Why we don't go on "all gay cruises" anymore

My buddy and I have been on gay cruises to Florida ports, Mexican ports, Mediterranean ports and Baltic ports.

We have enjoyed them all but no longer book exclusively gay cruises.

Mainly because,......... of the price. We find much cheaper prices on regular cruises with the possibility of upgrades and specials through our travel agent.

Secondly,......"straight" cruises have a much more diverse, eclectic group than the homogeneous group aboard the gay cruises.

And finally,.......there seems to be a subtle judgment concerning age, occupation and life style.

True,...all gay cruises alleviate the apprehension of homophobic comments but to date, we have not experienced negative reaction to our life style on straight cruises.

We encourage all cruisers to experience both type cruises. I'm sure some will prefer "gay" while others will enjoy "straight",.....and still others will mix it up.

Looking forward to comments about the gay versus straight cruise experience.

Rick

We've never done a gay cruise so I am very interested in everyone's opinion! :D

Our first gay cruise is coming up in 2 weeks (RSVP Hawaii). We've always been somewhat apprehensive about them as we generally don't fit into the "scene", when there is a "scene". Nobody like us shows up in the promotional videos. We're not the party types or into costumes. We were talked into going with some friends who may not have another opportunity, so we'll see how it goes.

We have been just ourselves on several other cruises and always have met people with more interests in common than the bulk of our gay friends. We'd miss out on too much life if we confined ourselves to a single community. However I am looking forward to holding hands and smooching out on the public decks for a change. :)

I'm also with you OP.

Especially for women, we have Olivia, which offers older/smaller ships for the same or even higher price than the Oasis of the seas.

I did the whole lesbian cruise once, don't get me wrong, it was very nice; holding hands onboard, not having anyone stare at you, etc, BUT having sooooo many cruises to sail, so many exotic ports and destinations, the whole gay/lesbian only cruise was a 'one time only experience'.

Would I do it again??? yeah, only if it was the right price, destination and ship.

Now I'm booked on the Oasis of the seas and Emerald princess.

My partner & I have never taken a gay cruise, and frankly, have never had a desire to do so. We've cruised more than 10 times, with 3 more on the calendar. Never have we had a negative experience aboard a 'straight' ship, and have made many wonderful & lasting straight (& gay) friendships.

Hey Rick,

I agree with what you said about all gay cruises, they are EXPENSIVE! My partner, up till last year, only did Atlantis and RSVP cruises and I convinced him to take a straight cruise with me last year which is all I've done. I never had been on a straight cruise where I didn't meet other gay singles or couples. And wouldn't you know it, last year we were the only gay couple. LOL....

I know that you're paying for entertainment and the personalities on all gay cruises, but I can have just as much fun on a mainstream cruise and really I enjoy the ports and meeting diverse people, more than being on a ship full of gay men, for less money on the same cruise. I can go to Mo's here in San Diego for that and have my fill of gay men after a few hours.

My partner and I are doing a gay group cruise next year with Pied Piper so I'm hoping that turns out to give us the best of both worlds.

Rick

I have never been on an all gay cruise, but have been on 4 Pied Piper cruises and 7 "straight Cruises".

As far as I am concerned as long as I am on a cruise, I really do not care who else is there! I have never had an issue with non-gays on any of the cruises that I have been on.

That being said, over the last few years I really have come to enjoy the Piped Piper cruises. For those who do not know, Pied Piper specializes in gay group cruises. They range from as few as 10 and as many as 900. With the larger groups they bring their own entertainment and cruise hosts. We have private parties and we have private excursions if you chose and still have the option of doing the ships excursions, all for less than or equal to regular price offered by the cruise lines.

I find that the difference in prices from the all gay to a gay group or straight cruise is almost half and therefore I can afford 2 a year if I wanted.

If you are interested the largest group of the year on Pied Piper Travel is their Post-Thanksgiving cruise which is on the Celebrity Solstice this year. Google them online, they have fantastic deals!!!

never did a gay cruise and very little chance it will happen....:D

This is an interesting thread. I am doing research for a customer couple of mine who is gay and that's how I ended here up.

Now, I am straight but I do have a curiosity question:

I am reading that some of you are hesitating to act as couple when on a regular cruise. Why though?

I think society is more accepting of gay couples then you all think. And I think it is your right to act as a couple.

I remember a cruise when a couple of guys were trying to take pictures of themselves. You know - hold the camera with one hand, stick heads together and click.

When I see people doing that I usually offer to take pictures. I of course offered for those two to take a picture as well.

