Is Carnival Gay Friendly

[Brennivan]

Avoid Carnival!

[mnywmn1]

Thanks, guys, for the info about Celebrity! I hope that we don't have the same problems as we did with Carnival and don't think that we will because we made reservations to go with the Pied Piper group. Also, I understand that there will be two other gay groups aboard. Has anyone else cruised with Pied Piper before? Do you know if they organize shore excursions?

Ann and Myrna

[Paulras]

Carnival tends to attract a younger, more party-like crowd. I've found on my 3 Carnival cruises that too many straight guys are so drunk that I can see one or more of them being abusive to gay passengers. We didn't have any incidents, but there were very few people that were friendly to my BF and me.

 

On the otherhand Celebrity's staff and passengers were extraordinarily friendly on our 2 cruises. Celebrity tends to attract a more mature (in mind, not necessarily age) crowd. We were very friendly with straight people that we wouldn't have thought we would be, including an entire Virginian family (3 generations, many of which were military and ex-military), a newlywed Southern couple, a retired air force ranking officer (and wife), another couple from the mid-west; people who don't normally fit into the "gay friendly" category. They all knew we were gay but would even go out of their way to talk to us or book an excursion with us. That NEVER happened on Carnival, where we felt like we had to be in the closet.

 

PS - as a disclaimer, I'm not saying everyone on Carnival is an alcoholic party animal. But my experience is that that there are quite a few more than on Celebrity (and Celebrity never had drunken breakdancing in the Karaoke lounge!).

[Bootman4U]

ANY cruise line that allows anti-Gay jokes as part of the entertainment can hardly be called "Gay friendly" whether or not you're screwing the "cute cabin steward" or whether or not the so-called "straight playful" men on board have figured out you are a BOB (big old bottom) and have found an easy lay, or you "look like a State Trooper" (and we've all seen plenty of UGLY state troopers).

 

Would you call a cruise line that allows anti-Black jokes "Black friendly?"

 

I'm not saying that you won't enjoy your cruise and that the company won't take your money (they're VERY gay money friendly I am sure)..and you might even "get away" with dancing together (I'd like to have been their to see the Carnival redneck reaction to that one)...but to call them "gay friendly"...I think NOT!

[bepsf]

And folks wonder why we spend more for all-gay cruises...

 

Although I'm leaving for my first str8 cruise on HAL this week - will be interesting to see the difference.

[eroller]

 

I'm not saying that you won't enjoy your cruise and that the company won't take your money (they're VERY gay money friendly I am sure)..and you might even "get away" with dancing together (I'd like to have been their to see the Carnival redneck reaction to that one)...but to call them "gay friendly"...I think NOT!

 

 

You might also want to consider NOT cruising on *all* the lines Carnival owns as well. All the money ends up right back in Carnival's pocket, and since Carnival is the ring leader, I guess they all could be considered "un-gay friendly". As a reminder, that would include Cunard, Princess, Carnival, Costa, Holland America, Seabourn, Windstar, P&O Cruises, Aida, Swan Hellenic, and Ocean Village. Oh what the hell, why not boycott the entire cruise industry! ;)

 

Your post is so full of stereotypical generalizations it's pitiful (BOB's, rednecks, etc). I'm sure you would not appreciate those same generalizations being made about you. For the record, I've been on 9 Carnival Cruises out of 57 total cruises on just about every line. I've never heard anything offensive in any of the shows I attended on Carnival. I certainly heard MANY gay jokes on RSVP, but I guess that is ok? I'm not saying Carnival is the most gay friendly, but I wouldn't go as far to say they are un-gay friendly either.

 

Ernie

[kwokpot]

I have not contributed to this thread, but decided to now.

 

I think the intinery is more the key than the cruiseline. My partner and I sailed our 1st Carnival ship this past March on an 8 nt to the Soutnern Caribbean on the Carinval Spirit. We had a great time - the ship was beautiful, the food very good, and the passengers and crew friendly. We never felt mistreated as a gay couple.

 

We enjoyed the ship so much that we will be sailing her again in 2 weeks on a Vancouver-Honolulu 12 nt Hawaii cruise. WE could have chosen a RCL cruise with a simillar itinery, but Carnival had the best price; We're paying $921/person INCLUDING Port, taxes, & fees for a WINDOW Cabin on a 12 nt cruise on a ship that's only 3 yrs old. Besides, we really loved the ship, and ultimately that guided our decision.

