Lesbian Exclusive Exchange

Lush Ladies
Although Denver is not necessarily known as a lesbian hotspot, Denver is home to “First Fridays”, a monthly lesbian nightclub event expertly produced by Babes Around Denver (BAD). Started about 15 years ago by Dede Frain, the event packs in up to 1,500 women ranging in age from 21-75 each & every month. The club caters to the diversity in the lesbian community by opening early at 6pm and utilizing 3 DJs in 3 rooms. Early birds listen to Country, Disco and 80’s music. Later in the evening the tunes morph into Top 40 & Urban beats with headliner DJ Trina. They also offer VIP and bottle service. First Friday received a 2009  “Best of Denver” award from Westword for ‘Best Club Night – Reader’s Choice and boasts they are now the largest monthly women's party in the nation. First Friday offers a “Stay and Play” Package with special rates to girls who wanna go out to Denver and play their way;)

Dede likes to encourage women to come out and mingle by keeping the cover charge low at only $5. She also donates a portion of the monthly proceeds to charity and DJ Trina donates all 100% of her DJ fees to various Humane Societies and shelters across the country. To find out more about these lush ladies go to babesaroundenver.com

I traveled from California on Saturday to set sail from New Orleans on Sunday.  My flight started off my adventures for the week as I immediately met several women seated next to me that were also going on the cruise. Sweet provided us with a great send off mixer party down on the Mississippi right next to a steam boat. I enjoyed the evening meeting and greeting women from all over the United States as well as from the rest of the world. After the mixer I, of course, hit Bourbon street with a few friends. Truly,  a must see for all who travel to the South. I then wisely decided to board the ship early on Sunday as we needed to set sail before hurricane Ida made land fall. I must say I was a little nervous going through a hurricane on a ship, but the staff of NCL put my mind at ease instantly and the rest of my vacation began. From the moment I boarded I met women from literally all over the globe. What a joy!  Costa Maya was our first port but unfortunately as I broke my leg five weeks before the trip, I was unable to enjoy going to shore. I did however venture ashore at the next port of  Belize, a tropical paradise. Roatan and Honduras were next along with Cozumel, Mexico to end our cruising. I could see the beautiful azure waters of Cozumel from the deck as we sailed towards our home port. I must say, it did call to me, tempting me to roll my wheel chair overboard and take a dip. I remained strong however and stayed onboard for fear of drowning.

Overall, Sweet provided so many activities that my mind was constantly filled with things I could do as opposed to thngs I could not. There were movies, comedy shows, speed dating and so much more. I have to give credit to the staff of NCL and the ladies of Sweet as they made my cruise one to remember even with my disability. I would definitely go on another Sweet adventure and I recommend them to all women.

When the inaugural SWEET Caribbean cruise set sail in November, no one aboard could have imagined the unforgettable experience they were about to embark upon. The week started off with a jolting journey through a hurricane followed by girl parties, life-changing experiences and even more adventure.

Twelve hundred bikini-clad lesbians packed around the huge pool during the day. Then, nightclub events with world class DJs from around the country went off until the wee hours of the morning, sporting themes like “Sweet & Sassy” & “80’s”.  As the week progressed, stateroom doors became adorned with remembrances of parties past; things like nametags, stickers, and even pink feathered boas. Club Skirts sponsored a rockin’ pool party with DJ Kathy, go-go dancers and a wet T-shirt contest. All-you-can-eat buffets and restaurants on board were scrumptious, especially on “Chocoholic” night. Celesbians  Susanne Westenhoefer, Dani Campbell, singers Jen Foster and Edie Carey, and rising comediennes Erin Foley and Sandra Valls not only performed nightly, they attended and socialized with the cruisers at daily events.At ports in Costa Maya, Belize, Honduras, and Cozumel, ‘Sweeties’ partook in snorkeling, zip line, and ancient ruin excursions or simply lounged on private beaches.

Unlike other lesbian cruises, only SWEET gives back to the communities they visit. By partnering with local charitable organizations, SWEET offered cruisers the opportunity to participate in specially designed community service projects. It was a tremendous success!  In just one week ‘Sweeties’ volunteered their time to accomplish the following:

 Planted 600 new grasses in a New Orleans marsh devastated by Hurricane Katrina

Pulled over 200 giant bags of garbage from Uvero Beach in Costa Maya, Mexico

Pulled 1,500 pieces of plastic off the beach, planted 25 mangroves in a swamp devastated by Hurricane Hugo, & painted benches & planted trees in a park in Cozumel, Mexico

Painted bright cartoon characters on the walls of a children’s hospital ward & made donations of toys and clothes in Belize City, Belize

Donated over 1,000 children’s books (plus loads of school supplies) and painted to create a library for an elementary school in Belize City , Belize

In Roatan, Honduras Sweeties repainted a children’s e-learning center and donated 2 new computers

Women on the SWEET cruise were an eclectic group, ranging from femme to butch, and young to ‘older’. They came from every corner of America , plus Europe, Canada and Australia . Together, we made the world a bit brighter in between partying like rock stars. Check out the SWEET website to find out how to be a part of the next big adventure! www.discoversweet.com