DominicanMayDaze – A WRITER'S GOTTA WRITE

Domincan MayDaze BearCruise | Day 5 | Bimini Beach, Bahamas

02/24/202505/30/2023 by John

It’s Tuesday, May 30, 2023 and we had an 11-hour port call from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini, Bahamas.

BearCruise group activities

8:00 am – 7:00 pm: Bimini Beach Club (private beach club owned by Virgin Voyages)

Look for us by the pools or on the beach if you want to hang out with the group. We will string a Bear Pride Flag from a palm tree or umbrella so you can find us. We are told that the DJ and dancing by the pool is awesome from about 1:00 – 3:00. Head right as you go into the pool area if you want to be near the action.

A lot of cruise lines have their own private beaches or islands, but I’ve never been on one that made a port call to theirs. I really like this concept, because the food is included like on the ship, and your drink packages or bar allowances work there, too.

We had a leisurely morning on the ship, and made our way down to the beach club around noon. Not surprisingly, we didn’t have any luck finding shaded seating, or on any available lounge chairs actually, but we found 2 chairs set around a tree stump big enough to act as a table, which we nabbed.

We had a couple of cocktails, read a little, and did a little people watching in and around the wide variety of seating options.

After a little while, we got some lunch, which we brought back to our “table” to eat. John chose the Watermelon & Jicama Salad, Caribbean Chicken & Coconut Curry, Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob, and the Rum Cake.

Bob took a dip in the ocean and was surprised that his inadvertent mouthful of water was salty. I spent a little while in the “calmer” (volleyball side) pool—there were two pools, separated only by a walkway.

Tom (back) & Michael (front),
our Champagne Party hosts extraordinaire

Bears @ Bimini Beach:
*(l-r)* Eggy, Rick, Freddy, & Kris

3:00 – 4:00: Sean Hornbeck of The Connected Traveler is hosting a private cocktail party at The Lounge at Bimini Beach Club and we’re invited. There’s a $35 cost that can be charged to your account using your bracelet. Unlimited alcohol for the hour is included.

We did not attend this event, as we still had $115 left of bar money that we wanted to spend on Buffalo Trace & club sodas, our drink of choice.

7:00 pm: Cocktails, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7

Earlier in the week, a friend of ours told us on Facebook Messenger that two friends of hers, a gay couple, were on this ship and she thought that we should meet each other. We asked her to tell them that we’d be at The Dock House Bar every day during the cruise for our cocktail hours, and it might be easier for them to spot us than vice versa.

They came to the bar today and we really enjoyed talking with them. Since they are big Broadway fans, as are we and our mutual friend, Sandy (who facilitated our meeting), it would be fun to all go on a Seth Rudetsky’s Big Fat Broadway Cruise in the future.

8:00 pm: Dinner, Restaurant of the Night: Gunbae, Deck 6

We pretty much let, Simba, our fantastic server bring us a little bit of everything.

Bindae-Tteok
(kimchi & mung bean pancake)

Dakgang Jeong
(crispy chicken, pickled daikon, chili sauce)

Haemul Pajeon
(mixed seafood & scallion pancake)

Miyek Muchim
(seaweed salad, cucumber, shiitake mushrooms)

Ojingeo, Nakji, & Saewoo
(squid, octopus, shrimp) cooking

Ojingeo, Nakji, & Saewoo
(squid, octopus, shrimp) done

Soft Serve
(black sesame granola, mini mochi, miso caramel)

After dinner, Simba engaged the four of us (Al, Ken, Bob, and me) in the drinking game called Sam-Yuk-Gu (“3-6-9”). It involved taking shots of Jinro Chamisul Fresh (about 17% alcohol and a.k.a. “Korean Vodka”).

and its rules were:

I would be remiss in not sharing that our friend and tablemate blew away this game. Bob and I were out quickly, then Al.

Starting from 1 again when someone goes out, Ken went 1-on-1 against Simba, who told us before we started, “I’ve played this game thousands and thousands of times, so I’m pretty good at it.”

