magiccruiser1

I am planning cruise in November on the NCL Breakaway with my bf, and will be sailing to Port Canaveral, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

I understand that the Bahamas is not gay friendly, but is generally safe as long as no PDA's are shown. I'm going to assume that Great Stirrup Cay will be a fairly safe place to enjoy our time together on the beach as it is owned by NCL.

My concern is with Nassau. I have been doing reading on the forums about some incidents and concerns for LGBT travelers on the island, but also on a few websites that most of the locals are OK.

As much as we want to be safe, we do not want to stay on the ship while it is in port. I would love to be able to check out a few local shops near the ship for some souvenirs, but was looking at visiting Atlantis Paradise Island, as Marriot seems to be rather LGBT friendly. Would this be considered safe, and if so, what is there to do at Atlantis? We want to enjoy the stop in the island, but also be safe and comfortable.

Thanks in advance!

It appears that if he has a valid passport and applies through the ESTA, he should be fine. On the travel.state.gov site linked above, it says this:

Trips to Canada, Mexico, or nearby Islands

If you are admitted to the United States under the VWP, you may take a short trip to Canada, Mexico, or a nearby island and generally be readmitted to the United States under the VWP for the remainder of the original 90 days granted upon your initial arrival in the United States. Therefore, the length of time of your total stay, including the short trip, must be 90 days or less. See the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website.

He will be here for about 2 weeks, and the cruise is only 7 days, travelling to Port Canaveral and the Bahamas, so it should fall under under the VWP. I will call the passport department on Monday to confirm this and report back with what they say.

I appreciate everyone's input, thanks :)

He won't MIGHT not need a visa but he will have to do an ESTA application online. As soon as he knows his flight information.

 

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

Im going to have him call the embassy in Australia to see what he can find out, and I will call the one here to see if they can point me in the right direction. I found examples of every kind of circumstance except cruises.

I appreciate all of the info!

Thank you for pointing that out! I never thought of that. My research shows that he does not need a visa since his stay will be less than 90 days.

http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/United+States+Of+America/Visa

Im going to continue searching to see if any of the ports require one. We would be visiting the Bahamas (Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau).

I am planning on a cruise with a passenger visiting from Australia. The cruise will likely on NCL leaving from NYC.

Is anything special required for my guest besides a passport? I am a US resident living in NY.

Hi, long time lurker, first time poster.

I have been looking at cruises to go on with my bf, and am looking at my choices for this November. I have sailed on Princess before, and he has never sailed. I have found a cruise on the NCL Breakway leaving from NYC that is in my price range, but also a cruise on the MSC Divina leaving from Miami that would allow me to book a balcony for the same price as an inside on the Breakaway.

I love the decor and style of the Divina, and the entertainment looks top notch from what I have seen on Youtube (the theater is GORGEOUS).

Compared to NCL, how is MSC as far as being casual? Are guests expected dress a bit more upscale?

We are both in our mid twenties, would MSC be a good choice for us?

Thanks!