 

On our 8 nt S. Carribbean cruise, we never once witnessed any drunken straight men causing problems.

 

I think 3/4 nt cruises on any cruiseline would invite the rowdy behavior some only attribute to Carnival cruises.

[mcboo]

We personally have never had a problem on Carnival and have never heard an anti-gay joke either. As long as you are not hanging all over each other playing tonsil hockey I really don't see where you would have a problem.

I don't want to see gay or str8 couples doing that in public. Thats what the cabin and balcony are for.

We do prefer to sail on Seabourn ( a carnival entity) and have never ever had a problem and have made great friends both gay and str8, old and young.

Just my opinion.

mcboo

[bdjam]

I've never heard anything offensive in any of the shows I attended on Carnival. I certainly heard MANY gay jokes on RSVP, but I guess that is ok? I'm not saying Carnival is the most gay friendly, but I wouldn't go as far to say they are un-gay friendly either.

My last Carnival cruise was years ago on the old broken down Holiday, but one of the reasons my ex and I never went back to Carnival is because we found the same issues that have been mentioned above. The passenger load resembled a straight singles bar – and some of the goings on did as well. Not to our liking.

There’s a difference between gay jokes that might be told on RSVP and gay jokes that might be told on Carnival. At the “adult” comedy show, the jokes were obviously derogatory and the audience got a big kick out of them. We left the show. Ironic that the RSVP-style jokes were probably told in the same theater if the ship had ever been chartered by them.

Again, this was a number of years ago – hopefully things have improved.

[eroller]

We do prefer to sail on Seabourn ( a carnival entity) and have never ever had a problem and have made great friends both gay and str8, old and young.

Just my opinion.

mcboo

 

 

mcboo,

You have great taste! I've never sailed Seabourn but I would love to try them. I have sailed on Silversea and it was a fantastic experience. I would say we are both unique in that we can enjoy a luxury cruise on Seabourn or Silversea but still appreciate a Carnival cruise!

 

Ernie

[eroller]

 

There’s a difference between gay jokes that might be told on RSVP and gay jokes that might be told on Carnival. At the “adult” comedy show, the jokes were obviously derogatory and the audience got a big kick out of them. We left the show. Ironic that the RSVP-style jokes were probably told in the same theater if the ship had ever been chartered by them

 

 

Like I said, in 9 Carnival cruises I've never heard a "gay joke". Sorry your experience was different.

 

The most awkward and uncomfortable experience during a cruise ship show I've EVER had was on RSVP several years ago. Sandra Bernhardt was the headliner, she gave a poor performance and heckled the audience with MANY derogatory comments.... well beyond her usual sarcasm. She ended up getting booed off the stage and a glass was even thrown at her on stage. She left the stage and so did the audience.

 

I certainly didn't leave the show with a good feeling that night. In fact the vibe in the air that night was not pleasant. Interestingly enough I've never had anything like that happen on a "straight" cruise, Carnival or otherwise.

 

I would imagine times have changed at Carnival, and I can certainly confirm that from my own experience. I would also hope Sandra Bernhardt is no longer booked on RSVP cruises. I certainly would not cross out any future RSVP cruises because of the experience I had during one show, and would hope others would not do the same concerning Carnival.

 

Ernie

[bdjam]

I certainly would not cross out any future RSVP cruises because of the experience I had during one show, and would hope others would not do the same concerning Carnival.

I agree with you and if it had only been the show, we probably would have given Carnival another chance. The overall atmosphere of the cruise left us quite uncomfortable as gay men – and that’s the primary reason we never went back. I don’t know that there was a conscious effort of the cruise line to promote this uncomfortable feeling, but there was something about the atmosphere that didn’t make us feel safe. I think the comedian was the frosting on the cake and sort of drove the point home – I’m sure Carnival knew what was in his comedy routine and allowing it on stage gave it a certain amount of credence.

[eroller]

I think the comedian was the frosting on the cake and sort of drove the point home – I’m sure Carnival knew what was in his comedy routine and allowing it on stage gave it a certain amount of credence.

