A ‘Golden Girls’ cruise out of Miami? Here’s how you can party like Blanche
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Picture it, pussycat: Miami in the spring. You’re at sea with Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia. Shady Pines?
Please. Your ports of call are in Key West and Cozumel.
You can take part in costume contests designed around “The Golden Girls” characters. Hear from featured guests associated with the ever-popular NBC sitcom that aired from 1985 to 1992. Go on a Golden Fans pub crawl in the Keys and Shady Pines Goes to the Beach excursion.
And don’t worry, Stan won’t be your only date. “The man is a scuzzball.”
We’re talking the Golden Fans at Sea excursion, a “Golden Girls”-themed cruise scheduled to depart from Miami on April 8, 2023, on the refurbished 956-foot Celebrity Summit. The five-night cruise, through April 13, visits Key West and Cozumel.
“Guests who are fans of the show will have a chance to celebrate the legacy of the show with other enthusiastic fans,” said Chad Kampe, spokesman for the event producer, Flip Phone Events.
‘Golden Girls’ on board
The first Golden Fans at Sea Cruise in 2020 included show writer Stan Zimmerman; “Golden Girls” producer Marsha Posner Williams; Melinda McClanahan, sister to the late Rue McClanahan who played the lusty Blanche; the Golden Gays NYC performance troupe; and “Golden Girls” historian and author Jim Colucci.
Featured guests for the 2023 cruise have not been set yet, Kampe said, but he expects many of the same to make their return.
Popular theme cruises
Themed cruises aren’t a new thing. Classic pop and rock music acts often headline themed cruises.
A Beach Boys Good Vibrations Cruise with added acts The Temptations and Micky Dolenz of the Monkees aboard the Norwegian Pearl is scheduled to set sail from Miami to Nassau March 25-28, 2022.
There’s the Kiss Kruise which, after 10 previous voyages, including excursions out of Miami, has its reportedly final cruise with the face-painted hard rockers as performers scheduled for November 2022 aboard the Norwegian Jewel in Los Angeles.
South Florida DJ Joe Johnson has hosted many oldies at sea cruises like February’s ‘70s Rock & Romance Cruise from Miami to St. Maarten and St. Thomas on the Celebrity Summit that featured members from Air Supply, Boston, Foreigner, Player and The Guess Who.
Set in Miami
But that “Golden Girls” theme is hard to top.
The set-in-Miami series — starring Bea Arthur as Dorothy, Betty White as Rose, McClanahan as Blanche and Estelle Getty as Sophia — was a Top 10 hit from its debut in September 1985, a year after “Miami Vice” debuted on the same network.
Though filmed in California, the sitcom focused on the lives of three senior single women and one feisty octogenarian living together and dating their way though ‘80s Miami. And arguing. But bonding and supporting one another over late-night servings of cheesecake in their kitchen.
After “The Golden Girls” ended its network run when Arthur, who previously co-starred with McClanahan in the landmark Norman Lear sitcom “Maude” a decade earlier, had enough, the comedy developed a devoted following through syndication and home video and streaming.
When White, the last remaining lead died on Dec. 31 at 99, the nation went into mourning as if a family member had passed.
And, in large measure, one had.
“Miami’s last ‘Golden Girl’ Betty White dies. What a way to end an awful year!” the Miami Herald’s editorial board opined that day.
How to book a cabin
So Golden Girls and Guys, want to book passage? The event is fully managed by the outside contractor Dream Vacations and Flip Phone Events, said Celebrity spokeswoman Susan Lomax.
Information on the Golden Fans at Sea cruise is at GoldenFansAtSea. The deposit is $750 per cabin and $1,500 per suite with half due on April 30, 2022, and a final payment due on Aug. 15. Guests must book through Dream Vacations/Flip Phone to join the group activities and excursions.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
