SAEMike Posted July 7, 2011 #1 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm a newbie nudist and prefer laying out in the nude to catch rays. I know that the Epic has a Freestyle Sunbathing deck for adults only. Has anyone taken advantage of this and can give me their review of it? Is it truly clothing optional/nudity allowed or only topless sunbathing allowed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMorningglory Posted July 7, 2011 #2 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Where are you going on your cruise... might be able to help you there. And BTW... here on Cruise Critic you might stick to the term Clothing Optional. I think the puritans monitor this blog. LOL :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 7, 2011 Author #3 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks for the tip. Going on the Western Med out of Barcelona October 16-23. First time cruising and going to celebrate my 40th birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeroenn27 Posted July 7, 2011 #4 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I am sorry for you. It's only topless for women. Hope there is stille enough to watch for you:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 7, 2011 Author #5 Share Posted July 7, 2011 That's unfortunate. If it's only topless for women, I guess I won't be going up there. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMorningglory Posted July 7, 2011 #6 Share Posted July 7, 2011 OK... so here's my experience, it's still the best sun deck on the ship. The people who are usually up there are as open and accepting as can be and as long as you have the essentials covered you're all set. The last time we were on a NCL ship we were up there the whole time. We made friends with the girls from the show who were up there daily, had an absolute blast and had mouths on them that almost made me blush. I have a barely there thong and that was A-OK. The sun's not good for the nether-regions anyhow :rolleyes:. Don't let it spoil your cruise. Go up there anyway and go with the flow, just get a suit that covers the essentials and not much more... you'll be fine. There is a usual parade of gawkers who act like they're lost and conviently look at the girls at the same time but that's a pretty amusing parade. If you're going to Barcelona prior there are some CO options at beaches nearby but October may be cooler than you'd expect. Are you cruising solo?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 7, 2011 Author #7 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks for the info. I'm actually traveling with my best friend but he's not much of a nudist although he doesn't have a problem with me being bare more of the time when we're home (he's also my roommate). I have some thongs that I can wear if I need to keep the bits covered. I did give some thought to what the weather will be like when we are on the boat. Who knows? It may turn out that it IS too chilly to lay out. Or I may just sit out on my balcony bare. I guess I'll know once I get there. We are getting to Barcelona two days early before the cruise so depending on the weather I may venture out to the CO beach too. Thanks for the information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMorningglory Posted July 7, 2011 #8 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) If it's too cold... buy a spa pass for the duration, usually discounted on embarcation day. Men's side is CO and a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. If I was thwere I'd be right there with ya. ;) Edited July 7, 2011 by RMorningglory spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 7, 2011 Author #9 Share Posted July 7, 2011 That sounds like a good plan. I was already going to check on a spa pass for the steam and sauna anyway. Thanks again for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon1 Posted July 7, 2011 #10 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Go for it, see how long you can get away with it. When someone from the ship tells you it's not allowed, then cover up. It might depend on how many prudes are around when your sunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pke-atlanta Posted July 8, 2011 #11 Share Posted July 8, 2011 saemike, have you been to Barcelona before? If not, and you're arriving only 2 days before your ships departure, you'll probably want to skip the CO beach and spend your 2 days actually seeing the sights in Barcelona. It's a wonderful city, and we found that 2 days was barely just enough to scratch the surface. Hope you have a great trip. When you return, please do tell us how you handled the CO deck and what it was like. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 8, 2011 Author #12 Share Posted July 8, 2011 For the 2 days we're in Barcelona before the cruise I already have us booked on the HopOn/HopOff bus so that we can get around the city and see the sights. If I find that we have some downtime I may venture down to the beach and have a look-see. But we do plan on seeing as much of Barcelona as possible before boarding on Sunday. And if I do venture up to the CO deck, I'll be sure to give my review of it. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldham Posted July 8, 2011 #13 Share Posted July 8, 2011 You must go and see the Sagrada Família, stroll down La Ramblas at cocktail time and visit the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flspeedo Posted July 8, 2011 #14 Share Posted July 8, 2011 That's good to know. I have heard that it is clothing optional and others say its not. I'll be on board on the November 5th sailing to the Eastern Caribbean so I'll be curious. I prefer clothing optional, but if not, I have some barely there thongs and gstrings that I can wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinks65 Posted July 9, 2011 #15 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I share your frustation as well , I always go clothes optional at every opportunity and I find it very frustrating when I do a cruise to keep my swimming trunks on on the top deck . Don't they see the big revenue it might bring in for the cruise ships ???? Just to have lets say the top deck for freestyle or whatever you might call it . Personally i dont want to go on a total nude cruise but a deck reserved for this purpose would be so nice. A few hotels in the south of Europe start having now a rooftop clothing optional area , this is great because for the hotel it is an extra selling point why cant the cruise ships do this ????????:):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMorningglory Posted July 10, 2011 #16 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I share your frustation as well , I always go clothes optional at every opportunity and I find it very frustrating when I do a cruise to keep my swimming trunks on on the top deck . Don't they see the big revenue it might bring in for the cruise ships ???? Just to have lets say the top deck for freestyle or whatever you might call it . Personally i dont want to go on a total nude cruise but a deck reserved for this purpose would be so nice. A few hotels in the south of Europe start having now a rooftop clothing optional area , this is great because for the hotel it is an extra selling point why cant the cruise ships do this ????????:):) For those of us who agree, do you have a link or two for these European hotels you might like to share?;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 10, 2011 Author #17 Share Posted July 10, 2011 You must go and see the Sagrada Família, stroll down La Ramblas at cocktail time and visit the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter.) I have plans to see all that n Barcelona. I booked us tickets on the Hop On/Hop Off bus that drives around the city, hitting the hot spots. I'm looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Europecruising Posted July 19, 2011 #18 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I am going on the same cruise out of Barcelona on September 4th and I'd be happy to give you some feedback on the cruise. I'll be with my partner but we are hoping there will be some other gay people on board to hang out with a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Europecruising Posted July 19, 2011 #19 Share Posted July 19, 2011 PS two days may not be enough in Barcelona but if really want to experience more of a freestyle beach experience you might consider going to to Sitges for a day on the beach. Its a quick cheap train ride and one of the most famous gay beaches in Europe. Don't plan on staying for the club scene unless you are willing to start your night at three in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 19, 2011 Author #20 Share Posted July 19, 2011 I am going on the same cruise out of Barcelona on September 4th and I'd be happy to give you some feedback on the cruise. I'll be with my partner but we are hoping there will be some other gay people on board to hang out with a bit. I'd love to hear your feedback of the Epic as well as the Freestyle deck when you get back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiamiSpartan Posted July 20, 2011 #21 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I have plans to see all that n Barcelona. I booked us tickets on the Hop On/Hop Off bus that drives around the city, hitting the hot spots. I'm looking forward to it. We do that everytime we are in Barca and love it! For clothing optional beach, try Sitges, a gay town 30 minutes to the south... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Clay Clayton Posted July 21, 2011 #22 Share Posted July 21, 2011 Can't speak to Epic but on Jade in 2008, there were definitely guys taking advantage of all the options of the Freestyle Deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 21, 2011 Author #23 Share Posted July 21, 2011 That's what I was hoping to hear, Clay. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flspeedo Posted July 21, 2011 #24 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I'm hoping that's the case too when I sail on Epic on November 5th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAEMike Posted July 21, 2011 Author #25 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I'm hoping that's the case too when I sail on Epic on November 5th. I'll let you know how it goes, Steve! ;-) Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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