Thanksgiving Mayan Caribbean Cruise

November 23 – 30, 2014
Holland America's ms Ryndam

Spend the (U.S.) Thanksgiving holiday with your Olivia family! Bonnie Raitt will be in port in Tampa to kick off the cruise, and lesbian celebrity chefs, Josie Smith Malave and Tiffani Faison, will be on board all week to give you cooking demos and share their favorite recipes. In the evening, you be spoiled with the best lesbian entertainment from Cris Williamson, Suzanne Westenhoefer and Poppy Champlin, and end the night dancing with music from DJ Citizen Jane at the fabulous Club O.

During the warm Caribbean days, snorkel in Cozumel, Mexico, one of the world's premier dive spots, or visit the walled city of ancient Tulum just a ferry ride away. Spend a day diving or fishing near the magical coral reefs that surround the island of Roatan, Honduras. In Guatemala, swim under sparkling waterfalls and freshwater pools in San Gill Hill Natural Reserve or visit an old Mayan city at Quirigua National Park. Discover an unspoiled paradise in Costa Maya, Mexico filled with Mayan ruins, sandy beaches and fresh seafood to nosh on. On board hang out with your Olivia friends, take in a show, try your luck in the casino, get a relaxing massage at the spa or sit by the pool and watch the wet-n-wacky pool games. The ship is your oyster!

Your Entertainment

Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt is a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose unique style blends blues, R&B, rock, and pop. After 20 years as a cult favorite, she broke through to the top in the early 90s with her GRAMMY-award winning albums, Nick of Time and Luck of the Draw, which featured hits such as, "Something To Talk About" and "I Can't Make You Love Me." With ten GRAMMYs under her belt and a long history of social activism, she tours regularly incorporating many benefit concerts into her schedule. After a brief hiatus, Raitt played over 170 shows in North America, Singapore, Australia/New Zealand, the UK and Europe in 2012/2013, recharged with a batch of great new songs to play in her live set along with the tried and true favorites that have treated her very loyal following to countless memorable shows through the years.

Olga Murray
Olga Murray (Founder, Honorary Board President) In Nepal, the NYF kids call her "Olga didi," meaning "older sister." As the honorary president of NYF, Olga Murray is living proof that getting older doesn't mean slowing down. Born in 1925 in Transylvania, Olga came with her parents and sister to the U.S. when she was six year old. After graduation from Columbia University, she earned a law degree from George Washington University, where she was one of a handful of female students. Olga worked her way through school as a researcher and writer for famed muckraking columnist Drew Pearson. With her law degree in hand, she found that no law firm would hire a woman. So Olga knocked on the door of the California Supreme Court, where she became a research attorney for Chief Justice Phil Gibson. When he retired, Olga joined the law staff of the new Justice Stanley Mosk. During her 37-year tenure at the Court, Olga helped to write important decisions in the areas of civil rights, women's rights, and environmental policy. She retired from law in 1992 to launch yet another career—helping impoverished children in Nepal.

Cris Williamson
Decades before indie labels were the norm, and years before women had any real access to the industry, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face of popular music. In 1975, the twenty-something former schoolteacher recorded The Changer and the Changed, for her brainchild, Olivia Records, the first woman-owned woman-focused record company. Her music and voice quickly became an essential part of the soundtrack of a movement, and was the cornerstone of what would become known as "women's music," music created, performed, and marketed specifically for and by women. Today, that recording, The Changer and the Changed, remains one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.

Today, with 30 full albums to her credit, Cris continues to tour the acoustic circuit adding new material at each juncture. Her performance career includes three sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall and the headlining of many of the great folk festivals, including Newport, Kerrville, Moab and Vancouver. The songs and the celebration continue with the release of her 31st, her new 2-CD set, Pray Tell.

Suzanne Westenhoefer
The first openly gay comedian in the United States, Suzanne has delivered gay material to straight audiences in mainstream comedy clubs beginning in NYC since the early '90s. After accepting a dare, she entered the world of comedy by accident and her life has never been the same since. Suzanne soon became the ?rst lesbian comedian to garner an HBO Comedy Special, earning her a Cable Ace Award nomination. Additionally, a performance on "Late Night with David Letterman" marked the ?rst by an openly lesbian comedian. Suzanne works mostly unscripted, so when she hits the stage it's an unpredictable, original night of comedy magic. On land or at sea, Suzanne delights audiences with over 100 performances a year at theatres, clubs, colleges, fundraisers and cruise and resort vacations. Having toured with the Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco while on Olivia Cruises, Suzanne wishes she'd been born a rockstar.

