We've Moved...Don't Be left Behind

We've moved...

DON'T MISS THE BOAT!!! GaySailAway the Blog has set sail for a new port of embarkation. Same great blog, same great information... but a much more robust blog. Come on-board and Sail-Away with us at:

www.GaySailAway.com/blog

Air Transportation Options for a Cruise

Air/Sea Programs

Most cruise lines offer an option to book, for an extra fee, your air transportation to and from your home city to the port of embarcation for your cruise. This includes transfers to and from the airport to the port of embarcation. On some transcontinetal (flights departing from one coast and flying to the other), you may fly in one day early. If so your purchased air/sea program will include an overnight hotel accommodation that will be convenient to your port of embarcation. This is a very convenient way to book your air travel but their are drawbacks.

They include:
• The inability to select what air carrier you will be flying on, which is not helpful if you do not have a frequent flier account with them
• You won't receive your booking arrangements until a week to a few weeks before the cruise
• Some flights will be same day flights as your cruise and may cause you stress if schedules change or if you get bumped from your flight
• Many of these flights are not non-stop or direct flights so there is a chance that you will have to change planes or carriers enroute to your embarcation destination city. This can make for a long day of flying and possible delays.

Booking Your Own Air Transportation

You have the option of you or your Travel Agent booking your Air Transportation. When booking your own Air Transportation GaySailAway highly suggests that you fly in to your port of embarcation at least one day early. You ask.."Why spend the extra time and money?"

They include:
• If your flight is delayed or oversold you will have more time to arrive at your cruise without fear that you've missed the boat
• If there are weather delays you will have more options and time to get to your cruise
• Flights on weekends,which are the most common days of cruise departures, may be oversold to many cities where ships depart to and from. This can increase your risk of being bumped from your flight and missing the boat

The advantages for booking your own Air Transportation are many. They include:
• More options for carriers and routes (non-stop and direct flights through cities of your choosing)
• Options to find lower cost flights
• You're able to use your frequent flier miles
• You're able to fly on flights that fit into your frequent flier programs
• You're Able to choose HRC and IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association) endorsed/certified "Gay-friendly" carriers (Why not spend your dollars on Carriers who are supportive of our community?)

Remember when you book your own flights to and from your port of embarcation it is important to know that you will also have to arrange ground transportation to and from the airport to the port (taxi, bus, towncar, limo). Most cities with large ports will have transfer services (Airporter Bus or Van) to and from the airport and port. Check with your travel agent or contact the cruise line for recommendations.

Whenever you travel GaySailAway suggests that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance that includes coverage for flight delays, cancellations and changes that could effect whether you arrive to your ship on time for sailing.

To see if your Air Carrier is considered a gay-friendly carrier you can visit the following links
• HRC (Human Rights Campaign) The watch dog for the LGBT Community
• IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association)

A Stateroom with "What a" View

Balcony Cabin on Disney Magic

The most popular type of cabins are veranda, otherwise known as balcony cabins. Vernada staterooms are similar in layout as an outside cabin with an added bonus, a small but functional balcony. Depending upon where the cabin is located on the ship the cabins can be as small as 60sf and up to 200+sf. Popular balcony locations are on the stern, or back, of the ship. These cabins not only offer amazing views and the balconies are usually much larger. Standard size balconies include two chairs and a small table which is large enough to hold drinks, binoculars and a couple of good (or trashy) books.

Balcony cabins are slightly larger than inside cabins (generally between 150 and 190sf) and configured with the balcony directly at the back of the cabin. Some are configurated with beds close to the balcony doors, while others have the sitting area close to the doors. These configurations vary from ship to ship. To accommodate friends or families traveling together, many of these cabins are configured with connecting doors that can open up combining two cabins and some have removable privacy screens (which are put in between the balconies) so the balconcies' width can be expanded two fold. Though balcony cabins may have similar layouts, the way they are decorated and furnished varies considerably between ships and cruise lines.

