There’s an Aquafest 7-night “gay explorer” cruise, which seems to take the Inside Pass, probably one of the best routes.  How exactly a “gay” explorer is different from an explorer is anyone’s guess though.

Coda offers a gay group cruise from Vancouver to Seward, and it checks out some of the more interesting places like Sitka and the Hubbard Glacier.  Apart from this, there are a few other gay group cruises you can take.

Now that we’ve established that you do in fact have the choice of taking a gay Alaska cruise, should you?  Well, that depends on what you’re into.  I would say that the Alaska cruises are for the more mature, serious couples, as well as the ones that are interested in wildlife, scenery and history over partying, beaches and drunken misadventures.

So what can you expect to see on an Alaskan cruise?  The scenery is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind, and you’ll see some great rocky shores meeting some angry waves, making their way into beautiful 10,000 ft snow-topped mountain peaks.  Little islands and deep bays dot the shoreline, and if you hit Alaska in summer, which you should, you’ll see very unique flora and fauna.  The entire region from Vancouver all the way up is beautiful, but if and when you make it to certain regions, there are places where you can find such unique oddities as a flower that blooms for just one day in the year.  Imagine giving your lover that flower (can you say get… some?).

When you finally tear your gaze away and glance back at the ocean, you’ll probably do a double take, because you’ll see killer whales, beluga whales, humpback whales and other amazing creatures.  Bald eagles are in great numbers, and they’ll be circling over grizzly and black bears, which dot the slopes of the fjords.  If you get lucky, you may even see them fishing for salmon (you could do the same on a day excursion).  If you get to Anchorage, you’ll find that the city has a sizable population of moose.

There’s also the history.  Nestled within Canada and belonging previously to Russia, Alaska has a very diverse population, and some unique settlements of Norwegian people where the culture has remained intact, others of Russian people, and others of native peoples.

One of my favorite things about the 49th state is the northern lights, or Aurora Borealis.  There is nothing like this on earth.  There’s a catch though.  They’re most easily seen during the winter, and you have to be far enough north.  You can get far enough with most cruises, but the chances of seeing them during the summer are lower.

All these reasons are plenty, but as you can see, Alaska is not exactly the partygoer’s hotspot.  It’s closer to being the opposite, a serene, zen experience for the open-minded, but if not this year, everyone should check it out at some point.

Come on, don’t be lazy.  Hit “read more.”

Today’s young and happening gays and lesbians have a lot of choices, but essentially, the choice boils down to whether the cruise should be an all-gay one, or a gay group on a mainstream cruise. There are advantages to both, and to read a little more on the subject go here. Let’s have a look at who’s who, shall we?

When it comes to all-gay cruises, there are two heavyweights, and a few smaller players, and each have their own advantages. Essentially, what you’re looking at is ginormity, extreme fun, raucousness, common, typical vs. small, individual, unique, luxurious, mature, calm, quiet. Something like this!

Crazy vs. luxurious gay cruises

Atlantis – The 800-pound gorilla of gay cruises. This is reflected in their strong marketing (The Way We Play), but that doesn’t mean that the company is all show and no go. They serve 20,000 people per year, and have booked some incredible ships, including the Freedom of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship! With Atlantis, you can go on the world’s premier ships, enjoy big-named celebrity appearances, dance to the beat of the biggest DJs, and so on. It’s definitely something that gays should try, but the Atlantis experience is perhaps the polar opposite of say, DavidTours – a highly specialized, very unique, luxurious (and expensive) experience. That’s not to say it’s bad, on the contrary, the experience is really “big,” but you have to decide what kind of experience you’re after. In my opinion, the Atlantis experience caters toward the 20something and 30something crowds.

RSVP – While Hanns Ebensten travel is probably the grandaddy of gay travel and gay tours, RSVP could be the founder of the gay cruise. RSVP was also the only competition that Atlantis had, until they bought it out, but they haven’t merged, and Atlantis says it’ll keep them separate and distinct. So far, it has. RSVP traditionally has had more women on their cruises, and they’re smaller, so everything is a little more focused.

Travelpride – They tend to focus on relaxation and luxury rather than all-night partying and underwear parties. This probably caters to people 40+ or younger Bond villain-wannabes, but they do seem to deliver on their premise. By their own account they focus on smaller ships and attention to detail is very high. Mostly, their packages are all-inclusive, of even 5-star luxury hotels along the way. Probably a good way to see Europe, but their upcoming Mysteries of the Black Sea should be interesting.

Olivia – Oddly, this company began as a record label, but today, it is the only big lesbian tour operator. In terms of atmosphere and feel, it’s most similar to Travelpride, so while there are parties and what not, things don’t get as crazy as they might with Atlantis or even RSVP. Olivia too wants to focus on relaxation, sensuality, peace, calm, basically the ultimate lesbian experience.

R Family Vacations – The somewhat famous cruise line Rosie O’Donnell and her partner began, the who point of this cruise is to offer a gay/lesbian cruise that you can bring family along on. If you think about it, the other cruise operators will allow this, but not focus on it. It’s a great way to make long-term like-minded friends, and possibly because of Rosie O’Donnell’s friends, sometimes attracts big guests. Of course, with family on board, don’t expect towel-whipping competitions or banana hammock overload (a good thing), and it won’t be people in white outfits serving you caviar and champagne on a private deck while you listen to your relaxing musical stylings, but in a way, it’s the most mainstream gay/lesbian cruise, and probably has the most mixed, diverse people on board.