 

 

I can respect that, but I don't think it's fair to ward off others based on a single experience years ago, especially on what is probably the oldest and worst ship in the Carnival fleet, and most likely on a short cruise out of LA .... which I have to admit can attract the worst possible crowd. On the same token with what you experienced on Carnival, I would think RSVP knew of Sandra Bernhardt's routine before allowing her on stage, yet she went ahead with her very poorly received act ..... to an entire show lounge full of gay men. How responsible was that? Everyone makes mistakes, and to be honest it's quite likely that Carnival's head office does not know all the content of every comedian that performs on their 20 ship fleet. It's the job of the Cruise Director to review the comedian's act and ensure the act is not offending anyone. We all know how Cruise Director's vary from ship to ship. Some are on the ball, and others are just plain homophobic... not just on Carnival. Of course I do think it's good to be able to make fun of one's self. I did not see the act you referred to on Carnival so I don't know if it would have offended me or not. One of my favorite shows on TV is "Tracy takes on", which is entirely about making fun of different ethnic groups and minorities.... gays, straights, Jews, blacks, whites, Chinese, etc. No one is sacred and the show is extremely funny. I also used to love "In Living Color" which used to do the same thing. Sometimes I think people take themselves too seriously.

 

I had a very poor experience on Cunard (QE2). The food and service was probably the worst I've had on any cruise. I still returned though to try QM2 and it was one of the best cruise experiences I've ever had. I think anything deserves a second chance, even Carnival. I will say one has to be very selective when choosing a Carnival cruise .... probably more so than most lines although I think that is changing. No short cruises and avoid the Summer.

 

I think all the lines are becoming more and more mass-market, and anymore I read about incidents on lines like Princess and Royal Caribbean that years ago one only heard about Carnival. I recently read about roving gangs of kids on CARIBBEAN PRINCESS that caused havoc, and of course a contributor to this very message board was assaulted not on Carnival, but on Royal Caribbean just for being gay. I guess I could boycott Royal Caribbean and Princess, but what would be the point?

 

Ernie

[bdjam]

Ernie - If you’re inferring that I took the incident on Holiday too seriously, I think that unfair. The comedian’s jokes were derogatory toward gay people – this was not an ethnic humor type of joking – I can understand the difference. And as I said, that wasn’t the only thing that made us uncomfortable on this trip. I also indicated that this was a number of years ago and hopefully things had improved. I’ll leave it up to your experienced judgment to tell us all whether or not that is true.

 

I guess I’m sorry that I chose to relate my feelings about a Carnival cruise here – even though this was a dated occurrence, it still was valid and colored my opinion about the cruise line – and I thought these boards were here to posts opinions. Feel free to disagree with me, but don’t tell me I’m taking things too seriously if you haven’t been there. There was nothing too serious about what we heard and felt.

 

I realize Carnival is one of your lines of choice, but as you say, mistakes happen. If Carnival is perfect now, they weren’t on my cruise with them.

[eroller]

Ernie - If you’re inferring that I took the incident on Holiday too seriously, I think that unfair.

 

 

I don't discount your experience at all. Sorry if you took it that way. Different things offend different people, it's subjective. I have no way of knowing exactly what would offend you as you would not me. For all I know I might have found the comedian you found offensive to be funny, although I doubt it. You had a bad experience on Carnival. I give you that. I also don't blame you if you never cruise on Carnival again. I just didn't think it was fair to discount an entire cruise line based on a single subjective experience several years ago. Anyway, you have every right to share your bad experience on Carnival and it is indeed valid. When I said we sometimes take ourselves too seriously, I wasn't implying you or your experience specifically. I was implying society in general, and that is just the way I feel. Nothing personal.

 

For the record, Carnival is not my cruise line of choice but I think they are a decent cruise line. Surprisingly, I've received far better food and service on Carnival then most other so-called "premium" lines I've sailed. While I've watched so many other cruise lines decline over the years, some more than others, I've seen Carnival make huge strides in all aspects of their product. They seem to be bucking the typical downward trend in the cruise industry. I certainly have no agenda to defend Carnival just because I have cruised them several times. I've cruised other lines like Princess many more times than Carnival. I like to try them all and I've found that each has it's own pros and cons. I have yet to find the perfect cruise line although Silversea comes close .... and I might add they were very gay friendly!

 

Again, sorry if you took my post the wrong way.

 

Ernie

[mcboo]

Ernie,

You really do need to try Seabourn sometime. Champagne and caviar in the surf by those cute waiters in their white shorts makes for a great souveiner photo.:D:D:D

mcboo

[bdjam]

Again, sorry if you took my post the wrong way.

