We first learned yesterday that nudists aboard the Bare Necessities nude cruise on Holland America's Maasdam broke the participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

The final numbers ended up even better.

The final total for the "On Deck for the Cure" benefit walk for the
Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation was 789 801 walkers,
with over $15,000 donated to the foundation. That broke the old Holland America Line (HAL) record by more than double.

The all-time HAL record for participation had been 370 walkers.

Go nudists!!

This is incredibly positive news for nudists and shows the world that nudists are real caring people like everyone else. The only difference is that they are clothes-free and proud.

The nude cruisers took time out of their vacation to raise money for an important cause - for the benefit of all people. $15,000 is a lot of money.

The nude cruise report series continues as Mike explains how the nudists aboard the Maasdam broke Holland America Line's participation record for "On Deck for the Cure", a walk raising money for the fight against breast cancer.

Holland America launched "On Deck for the Cure" on April 1, 2006 and targeted about 500 On Deck for the Cure walks over the next year. With that 1-year campaign nearing completion, a group of nudists on one of the smaller ships in Holland America's 13-ship fleet beat the odds today - at the same time showing the world that nudists are good people too.

Read on about this record breaking event and other good times about the nude cruise:

In The Caribbean Sea, 20.11 North, 68.17 West, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 11, 2007) -- Our luxurious, floating nudist resort has just two more days left in our itinerary until this fabulous 10-day nude cruise comes to an all-too-early conclusion. We have been treated to life aboard a beautiful and comfortable ship, a gracious and accommodating crew, a passenger complement of 1,200 fun and friendly nudists, and weather that has been absolutely perfect for our clothes-free enjoyment of every day during our trip. I think everyone who leaves this ship on Tuesday morning will always carry very fond memories of the M/S Maasdam and the wonderful time we have all spent together.

One remarkable event that has been taking place aboard our cruise is worth reporting here. I'm sure this news will also make it into the AANR Bulletin in a few months, and perhaps elsewhere onto the Internet, because it is exciting and very newsworthy.

During every Holland America cruise, on every ship in the fleet, the passengers are invited to join in a non-competitive 5K walk around the Promenade Deck of the ship, to benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research foundation. It's called, "On Deck for the Cure," and passengers donate $20 or more per person to participate. Before our cruise, the all-time Holland America Line (HAL) record for participation was 370 walkers. As of this morning, with a few hours left to go before the walk at 1:30 today, 627 of our fellow nude cruisers have signed up to be in the walk! That totally blows away the old record by nearly double, and represents a much higher percentage of participation than any other walk in HAL history.

Our Cruise Director David Martin is arranging a special group photo for all of us, which he says will have to run alongside the story about this great achievement in the HAL corporate newsletter! This is a really cool feather in the cap of the nudist community, and one that should get lots of positive press for this cruise and social nudism in general. Speaking for my wife and all the other breast cancer survivors on board the ship, congratulations to all our fellow cruisers.

Yesterday's highlight was the nude catamaran sail-and-snorkel tour that about 80 of us lucky Maasdam passengers took. Special arrangements by Bare Necessities with the tour operator allowed us the freedom and fun we enjoy so much, even when in St. Thomas, as US possession and with the strict anti-nudity customs common everywhere in US waters.


Our tour departed from the pier just a minute's walk from Maasdam's gangway, and as we have had all throughout our trip, the weather was perfect: temperatures in the low 80's and sunny skies with puffy white clouds. Our catamaran The Castaway Girl, along with her twin sister ship The Castaway Girl II, held about 100 of us in total, and after a clothed 45-minute sail over to Buck Island bird sanctuary just outside St. Thomas, we were permitted to enjoy the rest of our afternoon clothes-free.


Skinnydipping under the bright Caribbean sun, snorkeling the beautiful reefs of St. Thomas, and then enjoying a wonderful, warm and sunny 90-minute nude sail back to our ship while relaxing in the sun with friendly folks and frosty cold adult beverages is certainly one of life's rarest luxuries. We have been lucky enough to enjoy this indulgence many times in many sunny ports over the years, since we always try to sign up for the nude "booze cruise" catamaran tours whenever they are offered. Those three hours yesterday aboard the Castaway Girl are the ones we will treasure most fondly among all the many wonderful time spent on this amazing cruise.

