Hi Dena and Lynn,

April 22, 2010 - This is my first time responding to a comment but I have been wanting to do this since the 20th Anniversary Western Caribbean Cruise. I noticed your mention of Meg Christian's music. Meg's performance was Wed. March 3rd. That night is embedded in my memory and heart. In addition to singing 10 of my favorite songs (but of course they are all my favorites) she said this: "All of you have tremendous courage in living your own lives and because of that many other women will do the same. I am proud of all of you."  Even now, over 7 weeks since she performed and said those works... My body fills with emotion for what she continues to give to women. I invite all who appreciate those who went before us to visit my You Tube Channel called Megchristianfan. Personally, I am looking forward to the 40th Olivia Anniversary (March 21st 2013) and you can bet I will be there for Meg Christian.

Hey Kathie:

 I don't know if you're still checking these or not but I felt compelled to respond. I often read the postings but rarely respond to any (had a really bad experience with that last year on the Eastern Caribbean connect group). Anyway, last year was our first Olivia cruise and I understand what you mean about the "newbie" needs. We tried to get everything we could from the experience and booked excursions at every port. That gives you a little more of a view of the place your visiting but even that was not how we normally travel. This trip we did our own research and planned our own activities and were much happier with our experience. We took a cooking class at a local bed and breakfast in Costa Maya; visited "el mercado" (the local market) in Cozumel and lunched at a local restaurant serving food from the Yucatan; in Roatan we visited local beaches and snorkeled on our own. We did take one excursion and that was the river ride down the Belize River. We saw a lot more of the local culture, met the people and sampled the local flavors. We also bought gifts and souvenirs that were local and authentic.

We learned on our first Olivia cruise (our first cruise ever) that the ships funnel their guests to certain shops where they get a kick back and seemingly try to "scare" guests from shopping elsewhere. They tell you they can't guarantee you won't be ripped off if you go off on your own. But we figured we are intelligent people and travel often so we figured we could handle it. We got so much more for our money and the experiences of coming into contact with the local culture and people who really appreciated our dollars. We also got some great gifts for family and friends.

We also felt that "clicky-ness" you talked about, on our first trip. This one did not seem so bad as we did not go into it thinking we would make great friends. We did meet a few women and had some enjoyable conversations. The connect groups can be a great ice-breaker but they seem to be dominated by the same small groups of women and I found them hard to penetrate. 

I'm sorry if anyone made you feel bad about not caring for Meg's music. Women's music has come a long way from it's early roots in folk music, and gladly so. We got a bit of that on the first night for not caring to see the Indigo Girls. We just don't care for their music, so we did not go.

As for the food, we had some truly great meals and a few bad ones (mostly at the Lido), but figure that is to be expected. Did you dine at the Pinnacle at all? That was truly a great meal for us. My partner is from St. Charles and we now live in Springfield, so she too is used to the "Chicago" food experience! 

We spent 10 years working at the Michigan Women's Music Festival and now feel that Olivia travel is "festival" for us "older" gals. (That camping crap is for the birds -- I like being pampered by the Holland staff!) 

I think the Olivia experience is what we make of it. We had a really good time on our first cruise and an even better time on this one. We have already booked our next cruise to the Mexican Riviera next March. We like the cruises because we get to see several places in the span of one relatively short trip.

Hope you are over the dizziness and hope to "see you 'round the ship".

Dena and Lynn

Ha!  So true...you would think I was used to it with all I have done in my life!!!!  Maybe Colleen is letting me get soft...haha!

Tammy

pole dancing is exhausting work I hear!

heehee

~Bunny

Congratulations to ya'll on Colleen's win.  I was playing at the time and I was really happy for her.  Hope we get to meet up on another trip.

Margaret & K.C.