Standard Balcony Cabin Features

• Balcony with chairs and small table
• Bathroom with sink, toilet and shower (some with bathroom)
• Twin beds convertible into a queen size bed with under the bed storage and night stands
• Wardrobes with drawers
• Sitting area with chair or small love seat and coffee table
• Vanity and desk
• Interactive TV
• Climate Control (air conditioning/heating)

Example of Outside Cabins (by Cruise Line)

Carnival Carnival Splendor Balcony Cabin

Celebrity Solstice Balcony Cabin

Crystal Crystal Serenity Balcony Cabin

Cunard QM2 Balcony Cabin

Disney Disney Magic Balcony Cabin

Holland America Zuierdam Balcony Cabin

NCL Norwegian Jewel Balcony Cabin

Princess Caribbean Princess Balcony Cabin

Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas Balcony Cabin

"Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Clarkson, OMG! Kelly Clarkson!!" Well Kind of...

2010 American Idol "Final 12" Contestants

American Idol stars and stars from Broadway to Perform on Holland Ameica's Ships. But don't rush out to purchase a Kelly Clarkson or Liza cruise....In order to compete with Royal Caribbean's shows like Hairspray and Chicago and NCL Epics' Blue Man Group, Holland America's fleet will soon be hosting American Idol performers and Broadway entertainers. Most likely the big names, winners like Kelly Clarkson and superstar Liza, are not likely be headliners due to their concert schedules and high booking fees...But hey, there are plenty of American Idol finalists and Broadway stars who would add excitement to any cruise.


Holland America's updated "Showrooms at Sea", the lines state-of-the-arts theatres on the Veendam, Rotterdam, Statendam and Ryndam, are the perfect venues to host live performances by headline entertainers. The theatres' new layouts with larger stages, dance floors and new seating configurations will provide a great opportunity to get up close to the entertainers. Last month was the debut of the new entertainment program with debut act Cantaré performing on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

We're hoping that someday soon Melinda Doolittle or Crystal Bowersox will headline a cruise! And keep those fingers crossed all you Clay-Nation fans....

For more information visit Holland America's website or contact your Travel Consultant.

Introducing GaySailAway's New Arts and Culture Associate- Shane Craig

Image: Shane Craig in Japan

Profile on Shane Craig

Age: 21
Home City: San Francisco
Number of Cruises: 15+
Area of Expertise: Arts and Culture
Places Traveled: U.S., Mexico, Hawaii,
Caribbean, Europe and Japan
Languages Studied: English, French and Japanese

We're excited to welcome Shane Craig, GaySailAway's latest edition to our growing family. Shane is a seasoned travel and cruising enthusiast, having sailed on over 15 cruises and traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Europe and Japan. He's currently a student at San Francisco City College studying Art History and LGBT studies.

Shane grew up in San Diego and has always loved fine art. During his world travels he's visited Premier Art Museums in London, Paris, Florence, Athens, to name just a few. If he had to choose a favorite museum it would have to be the Louvre which just happens to be in Paris, one of his favorite cities. At 8-years-old Shane astounded doges at the Muse de Orsay with his understanding of Impressionism. In June he led a Museum Tour of New York with his boyfriend Cameron, who's an art major at U.C. Berkeley. Not only did they tour the city's finest museums and galleries, they also took in La Cage on Broadway.

We asked Shane what his favorite ship is. "I love Celebrity's Mercury. I've sailed on it many times with my family to Mexico. It's small but beautiful". And what are his favorite destinations that he's visited while cruising? San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he loves to walk around Old Town and take pictures of the colonial architecture and the Hawaiian Islands where he loves to snorkel. What are his favorite places that he's visited that were not on a cruise? Easy!...Tokyo, Japan and Santorini, Greece.

Shane has been out since 16, growing up spending time between his divorced parents, one home with his gay dad and step-dad and the other with his mom, step-dad and twin-sisters. Today he's active in the Bay Area LGBT community where he's been a monthly contributor since age 16 to BettysList.com, the Bay Area's most comprehensive networking site for Lesbians and Gays. At Betty's List he provided his insight into growing up gay in San Diego living with both his families.

Professionally, Shane has helped curate art exhibits at the Good Vibrations Gallery in San Francisco and has led discussions on coming out and safer sex practices to community groups. Shane also works for Agenda9, an event's marketing and design firm, where he is an Events Coordinator. At Agenda9 he has helped produce San Francisco Pride Parties, San Francisco Pride Parade Floats and has helped stage film festivals and shows at the Castro Theatre, including Margaret Cho's West Coast Premier of her film Bam Bam and Celeste.

Shane and Actress, Comedian and LGBT Activist, Margaret Cho

Shane will be contributing postings to GaySailAway the Blog on the best arts and culture destinations. He will be hosting a GaySailAway Gay Group Cruise to Europe in 2011 focused on Arts and Culture with his boyfriend. More to come on this exciting cruise.