Today is our last day at sea with complete freedom from textiles until we arrive at Half Moon Cay early Monday morning for the day at HAL's "private island." We are all hoping it is very private, and that it is available for the exclusive use of Maasdam's passengers, so that we may fully enjoy it in the most pleasant way possible. Monday night will be our last night aboard this wonderful ship, and the evening's entertainment features the always amazing passenger talent show. Then Tuesday morning we must say goodbye to the Maasdam and all these great nudist friends until we see them again on another trip sometime soon.

This is awesome news! It is amazing what a group of nudists can accomplish when they get together.

To learn more about this cruise, read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Today, nudist traveler Mike reflects on the positive responses to nudists by clothed entertainers and staff members aboard the M/S Holland America Maasdam’s special nude Caribbean cruise.

First time here? Be sure to read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI / Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 10, 2007) -- It's not just us.

We're not the only ones who think nudists are a fun, fun bunch of people to be with. It seems that everyone who steps onto the stage of the M/S Maasdam offers that opinion as well, from our Cruise Director David Martin to each of the featured guest performers who have come aboard to entertain us in the Rembrandt Theater stage.

Last night, we had two outstanding guest entertainers. The first was Joel Mason, who did a hilarious and musically great Elton John tribute show, and got 90% naked on stage himself with a great break- away Elton-esque white suit costume, and then high-fived many in the audience as he ran around the seating area in his boxers. "I love you people, and I love this philosophy!" he said more than once, and everyone could tell he was really enjoying performing for our fun- loving and appreciative group...all the more so since he did it all with a mild case of bronchitis.

Next up, for the "Adults Only" late-night comedy show at 11:15 was Julie Barr, who totally killed for nearly an hour. She jousted with the audience like the best of the pros do, evoking comparisons to Paula Poundstone and Robin Williams and their superlative improv styles. But the biggest among many huge laughs were for her "blue material," jokes she can't use with other audiences but which were very much appropriate for we open-minded and hard-to-offend nudists (none of which can I repeat here for this G-rated blog posting). Suffice it to say, Julie had a blast working for us, and said as much several times during her show. She even said, "If this is the last show I ever work for Holland America, it's worth it." Wow.

All of which brings to mind the idea that we nudists have found something special. We have discovered a way of life, a way of relaxing, a way of making new friends, a way of having fun that sadly too few others will ever find or try. We are regular people in every other way, except for this one very special part of our lives, which we love so much and want to share with as many others as we can...yet doing so is impossible for most of us because of the misplaced societal taboos and small-minded prudery that has so far kept nudism as a tiny niche lifestyle.

In fact, during Julie's set last night, she posed a question to the standing-room-only crowd in the Rembrandt Theater: "How many of you are on this cruise without your family knowing about it?" There was a loud round of applause...and she immediately followed up with, "How many are on this cruise without your family knowing about it--and you just don't care?" -- which was answered by an even stronger response.

On Thursday, we both had massages in the ship's spa. Spontaneously and without being asked, both of our young massage therapists offered their opinion that without any question, our group has been by far the most fun, the most friendly, the smartest (!) and the most easy-going charter they have ever had aboard. None of that surprises me except the comment about smartness...all certainly reasonable as we have found nudists to be a thoughtful, well-traveled and well-educated group on the whole...but it's still nice to hear comments like that from folks who are having their first-ever exposure to social nudism thrust upon them during our cruise.

Today we are looking forward to a clothing-optional afternoon catamaran sail-and-snorkel trip here in St. Thomas. Our boat captain will have to take extra measures to serve our special needs of privacy so as not to offend any other boaters or swimmers along our route or at our destination, but we plan to make it worth his while to do so. Tomorrow's report will be a recap of how that excursion went, and what our day at Half Moon Cay, the "private island" owned by Holland America's parent company Carnival, is like.

Just three more days of naked fun left...it has gone by so quickly!