Here they were standing at the railing like two friends. I asked them if they are just friends or more. The answer was "we are a couple'. So I asked them to stand like a couple. It took about 5 Minutes to have them finally stand at the railing, arm in arm, as a couple. I took the picture (and many more), and they thanked me and walked away giggling.

Afterwards the people around us said to me that was very nice of me and that those two now have a wonderful memory of the cruise. But that is not the actual story.

That night I saw them in the night club. They came over to me and thanked me again. To my reply 'no problem' and 'any time' one of the two looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: you know these are the only real pictures we have of us on the ship - showing us as a couple.

It was the last night of a 7 Night cruise. It made me sad.

On my last cruise on the Monarch in September there were a lot of gay couples and they had no fear showing their love for one another.

On my Epic trans-atlantic last June: a lot of gay couples as well. They danced together the night away at the Bliss Lounge and had no problems to show who they are and who they belonged to.

What I am saying is: don't ever cut yourself and your partner short. Be who you are and take your loved one and hug him/her whenever you feel like.

I needed to get rid of that. :)

Now back to subject: as I said I am doing research. What is it specifically that some of you prevent of going on a gay cruise?

Love straight cruises....

LOVE gay cruises....

But the expense is what keeps us from doing more of them....I've never found any attitudes at all on the gay cruises...great positive energy, and everyone talks to everyone....love the special entertainment they bring on board, and that's what causes the extra expense.....

We will be on our 6th RSVP cruise in two weeks time with Wingtips n(we'll make sure you are comfortable on the cruise!) and one 4 night cruise on QM with Pied Piper.

Gay cruises are more expensive but they are not anything like a regular cruise (I am sure, since I have not technically been on a regular cruise with no gay group) Very different experiences. And there is very little attitude, everyone is out to have a good time and the crew love it when we take over a ship because there is a lot less negativity, monotony and everyone is fun, happy and out to have a good time.

I told my SO that some day we need to go on a regular cruse so we can just relax and enjoy the ship and cruise - there are too much happening on a gay cruise that you need a vacation afterwards! You can do as much or as little as you want on the gay cruise but we are always busy with events, excursions and hanging out with the many friends we have made, sometimes it feels like going to gay camp.

The best thing tho about Gay Cruises is the ENTERTAINMENT!! Not only do you have the regular things going on in the ship, but the RSVP group brings in their own singers, comedians, acts, etc.... They get some big name stars to come too, because who wouldn't have fun on a ship full of gay men? I have been on 6 gay cruises and around 15 straight cruises and have never had a problem being who I was. If I were single tho, I think I would definitely prefer a gay cruise, since it is so easy to meet like minded people. Jay

We will be on our 6th RSVP cruise in two weeks time with Wingtips n(we'll make sure you are comfortable on the cruise!) and one 4 night cruise on QM with Pied Piper.

 

Gay cruises are more expensive but they are not anything like a regular cruise (I am sure, since I have not technically been on a regular cruise with no gay group) Very different experiences. And there is very little attitude, everyone is out to have a good time and the crew love it when we take over a ship because there is a lot less negativity, monotony and everyone is fun, happy and out to have a good time.

 

I told my SO that some day we need to go on a regular cruse so we can just relax and enjoy the ship and cruise - there are too much happening on a gay cruise that you need a vacation afterwards! You can do as much or as little as you want on the gay cruise but we are always busy with events, excursions and hanging out with the many friends we have made, sometimes it feels like going to gay camp.

I just KNEW Boytjie (aka Peter, aka SALie [self-appointed leader] of our merry band) would be on this thread, but he is right. We are getting excited about our RSVP Hawaii cruise in two weeks. But let me give you a little background:

My previous experience with cruises was back in the 80s on the now defunct Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. (three-all funky, laid back and lots of alcohol). Then several years ago, my partner talked me into a Princess cruise, and all I could think is I'm going to run into Gavin MacLeod around every corner. Well, it ended up being a wonderful trip, even more so because we found another gay couple right here in Cruise Critic going on the same cruise. We had new friends before we even boarded. (This actually happened on BOTH straight cruises we went on.) I would have to agree though, that the mainstream cruises were definitely more relaxing, because the activities are more mainstream. (Nightclubs DO NOT stay jam-packed until 4:00am. Ironically, the biggest crowd I saw in the nightclubs were the AA meetings.)

What ultimately made us try a gay cruise was the destination-Panama Canal, and we were hooked. Yes, more expensive. But over the past few years, we have made a close circle of friends from all over the world that we have seen every year on the RSVP Caribbean cruise. Some will also be on the Hawaiian crusie in two weeks. We have also decided to forgo the winter Caribbean cruise for another RSVP in July-again, because of destination (Spain), but also camaraderie.