Ken ended up getting into the 90s, when Simba just stopped and declared him the winner. He said, no one had ever gotten beyond 50 playing against him.

All of us drank to that—and to Ken!

And Al recorded all 10 minutes of the game!

Ship Shows and Activities

11:00 pm: Studio 72 Disco Party, The Manor, Deck 6

Bob ran up to The Manor to get a few pictures of this event, which we otherwise did not attend.

However, a member of our group who did attend asserted that this drag queen split that he captured was the highlight of the event.

Dominican MayDaze cruise | Day 4 | At sea

02/24/202505/29/2023 by John

It’s Monday, May 29, and we have an “at sea” day today, which means no port call and extra BearCruise-organized activities!

Today’s breakfast:

Scrambled eggs, pork sausage, & hash browns

We ate all of our breakfasts and lunches in The Galley, which is described as:

There were a few more stations in this food-court-like dining area, including:

The Sweet Side: The Sweet Side houses pastries in the morning (for the sweet-toothed breakfast lovers among us) and desserts later on. It’s a non-stop sweet fest, so leave your rude friends by the pool.

Well Bread: Well Bread has fans, and we call them “Bread Heads.” So make like a bread head and grab a pastry for breakfast or a flatbread in the afternoon or evening.

Pop Star: Pop on over to our cart for a myriad of tasty and refreshing popsicles made with locally inspired flavors.

BearCruise group activities

Noon: Bear Lunch. If you want to join others for lunch, meet at The Galley Food Hall, Deck 15 Aft. Also note that these restaurants are also open for lunch if you want to try them: Razzle Dazzle, The Wake, The Dock / Dock House, The Social Club, The Pizza Place, and The Sun Club.

We ate lunch on our own today from the Burger Bar.

5:00 pm: Pool Hot Tub Takeover – Deck 15 (Pool Deck)

6:00 pm: Michael & Tom’s Champagne Party, Suite 15299Z

Two guys in our group had one of Virgin Voyages “Rockstar Suites,” and they hosted this champagne party inviting everyone in our group. It was a beautiful suite with a separate bedroom area and 3 sliding glass doors that opened onto a massive deck. Champagne was out when we arrived and within minutes it started flowing as more and more of our group poured in. And our hosts were as nice as they were generous.

At one point sitting down on the deck, I kicked the table knocking over my champagne flute, and Michael immediately went inside, I thought to get a towel, so I followed him in to take it to clean up my mess. But, he went right to the bar and filled me up another glass of champagne. I said, “I thought you hurried in to get a towel to clean up the spill.” To which he responded, “I ran in here to get you a new drink! We’re not worried about that spill.” The. Consummate. Host.

I think their cabin concierge came in to bring in at least two more rounds of champagne. The corks in the last picture were just from the last batch. It was a great party. It went fro 6:00-7:00 at which time we had to head down to the day’s BearCruise Cocktail hour.

Initial bar setup welcoming us to the party

Concierge replenishing the champagne supply

7:00 pm: Cocktails, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7

I love some salty treats when I’m drinking, so I grabbed a bag of popcorn on the way down from the champagne party to our cocktail hour. As the cocktail hour comes to a close, our fabulous cruise director, Al, starts rounding us up in groups of 4-6 to head down to tonight’s dinner restaurant.

While getting another round of drinks, a guy across the bar caught my eye, as I thought it was someone I knew—but who wasn’t on this trip with us. I checked his Facebook timeline to see if there was any evidence of him being on this cruise and there wasn’t.

Then, I noticed him doing what looked like the same thing. And, of course, my timeline is drenched with posts about being on the ship, and I saw him smile, look up, and then Eric Ellis came over to say hi. I’d say, “Small world!” but it really isn’t, and that’s a cliché, which I try to avoid.

8:00 pm: Dinner Restaurant of the Night: The Test Kitchen, Deck 6

Ship Shows and Activities

10:45 pm: Scarlet Night Pool Party, The Manor, Deck 6

I actually stayed up for this party, and it was a grand one—outside around the pool. It began with a show by the ship performers, and eventually everyone was encouraged to join in.