If you have any questions for Shane please email him at shane@GaySailAway.com.

The "skinny" on Outside Cabins

Disney Cruise Lines Disney Magic Outside Stateroom

Outside cabins are a popular choice upgrade by travelers looking for a budget-friendly cabin. On today's ships outside cabins are generally located on lower decks, below the decks with cabins with balconies. Some outside cabins are located on an upper deck but with views obstructed by lifeboats. The cabins are slightly larger than inside cabins (generally between 150 and 190sf) and configured with a porthole or large window. To accommodate budget minded friends or families traveling together, many of these cabins are configured with connecting doors that can open up combining two cabins.

Most outside cabins come in two standard configurations, aka "skinny" rooms which tend to be long and deep, with a porthole/window at the far end away from the door or horizontally with one or two portholes/windows looking into the cabin. Though outside cabins may have similar layouts, the way they are decorated and furnished varies considerably between ships and cruise lines.

Standard Features Include:

• Window or Porthole
• Bathroom with sink, toilet and shower
• Twin beds convertible into a queen size bed with under the bed storage and night stands
• Wardrobes with drawers
• Sitting area with chair or small love seat and coffee table
• Vanity and desk
• Interactive TV
• Climate Control (air conditioning/heating)

Example of Outside Cabins (by Cruise Line)

Carnival Carnival Splendor Outside Cabin

Celebrity Mercury Outside Cabin

Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam Outside Cabin

NLC Norwegian Jade Outside Cabin

Princess Ruby Princess Outside Cabin

Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas Outside 2-Bedroom Family Cabin

Deal: Esacpe to The Caribbean, Central and South America

Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas

Cenrtium and Lounge

Adult's Only Solarium Pool

Specialty Dining Room

Main Pool

Amazing Prices: Inside Cabins from $826.00* and Balcony Cabins from $1,507.00*

Join Royal Caribbean on a 10 Night Ultimate Caribbean and Panama Cruise sailing on the beautiful Jewell of the Seas. She will set sail January 14 on a round-trip cruise from fabulous and gay Fort Lauderdale. Ports of call will include Georgetown, Grand Cayman; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Columbia and Royal Caribbean's own private day-resort, Labadee, Haiti (unaffected by the recent earthquake).

Click Here for more information

*Prices per person, double occupancy. Government taxes and fees are extra. Airfare to and from Ft. Lauderdale is not included. Subject to availability

The "Inside" About Inside Staterooms...

Inside Cabin on Celebrity Solstice

Inside cabins are a popular choice among travelers who are budget minded or traveling solo. Though most are slightly smaller than windowed cabins, they provide the same comforts. They are often suggested by Travel Agents to clients who are first time cruisers and families who are traveling that need multiple cabins. Many inside cabins, as well as outside cabins, have doors that can be unlocked that connect two cabins together. Most inside cabins come in a standard layout, however the way they are decorated and furnished varies considerably between ships and cruise lines.

Standard Features Include:

• Bathroom with sink, toilet and shower
• Twin beds convertible into a queen size bed with under the bed storage and night stands
• Wardrobes with drawers
• Sitting area with chair or small love seat and coffee table
• Vanity and desk
• Interactive TV
• Climate Control (air conditioning/heating)

Example of Inside Cabins (by Cruise Line)

Carnival - Carnival Splendor Inside Cabin

Celebrity - Celebrity Solstice Inside Cabin

Cunard - Queen Mary 2 Inside Cabin

Cunard - Queen Mary 2 Inside Atrium Cabin
with Atrium View

Holland America - Nieuw Amsterdam Inside Cabin

Disney - Disney Magic Inside Cabin

NCL - Epic Inside Cabin

NCL - Norwegian Jewel - Inside Cabin

Princess - Caribbean Princess Inside Cabin

Royal Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas Inside Cabin

Royal Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas Inside Atrium Cabin
with Atrium View

How To Pick A Cruise Cabin

Epic Courtyard Penthouse Suite

How To Pick A Cruise Cabin

When I first started cruising with my parents back in the mid ‘70s selecting a cabin, or stateroom, was pretty easy. Cruise ships back then had a limited selection of categories, generally an inside cabin without any windows, an outside cabin with a porthole or a suite which had a small sofa and generally a couple of portholes. The only other decisions my parents had to make were what deck and where on the ship they wanted to be located.