Thanks Mike. I wonder who was entertained more, the entertainers or the audience?

Today we hear about a nudist costume contest followed by river tubing in Dominica. These nudist cruisers sure know how to have a good, wholesome clothes-free time.

For those just joining us, 1,200 nudists (a.k.a. naturists) are aboard a Bare Necessities Nude Cruise for a February 3 to 13 Caribbean tour. Using an onboard wireless Internet connection, nudist traveler Mike has been able to provide a look inside the nude cruise.

Be sure to read Mike's previous nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Report:

Roseau, Dominica, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 9, 2007) -- Nobody knows how to dress up better than a shipload of nudists.

Proof positive of that fact was in spectacular evidence last night aboard our floating city of nudists for the gala "Under The Sea" costume contest / parade, and no one on the ship who saw the hundreds of simply amazing costumes cooked up by the nudists will ever forget the evening.

On a typical cruise, on a theme night, there might be a half-dozen passengers in costume or dressing up in accordance with the announced "theme" for the night: i.e., Country & Western Night, Mardi Gras Night, etc. On our nude cruise, being a bunch of people who haven't forgotten how to have fun without any hang-ups or pretension, we had well over 300 people in costume last night. And the costumes were spectacular.

There was a very strong invertebrate category, with many variations of jellyfish costumes and even some elaborate electrified outfits for an electro-luminescent look. We had sharks, sea sponges, many types of lobsters, wharf rats, some amazing sea anemones, fishermen and their catches, and a good assortment of King Neptune and mermaids / sea maidens. We all assembled on the aft pool deck at 10:00 PM for prelim judging, and it was just amazing to walk around and see so many of our fellow Maasdam passengers in their elaborate costumes, each one more inventive, original and fun than the next.

The photos I am sending for John to post don't begin to do justice to the immense variety and novelty of the great costumes on board last night. Some are simply inexplicable, and no one who wasn't there last night will ever know how amazing they were. The ship's photographers were trying to capture it all on film, and we'll be able to see our photos tonight in the ship's photo gallery. Of course, many onlookers and contestants as well also took their own photos (with the permission of their subjects, of course), and so I am attaching a few to give a small glimpse of the hilarity and imaginativeness of the various creations.


Mermaid on stage with David the emcee


Electro-luminescent jellyfish having fun


A couple in jellyfish costumes


Wearing crazy sea anemone costume

Our favorite was the SCUBA diver and mermaid couple. He was dressed in a full wet-suit, with mask, snorkel, SCUBA BCD vest, and he carried the mermaid over his shoulder...she was his wife, topless of course and with long blonde hair, strewn with seaweed and seashells, and with an impeccable set of mermaid fins covering her from the waist down. So dressed, she couldn't very well walk anywhere, but she did crawl, hop and beg to be carried around the festivities, even "making a break for it" once as they neared the aft pool. Once on stage, she crawled across the stage to our Cruise Director David Martin, the emcee for the contest, and managed to distract him endlessly during the proceedings. The shot I'm sending was taken from onstage and shows her sprawled on the floor making for David's leg gives an idea of the scene. They were fabulous, and neither one ever "broke character" -- he had to be dying of heat inside that wet suit, but it earned them one of the three Honorable Mention awards!

The kind of fun we all had last night is simply indescribable to anyone who hasn't been there themselves. The costume contest is always one of the highlights of the nude cruise, and last night's ranks among the best we've ever seen. It is so amazing to be among so many fun, happy, carefree people who just like to have fun, playing as children do and enjoying just being human. As I say, it's inexplicable, but inimitable and certainly unimaginable to all the textile-compulsive folks out in the rest of the world.


Dominica Layou River Valley
Today we arrived in Dominica, the green rainforest island, which has 10 volcanoes, 365 rivers, dozens of freshwater lakes, and a lush and gorgeous ecosystem of palms, ferns and every other kind of green, living thing. If you didn't know better, you'd say you were on Maui -- except Dominica is even more densely forested and with a more diverse climate. Many people from our ship went river tubing down the island's longest river, the Layou, while others took island bus tours. We did the 12-mile downhill bike ride through the rainforest, stopping for a cool dip in the Layou (with a skinnydip in the adjoining hot spring as well!) before arriving back at the beach. Our 3-hour ride took us down 2,200 feet in elevation through the beautiful and lush Layou rainforest valley. Spectacular.

