Opinions
Celebrity BEYOND transatlantic cruise: Setting sail
Rome to Ft. Lauderdale crossing features parties, shows, and some rough seas
My 2023 trip to Europe to join the Celebrity BEYOND on a transatlantic voyage back to Ft. Lauderdale has begun. I flew United Airlines to Rome from D.C. The flight was on time and great, except for the food, which as usual on United, was awful. The flight attendant asked what I wanted for lunch, but since it was already 7 p.m., I suggested it may be dinner. She laughed and said yes, dinner. Then I chose the short ribs from the menu and she said, “pick a second choice we only have 14 servings of that.” I laughed, and said then it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t one of the 14 to get the short ribs.
Other than dinner all went well. We landed in Rome about 10 minutes early. That was made up for when it took over 40 minutes to get our luggage, and it came down on a luggage station already packed with bags from another flight which made it difficult for anyone without extra-long arms to get their bags off the conveyer belt.
After finally having my bag, I walked out of the baggage claim area, and met my pre-arranged taxi, through Booking.com, and he escorted me to his car. He was a very nice gentleman and his car was a beautiful new Jaguar. It was a nice ride into Rome. I arrived at the UNA Deco hotel, where I have stayed several times before, and got a nice welcome and was told my room was ready early. Wow, a great welcome. Headed upstairs to wash up, and began two wonderful days in Rome.
I left messages for friends, also staying at the hotel, and arranged to meet them the next morning for breakfast at the great buffet the hotel provides. Then headed out to walk around Rome. For me there is always with a sense of wonder when seeing sights like the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon. Rome is packed with tourists, lined up seven deep at the Trevi Fountain. Even so I bumped into friends there who were also going to be on the cruise. I wandered for hours, stopping for a cappuccino, and a light lunch, and eventually was tired enough to head back to the hotel early for a good night’s sleep. Since I never can sleep on a plane, was exhausted and skipped dinner. Woke refreshed the next morning and met friends for breakfast, and then headed out again. Had a great day and had arranged to meet my friends from Rehoboth Beach, Mary, and Nancy, who were also joining my group on the cruise. Lawrence, from Columbia, who I had met on a previous cruise was staying at my hotel, and he joined us for dinner that evening at a nice restaurant near the Spanish Steps. The ladies were staying near the Spanish Steps and we parted ways with them after dinner and Lawrence and I decided to take a long walk back to our hotel to walk off dinner.
Day three dawned bright and sunny. After breakfast Lawrence and I headed to the designated meeting place, which was only two blocks from the hotel, to board the bus our hosts (travel agents extraordinaire, Scott and Dustin, of My Lux Cruise) had arranged to take us to Civitavecchia, the port where we were to board out ship. We met some old, and some new, friends on the bus. As we arrived at the port, we saw the BEYOND was docked close to the Celebrity EDGE and together they made an impressive picture. We arrived at the port about 10:30 and began our check-in to board the ship.
Courtesy of Scott, I had arranged for an upgrade to use the retreat amenities, the retreat is the fancier part of the ship. I really enjoy the retreat lounge. My cabin was concierge class. I was able to check in at the retreat section and when I handed my passport to the nice lady at the gate, after having dropped off my luggage, there seemed to be a problem. She said I would have to wait and I called Scott from My Lux Cruise over to see if he knew what the problem could be. Turns out she was just waiting for her manager to come over to welcome me on board. They apparently knew I was going to blog and write about the cruise and I thought that was very nice. We then got online with everyone else to walk up the gangplank to enter the ship. So, the cruise began.
Celebrity BEYOND Transatlantic Cruise: Blog #2
Day 1 on the ship begins and we are welcomed by a great crew as we walk up the gangway. The BEYOND has a very similar feel to the EDGE and the APEX, both on which I had cruised before. Clearly Celebrity BEYOND is a beautiful ship. I went directly to my cabin, set up my computer, and unpacked the one small bag I carried with me. The larger luggage was to be delivered to the cabin. Then I set out to tour the ship.