Today there are so many more options for cabin layouts available to choose from. The largest ships, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Freedom Class ships and NCL’s Epic have over 20 different choices alone. Today’s offerings are far removed from the selections of yester-years. NCL’s Epic offers chic studio rooms for single travelers, a rarity on most cruise lines, and Royal Caribbean offers two-story loft-style suites with two-story floor-to-ceiling windows, balconies, dining areas and living rooms.

First time cruisers have often been advised to get a budget priced inside cabin to save money and get a taste of cruising often accompanied with “you don’t spend much time in your cabin anyway”. That may be true, however on journeys longer than seven days an inside cabin can become a little claustrophobic due to the lack of natural light filtering in from a window. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis, Freedom and Voyager Class ships all have inside cabins with bay windows that look into the middle of the ship’s Royal Promenade, a three story high, 350 yard long (think one football field) corridor which acts as the activity, shopping and dining hub of the ship.

Price, location, occupancy and amenities drive cabin selections. Suites and premium cabins are generally located in prime locations throughout the ship. Today’s cruise ships cluster most cabins on several decks above and below the entertainment and dining areas. In some cases a cluster of suites can be found on the higher decks of the ship surrounding their own private swimming pool and dining areas.

Price:

Most cruisers are going to be planning their vacation with a budget in mind. Price will be key to your cabin selection. Inside Cabins and some Outside Cabins (generally with an obstructed view or at the very front, or bow, of the ship) are some of the lowest priced cabins available. Many Cruise Line’s pricing structures include Category Guarantees, where prices are discounted on a category of cabins; you pay a lower price for the cabin however you are not assigned the actual cabin until a week or more before your sailing date. There are also Early Bird Discounts where cabin prices are discounted six months or more before the sailing date.

Of course if price is of little concern today’s ships have lavish suites that include multiple rooms, butler service, grand piano, outside Jacuzzi and much more. Suite configurations are as diverse as the itineraries offered. Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and NCL have some of the most amazing suites available. And if a suite is not in your budget, there are other options that provide exclusivity such as Concierge and Aqua Class Cabins on Celebrity, which provide extra amenities such as fresh flowers, upgraded bathing products, pillow menus, excusive restaurants and priority spa reservations.

Location:

Besides location for convenience, location is going to play a big part in your cruise satisfaction if you are prone to mal du mer, seasickness, have physical limitations or want the best views from your Cabin. As a rule, cabins located mid ship, on a middle or lower deck have the least amount of motion (pitch and roll). The Cabins in these areas are generally more expensive and are sold at a premium. Cabins on higher decks, at the bow (front,) or aft (back) experience the most motion. Even though these cabins can experience more pitch and roll, many people prefer these Cabins for their good views. Some suites are purposely located there for their amazing views.

If you are a light sleeper or in need of privacy it’s good to take into consideration the proximity of the Cabin to a stairwell or elevator (you will want to be close, but not too close, unless you don’t mind extra noise and traffic) and how close it is to public areas or work. If a Cabin is directly above or below a public space, like a disco, restaurant or bar, you will experience more ambient noise. Cabins under restaurants tend to hear chairs scooting around when people move to and from their table, while cabins that are close to a bar or disco may experience more noise and cigarette smoke (though most lines are becoming more and more smoke free).

Occupancy:

Most cabins can accommodate four companions easily. Besides the stationery beds (accommodating two) Pullman uppers (beds built into the walls or ceilings of the cabin that can be brought down by a Cabin Steward) or sleeper sofas can accommodate a third of fourth passenger. These options are great for a close group of friends or a family who wants to travel together on a smaller budget. Cruise rates for a third or fourth passenger staying in a room are greatly reduced (in some cases by over 90%).

Many suites can accommodate groups of up to six people comfortably and if a suite is not in your budget, Royall Caribbean, Celebrity and other Cruise lines offer family staterooms that have an extra room, or space, for extra beds.

Amenities:

The more amenities the cabin has the more expensive it will be. Generally all cabins will provide you with a comfortable, well decorated, ergonomically designed accommodation for your cruise. They generally have a small bathroom with shower and storage space for your toiletries, floor to ceiling closets, under bed storage, a desk/vanity with storage, small sofa or chair, coffee table, hair dryer, interactive television and air conditioning/heating.

Tomorrows Post will focus on GaySailAway’s Best Cabin Configurations