Chumley's BearCruises
Chumley's BearCruises
Cruise ship getaways for gay bears
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Mark ‘Chumley’ Singer is a man who seems to be successful at whatever he puts his mind to. He helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the fight against HIV/AIDS by creating and co-hosting Philly’s GayBINGO! He served as Creative Director for the Millennium Philadelphia celebration, the openings of the Liberty Bell Pavilion and National Constitution Center, and the Salvador Dali Experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He even worked with the Philadelphia Eagles football team for seven seasons. Since 2003, Mark has been organizing Chumley's BearCruises - cruise ship getaways for gay bears. They seem to grow more popular every year.
We asked Mark about Chumley's BearCruises.
What is Chumley's BearCruises and how did it get started?
After attending some traditional 'bear runs' and finding the vibe not quite what I had hoped for, I started inviting fellow members of the bear community to join me on the first Chumley's BearCruise sailing in the fall of 2003. Our goal has always been to create a warm and friendly environment for all types of guys who were looking for a fun, welcoming and affordable vacation with time to really get to know their fellow travelers.
What is a Bear and how many attend your cruises?
I suspect you can ask 10 guys to define what a 'bear' is and get about 25 different answers! To me, a member of the bear community (including the complete menagerie of bears/cubs/chubs/musclebears/etc, as well as those who prefer not to be labeled at all) is someone who doesn't judge others based on superficial things like what they wear, what shape they are in, or their social status... but rather likes to get to know their brothers (and sisters!) before making any such judgments.
We currently do two annual sailings; a smaller group in the spring which is generally limited to under 100 guests for those seeking a bit of a more chill group, and the popular large group each fall which usually is comprised of 400 - 450 or so guests, most often including members from 35+ US states and 7 to 10 other countries.
What does a Chumley's BearCruise group do on a cruise?
Well the fun actually starts when you sign up, as our guests become members of a private online group just for those on that particular sailing, which gives them an opportunity to seek a cabin mate, chat with old friends, ask about tips and advice, and of course make new friends before ever heading to our departure city.
Our Bon Voyage parties in the departure city have become one of the largest bear events of the year in those towns as so many amazing guys show up to see our group off, and the fun continues once aboard the ship with private cocktail parties, an exclusive dinner area reserved for our CBC group, wonderful private dance parties with music provided by DJ Zack of Chicago, and even private optional in-port excursions tailored just for our guests.
The nice thing about a cruise vacation is that whether you're single, a couple or a group of buddies, everyone can be as active or as inactive as they like - and all still be together at the end of the day!
What are some positive things you have heard from participants?
We've had more than 15 Chumley's BearCruises since 2003, so there have been literally thousands of guests, and I could write a book with the wonderful experiences and anecdotes over the years.
One in particular that always sticks with me, and provides inspiration all year long, is a guest who cornered me one night and sat me down to tell me that although he had tried a few other bear events, he always felt ignored because he didn't seem to fit into any 'cliques' but in our group he had made new friends from the moment he joined - including some he felt would be friends for the rest of his life.
As tears started to roll down his cheek he told me this had been the first time he had felt comfortable being in public without his shirt on since he was in high school, and that being so welcomed made him feel like he had found his family at last. I mean, does it get any better than that?!
What do you love most about Chumley's BearCruises?
I've been an event producer for pretty much all of my adult life, starting with working on fundraisers to fight HIV/AIDS in the mid-80's. I've always prided myself on creating events that I would personally enjoy attending, and I've been very fortunate that so many amazing men from all over the world seem to feel the same way about our sailings. Clearly I have massive love for our guests, who are without exception the finest group of gentlemen you are likely to meet.
Oddly enough, I think the thing I love the most about our group is the one thing I never intended to occur; on each cruise, we share the ship with a majority of 'straight' passengers - we certainly tend to be the largest group aboard - but in the first day or two there are certainly some who wonder what we are all about... we don't tend to look like Will and Jack or the shiny pretty boys they're used to seeing as the stereotype gay man, so it takes some time for them to get to know our group.
My favorite example is when our guys are waiting outside the dining room on formal night, and create a 'gauntlet of love' for the women who are exiting the early dinner - our guys compliment their hair and their dresses and their shoes - and these women light up like it's their wedding day! I suspect some of their husbands haven't said anything like that to them in years - but our guys just make them feel like a princess... and those fellow passenger of ours - regardless of what their perspective on gay men may have been before boarding that ship - have been going back to their hometowns all over the world for the past 15 years with tales of their cherished new friend and the cute, funny, polite, and handsome 'bears' they met from the Chumley's BearCruise group.
Like a pebble thrown into a lake, those ripple of love and understanding flow out slowly and surely... and that makes the world just a little bit better, right?
