Is Carnival Gay Friendly

[CruisinMaterial]

Hey Folks,

 

I happened to come across this posting just today and thought it was interesting to read everyone's comments and viewpoints. Over the past two years I have sailed 4 Atlantis cruises and this will be the first straight cruise I've taken in over 2 years. My straight cruise experiences were on Princess Cruises, a line that is definitely gay-friendly.

 

Originally when we were looking to book the Southern Caribbean run, with my school schedule, the Golden Princess was sailing from San Juan year round. Now for some illogical reason Princess has decided to send all their boats to Europe and the standard amount to Alaska (the product they are best known for). This only left us with RCCL's Adventure of the Seas and Carnival's Destiny from San Juan during late May. RCCL's rates were far too high and given the experience of the one Atlantis charter on the Splendour, I was not impressed and really didn't feel it was worth the extra $400 to book them. So I'm going with Carnival.

 

I am not a straight wannabe but I am masculine. I am not going to flaunt my homosexuality in front of others but I am sailing alone, not in a relationship and do plan on having fun in the disco because I'm a 23 year old and I like to stay up late and have a great time. Last thing I want or need is hassling by straight folks. That's not a vacation to me. Just want a relaxing vacation and my mom was begging for a cruise and she doesn't go on those things alone so here I am! For my sake I hope this is enjoyable or I will not be doing another straight cruise again - unless it's Princess! ;)

[mikerg]

my first cruise with my bf was on the carnival destiny. i was worried about how a couple would be treated by staff & passengers, but was soon put to ease. from the cabin steward moving the beds together to requesting a table for 2 at dinner to dancing in the disco together- it was a non-event to anyone nearby.

i've been a 10 cruises (some 4 day/some 10 day) since 2000 (3 on carnival), and have actually been well received on all of them. some are a bit more upscale or sedate depending on the dempgraphics and length of cruise, but we have never encountered a bit of hostility or major attention. i guess if someone notices, they may do a double-take, and then get back to their vacation.

i now have a new bf who never cruised before, and i'm breaking him in on a 4 nighter on the ccl imagination on 5/5/05. it may be a bit hectic/crazy with the short itinerary on younger crowd, but looking forward to it greatly with a vibrant passenger mix.

mike

[VibeGuy]

My experience on NCL (Transatlantic, on the Norway, five years ago) was equally positive. FOD party the first or second day, and the Chairman of NCL was on board, and dined in Le Bistro the same evenng as our (very large) impromptu group. Stewards, waiters and CD staff were all friendly, entertainment staff was *exceedingly* friendly (innocent whistle); everything was fantastic.

 

Friends who have sailed recently from Seattle have reported similar experiences, with FOD parties being somewhat variable.

 

Eric

[tikifreaky]

On one Carnival cruise I took, one of the Italian officers chased me around the ship for 2 days until I let him catch me. I made him wear his white hat. We hooked up on shore a couple of times and I got off (so to speak) the ship smiling.

[CruisinMaterial]

On one Carnival cruise I took, one of the Italian officers chased me around the ship for 2 days until I let him catch me. I made him wear his white hat. We hooked up on shore a couple of times and I got off (so to speak) the ship smiling.

 

Now that's what I call cruisin! LOL :D

[bdjam]

On one Carnival cruise I took, one of the Italian officers chased me around the ship for 2 days until I let him catch me. I made him wear his white hat. We hooked up on shore a couple of times and I got off (so to speak) the ship smiling.

Some people have all the luck.

[CruisinMaterial]

I just experienced the oddest thing with someone at a gay establishment today. When they found out what line I was sailing on. They looked at me funny and said, have fun with the Wal-Mart shoppers! EEEK! :mad: Although, I don't think he's ever sailed with them based on the way he was talking so I don't know where he got that comment from. What do you guys think? :confused:

[SissasMomE]

I just experienced the oddest thing with someone at a gay establishment today. When they found out what line I was sailing on. They looked at me funny and said, have fun with the Wal-Mart shoppers! EEEK! :mad: Although, I don't think he's ever sailed with them based on the way he was talking so I don't know where he got that comment from. What do you guys think? :confused:

 

 

The shorter Carnival cruises are known ... and I hate to use this term .... but they are referred to as "white trash cruises" because they are so cheap and seem to attract that type of crowd. I have never sailed Carnival before because of that... that reputation. I am taking my first Carnival cruise on 2/4 - it is an 8-night cruise, and I do not think the longer Carnival cruises attract the same type of crowd that the shorter ones do. I hope that helps.