Romance Voyages – Offers really exciting destinations that are fairly far off the beaten path as far as cruises go, such as the Nile, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. If you’re more interested in the destination than the cruise itself, Romance voyages is perhaps the ideal choice for the more explorative gay traveler. Excursions are also excellent and go to very unique places.

That’s about it for the all-gay operators. Next, let’s have a look at some of the larger tour operators. These guys arrange gay groups on mainstream cruises, but to some, this is the best option. Why? You get plenty more cruises and destinations to choose from, all while remaining in the comfort of a gay group without isolating yourself.

Aquafest – This group wants to position itself as the Atlantis of gay group cruises. They claim that the atmosphere on the boats is “conducive to partying,” and of course, have cruises with themes such as Mardi Gras or Halloween. They have two upcoming cruises for 2009, one for Alaska and the other a Halloween cruise to the Caribbean.

Coda International Tours – Along with Pied Piper Travel, Coda is the other big gorilla in gay group cruises and travel. They too have a very focused approach, unique destinations and a very high satisfaction rate. A Danube cruise, Black Sea & Mediterranean cruise and an Aegean cruise are just some of their 2009 packages.

Hanns Ebensten Travel – This agency pioneered gay travel way back in the 70s when being gay was considered a medical condition. So if you’re looking for experience, this place has more of it than anyone on the planet. You can rest assured that the destinations were chosen with experience and knowledge, but wow! Look at some of ‘em! India, Easter Island, Greece, Sicily…

DavidTours – At the high end of travel resides DavidTours. Providing highly customized options, if you want to combine the concepts of gay and luxurious, find a fairly large sum of money and contact these people.

Pied Piper Travel – If Atlantis is the 800-pound gorilla of all-gay cruises, Pied Piper Travel is an 800-pound gorilla of gay group cruises and activities. They have more events planned than anyone, and more than a few of these other guys combined. Being a small, specialized tour operator means that experience and a hands-on approach will be part of the vacation, and that can sometimes offer tremendous value.

If you want to learn what NOT to take, take these packing tips.

Hit the link to read the article!

Must-Haves:

Plane tickets, or e-tickets

Cruise tickets and documents

Passport (visa if necessary)

Driver’s license

Auto insurance slip or card

Medical insurance card or Health card if you’re Canadian

Copies of your prescriptions

List of medicines you might be bringing

Credit cards

Debit and/or ATM cards

Prepaid phone cards

Unlocked SIM cell phone and charger with adapter if necessary

Local SIM card

Cash

Traveler’s checks

List of emergency contacts

Optional, But Fun or Useful:

Sunglasses

Guidebooks such as Lonely Planet or Frommer’s

Netbook (these are really cheap and small)

Digital camera (preferably an SLR with close- and long-range lenses)

Batteries or charger for digital camera

Extra memory cards for your digital camera

Sony PSP or Nintendo DS and respective charger(s)

iPhone (the GPS, compass, alarm clock, contact list, internet browsing, email etc. come in handy) or other capable smartphone

For the Obssessive-Compulsive, or Those With Macgyver Complexes:

Duct tape (only you, imagining yourself as Macgyver can think of uses for this)

corkscrew (because why would a fully-equipped cruise ship have this on board?)

umbrella (because it rains indoors on a cruise ship)

Swiss Army Knife (this is survival gear,baby)

Crazy glue (you never know when you’ll have to seal someone’s lips)

A deck of cards (if the TV, internet, all the fun activities and people all die, you could play cards)

Clothes pins (because you want to do you laundry yourself, AND like its 1885 baby!)

Cruise: Scandinavia/Russia Cruise

When: June 13^th to 27^th, 2009

Company/Offered Through: Pied Piper

Type: Gay Cruise Group

Departs: Harwich, England

Visits: Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Stockholm, Oslo, Harwich

Basic Itinerary:

Pricing Info:

Travel and Ship Info:

PIED PIPER presents our Annual gay group cruise to Scandinavia and Russia! Pamper yourself with gourmet food, superb entertainment and fabulous service while cruising the Baltic Sea! You will have the chance to visit several Scandinavian ports such as Stockholm and Helsinki. Another excitinghighlight will be the chance to spend two days in exotic St. Petersburg, Russia, where you can immerse yourself in the art, culture and architecture of the Imperial Romanoff capital! And you will sail on Celebrity Cruises’ beautiful cruise ship, Constellation!

This beautiful, luxurious new ship has all the warmth, charm and distinction of classic ocean liners of a bygone era. However, she is up-to-date with all the latest high-tech features you could possibly desire. Each spacious, beautifully decorated stateroom contains a 20″ Sony multifunctional, interactive television, direct-dial telephones and voice mail, thermostat-controlled air conditioning, private safe, mini-bar and 24-hour complimentary room service! Onboard public rooms include the largest AquaSpa afloat and an alternative restaurant with interiors from the classic ocean liners of the past!