SexyBack

My Moon My Man

Possible original cast song

How Deep is Your Love

Dominican MayDaze BearCruise | Day 3 | Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

02/24/202505/28/2023 by John

It’s Sunday, May 28, 2023 and we had a 9-hour port call from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Most of our group went on this excursion:

Excursion: BearCruise Private Catamaran Shore Excursion | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4 hours)

Hop on board your own private catamaran as we set out on a fun-filled day of relaxation under the Caribbean Sun. It’s a 4-hour snorkel, swim, and sail expedition with lunch and an open bar!

Your day will begin as we sail from Puerto Plata down to the largest living coral reef on the north coast. As the staircase lowers into the cool sparkling waters the underwater garden awaits your discovery. Guaranteed to create memories that will last you a lifetime.

Swim among the colorful fish and vibrant coral at Sosua Bay and enjoy lunch onboard while sailing down the coast. Relax on the deck in sun before heading back to shore.

Bob and I did not go on that excursion because we took someone’s place on this cruise at the last minute, and the excursion was sold out—oversold, actually, with a couple of people on the waiting list. However, here are a few photos shared by some of the folks who did go:

So here’s the excursion Bob and I did go on:

Excursion: Puerto Plata City Tour | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (4 hours)

We had a private tour with Edwin with a stop at the Ron Macorix House of Rum distillery, where we had a distillery tour complete with a tasting of 6 rum varieties, including pineapple, coconut, and apple flavors.

We walked through Independence Square in downtown, stepping into the Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle, seeing City Hall and the statues of Juan Pablo Duarte and General Gregorio Luperón (two important military leaders).

We took a stroll down El Paseo de Doña Blanca and the Umbrella Street. And not being shoppers, we passed on the jewelry stores and cigar shops, but we did step into a coffee and chocolate (Dominican Republic specialties) shop and made a couple of purchases.

Our final stop was at the Fortaleza San Felipe, where we did a guided tour by headphones.

Poster children for the rainbow-colored umbrellas that celebrate diversity

BearCruise group activities

5:00 pm: Pool Hot Tub Takeover – Deck 15 (Pool Deck)

Bob and I enjoyed the hot tub, but it wasn’t during “takeover,” as the bears were not back from their catamaran trip then.

7:00 pm: Cocktails, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7.

8:00 pm: Dinner, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7; Restaurant of the Night: The Wake, Deck 6 (access from Deck 7)

This is one of the best restaurants on the ship, and our meals did not disappoint!

John’s choices:

Clam Chowder (Yukon gold potato, bacon, chive batons)

Baked Alaska (pistachio ice cream, hazelnut sponge cake, toasted meringue)

Bob’s choices:

Wedge Salad (smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, blue cheese)

Pan-roasted Ora King Salmon (roasted beets, grilled Holland leeks, lemon yogurt sauce, cavier)

The Wake (chocolate mousse, shortcrust, caramel cremoso, hazelnuts)

Table choices: Bread shared by all, twice-baked potato shared by Bob and John, and dessert of one of our tablemates.

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake (blackberry compote & cinnamon cookie crumble)

We watched a movie in our cabin compliments of Virgin Voyages Entertainment:

The Guilt Trip (2012)
Watched: 05/28/23 Provider: Virgin Voyages
10-word summary: Cross-country road trip chronicling a sometimes-explosive, ultimately poignant mother-son reconnection.
6-word review: Well-done exposition of complicated relationship dynamics.
Rating: ★★★★
Note: Starring Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen

Ship Shows and Activities

11:00 pm: BoomVang Nightclub and Dancing, The Manor, Deck 6

This was a ship event, and it’s hard to understand what a boom vang suggests with respect to a dance party. But from what I’ve been able to find out, it essentially was just another nightclub party. We didn’t attend it, so I don’t have any pictures.