Shortly Maasdam will push off the pier and head on to St. Thomas, where we will be in port Saturday until late afternoon. Tonight we'll enjoy another great clothes-free night of fun aboard the Maasdam, which seems to be gaining the acclaim of many of our fellow cruisers as the best ship and crew ever chartered by Bare Necessities.

I don't know about you, the reader, but hearing about all of this fun is getting me thinking about my own vacation plans for this year!

Most people I know where born without clothing. Today presents a fond story of a group of 1,200 travelers turning a regular cruise-ship into a nude cruise, a cruise without the constraint of clothing.

The nudist travelers have taken over the M/S Holland America's Maasdam cruise ship, with the help of Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, who have chartered over 40 clothing-optional cruises since 1991.

Mike reports today from aboard the ship to tell us more about the cruise.

Report:

Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 8, 2007) – After two days in ports, forced to wear all those silly clothes from morning until night, we 1,200 nudists aboard this magnificent ship showed our appreciation for a return to blissful nudity during this full day at sea. Breakfast this morning at the casual indoor/outdoor Lido buffet restaurant on pool deck 11 this morning was attended by an overwhelmingly unclothed crowd, with everyone more than ready to get back to clothes freedom for another glorious day of sailing.

Promenade deck 6 was a popular place as well this morning, where many Maasdam passengers enjoyed a beautiful morning walk around the open deck, which encircles the ship. Few things in this world can compare with the bright morning sun and warm breeze against the skin, walking the length of a beautiful ship on the open sea, surrounded by and dressed in Nature's own splendor.

The surest way for a pretty woman to attract attention around the pool of the Maasdam is to show up wearing a bikini or thong. She'll get plenty of looks, not because we're all thrilled by her skimpy bathing costume, but because she is bothering to wear one at all during a cruise for which we all paid a premium in order to be able to dispense with such distractions. Likewise, gentlemen who arrive poolside in a thong or Speedo will find themselves distinctly out of place and very much overdressed, since the whole point of this wonderful 10-day cruise was to be unencumbered by those restrictive, clingy and wholly unnecessary adornments.

Thankfully and quite typically for nude cruises like this one, folks wearing bathing suits around the two pools of the Maasdam are the rare exception, and those that do usually dispense with whatever they are wearing once they find a lounger or table at which to situate themselves. We have had the company of some of the ship's production show dancers and other entertainers around the pools throughout the week, and slowly we are seeing the females enjoying top-freedom, although the males have so far remained in their swimsuits while sunning and swimming along with us.

Tonight we look forward to the big "Under The Sea" costume ball, with several hundred entrants expected to be in the parade and contest around the ship. My wife and I will be among them, dressed as King Neptune and a Mermaid...wish us luck. Last time we wore these rented costumes, during the Nude Millennium Cruise on New Year's Eve 1999, we took first place!

Here's some of Mike's pictures from yesterday in Willemstad, Curacao - clothes had to be worn while the ship was in port, due to regulations.


Willemstad Harbor looks as good at night as it does during the day.


A steel drummer entertains guests on the ship.


A BBQ dinner buffet.


View of the pool during the day with Willemstad port in Curacao in the background.


View of the pool at night.



Thanks Mike. Good luck in the contest and have fun!

For those just joining us, be sure to read the previous nude cruise reports to learn more about clothes-free nudist cruises: February 4, 5, 6, and 7.

And of course, if you have your own story to tell or questions to ask, please feel free to leave comments.

Nudist traveler Mike reports today from aboard a special nude cruise on Holland America's Maasdam.  The ship is docked in Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the main city of the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. Today is a clothed day for his nudist shipmates.

View of Maasdam (foreground) and Royal Caribbean
Adventure of The Seas (background) at port in Curacao,
taken from the towering St. Anna's Bridge.

