My first gay cruise. What can I expect?

[m183837]

I will am signed up for atlantis events mexican rivers cruise in October. What can I expect? I am a single travler who has never been on an a cruise ship let alone an all gay cruise ship. What will it be like?

[MattInFLL]

Well, I think you are on Radiance of the Seas, which is a fantastic ship, so that's a good start. The crew will be very happy to see you guys, because we tend to tip well and treat them better (overall) than their regular passengers.

 

Atlantis tends to attact a slightly more big city east coast/west coast crowd, and although the crowd is getting more and more diverse as time goes by, there is still a large contingent of muscley circuit boys (not that there's anything wrong with that) because that's who the founders of the company are, (or hoped to be). And if you are looking for sex, you can absolutely find it.. but not out on deck or anything like that. If you are just looking to have a wonderful, relaxing time in the comfort of an all gay setting, you can do that too.

 

There are lots of parties on deck at night, which is very cool, and so unlike what you get on a regular cruise. These all have themes, and many people bring special outfits for all of them, but you don't have to. Your cruise ticket booklet will give you details on what they have planned, so you'll have plenty of time to plan your wardrobe ahead of time.

 

Radiance of the Seas offers you everything you could want in a luxury resort vacation... a great gym, great spa, etc.. it's an elegant ship. If you are at all prone to motion sickness, you should be prepared just in case the seas are rough, since this will be your first cruise. There are lots of remedies, but something as simple as Ginger tablets can work wonders.

 

Have fun!

[CanadaCruiseBoyz]

Hi m183837:

 

I'm quite sure that you will thorougly enjoy your first cruise and your first Atlantis experience. My bf and I were on our first ever cruise and first Atlantis Experience in March of 2003 and had an absolutely fantastic time. Check out our Website - we have written about our First Atlantis Experience, and basicly what you can expect from an Atlantis Cruise:

 

http://www3.sympatico.ca/ian.snelson

 

Enjoy,

 

Ian

[KauaiBruce]

Hi,

If you want a lot more info on Atlantis gay cruises send me an email to atlantisbruce@aol.com. I have a web site with lots of info where people who are going on the cruise can meet beforehand. I have been asked not to post links on cruisecritic that 'promote' a specific charter but if you email me I can give you all the info.

[Treven]

M183837, I too was on the Atlantis cruise through the Hawaiian islands last March. This was my first cruise; and actually the first time I had even seen a cruise ship in person, or up close and personal. Although it was my first cruise, I already had three land vacations with Atlantis under my belt.

 

You will have a blast!!!!!!! What I found was that there wasn't enough time in the day to do every thing I wanted to do, so often times I had to decide which of two or three things I wanted to do.

 

DEFINATELY give KawaiiBruce a buzz (e-mail). He can provide you with tons of information.

 

Happy sailings!!

[voyagerfl]

My first gay cruise. What can I expect?

HOMOSEXUALS--------LOTS OF EM ! LoL :eek:

[jughead78]

my partner and i are going on the mariner of the seas on dec 12, 2004. are there typically other gay people on all cruises, or mostly just ones specifically designated "gay"?:)

[MattInFLL]

I've only been on one regular cruise where it seemed like there weren't any other "family".. but even then there were several running around. There's almost always a good number on board. That's why one of the first things you should do after boarding is write a note to the cruise director asking for an FOD party.. the other trick is to check the boarding photos when they're posted... single guys and two guys together are always a good indication.

[shuggee]

Hi Matt, I can see you're a pro when it comes to sussing out "family" on your cruises. We do the same (my mates and I that is) on our cruises. Sometimes you can have more fun in a "mixed" environment as opposed to a "gay" cruise.

 

I've only been on one regular cruise where it seemed like there weren't any other "family".. but even then there were several running around. There's almost always a good number on board. That's why one of the first things you should do after boarding is write a note to the cruise director asking for an FOD party.. the other trick is to check the boarding photos when they're posted... single guys and two guys together are always a good indication.

[gsully00]

My partner and I are going on that cruise from SanDiego on Oct 5th, he is 33 and I'm 38, it's our 2nd cruise, thought we'd have a little fun with the "fun" crowd--hope you enjoy it

[RMS Olympic]

Hey Matt in Fla...why don't you join the fun.....?

I will be flying into Ft Lauderdale on 2/17 prior to the RSVP cruise...maybe we can meet for a drink?

 

As for Atlantis...I am giving their big ship cruise product a try...something I thought I would never do...you know me, I'm no circuit boy...

But it will be a change and should be fun.

Next year I am off to Fiji........that should be a real experience.....might even try to get a group together.......hint.

[jjtsfca]

m183837 -

 

I think you'll have a great time. Good on you for trying something new. Honestly a lot of it has to do with your outlook for that trip. If you're open, engaging, friendly and approachable (and you probably are if you're doing this solo) you'll meet a ton of really nice men and a handful of great dykes. MattInFLL summed it up pretty well. Atlantis really knocks themselves out on the parties (better, I think, than RSVP) - the afternoon tea dances (whether you enjoying dancing or not) are not to be missed. There's always lots of scenery (pecpony wise) and a sprinkling of drag queens sometimes too.

 

I've done a number of gay cruises and I've found that first timers tend to go one of two ways - they either pace themselves (the number of things to do on these trips is staggering) or they go all out all week and get off the ship exhausted, but fulfilled. It really depends on what is right for you.

 

I think life shipboard is heaven. You never have to cook, clean up after yourself, do laundry, or do anything, for that matter, unless you feel like it. For your trip, Cabo is my favorite - it's really beautiful. If you're not interested in a port, the in port days can be a nice day to lounge on the ship poolside.

 

KauaiBruce and the CanadaCruiseBoyz are great resources - avail yourselves of them.