It’s OK Ernie – you know I like to spar with you. You’re a fun partner and certainly present an articulate debate. Go look at the Westerdam post…I agree with you there.

 

And I think I got your meaning :(

[bepsf]

The most awkward and uncomfortable experience during a cruise ship show I've EVER had was on RSVP several years ago. Sandra Bernhardt was the headliner, she gave a poor performance and heckled the audience with MANY derogatory comments.... well beyond her usual sarcasm. She ended up getting booed off the stage and a glass was even thrown at her on stage. She left the stage and so did the audience.

 

I certainly didn't leave the show with a good feeling that night. In fact the vibe in the air that night was not pleasant. Interestingly enough I've never had anything like that happen on a "straight" cruise, Carnival or otherwise.

 

I would imagine times have changed at Carnival, and I can certainly confirm that from my own experience. I would also hope Sandra Bernhardt is no longer booked on RSVP cruises. I certainly would not cross out any future RSVP cruises because of the experience I had during one show, and would hope others would not do the same concerning Carnival.

 

Ernie

 

Ernie--

 

I think RSVP has learned its lesson. I guess there was another bad year in 2002 when RuPaul gave a bad performance on an RSVP cruise (coincidentally, on a Carnival ship)

 

This years cruises featured the Kinsey Sicks on two nights, and Kathy Griffith doing her "D-List" sctick before it came out on Bravo. And although I didn't attend, I understand the first night's show was the HAL entertainers doing their standard show - but w/ a gay twist.

 

I would never have gone on an RSVP cruise had it still been on a Carnival ship - glitz and neon just isn't my style. But now that they use HAL, I'm there...

[eroller]

Ernie--

 

I think RSVP has learned its lesson. I guess there was another bad year in 2002 when RuPaul gave a bad performance on an RSVP cruise (coincidentally, on a Carnival ship)

 

I would never have gone on an RSVP cruise had it still been on a Carnival ship - glitz and neon just isn't my style. But now that they use HAL, I'm there...

 

This is good to hear. Of course Nell Carter was also a performer and she was fantastic.

 

Regarding which cruise line RSVP uses, I wonder how many people actually know the difference between cruise lines when sailing on RSVP? Of course I know the people on this board do, but does the average RSVP cruiser booking for the first time? The reason I bring this up is because several of the people I became acquainted with on RSVP thought that RSVP *was* the actual cruise line. They didn't realize that RSVP was just the charter company and in fact they were cruising on Carnival Cruise Lines until they arrived at the ship. I thought that was rather interesting.

 

Ernie

[SoxfanDan]

Me and my partner love Carnival and have never had a problem on their ships.

[Joe32]

Hey normalguyatl, which cruise will you be on in August?

[Joe32]

Hey Normalguyatl, Which Carnival cruise are you taking in August?

[James&Rob]

Hello

 

Me and my Husband have sailed on the carnival Victory, Fantasy and Sensation and Have never had a problem , No FOD but we usually meet lots of friendly people we have also sailed on Caribbean Princess and the Zuiderdam both of these had FOD and we had a great time Just go and have a great time dont worrie about it James

[FloridaBrit]

I'm in the process of booking my third group cruise with Carnival (Liberty 1/21/06). If you're looking for a mix at a good price, then I find Carnival is hard to beat. I have found the majority of the crew to be gay friendly. However, I have encountered resistance to hosting FOD parties, and the comedians at times have been offensive to some of our group - but isn't it the job of late night comedians to be offensive to everyone.

 

 

That said, if I'm booking something for me and my beloved, then I'm not so sure that Carnival would be my first choice. We sailed the Zuiderdam last November. The cruise director scheduled a FOD meeting space every day, and by the end end of the cruise we'd become aquainted with a dozen or more couples.

[gemsm]

 

We are on NCL in October and wanted to ask what people's experience has been on this cruise line? Haven't heard too much about Norwegian.

 

Hi...Have sailed on Norwegian twice now with my partner and so far I have found them to be the most gay-friendly line of the ones I have sailed on.

 

No problems getting tables for 2, a lot of the staff (including the cruise director Ray on our last cruise) are "family" and we had no problems. FOD party scheduled without anyone asking.

 

This while sailing on a ship with a group of about 1,000 mormons on a religious retreat says something about the line :)