[Bi girl]

I am new on the Cruise Critic boards. Our group did not have a good experience on Carnival. How can I find a GL group cruise.

[Bi girl]

Some people have all the luck.

lol:D

[Petergozinya]

My friend and I went on the Glory last September and it was definitely gay friendly. There was my dining table with two gay couples. Us and another and a lot of boys on the ship. Couples and single. I spent a lot of time in the steam room in the afternoons and it was definitely the place to meet.

[MILEMRKR63]

I just returned from a 5 day Carnival cruise on the Fascination on 8/14-8/18 to Key West and Calica. They had a FOD meeting posted in the capers on the first night in the piano bar and it was well attended. There were alot of family on this cruise and I had a blast.

 

Yes the crowds tend to be a bit different on the shorter cruises but, you have to take in consideration, that alot of people cant afford a longer cruise so a 4 night cruise fits their budget.

 

Carnival was a blast and for the price I paid, I surely got my moneys worth and will do it again, and in fact I am, on 9/21-25 on the Imagination..

[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.

 

I was on NCL with a large party of people on a Mormon Retreat. They had an FOD party for us and with a pretty good contingent of gay crew members we found them very gay friendly. As a matter of fact the assistant cruise director took time to seek out my family whenever he could at various events because he knew we liked to have fun and that was seriously missing from a lot of the passengers on this particular cruise.

[Seadragon813]

My Bf and I were on The Elation for our first cruise this past May. We didn't have any problems and or room steward was very nice. We pushed the beds together ourselves, and they stayed that way. We had a blast! We'll be on the Valor next May this time with two of our friends.

[tonyp69]

Hi everyone...

 

My friend and I (a very flamboyant kinda guy:D ) just came back from the Carnival Victory 4 day sailing from NY to Halifax.

It was my first cruise on Carnival (sailed before on Princess) and I have to tell you that we had an absolutely great time...

 

Sure, it was a bit of a 'white-trash' cruise based on the length of it and where we left from, but I'm from the school that every experience is what you make it. Yes, there were a lot of loud New Jersey-ites and Long Islanders (I can say it, since I'm from Long Island...heh heh) but we picked this cruise for the value and convenience of leaving from NY so we expected this. We met some truly great people, and were welcomed by most everyone. They also had an FOD meeting every day (though it conflicted with my Friend of Bill meeting ;) ) but from what I hear, it wasn't well attended...

 

There were definitely other family on board, but I assume their priority was to enjoy themselves and not mingle...

 

Seems like everyone's experiences on Carnival have been pretty varied, but I can tell you that I booked this same cruise for next year and my friend (a first time cruiser), booked himself and his partner on the Carnival Destiny W Carib in January....

 

Enjoy!

[txflyer]

We just returned from 7-day Carnival Destiny cruise..Southern Caribbean. There were 3 Friends of Dorothy meetings. Although they were not well attended, it was good to know they were on the schedule.

We met a few gay crew members and never got a negative vibe from any of the other crew... >>jack

[Two Boys Cruising]

I just returned from 7 night sailings on both Carnival Glory and Carnival Triumph. Both cruises required some effort for FOD meetings. On the Glory, I was told to just keep watching the Caper, it would be in there. They scheduled it for the next to the last night of the cruise. Not very helpful for meeting others to socialize with during the cruise. On the Triumph, with some prodding they did schedule on for the third day at 3pm in a bar that was closed. We did have a group show up, but we had to walk half the length of the ship for a cocktail.

 

Other than the FOD meetings, we had no problems at all. We had the cabin stewards make our beds as one and we had great cruises. TampaBoys from this site was on the Glory the very next week and they scheduled FOD meetings EVERY night and told them they would be doing this from now on.

 

Royal Caribbean still refuses to schedule and FOD at all in the daily paper, so Carnival still gets my vote for the more gay friendly between the two.