Again, it has a very familiar feel but there were some clear differences. The first thing I did was head to my muster station to check in, which every guest must do. It’s so you know where to go in case of any emergency during the cruise. There, one of the crew checking us in, was a very attractive and charming young man, who it turned out was one of the entertainers, an aerialist. He and his partner would perform during the cruise. I chatted with him and found he was from Ukraine, and of course knew the talented Bilak Brothers, who I have written about. Guess there is something in the water in Ukraine that breeds aerialists. I suggested I wanted to interview him later in the cruise, and he said that would be great.
Next, I headed to the Sunset Bar, larger than on the other EDGE ships and beautiful. I knew it had been designed by the talented Nate Burkus. I was going to be spending time there. The plentiful artwork around the ship was intriguing. Not sure I appreciated all of it, but then art is always in the eye of the beholder. The elephant at the pool is great. But another piece I stopped to look at thinking ‘why?’ Then near me I overheard a couple say, “wow, isn’t that beautiful.” Yes, we all appreciate art differently. I continued my tour looking at the various lounges, and then headed to EDEN, a lounge where the LGBTQ happy hour would be held each evening, and shows would be performed. Walking toward the Eden lounge on APEX you walk through a silver tunnel. On the Beyond, you walk into a black space, with silver freeform sculptures on the wall, floor, and some hanging from the ceiling. In some ways beautiful, but dangerous. There is one silver ball hanging from the ceiling directly in the walkway, which anyone over 5’9 must duck, not to smash into. I am surprised Celebrity hasn’t been sued yet. The black mirrors are such one woman walked into one while I was there, thankfully she wasn’t hurt. Again, art is in the eye of the beholder, but this installation actually seems dangerous. Once I navigated through the tunnel, the EDEN lounge is as great as on other EDGE series ships.
Scott and Dustin, of My Lux Cruise, had invited our group of nearly 100 to a 4:30 sail-away party in their suite, one of two amazing Iconic suites, on the ship. The other was occupied by Mark and Juan, an incredible couple, I first met on a Panama Canal cruise. So, I headed back to my cabin to wash up and change, expecting to see my luggage. No such luck. I was surprised since it was now five hours since we checked our luggage on the pier. I was to find out even those in the Iconic suites were missing some of theirs. Seems there was a small issue, and what was to be priority luggage, for the retreat passengers, never really got labeled as such, and the luggage sat for hours on the pier. So, I headed to the sail-away party and it was great. Dustin and Scott, working with Christophe, the Hotel Director, set up a fun party. There were old friends to greet, and new ones to meet, a perfect start to the cruise. Just a side note, Christophe had been Hotel Director on the APEX until recently, and we met him last year. He is a great guy. I hope to work with him during the cruise to set up some interviews with the Captain and other crew, if Celebrity corporate gets out of the way. After the party a few of us headed to the Tuscan restaurant, one of the four main dining rooms, for a relaxed dinner. Then it was an early night for me, looking forward to day 2 and my first excursion.
Celebrity BEYOND Transatlantic Cruise: Blog #3
Day 2 on BEYOND dawned bright, and I had arranged to have coffee, juice, and a bagel delivered to the room. It was delivered late, but the room service manager called, apologized, and promised it would be on time for the rest of the cruise. I always do a continental breakfast in the room. I then headed to the theater, to check in for my first excursion.
The theater is beautiful, and was crowded with those checking in for various excursions. Mine was a bus trip to Papallo, and Santa Margherita, and then a small boat ride to Portofino. I was going with my friends Mary and Nancy from Rehoboth, Beach. They are all small, beautiful, tourist towns, on the coast. We were treated to breakfast in Rapallo, some pastries and cappuccino, and took a walk around town with our guide. Then it was back on the bus, and off to Santa Margherita, another pretty town. As we were heading there our guide confirmed the sea was quite rough, something we could see, and the planned boat trip to Portofino was cancelled. She then told us we could take a taxi, or small bus, from Santa Margherita, along a narrow road to Portofino. Many of us did take the bus. It was worth it as Portofino really is a beautiful place, with a great little harbor. But you understood again why the boat trip was cancelled as the water was lapping over the harbor wall, onto some of the streets. But that didn’t stop any of us from enjoying our time there. After returning to Santa Margharita, and all-in-all a very nice day, the bus brought us back to the ship around 4pm.