Hi Kathie.  This was my fist Olivia experience too and my first ever cruise.  My partner Colleen (the lucky woman who won at Bingo while I was sick and napping in our cabin) and I live in the Chicago area too but since you don't have a picture with your screen name, I am not sure if I would recognize you from the cruise.  I went on the message boards and tried to get to know some people before the cruise so that I would have a few familiar faces around the ship.  But really, aren't we all familiar when you think about it...haha!  As in all settings, some people don't warm up as easily as others.  Remember, some people have to be very private about their lives and it might take them a while to realize they are in a safe environment.  Also, I found that if I talked to people, they usually talked back.  I only had one person on the whole ship who was flat out rude to me and given the amount of women on the ship, that is pretty cool (wouldn't you say)?  Eventhough Colleen and I didn't stay at the host hotel, we came over the night before we left out of Tampa to meet some people on the ship.  I have to say that at first I was a little nervous about approaching people, but once I tried, it was soooo easy.  I met some really awesome people that night (yes Christi and Kelly...I am braggin about you).  The people I met and the ones I finally met from the boards, were familiar faces and fun shipmates for us.  In addition, some nights we dined with people we knew and some nights we just asked people if we could join them at their table.  Colleen told me that most ships have assigned seating so Olivia is a breath of fresh air there.  Could you imagine eating with just the same people every night when there are so many other interesting people out there?  I agree that the food in Chicago is diverse, but I thought the food at dinner was very good.  Only once was I disappointed, but the overall experience was wonderful.  As for the entertainment, it was really fabulous, wasn't it!  I think the reaction you got about Meg might have been because of what she did for the lesbian movement.  I had heard of her music but I wouldn't rush out and buy CDs either.  You are right though, everyone has their own musical tastes.  As for the port stops, I agree that I was disappointed about how Americanized they were too.  I do, however, think that I enjoyed Belize because I went on an excursion.  It got me away from the port, across the country and into the woods (we did the cave tubing and it was fabulous)!  I also enjoyed Honduras because of our group trip to the daycare and the children's home (we got to see the country, meet some people and time to talk while in the van).  I encourage you to get on the message boards and meet a few people before going on your next adventure with Olivia...it really does make a difference.  I also encourage you to have a picture.  When I got on the ship, people recognized me and said hello!  Hope to see you on the next Olivia vacation or in Chicago (but hey, we probably met before and I didn't even know it). 

Hey Ladies!

      I tried to read most of the messages starting from the bottom, before the monitor started to spin faster.  Of course, I am still on the ship...at least my head is.  However, I did make it through a full day of work (with four meetings).  LOL  I am glad that in that you all ended up having a great time. 

      For me this was a great experience!  As you stated "LOVE" was in the air.  Not just trying to hook up, but connecting to others and embracing our own joy of sharing a great time with WOMEN! 

      I am glad that ya'll have made it home safe...maybe I will see you at another OLIVIA event. 

hey kathie7 & siz113!

the floor will stop moving…but I know…I'll always be dizzy as hell!

kathie7…I like how you broke down your first experience with olivia…remember to put these in your olivia evaluation.

if you don’t mind I’ll see if I can add to some of your perspectives…as how I first saw olivia…and what I know now…

women/people will always be a bit "clicky" no matter who or where you go.

a lot of the women do know one another from previous trips…and due to distance/life/whatever…this is a lifelong reunion for many of them…so they hang together.

others know their "friends" only to meet for the first time in person…as we all have chatted for a year here on the olivia connect site.

and some are so shy that they appear clicky and/or stuck-up and/or anti-social or what ever you want to call it.

I know I was called anti-social more than once…but I truly love meeting new people…and connecting with old friends…yet there are only so many hours/meals/ears to listen/seats next to you…and I still didn’t get to spend time with everyone I wanted to…so to those I didn’t…hopefully next time! 

siz113…I’ll take you up on that drink next time I see you!!

I do know that when I saw people who "looked" like they wanted company at dinner we invited them over to our tables

my gf and I try to mix with solos and couples alike…young and old…newbies and oldies…short and tall…big and little…but sometimes two people just don’t click/hit it off…and that’s ok!  you’ll find plenty of those who do click quite well!!

I agree that just off the ship is not really the country or it’s real people…you have to make an effort on cruises to find that…and due to time constraints that’s not always easy.

Maybe try a resort for your next trip…like for example…we go to Cancun every time it's offered and have seen some amazing things/places and meet great people…the real locals! 

siz113…sounds like you had some good adventures (weren't the ruins and the people great!)…it's sometimes good to color outside the lines!

or (and I know they're more expensive) the riverboat tours and the ultimate escapes are less touristy and involve more of the locals.

and the food can be hit or miss by ship or resort or from plate to plate…we've had some things that are just barely ok and others that were fantastic…all a matter of personal taste or just what's happening that day.  some days I didn't hardy like anything on the menu…and other days I would just order two or three different main dishes…so I/we could try them all.

and I find that when I don't like an entertainer (and I don't care what others think…just because olivia booked them doesn't mean their my taste) I'll use that time to get some extra sleep or hit the casino or just spend time laughing with new friends!

and as siz113 said…I would have talked to you & your partner without having to get drunk!