[txflyer]

I just returned from 7 night sailings on both Carnival Glory and Carnival Triumph. Both cruises required some effort for FOD meetings. On the Glory, I was told to just keep watching the Caper, it would be in there. They scheduled it for the next to the last night of the cruise. Not very helpful for meeting others to socialize with during the cruise. On the Triumph, with some prodding they did schedule on for the third day at 3pm in a bar that was closed. We did have a group show up, but we had to walk half the length of the ship for a cocktail.

 

Royal Caribbean still refuses to schedule and FOD at all in the daily paper, so Carnival still gets my vote for the more gay friendly between the two.

 

I just realized a point maybe Im missing with the FOD meetings. I dont think anyone has mentioned if they have been 'hosted' by the ship. When we were on the Dawn Princess in May, the meeting was attended by one of the ship staff..she served a round of champagne to everyone and then left once things got started. They also had a sign posted outside the bar. It was nice to have the recognition from the staff.

 

On the other hand, our recent Carnival Destiny cruise, although they scheduled 3 FOD meetings, no signage and there was no host from the ship staff. Im not complaining, because it was good to know they were offering the meetings.

 

I think it definitely benefit$ the $hip to offer the meeting$. $$$$$ At our FOD meeting on the Dawn Princess, some of us were there for 4 hours and continually ordered drinks.

 

We have a cruise coming up on Carnival Elation. We were on that ship last December but no FOD meetings. Who did you talk to about getting an FOD meeting on the schedule?

..>>jack

[Two Boys Cruising]

I have been through this numerous times on numerous lines. Go to the Purser's desk and inquire about when the FOD meetings are scheduled. If they are not scheduled, or they cannot give you the exact day and time, request that they contact the Cruise Director to get them scheduled and insist they follow up with a call to your room to confirm the scheduling. Use the employee's name when addressing them. If you remember their name, they know you will use it on the comment card if they do not follow through (as is sadly the case with too many employees at the purser's desk). I'm always polite, but insistent. MOST of the time, you will hear from either the purser's desk or the cruise director him/her self before the evening is over with a scheduled time. If you have the misfortune of a homophobic staff or CD (I have encountered both), it will take more legwork if you truly want it organized.

 

They can be a lot of fun, and as the poster above noted, profitable for the cruise line. I cannot understand why they make such an issue about it other than outright homophobia.

 

I would still like to see some more boys care enough to write some letters to Royal Caribbean to encourage a change in their policy since they are the only major cruise line that outright forbids a published FOD meeting.

 

TBC

[txflyer]

I have been through this numerous times on numerous lines. Go to the Purser's desk and inquire about when the FOD meetings are scheduled. If they are not scheduled, or they cannot give you the exact day and time, request that they contact the Cruise Director to get them scheduled and insist they follow up with a call to your room to confirm the scheduling. Use the employee's name when addressing them. If you remember their name, they know you will use it on the comment card if they do not follow through (as is sadly the case with too many employees at the purser's desk). I'm always polite, but insistent. MOST of the time, you will hear from either the purser's desk or the cruise director him/her self before the evening is over with a scheduled time. If you have the misfortune of a homophobic staff or CD (I have encountered both), it will take more legwork if you truly want it organized.

 

They can be a lot of fun, and as the poster above noted, profitable for the cruise line. I cannot understand why they make such an issue about it other than outright homophobia.

 

I would still like to see some more boys care enough to write some letters to Royal Caribbean to encourage a change in their policy since they are the only major cruise line that outright forbids a published FOD meeting.

 

TBC

 

Hey TBC, thank you for the tip on how to get the process going. Will definitely do it on our cruise in two weeks.

Its sad about Royal Caribbean's policy. After reading these posts my husband said, "well its a good thing we dont plan to go on Royal Caribbean". Hes very loyal to companies that respect us.

 

Ive read some postings from people saying, "we dont choose a cruise line just because of something like a FOD meeting." Certainly there are many things to consider when choosing, but I think its also important to stay away from those that dont openly strive to recognize our uniqueness. Its only by sticking together that we can move forward and too many of us are not loyal to ourselves. Although I am far from being an expert on the cruise industry, I can say that it seems that there are enough options out there that in most cases we do have choices on which cruise line to use on a given itinerary.