That said, we have talked many times about going back to mainstream cruises, and they absolutely will not be ruled out in the future. It will just have to be something really exciting OR just an inexpensive easy getaway. Also hoping we can get to know Wingtips a little bit. He sounds like our kind of laid back gay traveler.

This is an interesting thread. I am doing research for a customer couple of mine who is gay and that's how I ended here up.

 

Now, I am straight but I do have a curiosity question:

I am reading that some of you are hesitating to act as couple when on a regular cruise. Why though?

 

I think society is more accepting of gay couples then you all think. And I think it is your right to act as a couple.

 

I remember a cruise when a couple of guys were trying to take pictures of themselves. You know - hold the camera with one hand, stick heads together and click.

 

When I see people doing that I usually offer to take pictures. I of course offered for those two to take a picture as well.

 

Here they were standing at the railing like two friends. I asked them if they are just friends or more. The answer was "we are a couple'. So I asked them to stand like a couple. It took about 5 Minutes to have them finally stand at the railing, arm in arm, as a couple. I took the picture (and many more), and they thanked me and walked away giggling.

 

Afterwards the people around us said to me that was very nice of me and that those two now have a wonderful memory of the cruise. But that is not the actual story.

 

That night I saw them in the night club. They came over to me and thanked me again. To my reply 'no problem' and 'any time' one of the two looked at me with tears in his eyes and said: you know these are the only real pictures we have of us on the ship - showing us as a couple.

 

It was the last night of a 7 Night cruise. It made me sad.

 

On my last cruise on the Monarch in September there were a lot of gay couples and they had no fear showing their love for one another.

 

On my Epic trans-atlantic last June: a lot of gay couples as well. They danced together the night away at the Bliss Lounge and had no problems to show who they are and who they belonged to.

 

What I am saying is: don't ever cut yourself and your partner short. Be who you are and take your loved one and hug him/her whenever you feel like.

 

I needed to get rid of that. :)

 

Now back to subject: as I said I am doing research. What is it specifically that some of you prevent of going on a gay cruise?

My partner and I do mainstream cruises, for the cost. We live in Colorado Springs (Focus on the Family, New Life, 5 military installations, never elected a democrat to the US Senate or House) and to call the area very conservative is like saying the titanic never sank! So for us it has become our normal not to show any sort of PDA. Its not that we try and hide it, its more about self preservation in our area, and not wanting to deal with ignorant people making their comments, staring, pointing, pulling their kids closer, or any number of the things people will do when they are uncomfortable. Its sad and unfortunate that we, in this day and age, are still treated like a circus side show acts, but that is the world we live in, and it carries over to anything we do in the city or out.

Thoughtful comments throughout this thread.

I have only been on one cruise and it was five years ago on a regular Carnival cruise that I took with my partner. I think some of the workers and other cruisers had a pretty good idea we were a couple, but we were never uncomfortable. I think we threw some of the crew off at times since we were with my partners mom and aunt. :p

All in all was a good experience.

Doing my second cruise with a friend of mine in March on Atlantis. I booked today and was hesitant about the cost, but I have a few friends that said I have to at least try the gay cruise thing once (they have gone on multiple gay exclusive and non-gay cruises). If the cost winds up being worth it I will do again. If not, I will at least know what the experience was like.

Interesting topic. My partner and I took one cruise back in the early 90's, enjoyed it but were never "wowed" by it and it took 11 years before we stepped on board another ship. However, the second time around........we've been cruising every year since!:)

To date we have stuck with the mainstream lines on regular cruises and had very little in the way of not being accepted. We had one experience one night where an older couple at our table acted like they were trailer trash trying to be royalty and it was presumed that they had a problem with a gay couple at the table - they were not outwardly hostile but you could tell they were uncomfortable. However, on the second night we found out they moved tables and we found out that the other straight couple at our table disliked them perhaps even more than we did. Needless to say it was four sharing a table for six for the remainder of the cruise and we had a fabulous time.

We understand the "being yourself" thing which will come across differently to all people. We rarely are the outwardly expressive types anyway. There isn't a lot of holding hands or kissing on the home front so its not likely we're going to put on a show for others. We don't go out of our way to pretend we're "just friends" either. Every now and then a "Yes, dear" comes out and we do talk in the "we did this and we did that" mode and it always comes out that we live together.

We don't go on cruises really to even meet people - we have met some great people and made a few good friendships with people of all orientations. We just take the attitude that we're there to enjoy ourselves first and everything else is secondary.

