A History of Bear Cruises in the United States

The following is a tribute to Hal Hillman, the organizer of the first bear cruises in the United States.  

Back in 1996 at the height of gay cruises and in the relatively young years of the bear movement, Hal Hillman, resident of Providence, Rhode Island, owner of Ursa Travel, and a well known activist in the bear community, was listening to what the bears were saying about the gay cruises: they are for the boys on the party circuit; they cost too much money; they are for the young, trimmed, and thin, not for older, hairy, and beefy guys. Hal decided to address those complaints and had the idea to bring a large group of bears and their friends onto a regular cruise ship. By creating a special interest group on a non-gay cruise, not only could Hal search for itineraries different from those of the gay cruises, but he could offer the members of his group discounted rates by negotiating with the cruise lines and passing those saving on to his customers. Although the cruises were not all gay, the bear groups were large enough to create a small community on the ship, and the bears could do what they love most: relax, eat, drink, be playful with each other, and not feel compelled to party until dawn at the disco.

Hal followed through with his idea and organized several very successful bear cruises between 1998 and 2002. Then in 2002 Hal unfortunately became very sick and could no longer continue with the cruises. He sadly died in 2004.

Hal was a founder and longtime president of the Rhode Island Grizzlies and a model for American Bear magazine. He also organized the first-ever Bear Games weekend event and was a long time highly visible member of the New England and national bear communities. He held the title of Mr. New England Bear 2000, and then went on to become International Mr. Grizzly 2001.

Some of you may remember Hal. Some of you may recognize him from the following slide tribute: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cyxoQvgHXc One thing is absolutely clear. A lot of people loved Hal and truly miss him.

We want to continue with Hal’s concept for bear cruises. We are committed to searching for unique cruising opportunities that will appeal to the bears, and we will negotiate the best prices for every cruise we offer to save YOU, our community, a lot of hard earned dollars. Of course, we will strive to make your experience with BearCruiseUSA the most fun vacation ever!

For more information about Hal Hillman or the bear community in general, visit www.ronsuresha.com