Friday, November 13, 2009

BoyBar

Time: 9:00pm to 2:00am
Where: The Cafe – 2369 Market Street, San Francisco map

Ghetto Disco

Time: 11:00pm to 11:00am
Where: The End Up – 6th and Harrison, San Francisco map

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Underworld

Time: 10:00pm to 4:00am
Where: Space 550, 550 Barneveld, San Francisco, CA map
DJ Kevin Lee brings you an evening to drop your pants and dance at the best Underwear party around.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday T-Dance

Time: 6:00am to 8:00pm
Where: The End Up, 401 6th, San Francisco, CA map

PLAY T-DANCE

Time: 5:00pm to 12:00am
Where: DNA Lounge – 375 Eleventh Street, San Francisco map
DJ Ted Eiel throws down his chunk house style of music as the Past Curfew team brings you a military themed version of their famous T-Dances.

Sunday Sessions

Time: 8:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: The End Up, 401 6th Street, San Francisco, CA map

Thick

Time: 11:00pm to 3:00am
Where: Club Eight – 1151 Folsom Street, San Franciso map
Keep the party going after the PLAY T-Dance over at Club Eight.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Jump

Time: 8:00pm to 2:00am
Where: Trigger – 2344 Market St., San Francisco, CA map
DJ Shawn P. Every Monday night TRIGGER is playing host to JUMP a fun dance party with DJ SHAWN P spinning his best dance music all night long. there is no cover for this party and the whole club is open.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mish Mas Wednesdays and Songbird Winter Festival

Time: 8:30pm to 1:00am
Where: El Valencio, 1153 Valencia St. San Francisco, CA map
Performances by: Abelton Andy, Backlit, Fuzzpod and Con Brio. Ableton Andy – All music performed, recorded and produced by Andrew Van Wart using Ableton Live. http://www.soundcloud.com/andywarthol Backlit – Progressive / Psychedelic / Folk www.myspace.com/backlitsf Fuzzpod – Electronica / Ambient / Down-tempo www.myspace.com/fuzzpodmusic Con Brio – Born in San Francisco, Con Brio’s songs feature powerful, soulful vocals backed by a no-nonsense, deep-pocket rhythm section.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Röyksopp Concert

Time: 8:00pm to 12:00am
Where: The Regency Ballroom – 1290 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94109 map

So, here we go for this weekend, and the usual line up in the Castro and End Up and special Bearracuda Underbear night as well.

Friday, November 6, 2009

BoyBar

Time: 9:00pm to 2:00am
Where: The Cafe – 2369 Market Street, San Francisco map
Event Description: http://www.guspresents.com

Ghetto Disco

Time: 11:00pm to 1:00am
Where: The End Up – 6th and Harrison, San Francisco map
Event Description: http://www.theendup.com/

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Rise and Shine

Time: 7:00am to 11:00am
Where: The End Up, 6th and Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA map
Event Description: DJ Debacey

Bearracuda

Time: 9:00pm to 3:00am
Where: Deco Lounge – 510 Larkin Street, San Francisco map
Event Description: Bearracuda’s turning up the heat for the early SF winter for our Bearracuda underwear party! Briefs, Boxers, Jocks and Less! DJ Pete Savas and DJ Medic.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Jump

Time: 8:00pm to 2:00am
Where: Trigger – 2344 Market St., San Francisco, CA map
Event Description: DJ Shawn P. Every Monday night TRIGGER is playing host to JUMP a fun dance party with DJ SHAWN P spinning his best dance music all night long. there is no cover for this party and the whole club is open.

In order to encapsulate all that is an Atlantis Cruise, and specifically look at what the Atlantis Los Angeles to Mexico Cruise is all about, there is a perspective here from several contributors, covering the first timers to the more seasoned cruisers.  If you have never booked one of these events, certainly do not let the marketing materials scare you away.  It is not all beefcakes and perfect bodies in a Speedo; there is a mix from all walks of life, types of bodies, and age ranges, as well as different countries too.  I highly encourage you to take a chance on an Atlantis Cruise and find out how to live up to their slogan “The Way We Play”.