Dominican MayDaze cruise | Day 2 | At sea

02/24/202505/27/2023 by John

It’s Saturday, May 27, and we have an “at sea” day today, which means no port call and extra BearCruise-organized activities!

Bob and I had breakfast in The Galley, which is essentially a food hall, with lots of different stations of different food choices.

We chose coffee, juice, omelets—mine with ham and cheddar and Bob’s with bacon, cheddar, spinach, hash browns, and multigrain toast for John.

Talk about a room with a view. This is pretty much the prettiest men’s room either of us has had the pleasure of peeing in. Fortunately it’s on deck 15 so that when we’re in a port, people right outside that window don’t get a free show.

BearCruise group activities

Noon: Bear Lunch. If you want to join others for lunch, meet at The Galley Food Hall, Deck 15 Aft. Note that these restaurants are also open for lunch if you want to try them: Razzle Dazzle, The Wake, The Dock / Dock House, The Social Club, The Pizza Place, and The Sun Club.

Bob and I got up to The Galley at just before noon and found a table for 8 that we grabbed to have other group members join us.

I ended up getting a hamburger and fries (not pictured), and wanted a salad with it. I would’ve preferred a small side salad, but that wasn’t an option so I got a big one. (It’s all free anyway.) Bob got The Curry Ramen. Here are some pics of the food and a few of our new friends.

Spinach & Quinoa (sesame tofu, corn, peas, sriracha peanut dressing)

Thai Curry Ramen (pork chashu, soy-marinated egg, red pepper, spinach, garlic oil)

We availed ourselves to an after-lunch sweet treat from the ship’s ice cream shop, “Lick me till…”

You got to chose from 3 types of waffle cones: red velvet, chocolate, or vanilla, or to have it in a cup if you prefer. Bob chose a chocolate cone with 2 scoops of vanilla, and I chose the red velvet cone with a scoop of vanilla and one scoop of strawberry.

4:00 – 5:00 pm: BearCruise Birthday Party! – The Dock, Deck 7. Half of the area will be roped off for our guests, and cocktails are on us for this happiest of hours!

We got wrist bands for the bar indicating that BearCruise was picking up our drinks for the birthday party happy hour from 5-6 p.m. We were celebrating the 10-year anniversary of BearCruise.com organizing cruises especially for the bear subculture of gay men.

Bob & John at our private birthday event

5:00 pm: Pool Hot Tub Takeover – Deck 15 (Pool Deck)

We didn’t attend this event, so I don’t have any photos of it.

7:00 pm: – Cocktails and Dinner, The Dock House Bar, Deck 7; Restaurant of the Night: Extra Virgin, Deck 6

Al led the group down to tonight’s Extra Virgin restaurant, described as: Deeply rooted in Italian culinary traditions, oiur trattoria serves regionally inspired food punctuated by our fresh, handmade pasta. Start with a shared antipasti—and follow that with any of our pasta-centric favorites and worship the carb gods like a good vacation begs of you.

Here are some pics of our selections. Bob’s are highlighted in green and John’s in blue in the menu. I only got a photo of Bob’s salad. You can see the descriptions of his other two items on the menu. We were full so passed on dessert.

Braised Mini Meatballs: Smoked mozzarella, Tomato, Pancetta

Spaghetti Alle Vongole: Little neck clams, White wine, crushed red pepper and Porcini-rubbed New York Strip: Calabrian chili butter, Farro, Sautéed escarole

Romaine & Frisée Salad: White anchovies, Croutons, Six-minute Egg

Ship Shows and Activities

11:00 pm: Heartbeat Dance Party, The Manor, Deck 6

Brought to you by the House of Yes from Brooklyn. Heartbeat is an epic dance party—a celebration of artistic expression through our mirrored halls and into The Manor. With mixes of house, groove, funk, pop, and disco on the dance floor—no matter what your favorite era of music is, you’ll hit the dance floor knowing you’ll get to vibe to it.

The entrance to this venue is a shimmering, mirrored hallway, which can be confusing after a few drinks. I made a turn when leaving that wasn’t really an exit and got startled by finding another person coming at me. It turned out to be me.

