on crowds on our cruise. This was by far our best selling cruise we've ever had since we started 3 years ago. We had planned to cut the number off a little less passengers than what sailed. However, we got so many calls from passengers asking if they could add people to their cabin or add family and friends it was hard to say no. We still had a waiting list of more than 100 families and we even had families waiting at the dock with luggage asking if they could sail with us (who we turned away).

Most cruises in the summer sail at close to capacity. What happens on our cruise is that our guests attend all of our shows and this increases the use of the kids program at night.

We have added an additional cruise in 2007 and we are sailing on a slightly smaller ship in the summer. The Spirit has almost as much public space as the Star but a few hundred less people (less staterooms) We can assure you that you will have more space aboard our next cruises.

I read every comment on the forum and I read every single email that comes to "r family". Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated and we will continue to improve our programming and organization as we grow.

Thank you very much for all of your constructive comments and suggestions.

See you soon!
Gregg Kaminsky
Founding Partner
R Family Vacations
:)

[PAPAJIM]

Love your photos! It's always fun seeing the same scene through anothers eyes. You've got a great eye for the camera.

Cheers!

Viv and Jill
Women's Adventures, Vacations & Experiences! (http://www.wavejourney.com)
me too, thx for sharing:D

[MaryM]

I know - I wondered about that 'elevator' camera as well.

Our son left his Game Boy in the Spinnaker during the 2nd Sesame Street show, and unfortunately, it was never returned. It was a hard thing for him to learn about, but it was really our fault for (a) even bringing it and (b) not keeping an eye on it once he was up and dancing around. We got it for the sole purpose of the long plane ride and the line-waiting, so he hadn't grown real attached to it yet. Probably better that way.