I then headed to the retreat lounge for another cappuccino, and met some of the group there. Then it was time to change and the LGBTQ+ happy hour in the Eden lounge. This was a precursor to dinner, again in one of the main dining rooms, and then a Halloween costume Party back in the Eden lounge. This party was arranged by Scott and Dustin. They had a roped off area in the lounge for our group, and there were some great costumes. In fact, a couple of the guys went on to win prizes in the ship-wide Halloween Party and contest, held a little later in the Martini Bar. Everyone was in great spirits all evening. The great thing about these cruises is you can stay and party till the wee hours, even head to the casino to try your luck, or if you are like me, you can head back to the cabin around eleven, for a good night’s sleep. Yes, I am getting old, LOL.
Day 3 on BEYOND dawned partly cloudy, and I had planned to do an eight-hour excursion to Nice and Monaco. Instead, went with my friend Ken, on our own excursion. We took the ship’s tender into VilleFranche -sur-mer. A charming town. Also taking the tender was my aerialist friend, and we walked around with him for a while. He had to be back at the ship early to prepare for a show that evening. Ken and I took the train to Nice. It was only a short trip and we walked around Nice, and took the tram to the beach. It wasn’t the main port, and was a little disappointing, but we had nice lunch and enjoyed walking around. Ken was looking for a pharmacy but they were all closed. We had forgotten it was All Souls Day. Then it was time to take the train back to VilleFranche, and board the tender back to the ship. Just as we got on the tender, it began to rain. We felt our timing was perfect. It was another nice day off the ship.
Now it was time to relax, wash up, and then head to the LGBTQ+ happy hour, which I do each evening. Then it was dinner again, this time in Cyprus, another of the four main dining rooms. Now this was going to be a little later evening for me, as the first show I wanted to see was being performed in the EDEN lounge at 10:45. It was one where my friend the aerialist, and his partner, were performing. They were great, as was the entire cast. Talented singers and dancers. So, it was worth staying up past my bedtime. In any event, day 4 was going to be our first sea day.
Celebrity BEYOND Transatlantic Cruise: Blog #4
Day 4 dawned bright and windy, with the ship’s motion a little strong from side to side. It was not a day to be outside so the inside lounges and solarium pool were going to be crowded. I had my usual breakfast delivered to the room, exactly on time with a charming waiter, and then did some writing. Then I headed to the gym. I had made a commitment to myself to go to the gym every sea day, and I intend to keep that commitment. The gym was busy but my timing was great. I headed to the lifecycle area and just as I got there one of the bikes opened. I spent about an hour in the gym and felt proud of myself. Then I treated myself, and headed to the retreat lounge for a cappuccino. I met some of the guys from our big LGBTQ group, Mike and Jason, and others who were also sitting there chatting and relaxing. We then all headed to the retreat restaurant, Laminae, for lunch. It was my first meal there this cruise. I had a simple, but great, burger and fries. Then I just wandered around the ship and found a nice place to sit and read till it was time to head back to the cabin and change for happy hour. I did contact the guest relations desk, asking to set up a meeting with Christophe, the Hotel Director. He very able assistant contacted me and suggested we could meet at the retreat lounge the next evening at 6:30 which sounded great to me.
The evening was nice. We went to the early show in the theater. The show, Stage Door, with the production cast was great. They sang and danced to a wide variety of musical numbers from Broadway shows. Then Paul, John, Ken, and I headed to Fine Cut, the steak house for dinner. While we weren’t all that thrilled with the meal, I must admit some others who have eaten there, raved about it. After dinner we headed to the Martini Bar and it was crowded. By eleven I headed back to the cabin.