 

Royal Caribbean's position is interesting given all the gay charters they get. Its unfortunate the gay charter companies dont boycott the cruise lines that arent proactive in their everyday policy.

 

On a more positive note, on our recent Carnival cruise, one of the str8 crewmembers told us that Carnival tries to keep their same-sex partner employees working the same ships so they dont have to be separated. >>jack

[flashglm]

I have been on 4 straight cruises with gay groups and never had a problem. Some have gay and lesbian cocktail parties in one of their bars before dinner.

 

We are interested in taking a gay cruise but find them much more costly.

[TexBear]

My only experience with Carnival was business related so I have no idea what to expect. All the other ships I have been on have certainly not felt homophobic and I have had a great time. Only 1 held an FOD party' date=' but for the most part I have always felt part of the cruise. I would be interested to hear what people's experiences on Carnival have been.

 

Joey821

PSM821@aol.com

MS Scandanavia 1983

Carnival Victory 2000

Nordic Empress 2000

Monarch of the Seas 2001

Explorer of the Seas 2002

Millennium 2003

Norwegian Star 2004

Carnival Miracle 2004

 

I went on a cruise in October 2006 with a gay group on the Carnival Conquest. There was another gay group (MCC Houston, I think) on that cruise also and many of the crew were "family" too.

 

Had no problems at all. The only thing remotely offensive was the cruise director talking about the stingray feeding procedures. He mentioned that you shouldn't rub the feeding hand on your hip. He said the guys shouldn't even think about it.

 

I think you'd have to be very thin-skinned to be offended at that.

[RobertGT]

Lol.

Thanks for all of the tips and reassurance about Carnival being gay friendly.:)

[Ephraim]

Our only Carnival cruise was 10 years ago and we were placed at a table with four women who thought that we were dinner! We were quite quiet about the fact that we were a couple and we didn't ask to be moved. Our mistake. But we never felt like part of the crowd and for us, it ruined cruise for many years until we decided to try an NCL cruise which had freestyle... because we were just too afraid to have set dining companions after the last incident.

 

As far as RCL... they actually forbids printing any kind of meetings in their daily newsletter, not just FoD meetings. Instead, they point out that all such meetings are posted on the bulletin board which is usually located next to the purser's desk. There are a number of set meetings and on the two RCL cruises we were on, there were permanent and laminated FOD parties listed.

 

From our experience, Princess was the most open with their FoDs and the meeting being hosted. NCL posted FoD parties but didn't host, which lead to utter failure of the meetings (plus the purser's desk refused to tell anyone what an FoD meeting was.) Princess is the only cruise line that we have been on that has given up the pretense of calling them FoD meetings and just openly say what they are.

 

We experienced two moments of homophobia on our first RCL cruise. I ensured that head office knew of both incidents (and they called back to acknowledge the incidents) because they involved the same assistant cruise director (who, I'm ashamed to say, is a fellow Canadian.) One involved a comment made when we stood up to be part of the Love and Marriage game and another was during the game show The Quest. The rest of the cruise staff was VERY professional. On our second RCL cruise, the cruise director (Karen) couldn't have been more supportive and fun! She was a blast and apparently has asked several times to be the CD on Gay charters only to be turned down saying that it needs to be a man (discrimination of a totally different form).

 

From our standpoint (Yves and I). We are booked on Princess for our next two cruises and then on a Celebrity cruise after that. We have no plans on going back to NCL unless it's a very exceptional deal and they turn their policies around. And no plans on going on a Carnival cruise, since repeated descriptions of the clientèle seem to indicate that it's really not our crowd. (We like our fellow cruisers to be more International.) We had an RCL booked, but the deal on the Princess cruise for South America was so great and we booked airline tickets with points, which was a fantastic deal.

[gemsm]

From our experience, Princess was the most open with their FoDs and the meeting being hosted. NCL posted FoD parties but didn't host, which lead to utter failure of the meetings (plus the purser's desk refused to tell anyone what an FoD meeting was.)

 

Just curious when you last cruised NCL? We not only had a posted FOD party on the Wind but the assistant cruise director hosted it and they provided free food.