To learn more about Chumley's BearCruises, go to http://www.bearcruises.com/
You can contact Chumley by email at chumley@bearcruises.com
Interested in going on a bear cruise but don't have a cabin mate? Post your information on Chumley's BearCruise Facebook page. They suggest that you "remember to include questions like 'are you a late night party guy or early riser?', 'snorer or not?', and of course 'what type of cabin are you interested in?' in order to find your perfect fit! " Visit the Chumley's BearCruises Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bearcruise/
Article by Thomas Routzong and Steven Skelley. Copyright 2016 Sunny Harbor Publishing. PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: SunnyHarborPublishing@yahoo.com
Cruise ship getaways for gay bears
By Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Mark ‘Chumley’ Singer is a man who seems to be successful at whatever he puts his mind to. He helped raise more than $1,000,000 for the fight against HIV/AIDS by creating and co-hosting Philly’s GayBINGO! He served as Creative Director for the Millennium Philadelphia celebration, the openings of the Liberty Bell Pavilion and National Constitution Center, and the Salvador Dali Experience at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He even worked with the Philadelphia Eagles football team for seven seasons. Since 2003, Mark has been organizing Chumley's BearCruises - cruise ship getaways for gay bears. They seem to grow more popular every year.
We asked Mark about Chumley's BearCruises.
What is Chumley's BearCruises and how did it get started?
After attending some traditional 'bear runs' and finding the vibe not quite what I had hoped for, I started inviting fellow members of the bear community to join me on the first Chumley's BearCruise sailing in the fall of 2003. Our goal has always been to create a warm and friendly environment for all types of guys who were looking for a fun, welcoming and affordable vacation with time to really get to know their fellow travelers.
What is a Bear and how many attend your cruises?
I suspect you can ask 10 guys to define what a 'bear' is and get about 25 different answers! To me, a member of the bear community (including the complete menagerie of bears/cubs/chubs/musclebears/etc, as well as those who prefer not to be labeled at all) is someone who doesn't judge others based on superficial things like what they wear, what shape they are in, or their social status... but rather likes to get to know their brothers (and sisters!) before making any such judgments.
We currently do two annual sailings; a smaller group in the spring which is generally limited to under 100 guests for those seeking a bit of a more chill group, and the popular large group each fall which usually is comprised of 400 - 450 or so guests, most often including members from 35+ US states and 7 to 10 other countries.
What does a Chumley's BearCruise group do on a cruise?
Well the fun actually starts when you sign up, as our guests become members of a private online group just for those on that particular sailing, which gives them an opportunity to seek a cabin mate, chat with old friends, ask about tips and advice, and of course make new friends before ever heading to our departure city.
Our Bon Voyage parties in the departure city have become one of the largest bear events of the year in those towns as so many amazing guys show up to see our group off, and the fun continues once aboard the ship with private cocktail parties, an exclusive dinner area reserved for our CBC group, wonderful private dance parties with music provided by DJ Zack of Chicago, and even private optional in-port excursions tailored just for our guests.
The nice thing about a cruise vacation is that whether you're single, a couple or a group of buddies, everyone can be as active or as inactive as they like - and all still be together at the end of the day!
What are some positive things you have heard from participants?
We've had more than 15 Chumley's BearCruises since 2003, so there have been literally thousands of guests, and I could write a book with the wonderful experiences and anecdotes over the years.
One in particular that always sticks with me, and provides inspiration all year long, is a guest who cornered me one night and sat me down to tell me that although he had tried a few other bear events, he always felt ignored because he didn't seem to fit into any 'cliques' but in our group he had made new friends from the moment he joined - including some he felt would be friends for the rest of his life.
As tears started to roll down his cheek he told me this had been the first time he had felt comfortable being in public without his shirt on since he was in high school, and that being so welcomed made him feel like he had found his family at last. I mean, does it get any better than that?!
What do you love most about Chumley's BearCruises?
I've been an event producer for pretty much all of my adult life, starting with working on fundraisers to fight HIV/AIDS in the mid-80's. I've always prided myself on creating events that I would personally enjoy attending, and I've been very fortunate that so many amazing men from all over the world seem to feel the same way about our sailings. Clearly I have massive love for our guests, who are without exception the finest group of gentlemen you are likely to meet.
Oddly enough, I think the thing I love the most about our group is the one thing I never intended to occur; on each cruise, we share the ship with a majority of 'straight' passengers - we certainly tend to be the largest group aboard - but in the first day or two there are certainly some who wonder what we are all about... we don't tend to look like Will and Jack or the shiny pretty boys they're used to seeing as the stereotype gay man, so it takes some time for them to get to know our group.
My favorite example is when our guys are waiting outside the dining room on formal night, and create a 'gauntlet of love' for the women who are exiting the early dinner - our guys compliment their hair and their dresses and their shoes - and these women light up like it's their wedding day! I suspect some of their husbands haven't said anything like that to them in years - but our guys just make them feel like a princess... and those fellow passenger of ours - regardless of what their perspective on gay men may have been before boarding that ship - have been going back to their hometowns all over the world for the past 15 years with tales of their cherished new friend and the cute, funny, polite, and handsome 'bears' they met from the Chumley's BearCruise group.
Like a pebble thrown into a lake, those ripple of love and understanding flow out slowly and surely... and that makes the world just a little bit better, right?
To learn more about Chumley's BearCruises, go to http://www.bearcruises.com/
You can contact Chumley by email at chumley@bearcruises.com
Interested in going on a bear cruise but don't have a cabin mate? Post your information on Chumley's BearCruise Facebook page. They suggest that you "remember to include questions like 'are you a late night party guy or early riser?', 'snorer or not?', and of course 'what type of cabin are you interested in?' in order to find your perfect fit! " Visit the Chumley's BearCruises Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bearcruise/
Article by Thomas Routzong and Steven Skelley. Copyright 2016 Sunny Harbor Publishing. PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: SunnyHarborPublishing@yahoo.com
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