Day 5 dawned sunny and windy. We docked early in Malaga, Spain. I have been to Malaga often, and had signed up for an excursion to Mijas, a small mountain town above Fuengirola, on the Costa Del Sol. I went because I wanted to see what the town looked like today, nearly fifty years after I was first there. While it is a beautiful, and a busy tourist town today, for me it was disappointing as I remembered it as a small cute town with a few main streets. Now you can buy a condo there for a mere $500,000 as advertised in one of the real estate shops. But it was a nice drive down the coast. We got back to the ship by 1:00pm and I headed back to the retreat lounge to relax. That evening I met some of the group and we headed to the show in the theater, Legacy, three very talented singers. From there we went to one of the main dining rooms, Tuscan, for dinner, and had a relaxed evening at the Martini bar. The next day, Saturday, would begin six days at sea as we crossed the Atlantic to Bermuda.
At the show we were warned there was a big storm in the North Atlantic, and the Captain determined he would change the route of the ship to a more southern route and try to avoid the worst of the storm. We were told there would be some higher waves and we would feel the rocking of the ship. We sure did feel it beginning that night.
I woke up on Day 6 to the room rocking. I was OK with that, and felt no sea-sickness. That was not the same for all in our group. I was impressed with my room service waiter who still delivered my breakfast on time, and carried the tray without a problem. The crew has great sea legs. The first of our six sea days had begun.
Opinions
ICE agents murder another American citizen in Minneapolis
Trump and his Cabinet are the real ‘domestic terrorists’
ICE agents murdered another American citizen on the streets of Minneapolis. His murder is both caused, and condoned, by the evil felon in the White House, and his incompetent, and equally evil, Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristie Noem. She, the woman who thought nothing of killing her dog, now apparently thinks nothing of killing American citizens. The most recent murder, condoned by both of them, occurred on Jan. 24 and was that of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen.
His grieving parents released a statement, “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the hero term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”
All this occurred amid heightened tensions in the city following recent clashes over federal immigration actions. The chaos in Minneapolis is clearly caused by the federal agents. We have also been told by the Minneapolis police that Pretti had no criminal record beyond minor traffic violations and held a valid Minnesota permit to carry a concealed weapon. His family said they had never seen him carry it.
The chaos in Minneapolis was heightened after an ICE agent murdered Renee Good, while she was in her car. The agent who shot her was clearly seen in videos to be in no danger. “An autopsy commissioned by the family this month, found that she suffered three clear gunshot wounds, including one to her head, lawyers for her family said Wednesday. One of the injuries was to Good’s left forearm, the lawyers said in a statement, while another gunshot struck her right breast without piercing major organs. Neither of those wounds was immediately life-threatening, the attorneys said. A third shot entered the left side of Good’s head near the temple and exited on the right side, according to the statement, and she also appeared to have sustained a graze wound.”
After both these murders, the felon and his lapdog, Noem, claimed the murders were appropriate as both victims were ‘domestic terrorists.’ In both cases they told Minnesota law enforcement they could not participate in the investigation. Clearly, they don’t want real investigations. It has become crystal clear, the felon in the White House considers anyone who disagrees with him, or his policies, a ‘domestic terrorist’. I, and so many others, consider the felon, and his personal Goebbels, Stephen Miller, along with Noem, and others in his Cabinet, to be the real ‘domestic terrorists.’
In my lifetime, I have never seen a president declare war on American citizens, but that is what this president is doing. He is sending federal agents, including the National Guard, into cities across the nation, to fight with, and threaten to curb, the legal actions of American citizens. He is a clear danger to our democracy, and is being assisted by the Republicans in Congress, and the Supreme Court. They are all guilty of enabling his vicious attacks on all of us.