The Atlantis Los Angeles to Mexico Cruise
A Perspective from Seasoned and Semi Seasoned and New Cruisers

Overall Cruise Rating: 4 Out of 5 Bottles of Water

Seasoned Cruiser Reviews

Jim Hauck- 5 Atlantis Cruises

Cruise Highlights: This is my third Mexico Cruise and 5th Atlantis Cruise and the formula holds true to form, with the Mexico cruise being a party focused cruised.  Highlights for me came mostly around experiencing the cruise first time with two traveling friends who had never done this type of vacation.  They seemed to find new ways to enjoy, get the boys attention and make it even more fun for me than ever before.  A true highlight would be the night at the 90’s Diva Party dancing some made up choreographed routines with Suzan, Steven S. and Joanna, on top of the speakers, trying to give the Atlantis shows as run for the money.  Additionally, getting into the themed costumes with friends made for a great cruise and I highly suggest anyone who does this cruise to get in with some friends and do the group costume ideas – it can make the cruise so much more fun.  Surely hurricane Rick will also add to the highlights, with we heard up to 45 foot seas and winds that topped out at over 100 miles per hour, the ride was fun, added a level of great tension to everything, and gave us all a reason to bond and have fun.

Entertainment: I found this Atlantis Cruise to be lacking in entertainment.  Call me old fashioned, but I love my headliners like Charo, Debbie Reynolds, and others.  Louie Anderson just did not cut it for me at all. However, I will say that Ms. Ritchfield 1981 and Dixie Longate, regulars of the Atlantis circuit, gave me more than enough reasons to laugh and enjoy myself.

Parties and Production Values:  OK, I admit it, I am a production whore – I love all things lighting and lasers and it was great to see the equipment that was brought in was top notch.  Guy Smith did a fantastic job with his moving and LED lighting of turning the pool deck into a first class dance club adding that pop that made it over the top.  Additionally the amazing LED video wall added some great opportunity for video imaging that gave each party a big pop.  Finally, and not least at all, Kyle Garner with his lasers made the entire thing come together and I will never forget having his lasers shined off our mirror tile ball caps.  These folks are masters of their domains, they are the god’s of production, and I am thankful for their skills and to call them all friends.

The DJs: Musically I felt all that Abel and Wayne G were the highlights of the cruise.  How can I forget watching Abel swish a towel around on his head with his best Cher impersonation – you go boy – I loved it. Abel an Wayne Certainly pulled in their “A” games for the cruise and the music they spun kept me on the dance floor through most of the nights and until sunrise for the White Party itself. It was also nice to have Joe Gautheraux on the cruise, adding some new talent to the mix.  I had not heard Joe spin a night party and I thought he did good.  Manny Lehman delivered an ok performance, and sadly it just never felt like he was that into the events.  In fact I was sad when some of the mixing at the Disco T-Dance, my favorite party, was more railroading songs together than beat match.  I believe there is so much DJ talent looking for these opportunities, it would be great to see folks like Rob Kaftan, Tony Moran and some other get a chance to join the ranks of Abel and Wayne, and bring the entire DJ set up to that standard that Wayne and Abel set and hold for all of us to enjoy.

The Ship: Having been on the sister ship last summer, I knew what to expect.  The accommodations are first class and we had a great cabin steward to take care of us for the week.  The food was average, while not too bad, the Windjammer could have used a little more variety, as it seemed like a repeat menu every night and I am used to more choices.  I would also like to see greater variety of food available during the post party and bed time hours, from 5AM to 7:30AM.  I was a little worried when the ship changed to accommodate 3100 passengers, having done this cruise on the smaller ships, but the energy and the fun worked out.  Captain Johnny, our fun and engaged leader, really made the trip fun, and with him at the helm I never felt like the hurricane was a cause for worry.  Our 14 story elegant hotel on the seas took it all in stride, delivering comfort and grace for the week.

I can not wait for 2010 – I am booked to do it all again.  Thanks Rich Campbell and the Atlantis Team for making this “The Way We Play!”

Steve Kleine – 7 Atlantis Cruises

Cruise Highlights: This reviewer has been on seven Atlantis and two RSVP cruises over the years. As a veteran I knew the focus of this cruise would be on the dance events and the camaraderie on-board the huge and fabulous Mariner of the Seas. RCCL and Atlantis certainly delivered on both those accounts. In fact, due to the weather and a general disdain for Cabo, I never left the ship. Even after seven days on board, I never found myself bored or lacking in fun things to do. The parties were over the top, the crowd, for the most part friendly and frisky and smiles were everywhere. I even made a business connection on the dance floor during The White Party! I would certainly rate this cruise the best of all the “party” cruises I have been on.