Tomorrow, the historic nude cruise continues forward. I say historic because the cruise represents the nudist community moving forward. It is yet another piece in the short human history of clothes-free cruises and bodes well for the future of nudist travel.

For those just joining us, be sure to read the previous day's nude cruise reports: February 4, 5, and 6.

Read on as Mike tells us more about Curacao and reflects upon what he and fellow nudists did yesterday while on the island of Bonaire.

Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 7, 2007) -- Who let all these funny-looking clothed people onto our ship?

For the second day in a row, Maasdam is in port from early morning until midnight, obliging all 1,200-plus of us nudist vacationers to remain clothed on our ship, even when in her interior spaces or on the high open decks out of the sight of anyone on any ship around, much less anyone shoreside. Although we are all just as friendly and the faces are all as familiar as when textiles are not mandatory, there is certainly less of a feeling of freedom and relaxation since we all have to bother with dressing, changing clothes for various functions, and of course those nasty tan lines!

Yesterday we were in Bonaire for the day, and many of us took advantage of the excellent SCUBA diving available there. Others strolled the small downtown area, shopped, ate and drank at the small bars and restaurants, or otherwise did what there was to do on that small, arid island. A good many Maasdam passengers signed up for the day trip by bus over to Sorobon, the small naturist beach resort on the eastern side of Bonaire.


Photo of Dive Inn SCUBA shop sign in Bonaire
Those of us who did not were lucky to be able to get nude during one of the shore excursions arranged by BNT&T or by our fellow passengers. I was one of them, joining in with 11 other SCUBA divers who chartered a small dive boat for the afternoon, for an excellent one-tank nude (or 'buff') dive. From where Maasdam was tied up, we could nearly fall off the ship and land at the Dive Inn Bonaire, directly across the road from the south town pier where Maasdam was alongside. Harry, the owner, was very friendly and accommodating, offering to rent us his divemaster, his boat captain, his dive boat and all our tanks, weights, and other gear for a nude one-tank boat dive trip on a splendidly warm afternoon.

Being a Dutch possession and with mostly Dutch or Dutch-educated natives, naturism is not unknown among most Bonaire residents, especially with Sorobon bringing many hundreds of tourists to the island every year. Our divemaster, Babs, was totally cool and took extra steps to bring us to a dive site on the far side of Klein Bonaire for our dive, well away from other dive boats and other snorkel/sail excursions as well.

The water temperature and visibility was excellent for our dive, and the 12 of us spent most of an hour below the surface taking in the magnificent coral and sea life that brings divers to Bonaire from all over the world. Five of our party elected to buff dive, myself included, and we were glad for the luxury of it, especially after climbing back onto the boat and not having the chill of a soggy bathing costume bothering us in the brilliant afternoon sun.

From Bonaire on Tuesday, Maasdam made the short run to Curacao overnight, arriving well before dawn after the 60-nm voyage. Again here in Curacao, many of our fellow passengers are ashore all day taking in the local sights, food and drink, but alas there were no clothing-optional tours made available through the charterer.

Tonight the Maasdam is featuring a poolside luau dinner around the main pool, as well as the usual live show in the main theater, the current movie "The Queen" playing in the cinema, and live music at various lounges around the ship. The casino onboard must remain closed while we are in port, and of course we all must remain clothed, so tonight will pass more slowly for many of us than the glorious nights underway at sea when the whole ship is ours to enjoy nude if we wish.

So far, we have not found a single shipmate who has anything but praise for the Maasdam, her crew, or the splendid weather we have had so far. Tomorrow (Thursday) has us at sea again for the whole day and so we can again enjoy the freedom and comfort which we have all paid for on this special cruise, as well as a fabulous costume contest tomorrow night with a theme of "Under The Sea."

Blessedly, today is our last day spent in port with textiles mandatory from morning until night. Friday we visit Dominica from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, then St. Thomas during the day on Saturday, then to Holland America's 'private island' of Half Moon Cay for the day on Monday. We are hopeful that we will be the only Carnival-branded ship visiting Half Moon Cay that day, giving us the possibility of enjoying the whole island nude...we shall see.