We are mainly morning people so after dinner we find it hard to stay up and do the "nightlife" anyway. So I imagine a gay cruise with its own entertainment being brought on board would be a massive waste of money for us. You have a better chance at catching me walking the deck at 7 in the morning. :eek:

In the end the price, destination, ship and quality of food and sleeping acommodations will drive where I choose to cruise. I don't see an "all-gay" cruise being something in the cards for us but never say never........However, it is nice to know that there is a wide variety of choices so that there is something out there for everyone.

David

In the selection of future cruises my Partner and I usually have specific locations we want to visit as a starting point. We also take into account the number of days of the

cruise, the dates, the number of sea days and the departure ports. We have an excellent on-line website (CruisesOnly) which we use for our searches as well as our

TA.

We always request a table for two in the main dining room. On all the cruises we have meet individuals we have had breakfast and lunch with. On some cruises we

have on occasion had dinner, by choice, with others. That being said we have patiently sat and listened while others had talked about their children and grandchildren;

yet when we make a reference to something Gay it is like we said we should not have said.

Regardless of the cruise line one travels on, one will probably encounter comedians who are anti-Gay or pass individuals that make homophobic comments.

In reality cruise lines do not truly respect diversity regarding Gays unless it is a totally Gay cruise; it is about money.

Sometimes we feel we would like to travel/vacation in an environment where being Gay is a non-issue.

The best thing tho about Gay Cruises is the ENTERTAINMENT!! Not only do you have the regular things going on in the ship, but the RSVP group brings in their own singers, comedians, acts, etc.... They get some big name stars to come too, because who wouldn't have fun on a ship full of gay men?

Actually, to us the entertainers are not that important! The parties and fun events like Church Bingo on RSVP are much more fun IMHO. We usually don't even see all the entertainers on a cruise. On our Alaska RSVP cruise it was more low key with no on-deck parties at night and we actually spent more time socializing in bars and lounges than on warm-weather cruises. And the other main attraction are the fun people from all walks of life, shapes, colors and ages.

Yes, more expensive. But over the past few years, we have made a close circle of friends from all over the world that we have seen every year on the RSVP Caribbean cruise. Some will also be on the Hawaiian crusie in two weeks.

Yes, we have made friends that we now see more often in between cruises too. Somehow we missed you in Rehobth this year, again ;)

That said, we have talked many times about going back to mainstream cruises, and they absolutely will not be ruled out in the future. It will just have to be something really exciting OR just an inexpensive easy getaway.

Some destination are unlikely to be gay charters and I would not hesitate booking a regular cruise if it goes someplace I really want to go. We will do a QM2 transatlantic some day - my partner used to say never, never since he could not fathom not seeing land for 5-6 days but after our 4 nighter on the QM2 he said he would not mind doing it.

We are mainly morning people so after dinner we find it hard to stay up and do the "nightlife" anyway. So I imagine a gay cruise with its own entertainment being brought on board would be a massive waste of money for us. You have a better chance at catching me walking the deck at 7 in the morning. :eek:

While I might be dancing till 2:30 am and snacking in the Lido afterwards, I am usually up around the same time. :D There is just something about sailing into a new port early in the morning or just watching the sun rise over the ocean with a cup of coffee in hand. Somehow it's easier for me to get up early on a ship (or vacation) than when I have to go to work.

But after 7 days of late nights, early mornings and excursions I need a vacation. :)

Having sailed 5 Atlantis cruises and 14 straight cruises I can say the differences are there. Shockingly most times I find straight NCL cruises more fun than gay cruises... with the exception of how awesome the deck parties can be with Atlantis (lasers, lights, sound mostly).

Atlantis has priced itself out and I think it's catching up with itself. Booking bigger newer ships gets people but the same stale itineraries for sometimes double what you'd pay for the same cabin otherwise is just silly.

Entertainment was brought up in this thread as a reason to book a gay charter versus a straight one. I don't see the cost being that much higher when your headliners are not people who are popular currently (eg Chita Rivera). Some of the entertainment like Matt Yee is fun but knowing that booking a vessel of that size gets a discount, not to mention part of the contract gets into how much we as patrons spend onboard... there's a nice hefty profit being made there... or there was until the ships stopped sailing full.

The value just wasn't in it for me. I wanted to get on the Solstice because I'd seen the ship in real life in January 2009 when we were docked behind it in St. Maarten. The only way I could do it was sail solo and find a bed which I did. What I spent to get on that cruise was insane and I could have spent it to go alone on a hetero cruise and had my own room!

Year over year I tried an experiment... last year was the Solstice for Spring Break... this year was a straight cruise on the Norwegian Jewel costing less than what I spent on the Solstice and sharing the room.

