Hi Folks - Any other parents here been on a Rosie Cruise? We are going on the March RFamily Vacation Mexican Cruise and are so excited we can hardly stand it.

Our son is 14 months and just starting to walk. Our known donor daddy is going on the cruise too in his own cabin.

Did you bring toys on a cruise? Experiences? Stories?


Smiles,

Hi! I haven't been on a Rosie Cruise but my nephews teenage friend did.
He went with his dad.
Now this guy is about 16, a hard-core punk rocker and he still begrudginly admitted he had fun and that it was cool.
So just wanted to share.,

The president of our local g&l parents group is going on the same cruise, he's so excited. He adopted his son 5 years ago, and i think he's been a single gay dad this whole time. Hopefully he'll find a great fellow-daddy there.

:energy:You are gonna have a blast!!!

My partner and I went on the Alaska cruise in the summer of 2006 and we went on the caribbean cruise last spring. We were scheduled to go on the Mexica cruise, but we decide to bump up our ttc.

We don't have any kids at this time, but I can tell you that they have rooms full of toys. They have the kids split up by ages for different play things and they have sing alongs and all sorts of things. Kids are welcome everywhere. I don't think we ever saw an issue with kids while eating, viewing entertainment or just hanging out.

You know, we read all the stories and saw the video before our first cruise about how everyone feels like a family and honestly we didn't believe it. But after our first cruise we were hooked. The atmosphere on the cruise is so amazing and full of love and tolerance it will blow your mind.

There is a chat area on the rfamily website where you might be able to get some more information, but I am happy to answer any questions about the crusie or the ships the best I can. I am so jealous!!:thumb

We haven't been on one, but our friends (a gay couple and a lesbian couple) went last year and had a blast! They can't wait to go on another one. They highly recommended going on one with kids because they saw kids having lots of fun. The lesbian couple really liked that there were seminars on parenting, and it helped them come to the conclusion that parenting was something they wanted to do. I hope you have a great time!

Hi - We went and you all were right. It was the greatest gay event, the greatest vacation ever. I hope every LGBT family goes. They are so much fun. You get so much for your money. The trip is fantastic. I can't tell you how much we loved it. This summer they go to Canada. Next Summer Alaska. I would go on an inland lake with these folks - it is that much fun. I just can't tell you how amazing of a trip it is.

This is from the parenting column I write for Queer Life News:

The how-to aspect of the Science Project will return next month. I want to share an amazing experience this gay family had the pleasure of participating in.

Question - Where can you find:
• 2000 beautiful, grounded, loving, LGBTQ people, their allies, and their families;
• delightful, polite, wanted, children of all ages and races;
• unlimited amazing food like shrimp cocktail, homemade pastry, and European chocolates all served with five-star service;
• leaders of national gay rights organizations, social justice seminars, bingo, gambling, and dancing;
• Tony Award® winning Broadway stars, famous film and television actors, Cyndi Lauper, and sought-after comedians?

Answer - R-Family Vacations, the gay family friendly vacation company started by Rosie O’Donnell, her partner Kelli and their friend Greg Kaminsky.

A few years ago when watching the documentary, All Aboard Rosie’s Family Cruise, we vowed to go. We booked the spring break, Mexican Rivera cruise, in the cheapest room. We were delighted with our beautiful accommodations and the value we got for our money.

We have tried to describe all that went into making this trip fantastic. It is easy to brag about interacting with famous people. My partner worked out with Cyndi Lauper and many stars of the Logo’s Big Gay Sketch Show. My son ran up to Sharon Gless from Cagney and Lacy and more recently Debbie on Queer as Folk, about six times during dinner. Ross the Intern from The Tonight Show hosted game shows and greeted people all over the ship. Each evening the piano bar had Broadway stars belting out tunes. My son played with Kevin Chamberlain’s (Horton the Elephant from the musical Suessical) hat while riding to the pier. Rosie O’Donnell stopped and said goodbye to us when we were in Cabo.

Like any cruise, the food and service were amazing. R-Family chartered a Holland America ship known for their cuisine and green friendly practices. We never used a disposable cup, or napkin – not even a paper towel the whole trip. In public bathrooms we were provided with washcloths to dry our hands. Not only were we treated to five-star service everywhere, but the staff were joyful to have all our children on the ship and paid extra attention to them, performing magic tricks, singing and playing with them. One waiter who particularly liked us would bring us a dinner course and scoop our son out of his high chair, entertaining him a few feet away while we ate uninterrupted.

The true reason the trip was amazing, however, is the quality of the people who go on an R Family Vacation. I think that when so many folks get together who are queer or love someone queer, there is an unspoken bond. Then when gay people go the many extra steps it takes to bring children into their lives, they have to get over their own issues and work instead at being good parents. That intention seems to make for dynamite families. We met families made through surrogacy, foreign and local adoption, foster care, and insemination. As children of LGBT folks are wanted and brought into the world with a great deal of intention, the people inviting them into their lives seem more grounded because they are actualizing their dreams. They are living their truth.

This ship was full of the most loving families I have ever witnessed. Even the employees of the cruise ships have caught on – there are waiting lists to work on Rosie cruises. Jennifer, a Holland America childcare worker stated, “R Family Vacations is one of the best things I've ever witnessed… As a straight female with no gay relatives -- I've experienced something so genuinely thought-provoking and touching that I feel honored to have been a part of it. I would jump at any chance to experience it again.”

The children and teenagers we met were so polite and worldly. They are leaders in their communities, raising funds, protesting, and speaking up for equal rights. They understand what it is to fight for one’s rights and they are doing what they can to change the world. I can’t wait for the children raised by LGBT parents to be our future leaders. They are going to do an amazing job.

Before having a baby, my partner and I debated whether it was fair to bring a child up with lesbian moms. I left the cruise knowing it isn’t only fair, it may in fact be an advantage. These children are brought up wanted, surrounded by love and cherished.

R-Family Vacations are for everyone, young or old, with kids or without, single, partnered, gay or straight families or whomever. This summer there is a cruise leaving from New York touring New England and Canada. Next summer we will be on the Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver. Visit rfamilyvacations.com for more details. See you on the ship.

Just a quick update, the President of our local G&L parents group DID meet a great guy, who is not yet a parent but wants to become one, at the Rosie cruise. They have singles mixers and mixers/Q&As for not-yet parents, as well, everyone is welcome apparently.
I have to admit I have a GREAT deal of cynicism about "rainbow marketing" but this sounds truly exceptional. So glad you had such a great time Magic Denise.

Oh these cruises look soooo wonderful. When I watched the Rosie documentary on the cruise I was in tears. I wish there had been such a wonderful family centred activity available when I was a child (raised by a lesbian mother). It would have been soooo wonderful to meet other children in similar situations.

Enjoy!!!

We thought about going when dd1 was younger. The kids room is drop-off only....and ours don't so much drop off with folks they don't know.

Might be fun when they're older.