Thanks for the report! What a unique travel experience.

During the 3rd day aboard the Bare Necessities Nude Cruise, a ship carrying over 1,200 nudists for a February 3 to 13 Caribbean tour, the ship makes its first stop at the port in Bonaire.

Mike, a nudist aboard the ship, was able to snap a few pictures from the cruise and tell us more about the day's events.

(View Large)
Mike's view of the 720 feet long and 101 feet wide Maasdam docked at the South town pier in Kralendjik on the island of Bonaire. Doesn't that green ocean water look nice?

The report:

Kralendjik, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Aboard The M/S Holland America Maasdam (February 6, 2007) -- We have reached our first port call on this 10-day nude cruise. Bonaire has a population slightly smaller than the complement of passengers and crew aboard the Maasdam (1,600 or so on our ship versus the 1,200 or so on the whole 125 sq. mile island), so when a ship even as modestly-sized as ours (by today's megaship standards) pulls alongside, the island's capacity to entertain, feed and escort us on tours is at its limit.

We are tied up all day at the South town pier in Kralendjik, the only town of any size on the island. Many of our shipmates scattered off to various landside tours this morning, with many making the short walk into town for shopping, lunch and the all-important Internet cafe visit. Maasdam leaves at midnight for Curacao, with the gangway retracted and all aboard by 11:00 PM, and since we are within view of shore and other boats and ships along the harbour, we are obliged to remain clothed aboard the ship all day.

Those are about the only nudity restrictions during the nude cruises: we may be nude anywhere on the ship except in the formal dining room and the Captain's reception cocktail party, and at all times except when we are in port, within sight of other ships when at anchor, or at the Captain's orders at other times, for example if we are boarded by local officials. Essentially, that means we can be as dressed or undressed as we care to be at all times when we are underway, every night as we sail toward our next port, and for all meals taken in the casual Lido buffet restaurant, all the ship's lounges and bars, anywhere on the outer decks and pools--basically, anywhere on the ship.

There are few pleasures as rare and as exquisite as waking for the day while at sea, stepping out of a warm morning shower in your cruise ship stateroom, and knowing you are as dressed as you need to be for a day of fun and relaxation. AANR has graciously provided neat little neck lanyards with watertight plastic pouches, perfectly sized to hold our cabin door key and shipboard charge card -- so with just that around your neck, you need to wear very little else, if anything, as you enjoy the ship. Plus, Maasdam's crew has provided an endless supply of thick, large pool towels for us everywhere throughout the ship, so we are never at a loss for a towel to sit on or to dry off with.

With the warm air temperatures outside while making our way here from Florida, and the ship's engineers keeping the indoor temperatures warmer than usual for us, we are able to enjoy comfortable nudity day and night without a chill as we have had at times on other ships. Many, many, many of the passengers are taking full advantage of this luxury, remaining nude all day and evening, and so the casual indoor- outdoor (and nude-permitted) Lido restaurant on pool deck 11 is getting steady business for all four meals each day. (As with all cruises, food is available somewhere on the ship for something like 18 of the 24 hours each day.)

A special treat during our day at sea yesterday was around the main pool, which was filled not with cold seawater as is typical for cruise ship swimming pools, but with warm fresh water. Partially covered by a glass-and-steel retractable canopy to keep the winds down, it was the place to be for sunning and refreshing dips during the long daylight hours. Especially fun was in the afternoon, when Maasdam was pitching and falling slightly with the seas, making the main pool into a wave pool, with the tens of thousands of gallons of water in it sloshing back and forth on a regular interval -- delightful!


The plate inside the ship shows the date and the yard which built the ship -- in this case, the famous Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, in 1993 -- the 5,882nd new ship built by them since 1907.

Another great report from Mike. Everyone reading this is wishing they were on board right now!

Having towels available everywhere is a nice touch and must be greatly appreciated by the nudists on board. Part of the nudist way is to always sit on a towel. Another is to always shower before going into the swimming pool. When living clothes-free, towels come in handy.