AWARDS
(1994): Nominated for a Cable Ace Award "Nothing in my Closet but my Clothes" (1999): Gay and Lesbian American Music Award (GLAMA) winner for best comedy CD "I'm Not Cindy Brady" (2000): GLAMA winner for best comedy CD "Guaranteed Fresh" (2003): GLAMA winner for best comedy CD.

Nedra Johnson
Nedra Johnson is a singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist born & living in New York City. Her unique style of guitar playing is unmistakably informed by her many years as a professional bassist and keeps her live solo acoustic performances more on an R&B tip then what one might expect of a "girl with a guitar."

Nedra's self-titled sophomore release is a joyful mix of R&B, funk, rock and gospel that won an OUTMUSIC Award (Outstanding New Recording – Female). Each song is a testimony of her experience as a black openly-lesbian woman in love, spirituality, community or politics.

Nedra has performed internationally at jazz, blues, pride & women's music festivals as a solo artist and as tuba player/vocalist with her father Howard Johnson & his group, Gravity.

Whether in front of an intimate audience such as at New York City's Rockwood Music Hall or a large festival audience of 7000 like Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Nedra performs with a strength and vulnerability that makes each listener feel like they are getting to know her on a personal level. Her thoughtful choice of words reflects not only who she is, but also speaks to the heart in a way that mirrors the emotions many find difficult to express.

Poppy Champlin
Poppy Champlin is a veteran comic whose sharp wit and intuitive jokes can penetrate the heart of any discerning audience's funny bone. Poppy erupts onto the stage with a hip, fearless and in your face style of comedy that can persuade any crowd to come along for a ride that is highly personal and completely relatable. Rapid fire jokes mixed in with her skewed take on life, topped off with a few short comedic songs, keeps her audiences laughing and coming back for more. Poppy is not a sadist, but she is most happy when she leaves her audience screaming, crying and doubled over in pain...from laughter.

Her stand-up pedigree is flawless; from VH-1, to A&E, Oprah Winfrey and The Joan Rivers Show to her latest gig on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen and traveling with Olivia Cruises where she has earned a reputation of being one of the fastest witted female comediennes on either coast.

Ever increasing her visibility, she performed for over 25.000 people in the closing ceremonies of the Gay Games in Chicago. She has performed for troops in both Japan and Korea. She was invited to perform in South Africa, at The Cape Town Comedy Festival. And, Poppy produces her own touring troupe called, Queer Queens of Qomedy, now in it's third year.

Sandra Valls
Sandra Valls is a brash, high energy, smart, outrageously funny, Latina comic… and then some! Voted by Latina Magazine as one of the Top 33 Bad Ass Comics with Latin Roots, Sandra will make you laugh till your face hurts with her frank, no holds barred funny stuff.

Sandra ignites the stage with powerful, electric performances in 2 Showtime hit comedy specials, THE LATIN DIVAS OF COMEDY (nominated for an Alma Award) and PRIDE: LGBT COMEDY SLAM! , hosted by Bruce Vilanch (both available for viewing now on Hulu.com). In a time when gays and lesbians in the United States are still struggling and fighting for equality, Sandra Valls unapologetically takes the road less travelled, celebrates her sexuality, and steps up to the front lines entertaining and educating folks through laughter and plenty of PRIDE! So it comes as no surprise that she was voted one of Curve Magazine's Top 10 funniest lesbian comics and Top 10 faces to watch in 2010 by Diva Magazine.

Sandra's hosting credits include La Femme Film Awards (4 years in a row), Power UP 10 Amazing Gay Women and Men Gala, and GLAAD Awards, to name a few. From hosting to touring with the Latin Divas and Queer Queens of Qomedy to sharing the stage with Eva Longoria at the HBO Comedy Festival, Sandra still finds time to give back to the community by volunteering and producing comedy shows for various causes including benefits/fundraisers for Aids, sobriety, domestic violence and LGBT rights.

Josie Smith Malave
Josie Smith Malave "Chef Josie" is a classically trained chef, global adventurist, inspirational speaker, social entrepreneur, ratings worthy TV/radio personality and founder of Global Soul Project – a food, youth and community initiative.

This big-hearted, outspoken chef has been featured in People Magazine and numerous other publications. She was a standout on Bravo TV's award-winning show, Top Chef and named Global Soul Chef by Color Magazine.

