Knots and Snobs

A long running battle between me and virtually every gay friend of mine is my (minor) obession with cruise ships.  It's been years since I've been on one, but growing up my family had gone on a few and I even joined roughly 40 of my college friends on a carribean cruise for spring break more years back than I care to mention.  They were always a lot of fun...the ships are incredible, and while the destinations are great, it was always the days at sea that were the most fun.  I met fun people, got drunk, gambled, etc...and it was a blast. 

My gay friends, however, have routinely turned their collective nose up on even the notion of a cruise, incorrectly insisiting that these ships are basically floating buffets, populated by bloated Americans with no class and terrible entertainment.  A few points to be made to my light-in-their loafers gay circle:

- I realize that getting face-plantedly drunk is far classier when it's done in, say, Ibiza, rather than a Royal Carribean cruise ship, but neither experience will be taught in Victorian etiquette class.

- The newest ships are simply spectacular...with amazing choices for dining, restaurants, entertainment, etc.  The newest ones cost in the neighborhood of $1 billion to build.  It not exactly the Days Inn with a rudder.

- There is one exception to my gay friends take on cruises...gay cruises...which combine the relaxation of a heart-pounding all-nighter rave with the class of a week-long back alley orgy.  (I might go next year)

- One of my close gay friends thinks cruises are gross.  Fine.  Also gross - that same gay friend's hair sticking to his face while he dances alone in the corner of a party too drunk to even speak.  If that's how he defines sophistication, I am sure we can find a corner of a cruise ship where he can class up the joint by barfing into his mane all by his lonesome.

- Let's just get it out on the table...my friends think it's just a bunch of middle class (the horror!) families with feedbags attached to their faces listening to light FM bands while watching some cut-rate magician make his dignity disappear.  NOT AT ALL.

Let's all give it a chance. I am booking a cruise for me an 10 of my closest gay friends in January 2012...when we will all need a break from the horrible weather.  Get your fanny packs, gurls, we're hitting the high seas.