Entertainment: Entertainment on Atlantis Cruises over the years has ranged from the amazing to downright tragic. I try not to make it a focus of my cruise experience, but do enjoy it when it works. I found all three comedians to be very funny, especially Jim David who did the final show. He finished with a great montage of photos from the week that left me with a tear in my eye and the desire to stay on the ship forever. Miss Ritchfield 1981 is a fixture on Atlantis and judging by the number of people in the theater will remain so. This reviewer just does not get it though. Her show rarely changes and in its newest incarnation she headed in a more “let’s insult all the ethnic groups” direction similar to Lisa Lampanelli. The special guest was Louie Anderson, straight from Vegas…I took a disco nap instead of being subjected to THAT! The highlight of the entertainment was the ice skating show. While there were many errors, the acrobatics, choreography and lighting were a delight. Matt Yee’s piano bar is always a rollicking good time if you like that kind of thing. In summary, the entertainment was on par for most cruises – some good, some bad.

Parties and Production Values:  This reviewer has two words for the parties and their production value….HOLY S**T! They were simply the best ever done on a cruise ship and rival most major circuit events. Guy Smith set up an elaborate lighting system outside. There was one row of LED lights that ringed the pool area, another row of swivel lights above those and yet more higher up in strategic locations. Add in Kyle Garners multi-colored lasers on top of the ever changing decor and you go straight into sensory overload. Words cannot really describe what it was like dancing in this environment to some of the best DJ on the planet. Musically I felt all that Abel, Joe G and Wayne G were all phenomenal. During the White Party Abel turned in one of the best performances I have ever heard from him. He creates his sound live with different layers of beats, samples, loops and vocals. He built up a head of steam that kept growing until it exploded into the sunrise. Unlike the DJs on previous cruises he held off on the morning music until just moments before dawn. As we entered a new day there were many hugs, kisses and more than a few tears. It really was THAT good. I felt Manny, with the exception of the Disco Tea Dance, where he truly brought back that 70s love, stayed in his “I do this every weekend” mode. It was not bad, just not very memorable. He would throw in a diva here, some pots and pans there, but there was never anything cohesive. This reviewer would like to see some up and coming talents added to the roster. There are many DJs in their 20s and 30s who are more than ready for prime time and would offer a fresh perspective on the dance scene. It would also keep the older, more jaded DJs on their toes!

The Ship: While not as luxurious as the Infinity ships Atlantis sometimes uses, the R.C.C.L. Mariner of the Seas was a perfect vessel for this type of cruise. The size is part of it, but it is well laid out so things are easy to find, especially when returning from a party. The dining rooms were elegant with great service. The food was adequate, but I was not expecting much. The nice thing about a cruise ship is that you can order as much as you like. If you are not enjoying one entree, you just order another and it will quickly appear. The worst mark on the ship was the Windjammer buffet. The options were limited and the food quality poor for a ship of this class.

To wrap it up, the 2009 incarnation of the Mexican Rivera cruise lived up to its reputation as the biggest floating party in the West. Each time this reviewer takes an Atlantis Cruise it seems they up the game just a little bit. I am anxious to get on my next one.

Suzan Revah – 2 Atlantis Cruises

Being one of a handful of women on a big gay boat is my every fag hag fantasy realized. The dick deck of an Atlantis cruise (EVERY deck is the dick deck! Whee!) is to my mind a homo-topia: A perfect biosphere in which one’s biggest “concerns” are what fun to have, what to wear for said fun, and when in the hell one will ever get a moment to sleep.

My favorite part of the cruise is probably no surprise to anyone: Beautiful men in every direction, dressing up in costume every day to dance until dawn. The fact that everything is all gay all the time is of huge comfort to me, making an Atlantis cruise the ideal gay-cation outside San Francisco, one that doesn’t require the pain of having to adapt to the world beyond the bubble. This is what Atlantis does best, and Atlantis deserves every accolade for their amazing and amazingly successful concept.