When Renee Good and Alex Pretti were gunned down, we all suffered. We were all attacked, when they were attacked. None of us can feel safe if during a legal demonstration, we can be murdered, and no one will step forward to stop it from happening. We live in a country where our Secretary of Health and Human Services, RFK Jr., is literally killing children by saying they shouldn’t be vaccinated against diseases that can be prevented with a vaccine and by ending research into Alzheimer’s, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. This is the government of the felon, and his campaign against our own people.
Every person in a minority, or group who has ever been discriminated against, is at risk while the felon is in the White House. Whether you are a woman, Black, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Muslim, or LGBTQ, you are being threatened by this administration, your rights, and even your life, are being threatened. We must all stand together, and work to stop him, or as the poem, “First They Came,” attributed to Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller, will prove to be true. There are many versions of the poem and just put your group in any of the paragraphs, and you will clearly understand its meaning. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum quotes the following text as one of the many poetic versions:
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist.
Authoritarianism does not announce its arrival. It’s too cowardly for that. It advances quietly, at the margins, testing how much fear and cruelty a community will tolerate and what bystanders will allow to happen to fellow human beings. History shows that queer folks, especially trans people, are often targeted first. That targeting is not incidental. It is intentional.
Defending queer rights is not a niche concern. It is a test of democratic health. A society that allows one group to be targeted will not stop there. Those who come for queer people in the morning are the same that go for educators, journalists, voters, and civil institutions in the afternoon. This is not speculation. It is a well-worn pattern.
Around the world, LGBTQ+ communities are under coordinated attack. In Russia, the so-called “international LGBTQ movement” has been labeled extremist, legally equating queer identity with terrorism. We are seeing distinct echoes of that foreign influence here at home. Elsewhere, governments criminalize queer existence, erase trans people from public life, or force people into silence through intimidation. The sequence is familiar: dehumanizing rhetoric, restrictive policy, and eventually open endorsements of violence. When these warning signs are ignored, repression accelerates.
It would be comforting to believe this is distant or abstract. It is not. In the United States, LGBTQ+ people, including trans people, have sought asylum abroad because they no longer feel safe in our own communities. When our neighbors must leave to feel safe, we have failed our community.
Experts at the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention have warned that trans communities in the United States face serious and escalating danger. Their analysis is grounded in history. Genocide is not only mass killing. It is the systematic destruction of a group’s ability to exist safely and openly. Legal erasure, public demonization, exclusion from institutions, and tolerated harassment are all early stages of that process. History is clear. The time to act is before harm becomes irreversible.
Democratic backsliding rarely arrives with fanfare. It comes through school board votes, bureaucratic rules, elected leaders’ inaction, and symbolic reversals that seem small until they accumulate. This is how erosion takes hold.
In Salisbury, Md., my hometown, that erosion has become visible. The city halted the flying of Pride flags during Pride month and removed our downtown rainbow crosswalk. These were not neutral administrative choices. They sent a clear message to queer residents that their visibility and belonging are unwelcome.
When a community removes symbols that affirm dignity and safety, when books reflecting queer realities are pulled from schools and libraries, when children are excluded from participating in life simply because they are different, it creates harm. It teaches that difference is dangerous. And when politicians and people in positions of responsibility fail to protect trans kids, real harm follows: mental health crises, isolation, and even lives lost.
Pride flags, rainbow crosswalks, inclusive curricula, and supportive policies are not merely symbolic. They communicate that everyone belongs and that discrimination will not be tolerated. Removing them isolates queer people and emboldens those who see community as an exclusive club rather than a shared responsibility.
Queer liberation is not separate from the liberation of the broader community. It is inseparable from it. Living openly as queer challenges systems built on fear, rigid roles, and enforced conformity. When queer people gain ground, everyone gains ground. Each victory for queer liberation strengthens democracy itself.
This is how we know progress is possible. Every time a Pride flag stays flying. Every time a crosswalk remains painted. Every time a local ordinance protects gender identity. Every time a school affirms a student’s dignity. These are not small wins. Liberation grows through accumulation.