I am glad that thru it all you "had the most amazing time"

here's to seeing you all on the next one!!!

Kathie: I would have talked to you and your partner without getting you drunk! There are a few ladies who do a little snubbing on Olivia as in the real world, but most of us would have moved right over and made a space for you. Cruises do have the problem of short port stops which makes it difficult to see the country. However, I managed to get away from both the ports and the touristy shops by moving quickly the minute I dropped into port. Costa Maya which you thought was a waste was my best stop. I booked a tour ($65) through a local company run by a Mayan family who still lives in the the way Mayans did thousands of years ago. We saw Mayan ruins and our tour guide was a young girl from Austria who fell in love with the country on a visit and is here working permanently and living in a small bungalo with three other young people. The tour included a visit with the Mayan family who served us a traditional dinner, gave us a tour of their home and taught us how to do a traditional Mayan marriage dance. It was lovely and the women who traveled with me I had never met before and were wonderful and accepting that I was a little shy. There were five of us, me, a solo, and two couples. In Belize I asked a guard to find me a safe cab driver to tour the city and I took an unconventional tour and took my guide out to lunch at a local eatery ($20 for the cab, $22 for the lunch). I am not sure what I ate, but it sure was tasty and the tour of Belize was sure an eye opener about the poverty there! In Cozumel I rented a bike to go to a Beach break ($15 bike, $52 for beach,3 course meals and limitless beverages) which was a bit of a mistake and an adventure since what was supposed to be a 2 mile bike ride was a hot 7 mile one! I did meet a nice couple on the beach though and although I did not join in (cause I'm too old and I had 7 miles to bike back to port!) the girls in the hot tub were certainly taking advantage of the free liquor! Oh yeah, Honduras, I rented a kayak in port for $15 and saw an amazing array of sea life. Had fun at the bar in port although it was an American chain!

As to meeting people on the cruises, I have pretty low expectations because I week on a ship is probably not the best place to form long term friendships or to meet new people. Many people on cruises come in close knit groups. However, on the last cruise I met a woman who I now talk to by phone and someday we may be long term friends. A cruise ship that makes short stops in ports is just fantasy world and if you want to meet people I think you almost have to be aggressive about it and expect some rejection.As a solo I found myself alone quite a bit and would have welcomed a greeting from the two of you! I also enjoyed my time alone in my comfy cabin and reading on the deck of the boat.

 Funny, I thought the food was a little too salty and am surprised that someone said it was unsalted. I am an exnative of New York and now Burlington and I thought for mass produced food that the food on the cruise was quite good, especially the vegetarian stuff. I think it is hard to make fantastic high end food when you are serving that many people in such a short time. I think Holland had a good balance between quality and efficiency of service. As to the rotating tables, I thought that is what we were doing. Maybe that only happened in the solo section?

 As to seeing the country, that doesn't really happen on a cruise much. Maybe some day Olivia will be able to expand to tours or vacations outside of all inclusive resorts and cruises, but that would require a commitment from people like us, I suppose, AND it would be more expensive.

 I have also experienced a feeling that many people know each other on the Olivia cruises and small few are a little bit fanatical in their dedication to the Olivia experience and the Olivia entertainers, but when I really talked to them and got to know them they were mostly very nice, kind and caring people. I didn't go to all the shows and Meg isn't my thing either and if anyone frowned at me about that, oh well.

Well, off to the reason I came back to the posting after the cruise, finding my favorite hat! Hope the floor has stopped moving for you Kathie 7 and that you will feel less judged when you get back to the "real" world. I guess the point of an Olivia vaca is probably not the food but a place to be who you are or who you want to be. Olivia is probably open to suggestions also. I would like the evening dance nights to play something besides that Techno music for instance 60s,70s & 80s music and some of the ladies in their 60s and 70s hope for Big Band music. I found the evening dance music in the Crow's Nest a bit intolerable, personally. I would have danced the night away with ANY different music. I'm off!