My first Atlantis cruise 2 years ago was seen entirely through glitter-colored glasses. I had such a memorable experience and made so many new friends, I easily forgot about whatever wasn’t perfect. Two years later, I’m much more seasoned on the circuit scene, particularly from a production perspective, and I saw a few more flaws. Not deal breakers by any means, but if I have the good fortune to go on another cruise, one thing I’ll do different for sure is pack my own food, because the catering service felt like a full-scale empty-carb assault, and an inhospitable and unpalatable one at that.

I’m also a little bored by the party themes Atlantis keeps revisiting. I felt like Lost Island, Endless Summer, and Under the Sea were essentially interchangeable, and I was uninspired. Fortunately, the world-class DJs and over-the-top laser shows made up for the lack of creativity or originality. And in general, the sense of community on the boat is what carries the journey no matter what the day’s theme is, with everyone always smiling and extending a warm, welcoming vibe. The “real” gay world isn’t quite like that all the time, even in the bubble of San Francisco.

What I like best about an Atlantis cruise are my odds. My best girl Joanna and I were 2 of 16 women on a boat packed with 3,100 hot homos. Even though we are largely considered gay men in San Francisco and work the scene as such, almost everyone assumed we were lesbians, and most were quite entertained to find out otherwise. I’d be a dirty liar if I said the attention wasn’t fun.

Perhaps the highlight of my whole trip was a sunny day spent poolside after the gray skies of Hurricane Rick had finally cleared. I had proclaimed it “my” day, since the themes were Disco T and Divas of the Dance floor, two of my absolute faves back-to-back. When I made my first lap in search of a lounge chair with a good view of the Speedo parade and the pure-joy frolicking in the pool, I was completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. Every few steps I took, some gorgeous torso in sunglasses would sing out: “Hey girls!” or “We love you girls!” and I was in high homo heaven. Thank you, Atlantis!

Leif Wauters – Atlantis Cruise Virgin

Cruise Highlights: No matter what my cruise experience was, it was made fabulous every moment of the way by my traveling companion and cruise daddy, Juicy Fruit. He and I enjoy the same stuff and have a similar sense of humor (although I cross the line much more easily and often) so I could completely trust his guidance on what to do and who to see. Even napping together with the sound of torrential rain outside in PV was fun. So I can’t thank him enough for both the invite and support along the way. Also having our friend Steve K. along in a nearby cabin as another cruise virgin was great. We kept checking in day by day to see if our trips were equally as awesome, and they were. Hitting the themed parties in costume together was tons of fun, as the myriad of photos can attest to. Believe it or not, Hurricane Rick was, for me, the highlight of the trip. Anyone can tell you that I don’t relax well. So the combination of violent seas and an itinerary that became more of a shell game by the end made this vacation a lot more entertaining. Sure, it would have been fine without, but now I want a monstrous storm on every cruise I take. Lastly, and I can’t stress this enough, having a fun and engaging cabin attendant makes ALL the difference. Our Jamaican maiden was names Psyche, she knew all her boys by name, our schedules, and even enjoyed catching up on our antics. Thanks to her for adding another layer to the decadence.

Entertainment: I knew the dance parties would be a focus of the entertainment for my group, so many of the smaller events, comedy shows, karaoke and the like didn’t draw me (and truthfully happened while I was breaking from other adventures). We did catch a couple of live comedy shows that should not be missed: Miss Ritchfield 1981 and Dixie Longate’s Tupperware Party. They were both hysterical and provided laughs well beyond their performances. There were moments in both shows where even politically-incorrect I was unnerved by what was hitting the audience. As both characters were from middle-America, they did an awesome job of perpetuating the stereotype that antisemitism and racism are still prevalent  undercurrents that we have no problem laughing to when presented as “comedy”. I’m not judging at all, and laughed my ass off, but I KNOW there is so much more to laugh about in this world that defaming other groups to the level they did seems like an easy out. I hope they can raise the bar someday and highlight the other jacked-up things in life for a good show. I wished we had seen comedian Jim David live, but caught his show from the previous night in the room and TV and he’s a riot. Much of his spot-on humor was tied to gays, and aging ones in particular. We all know we’re going there fast so laughing about it now may soften the blow once it does. He was also a hoot to hang out with. We met a couple of times during the cruise and he was always genuine and personable. Just how performers should be. Mankind is your material – study it!