National politics can feel chaotic and overwhelming. Federal institutions are slow, complex, and distant. But democratic defense does not begin there. It begins locally, when neighbors show up to town halls, demand accountability, and refuse to let bigotry shape policy. It does not take extraordinary power to protect a city council chamber or a school board meeting. It takes people willing to stand up. It takes bystanders willing to step in.
This is the moment to act. Silence enables erosion. Action creates momentum. The question is not whether change is possible. It is whether you are willing to claim it.
Queer liberation is your liberation. When we defend the most targeted among us, we defend the future we all share. Every Pride flag flown, every rainbow crosswalk returned, every book left on the shelf, and every policy that affirms dignity sends a message far beyond town limits. It tells the world that democracy is being defended here.
Local victories are global victories. And every one of them matters.
Will Fries. is a Maryland communications strategist with experience in multiple major presidential campaigns.
Opinions
The felon in the White House must be stopped
Are there any decent Republican members of Congress left?
We are up shit’s creek if the felon in the White House actually thinks he has a Nobel Peace Prize. If he believes he deserves one, or Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had any other reason to give him hers, than it was easier, and less degrading, than going on her knees to him, as a number of men already have. I don’t know if she understood how many millions the medal could be worth. Instead, she could have used it for her people, if she didn’t want to keep it.
Machado was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work for the Venezuelan people. She spoke up for them, and fought for them. The felon couldn’t care less about them. He proved that by invading, and then supported Maduro’s vice president as president. He said he, and his fascist cohorts, would run the country, and is now stealing their oil and personally deciding what to do with it. After U.S. troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump said, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado “doesn’t have the support within Venezuela to be its next leader, she was not consulted prior to the operation.” He went on to say, “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” This is the slime bag she gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to. I hope she is not naïve enough to believe he really cares about her, or her countrymen, and women.
Trump is vile, sick, and mentally deranged. He is threatening foes and allies alike. They see bending a knee to him only works for the moment, but has no long-term impact on his tiny brain. Today, he is threatening Greenland, and our NATO allies are moving their military to Greenland to protect it against the United States. Now he is threatening them with new tariffs. That would have once been unfathomable. He is saber rattling over Iran, Colombia, even Mexico. He is bombing Nigeria and Syria.
If that weren’t enough, he threatens to use the Insurrection Act to send the military into cities here. He has already sent in thousands of ICE agents. ICE is classified as a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security. They have authority to arrest, detain, and investigate immigration violations. However, the law is clear; ICE agents do not have unlimited power. They face significant constitutional restrictions that many people don’t realize, especially when it comes to entering homes and private spaces. But what is clear, in Minneapolis today, some of the agents are acting like the Gestapo. They are smashing car windows, pulling people out of their cars, invading homes, and workplaces, all without first having any proof the people they are going after are guilty of anything. I believe we need fair immigration laws, and they should be enforced. But this is clearly not what the felon is doing. The felon in the White House and his incompetent stooge at Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who has no idea what the hell she is doing, are acting egregiously, and making a mockery of our democracy.
The president, Noem, Hegseth, Bondi, and the other incompetents in the felon’s Cabinet, simply pretend to forget the history of the United States. They don’t want to accept the truth; we are a nation of immigrants. It is immigrants who built our country, and are still building it. My parents were immigrants escaping from Hitler, and they came here and built a life, and in doing so, added to the greatness of our country. I want every person around the world who needs to escape from dictators, and despots, to be able to do the same as my parents did. We need to build an immigration system that allows them to do that. Instead, because of what this felon is doing, we are seeing American citizens thinking of leaving this country, and looking for asylum in others. That is really sick, but it’s happening.
Sitting in the Oval Office today we have a felon who is reveling in becoming the war president. He is taking the United States down an incredibly dangerous path, threatening our own citizens with violence here at home, and doing the same to our allies around the world. He, and the incompetents and fascists surrounding him, need to be stopped. If there are any decent Republican members of Congress left, they need to join with Democrats, and the voters, to stop him.
Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist.