Norwegian Cruise Line has long pioneered for the gay community with Friends of Dorothy gatherings and continuing to list them in the FreeStyle Dailies to hosting their White HOT Party. When Rich left NCL, NCL took what worked for them big time. The White HOT Party by no means gets the energy from the patrons on a straight cruise as it does on a gay cruise but on many of my most recent cruises it has come very very close. Spring Break's was the BEST White Hot Party... gay or straight I've done in YEARS! I have a memorable picture with the Captain in my outfit and boy ever is that going to be a memory I will forever cherish.

~J

Proud NCL Cruiser!

I have a memorable picture with the Captain in my outfit and boy ever is that going to be a memory I will forever cherish.

I'll see your captain's picture and raise you a picture with the Hotel Manager at the underwear party - in his officer's shirt and boxers. ;)

We have never been on a gay cruise. I'm sure it will happen one day but it will have to wait until we no longer want to sail several times a year. We just would not be able to afford it.

You hear mixed things:

It's a floating bathhouse/it's not a floating bath house

It's totally a non-judgemental environment/ I didn't fit in and nobody would talk to me

You're all on the same vacation/ the ship was full of cliques.

I think people's perceptions play into the experience so much that it really is an individual choice. Luckily, we all get to make the choice for ourselves.

I've only sailed on one all gay cruise (RSVP back in 1996). It was a ton of fun, but I was single at the time and sailing with my best friend. Was it a floating bath house? Absolutely! Stuff was going down everywhere. Some guys even left their cabin doors open a crack as if you were in a bath house. Like I said, it was a LOT of fun! I have to admit though, after 7-days I was ready to disembark. I was living in West Hollywood at the time, and the ship left from LA. Many of the guys I would see in WeHo were on the cruise so in some ways it was like being in a WeHo bar/club for 7-days. By about day five I figure I had enough, but still managed to have a lot of fun those last couple days. ;) My understanding is that the all gay cruises are much more toned down today, or at least that is what I'm told over and over again. Too bad for the single folks or the couples that like to fool around! LOL

Fast forward 14 years and in a relationship just as long (we went on our first date just before my RSVP cruise) and I've never returned. I would certainly be willing to go back, but honestly I like more of a variety of ships and destinations. Also, I can't really justify paying so much more when I can sail a week later on the same ship at a much lower cost. I realize the experience won't be the same, but I honestly don't need to be surrounded by all gay men on my vacations. I live in Miami and I see gay people every day. Perhaps if I lived in a smaller town where there is little gay exposure, than an Atlantis or RSVP cruise might be much more appealing?

For now I am quite content sailing on a variety of ships and cruise lines, and attending the LGBT daily event that most cruise lines offer these days. I've met some great people at these events and truly long lasting friendships. In some cases I think it's even easier to make substantial gay friendships on the straight cruises, because you are a much smaller group so perhaps a bond is quicker to form. There are also less distractions! LOL

Ernie

It was very interesting reading everyones comment on all gay vs mainstream cruises. I am a travel professional and travel often. I am also gay and have been on several RSVP cruises as well as many straight cruises. I was somewhat apprehensive when I went on my first gay cruise but it turned out to be a lot of fun. It helped to be on board with a group of friends and clients to show me the ropes. Even though these cruises cost more, you get back so much more in return. I found that there was no attitude that you may find in clubs or bars and that you can get as involved or uninvolved in the activities as you wish.

In most of the straight cruises I have been on we usually always meet gay people and end up hanging out together. I have never had an issue with straight cruisers, in fact, many gravitate to us because they appreciate our openess and honesty. We are going with friends on a straight RCI cruise on Oct 28 , some of which are gay and I know it will be a lot of fun and we will end up making new friends(straight and hopefully gay as well).

I have also arranged Villa stays in Italy for gay clients and we never had issues ever.

I'll see your captain's picture and raise you a picture with the Hotel Manager at the underwear party - in his officer's shirt and boxers. ;)

Really?! I didn't go to quite that extreme with the costume but lets just say there was glitter everywhere thanks to a good buddy of mine in the Jean Ann Ryan company! :)

Was this a gay cruise or a straight cruise?? The picture I'm referring to happened on a straight non-group cruise. ;)

My partner and I have been on close to 50 cruises but never tried a gay cruise. We have friends who have gone and told us many interesting stories about their experiences. It sounds to me like it just depends on your own personality. It is much more of a drinking, smoking, anything goes experience for the majority of the crowd. There are exceptions I am sure. If your into that then I am sure its fantastic. My partner and I are more on the reserved side and like the social mix of a gay/straight crowd. Also we enjoy longer cruises and most of the gay cruises are 7 night and we usually never do less than 10 nights. Its great that they are available and I am sure the younger set has a ball (if they can afford it).