Millennium GLBT Question for Past Cruisers

[TbirdTraveler]

I will be traveling with my partner and several other gay friends in February '08 on Celebrity's Millennium and was wondering if we need to request a GLBT gathering be put in the daily newsletter or if they usually do it without asking. I have traveled on Princess ships several times over the past few years and they schedule a GLBT meeting once or twice during a cruise without asking...just not sure how Celebrity does it.

[nps001]

I'm not sure about Millennium (I'm on that ship with my partner 1/6/08) but when we sailed on the Century, the FOD meetings were in the daily newsletters that are placed in the cabins----of course, hardly anyone went :(

[Jerry & Kirk]

We were on the Millie a couple of years ago and there were many FOD gatherings, also on the Infinity last year......in the martini bar every night.

 

Our FOD request routine........After boarding ship, finding our cabin and putting our carry on bags away, we write a short note to the cruise director. We introduce ourselves and give our cabin number. Drop the note off at the Pursers desk (they will give you an envelope for your note) and address the face of envelope to the Cruise Director and give it to the Purser.

 

Sample note: May we introduce ourselves, we are Jerry and Kirk in

cabin # 000, and would like to request daily FOD meetings and have the time (prefer evenings) and meeting place announced in the daily paper.

 

Sincerely...........

 

Hope this helps.

 

J & K

[TbirdTraveler]

Thanks for the information. My partner and I have cruised on Princess several times and have met lots of nice people through the GLBT gatherings. We're looking forward to seeing what the Millennium has to offer us!

[Malmö]

Our FOD request routine........After boarding ship, finding our cabin and putting our carry on bags away, we write a short note to the cruise director.

 

Sample note: May we introduce ourselves, we are Jerry and Kirk in

cabin # 000, and would like to request daily FOD meetings and have the time (prefer evenings) and meeting place announced in the daily paper.

 

J & K

 

This is a brilliant idea! ;)

 

We were on the Millenium across the Tasman Sea. The very nice cruise director DID have a daily post, but the get-togethers were in a small, very crowded bar that was the main passageway to, and from, the dining room.

It was hard to sit together, and people were broken up into groups. We never all met, and it was too noisy. We asked him to move it to the top deck bar, which he did, but then some of the oldest complained that the "scenery wasn't as nice", and then boycott-osis set in. :mad:

 

We were a group of 4, and we did chat with a few nice people, but all-in-all, on this cruise, which had the most gay-friendly cruise director, the gay get-togethers were rather a let-down. As opposed to those on our Brazil trip, when the cruise director was homophobic, and refused to post the notices, advising us to put a card on the notice board. :eek:

[voyagerx]

Several years ago my partner and did a xatlantic crossing on the Mille. We requested a FOD and the CD put us off over and over again. Finally we confronted him and he did schedule one in a bar so out-of-the-way one could hardly find it and staffed it with a bartender, who was so homophobic, that he threw a beer bottle at me when I suggested we all move (a number of guys did find their way) to a bar with a less rude bartender. At that time, Celebrity had a VIP hostess to whom we complained and she took the complaint very seriously and bought us several drinks. A few day later we received an invitation to dine with the capitan. The dinner was fine, especially the wines, but as almost all the guests were Greek, as was the capitan, we didn't indulge in much conversation;

[voyagerx]

Malmö indicates the FOD was in a bar on the way to the dining room. On the Millenium Class ships this was probably the Martini Bar and it is very well known as the favorite meeting spot for gays prior to dinner.

 

Re: my previous post. A lot has changed over the last few years and I would be surpised if FOD meetings were not regularly scheduled. But....just to make sure, write a note requesting one, address it to the CD and drop it off a reception upon boarding. Follow up with a call, if nothing happens in a couple of days.

[Malmö]

Malmö indicates the FOD was in a bar on the way to the dining room. On the Millenium Class ships this was probably the Martini Bar and it is very well known as the favorite meeting spot for gays prior to dinner.

 

Sounds like the place. Noisy. Small separate seating areas (breaking us up into small groups, so hard to get to talk to/know people). Lots of traffic moving through and lots of noise: talk and bad music. Not suitable for conversation. :(

 

But there were some old codgers who prefered it. And only half of us went with the move to a better location for chat. Guess some like cruising the passers-by. :rolleyes:

[d&a Delaware]

Allen and I were on Millennium for spring break (late March) 2008 and (though I truely don't remember how they started -- maybe actually through a roll call here) there got to be a fairly large group of gay men and women who met at the Martini Bar every evening for happy hour before late seating. Sometimes at various small tables, but often we just pulled tables together and grouped chairs together. Worked very well. We had a great bar waiter who helped us out with all this re-arranging of the furniture. Best GLBT gatherings we have experienced on a cruise.

 

David

[adventuregrrl]

We were just on the Millie in May. They did have FOD events it seemed like every night. I think they even had a special lunch meeting one day.

 

Our people were well represented at the Around the World Wine tasting too. :)