Shimmering, mirrored entry way to dance club

This nightclub/bar exits into the casino hosting these goings-on as I passed through back to our cabin.

Roulette, from the French word meaning “little wheel”

Dominican MayDaze cruise | Day 1 | Travel & Miami

02/24/202505/26/2023 by John

It’s Friday, May 26, 2023, and as we usually do, we had a very early morning flight to make sure we made our ship’s departure time of 6 p.m., allowing for possible unexpected delays.

Many thanks to our friend Neal for taking us to the airport at such a godawful hour. We appreciate you, Neal.

We caught a Lyft from the Miami Airport to Port of Miami, Terminal V, Virgin Voyages, 718 N Cruise Blvd., where we boarded Virgin Cruise Line’s Scarlet Lady ship at 3 p.m.

Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady ship — Scarlet Lady side view

Our itinerary

Friday, May 26: Depart Miami | 7 pm

Saturday, May 27: Sailing fun with Bears at Sea

Sunday, May 28: Puerto Plata port call | 9 am – 6 pm

Monday, May 29: Sailing fun with another at-sea day

Tuesday, May 30: Beach Club at Bimini, Bahamas port call | 8 am – 8 pm

Wednesday, May 31: Return in Miami | 6:30 am

Dominican MayDaze BearCruise itinerary highlights

Home for the next 5 days

On all of our previous cruises, we’ve had balcony suits, but since we bid on this cabin just 4 days ago from a couple of guys who had to drop out of the trip/group at the last minute, they had a “Seaview” cabin—so no balcony, only a porthole—but it was just fine.

BearCruise group activities

3:00 – 5:00 pm: BearCruise Hospitality Desk – On the Rocks, Deck 6. Come check in with us if you did not check in with us on the bus or at the hotel.

We finally boarded at around 3:30 p.m., checked in with the bear group, and since we’d last eaten (breakfast) at 4 a.m., we immediately went for grub at the Pizza Place on deck 7, where I had the White Truffle & Egg pizza and Bob had the Pepperoni Pizza.

White Truffle & Egg (mozzarella, cracked black pepper, tomato sauce)

Pepperoni (pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato sauce)

6 pm: Sail Away–Aquatic Club Bar, Deck 15 (Pool Deck). Wear a hat and/or a t-shirt with a bear on it it to help us find you in the crowd. Don’t miss sailing out of Miami. It’s one of the most interesting ports to sail from.

Complimentary champagne flowed from 6-6:30

7:00 pm: Cocktails at The Dock House Bar, Deck 7.

This is where we will meet for happy hour and dinner each night. From here, we’ll go to the reserved specialty restaurants in groups of 20 or so starting at 8:00 pm, 8:15 pm, 8:30 pm, and 8:45 pm.

Today’s happy hour was very-well attended, and although I didn’t get any pictures of the group, here are a couple of pictures of the bar, including the entranceway which we filled up with bears.

We kept the bartender super busy, and she was amazing remembering our orders and making them as quickly as possible. We warned her that we were going to be coming to this ship’s bar for our happy hours the entire cruise.

As happy hour wound down, our cruise director extraordinaire, Al Parker, broke us into groups of 20 to head down to the restaurant in shifts, where we were generally seated at tables for 6 or 8.

8:00 pm: Dinner—Restaurant of the Night: Pink Agave, Deck 5.

The Pink Agave is one of the specialty restaurants. Unlike on other cruise lines in whose specialty restaurants you have to pay, they were complimentary, the biggest difference being you had to make reservations for them.

We sat with 4 other members of our group, and among the 6 of us, 3 were nurses. Our server was great, and she recommended that we eat “family style” for choices she’d make of the small- and medium-plate selections, and then that each of us make our own choice from the large plate section. It was all delicious.

I regret that I failed to get a group picture of us, but here’s the food. Note: The seared shrimp of the Camarón Amarillo dish was on a separate plate, which I didn’t get a photo of.)