During the course of the 7-day vacation there were far more than 10 memorable events, but here we have narrowed it down to our favorites. From theme parties to voluntourism, these are our Fresh Ten Moments from the Sweet Caribbean Cruise.
10. Erin Foley Overcomes Sea Sickness to Deliver Laughs. Pretty much everyone on board the Norwegian Spirit last week knew that Erin Foley was one of the best lesbian comedians around, but after a full day of life on a rocking ship sailing through a hurricane, it takes a special kind of lady to be able to still get up on stage and perform. Not wanting to disappoint her many fans, Erin still stood up (not an easy task on Monday) in front of a packed crowd and gave us all something to laugh at… something that wasn’t just the site of one thousand lesbians hunched over and banging into walls.
9. The 80’s Party. There were numerous theme parties keeping the lesbians entertained into the early morning hours last week, but the 80’s party definitely featured the best costumes. Ghostbusters ladies…you really outdid yourselves.
8. “We Have to Stop Now” Filming on Location. Jill Bennett and Cathy DeBuono took their popular webseries with them when the boarded the Spirit, and their many, many fans were very appreciate of the opportunity get up close and personal with the stars.
7. Sandra Valls Steals the Show During Karaoke. Henry’s Pub, Karaoke headquarters during the Sweet Cruise, never saw it coming. There we all were, watching Nat & Meg host a fun-filled night of Karaoke, when comedian Sandra Valls stepped up to the mic. Normally, when Sandra is at a microphone, you can’t stop laughing. This time, however, first you first would have had to pick your jaw up off the ground after being so blown away by her AMAZING voice. Sandra is definitely multi-talented, which she showed even more people when she closed out the Comedy Showcase with another awesome musical performance. (FYI, Sandra starred in musicals in college, studied Musical Theater in NYC, and fronted an eight-piece R&B horn band in Boston.)
6. Club Skirts Pool Party at Sea. It was a perfect match – you take the woman who created The Dinah (Mariah Hanson) and ask her to throw parties during the inaugural cruise of a hot new lesbian travel company and what you get is a pool party (wet tee-shirt contest included – with Dani Campbell helping out with the water dispersion and Suzanne Westenhoefer judging) that could only be rivaled during that infamous weekend in April in Palm Springs.
5. Comedy Showcase. Nicole Paone (The Big Gay Sketch Show), Kate McKinnon (The Big Gay Sketch Show), Gloria Bigelow, and Sandra Valls… one after another. Do we really need to even explain how funny Wednesday night was?
4. And Then Came Lola. After a few days of traveling on the Sweet Cruise it started to feel like we were all living in “Lesbian City.” If our staterooms were our “apartments,” the pool area our “park,” partying and going on excursions our “jobs,” and the various bar/club and restaurant options, well, our “various bar/club restaurant options,” then the Stardust could easily have been considered our “movie theater.” And what more could lesbian want out of a movie theater than the screening of a fantastic new film like And Then Came Lola?
3. Hurricane Ida. Okay, Suzanne Westenhoefer said that if one more person mentioned Hurricane Ida she was going to hurt them, but we are risking it here (and throughout this list) because Ida really did play a big part in the Sweet experience. Chances are, given how amazing the entire week was for all involved, the 1200 lesbians on board would have inevitably bonded. However, nothing brings people together like mass illness and near death experiences. (Note: we were never in real danger, but when you are flying from one end of your cabin to the other and watching waves crash into your ship you do find yourself searching for the orange life-jacket.)
2. Suzanne Westenhoefer. She kicked off the week at the launch party in New Orleans, she welcomed us all on board on day 1, and she closed out the trip with a tremendous performance on the final night. We love Suzanne.
1. Voluntourism. Jen Rainin and Shannon Wentworth had a mission with their travel company, and from 11/6-11/15 they made 1200 lesbians a part of it in an unforgettable and meaningful way. New Orleans, Costa Maya, Belize City, Roatan, and Cozumel all benefited from the community service and volunteer work that Sweet made happen and the many lesbians that took part can now say that they did too – and that they made history while doing it.