As I sit in the hotel lobby in Tampa waiting to go home to Chicago, I am able to truly reflect on the past week of my life. Minus the fact that the floor is still moving and I'm dizzy as hell!  The first day on the trip a couple said to me, "this will change your life."  The experience truly has changed my life and how I identify as a lesbian. There is no other way to travel except with a group of lesbians.  There are pro's and con's to every situation.  I can divide the trip up into two groups; Olivia and Holland America.  The Olivia part of the trip was eye opening and fascinating.  I looked forward to Trisha's announcement every morning and her ending with "We'll see you around the ship."  I felt that most of the women knew one another and it was a bit "clicky."  My partner and I are very outgoing people and found it impossible to make friends. At one point I figured we just weren't drunk enough.  We would talk to people and make conversation, but no one would talk back to us.  I think Olivia puts a major focus on the Solo travelers and they should put that same focus on the "newbies."  Perhaps dinner should have rotating seats/tables so you can meet people.  Perhaps more get togethers with the younger crowd.  Something was missing from the trip that I can't truly place.  I also felt the ports were Americanized.  I wanted to visit other countries to see their culture and way of life. I wanted to meet the people, eat the food, and see the country for what it was. Instead I was dropped off at a shoppers trap of products imported from the US (A magnet in Belize said made in Tamarac, FL, a city my sister lives in)  I was offered American Mexican food and they took my American money. When my partner and I visited Canada the fun part for us was the difference in money and culture.  I didn't get that from this experience. I truly felt Costa Maya was a pointless stop.  There was nothing to do but shopping. Each store had the same items and each person was begging us to shop in their store.  So, that part was disappointing.

 The entertainment was fabulous!  However, if you didn't care for Meg Christianson you were frowned upon.  Everyone has their own taste in style of music.  It just wasn't for us, so we skipped the show.  People were shocked we didn't care for her music.  The comedians were amazing. I never laughed so hard in my life. I think it's great they mingle with the people on the ship as well. It makes them more normal.  Julie Goldman was a bit over the top, but still funny. I giggle now when I wear my sneakers and I have lady feet hidden inside. ;)  So on the Olivia side of things, I didn't care for the ports unless you had 100's of dollars to spend on excursions.  I felt it was impossible to meet people and form friendships.  I felt if I wasn't drunk no one would talk to me.  

Now for the Holland America part of things.  First I'll preface this with we are from Chicago. Complete food town.  We are both foodies in the sense we LOVE to cook and enjoy good food.  We expect good food.  I thought the food was the most disgusting thing in the world. Was it so hard to offer salted butter?  The food was bland, boring, and barely edible.  The eggs were runny, the pancakes needed a knife, and the dinner's even worse.  Even the ice cream was weird.  I asked one man why the food was cooked without salt and he said they had to conform for everyone.  I understand a lot of people can't have salt in their diet, so why not offer a section of salt free foods. They offered sugar free desserts.  My partner and I also had LapBand surgery, so for us we really embrace every meal as we only eat 4 oz at a time. It's quite frustrating to just have bad food.  The drinks were amazing.  I felt I truly got my money's worth on the drinks. They were strong and large and a decent price.  

 The staff was very respectful and amazing.  Some didn't speak much English, but they worked through it. The level of customer service went beyond anything I ever expected. I had someone waiting on me hand and foot every day.  Everything I needed was taken care of. I truly enjoyed the funny towel animals at the end of the evening and the two chocolate pieces.   

 So in the end, the experience was breathtaking.  If I summed up Olivia in one word I would say: Love.  I never saw so much love in my life. Love of life, love of each other, pure love. As I sit here in Tampa I still think every two women I see together are indeed lesbians. I know in time reality will return where we are are judged and stared at. I'm thankful Olivia has brought a way to us to be who we are together. Since the floor is still moving when I walk and I'm super dizzy, I'm not sure if I'll go on a cruise again.  However, I'm checking out the resorts!  

 So this is how I felt as a first timer or cruise "virgin."  In the end, even with the things I didn't enjoy I had the most amazing time. I thank everyone who did speak to us, allowed us to join them for lunch or dinner, or who just made the passing smile in the elevator.  I also want to congratulate the woman who won $1300 the last day in the casino!