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Cougars go cruising for cubs

The New Paper | Tue, Dec 15 2009

Overwhelming response to first trip for older women and younger men.

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THREE days ago, the first cruise for cougars set sail.

But if you think we are referring to mountain lions, you are mistaken – these cougars are women.

Last Friday, the cruise ship Elation made history by hosting the world’s first International Cougar Cruise, reported CNN.

Elation spokesman Rich Gosse, who came up with the concept, said: “A cougar is generally known as a woman over 40 who likes to date younger men, but theoretically any woman who dates younger men is a cougar.”

All 300 places on the ship, which sailed from San Diego, California, to Ensenada, Mexico, for a three-night cruise, were taken up and there was even a waiting list.

Ms Ann Thomas, owner of the Singles Travel Company who organised the cruise, told CNN: “I’ve never seen a response quite like this.”

She said she was hesitant to sign on to the idea at first but now is glad that she did.

“We have people flying in from Italy and Denmark. My associates have been booking from France, Canada. It’s fascinating.”

She added: “And starting at US$125 (S$174) per ticket, it’s a great price. I’ve had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones.”

The ship has three swimming pools, a seven-deck-high atrium, bar and grill, a Moroccan-inspired Casablanca Casino and a lounge that features stage shows.

After making port in Ensenada, there are extracurricular activities like horse-riding, all-terrain vehicles rides and other outdoor activities.

Ms Thomas said: “There are at least four or five options a day for people to get together on the cruise. We’re doing lots of activities; dancing, dining, jacuzzi parties, two-hour karaoke sessions.”

Mr Gosse, who has been hosting singles events for more than 30 years, got the idea for the cougar cruise after hosting a cougar convention in Palo Alto, California.

He told USA Today: “We had to turn away hundreds of people. Then we did one (cougar convention) in Beverly Hills and had a massive crowd down there. So I thought, maybe we should do a cougar cruise.

“I didn’t think anyone would want to go. Needless to say, the phone is ringing off the hook.”

More cubs

But plans for future cruises have run into an iceberg of sorts – too many cubs and not enough cougars.

Mr Gosse defined a “cub” as someone in his 20s or early 30s who likes to date older women.

He said: “The basic problem is, we have too many cubs. We usually have too many women and not enough guys, but there’s been a paradigm shift in recent years.

“So now, the cubs are more excited about it than the cougars.”

He said that in the past, it was socially acceptable for older men to date younger women.

But, he said, celebrities like 31-year-old Ashton Kutcher (the husband of actress Demi Moore, 47) and 34-year-old baseball player Alex Rodriguez (who is rumoured to have dated pop star Madonna, 51) have led to a new generation of younger men on the prowl for more experienced partners.

There is now also a US sitcom called Cougar Town, which glamorises the sexual escapades of a divorcee in her 40s in search of self-discovery by dating younger men.

According to the US Census Bureau, there are 118 single men for every 100 single women in their 20s in the country.

Ms Thomas said this skewed profile was because young women were dating older guys. “If you look at the demographics, the only logical way for people to get their needs met is for younger men to date older women.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.