Party Production Values:  I’m not jaded. But I do have high expectations when it comes to major dance events, which is exactly what this cruise has become. Call it anything you want, but in reality this cruise to Mexico has become an important event on the circuit that should be paid attention to. My heartfelt thanks and adoration go to Guy Smith (and his partner running the LED board who’s name I forget), Kyle Garner, and the seasoned sound crew who have this game down! Even when thrown the hurricane challenge, they made sure every party they worked was magical to the last song. Of course it doesn’t hurt to know them personally, and thank you Kyle for giving Jim and I our moment under the lasers with our mirror-ball hats. The only lights that DROVE me from the dance floor were the incessant strobes in the ship’s small, Gothic dance club called Dragon’s Lair. Some straight guy was running them and it was, along with all the cologne that night, an irreconcilable reason for me to turn in “relatively” early. Besides, it was just the first night.

Even with the slow bar teams, there were never long drink lines. The dances on deck had the additional fun of multiple levels, platforms, speakers and even railings to dance on. Those boys must have done the high-beam really well in school (and still do!). Of course the best thing was that our rooms were steps and a quick elevator ride away, so costume changes, bathroom runs and the like were a breeze!

DJs: ABEL was the star of the cruise. I stayed in the night of the Lost Island party, but his campy performance for part of the Divas party, the phenomenal second part of the White Party, and a fun goodbye at the final Endless Summer T-Dance really endeared me to him. Especially his short speech when the White Party ended thanking everyone there for making his dream his work.

A close second was Wayne G, a great buddy from stops on three continents over the last 10 years, who was fantastic. His shining moment where he was brilliant and fun till the last song was the Under the Sea dance in Studio B, which was converted from a skating rink to a world-class circuit event with giant, blown-up sea shapes suspended from the ceiling for Kyle’s lasers to dance off. Including amazing moments when dolphins and schools of fish were seemingly swimming in giant bubbles above our heads. Awesome!

Joe Gauthreaux was okay. I could barely catch him at the opening party in the Dragon’s Lair because the environmental hazards were more than I wanted to manage. Then his set at the Mardi Gras party was surprisingly standard. I had started to believe the “circuit” sound was finally returning to something that embraced songs and lyrics. Although I’ve heard Joe play much more evolved and engaging sets, there wasn’t much direction that night. Granted the REAL show was the hurricane outside and the “woooooooa!” as the ship tilted from time to time sending half the dance floor reeling, but to be honest I hope Joe wasn’t “playing down” to us, ’cause that would be disappointing and I know he’s so much better.

As for Manny Lehman… I have honestly struggled to find something positive to say about his performances and unnecessary diva behavior. I have known many DJs as friends, and the one thing you can count on is the ability to read them through their music. It’s odd, but you know what I mean. Well, I really don’t think Manny cares anymore. Not for the music, not for the valuable place he built for himself on the circuit, and not for us. I would beg for him to prove me wrong, but there’s no point. Continued standard (or less) performances like his on the cruise will clear the road for other amazing talent to bring their gifts to the ship in the future.

The Ship: I don’t have much more to add about the ship. It was a great hotel, but also an exciting playground with all-you-can-eat almost all the time. The pools had naturally generated waves and comfy hot-tubs. The fruity drinks went down WAY too easily, and the crew was amazing and friendly at every turn. With all the other fabulous pieces I’ve mentioned, I’d get back on it in the future for sure!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Social Club Halloween Fun House

Time: 7pm to 2am
Where: Lookout Bar, 3600 16th Street, San Francisco, CA
Event Description: DJ Lee Decker, DJ Byron Bonsall

November

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Sunday T-Dance

Time: 4pm to 6pm
Where: The End Up – 6th and Harrison, San Francisco map
Event Description: http://www.theendup.com/ DJ Frank Wild

Thick

Time: 11pm to 3am
Where: Club Eight – 1151 Folsom Street, San Franciso map
Event Description: DJ Luke Johnstone Thick

Monday, November 2, 2009

Jump

Time: 8PM to 2am
Where: Trigger – 2344 Market St., San Francisco, CA map
Event Description: DJ Shawn P. Every Monday night TRIGGER is playing host to JUMP a fun dance party with DJ SHAWN P spinning his best dance music all night long. there is no cover for this party and the whole club is open.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Deadmau5 (Dead Mouse)

Time: 9pm to 2am
Where: The Regency Center – 1300 Van Ness at Sutter, San Francisco map
Event Description: DJ Deadmau5