Josie's life journey has become a part of her own brand. Her initiative, Global Soul Project, embodies all that is close to her heart, from her rich and diverse ethnic heritage to her values around food inclusivity, youth empowerment and community. She continues to use food as tool to inspire, engage and teach the folks around her.

Tiffani Faison
Chef Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks has been surrounded by diverse cultures and exceptional cuisine since childhood. Born in Northern Germany, she moved throughout the globe and was exposed to a wide range of foods. From Greek, Mediterranean, and Austrian cuisine, to Modern American, Southern Classics and New England-style delicacies, her appetite for learning and for cooking was inspired by her varied surroundings.

Tiffani began her career working as a line cook for celebrity Chef and Restaurateur Todd English. She soon caught the eye of her superiors, and as a result was given the opportunity to travel and cook side-by-side with Chef Todd English. Tiffani was then hand-selected by Chef Daniel Boulud to open his first West Coast venture, the Wynn Hotel, which earned the Mobil five-star, five-diamond award.

In 2010, Tiffani became Executive Chef of Rocca Kitchen & Bar in Boston, Massachusetts and garnered a glowing three-star review from The Boston Globe just several months after revamping the restaurant's menu. In the fall of 2011, she opened the much-anticipated Sweet Cheeks, a Southern-Style Barbecue restaurant in Boston's Fenway neighborhood. Sweet Cheeks is the first restaurant that Tiffani has had full creative vision for and draws inspiration from her love of barbecue and extensive travels in the South.

DJ Citizen Jane
DJ Citizen Jane is a Miami native who began in the 90's as a turn-table DJ spinning freestyle, and emerged into the nightlife scene to rise to the top with hard work, talent and dedication. Citizen Jane is an Open Format DJ with vast music style with no boundaries, and plays the best in dance, top 40, retro, rock, latin rock and indie, with influences extending into house, hip- hop, salsa, merengue and reggaeton. Her ability to read and keep a crowd going has allowed her to obtain resident DJ and headliner DJ billing at the hottest South Beach clubs and venues. Citizen Jane has also spun at celebrity private parties, corporate client events and special circuit events and had the pleasure to DJ at known venues in Spain, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Orlando, Tampa, LA and New York - dropping her beats internationally.

DJ Pat Pat
DJ Pat Pat, knows her music, having largely been influenced by her Cuban roots surrounded by Salsa and Merengue. She was born in Miami and raised in Naples, Florida, where it all started with her stomping out beats for her High School Marching Band. Currently she is an extremely well-diversified business owner who has excelled in the music industry for the last 16 years. With her determination and passion, she continues to succeed traveling the world by mixing and video DJ'ing Top 40, Hip Hop, Latin, Reggae, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and House Music. DJ Pat Pat is ready to spin her beats for The Ladies of Olivia!

Your Ship - Holland America's ms Ryndam

The ms Ryndam has a casual, comfortable atmosphere that will truly make it feel like your "home away from home". The dining rooms have extensive sea vistas, there are wide teak decks for strolling, and spacious staterooms—many with private verandahs—for relaxing. At the heart of the ms Ryndam a three-story atrium features a monumental fountain created by sculptor Gilbert Lebigre in Pietrasanta, Italy. The ms. Ryndam is built with your comfort and pleasure in mind, with details such as string quartet serenades in the splendid Rotterdam Dining Room and a plush two-deck Vermeer Show Lounge where you'll take in great evening shows. Welcome aboard for a fantastic journey!

Grandly proportioned and recently enhanced, ms Ryndam offers an onboard experience defined by spacious comfort, and the latest Signature of Excellence features and amenities. Upgrades begin with new fixtures and soft goods in staterooms and bathrooms. Staterooms offer a generous amount of personal space and many feature commanding ocean views with private verandahs.

Recent enhancements include remodeled public spaces, updated lounges and an exciting new entertainment destination called Mix featuring three distinctly themed bars. Together they provide the ultimate place to socialize and be entertained.

With a Dutch worldwide exploration theme, the decor of ms Ryndam features art and artifacts from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. At the heart of ms Ryndam a three-story atrium features a monumental fountain created by sculptor Gilbert Lebigre in Pietrasanta, Italy. Guests aboard this spacious ship encounter elegance at every turn - from a string quartet serenade in the splendid Rotterdam Dining Room to the two-deck Vermeer Show Lounge. Luxuriously appointed and uniquely refined, Holland America Line's ms Ryndam ensures you the ultimate onboard experience with her graceful combination of classic cruise ship features, state-of-the-art amenities, and sophisticated ambiance.