Islands LGBT friendly?

[vwrestler171]

Some friends of ours that are lesbian couple are looking at booking a cruise with my wife and I and they had heard that some ports still are not safe for the LGBT community.  Is this still the case and is so, which ports?  We are looking at Cozumel, Belize, and Roatan.  I know I've seen LGBT members on many cruises, but never once thought about if they felt safe off the ship in the ports.

[Barsnikel]

I think Cozumel, probably fine.  Don't know enough about the other area to comment

[vwrestler171]

14 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

You will likely have more luck in the gay & lesbian section of the forum:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/97-gay-amp-lesbian-cruisers/

I tried, but no responses.

[Elaine5715]

LMGTFY https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-best-caribbean-islands-for-gay-and-lesbian-travelers

[Elaine5715]

https://nomadicboys.com/caribbean-islands-safe-for-gay-travellers/

[waldorf]

Visited Jamaica once, never again, very unfriendly towards us.

[geoherb]

If by Roatan you mean Mahogany Bay, then I'd suggest staying there. It's a private area with a nice beach and a few shops. 

[vwrestler171]

17 hours ago, geoherb said:

If by Roatan you mean Mahogany Bay, then I'd suggest staying there. It's a private area with a nice beach and a few shops. 

Yes, we do mean Mahogany Bay.  Not sure we will stay at the port are or if we will go inland.  We loved a zipline excursion we did last time.

 

[CruiserLucas]

I've been to Jamaica twice (once at a Sandals for a wedding, not a cruise) and once on a guided excursion - probably the least LGBTQ+ friendly of the places I've been in the Caribbean. But in a more controlled environment like that and being mindful of no same-sex PDA between my partner and I, it was still an enjoyable stop.

Cozumel, Aruba, Curacao, Grand Turk, Nassau, La Romana and Amber Cove in Dominican Republic, and Grand Cayman have all been generally safe for my partner and I. We are not very big on PDA to begin with, but I think most people in general would understand we're a couple.

There are going to be unfriendly areas of even "friendly" islands, but I think it will come down to whether your friends will be comfortable if they visit a place that may not be tolerant of obvious PDA if that is something important to them. Sometimes it can come across as close friendship, but awareness of local laws and customs will go a long way with the enjoyability of their cruise.

[jimbo1683]

Personally when choosing a holiday destination I am mindful of course whether we will be physically safe and feel comfortable, but also consider the legal status of our relationship in the destination. I am generally suprised by how few gay couples seem to consider the fact their marriage or civil partnership is not recognised in some countries - one impact of that being if you were taken to hospital or some other emergency your husband/wife would not be recognised as your next of kin and could have no say in what happens to you. That may be extreme and the risk may be low, but its real.

Edited January 1, 2022 by jimbo1683

[That Username is Taken]

I recently took a cruise to Cozumel, Mahogany Bay, Costa Maya, and Belize.

In Cozumel, we took a taxi and the taxi driver wanted us to meet his nephew.  LOL

In Mahogany Bay, we took a taxi tour around the island and had no issues at the places we stopped.

In Costa Maya, we took a taxi to Blue Kay.  It's an amazing beach with great beach service from the restaurant.  Drinks are a little pricey, but they are delivered to you on the beach!

In Belize, we walked around the city (we were advised not to) and only ran into 1 group of men 1 old short skinny man said, "I will kick you in your stomach".  I replied with "I bet you can, it's a pretty big target".  We both laughed.  Another man told my friend "What you white boys doing here?".  He replied "We are here to find sexy men like you".  They were laughing.

So overall, we really didn't have any problems.

[Suitesweet]

Bermuda has a largish Bible Belt and so there are some precautions to take. Unfortunately. Went on island with partner. Most travel-related persons are cool with it. 
We would not feel comfortable with even the slightest PDA although certainly felt perfectly safe. Just 2 women walking, shopping, eating. Nothing to see here.

[andrcan]

Cozumel - been there several times over the last 15 years with my husband and other gay friends; very safe and lovely beaches.

Belize - been there some 10 years ago; we didn’t walk around the town as it looked poor and boring but took a jungle and caves tour, which was a lot of fun.

Roatan - Mahogany Bay is safe and nice; we also walked around Roatan town where we docked with Atlantis cruise earlier this year - it’s safe but very poor and nothing to do.

[cruiseny4life]

On 10/2/2022 at 12:59 AM, Suitesweet said:

Bermuda has a largish Bible Belt and so there are some precautions to take. Unfortunately. Went on island with partner. Most travel-related persons are cool with it. 
We would not feel comfortable with even the slightest PDA although certainly felt perfectly safe. Just 2 women walking, shopping, eating. Nothing to see here.

Sorry you had bad interactions in Bermuda. We had the reverse - everyone was polite and kind to us, even the old Bermudan men waiting at the bus stop with us. On the bus, they gave us advice about where to go, what to see...guess we just happened into the non-judgy old dudes. 

 

Of course we're not sleek looking gays - we're the beer keg stomached gays with hair everywhere (except the top of my darn head)!