Your highest weekly bill on a gay charter

Someone once said that RSVP and Atlantis

cruises sell more liquor for the sailaway alone

than straight cruises sell all week.

Not sure if this is entirely true.

was wondering what the average tab was

on a gay charter compared to mainline cruises.

just for fun....wanted to see what people posted.

They sure do sell a lot more liquor on a gay cruise! IIRC I heard about 2-3 times more - we were getting a behind the scenes tour by the chief culinary officer on the Eurodam.

On our seven day cruise we each have had up to about $700 each on our bills. That included booze, excursions and spa threats.

For my earlier RSVP and Atlantis cruises, my partner and I would end up with bills of about $600 - 700 each including some excursions and gift shop purchases (on Atlantis, you've GOT to buy the designer stuff LOL). Last two cruises it was more in the range of $400 - 500. A caveat to this though is that on the Allure cruise in 2011, my partner was on the wagon so his spending was WAY down and we didn't have any bottles of wine. On the Baltic cruise in July, I was with a buddy and most of my spending was on beer since we didn't do anything "romantic".

For the last few Atlantis cruises, the bar had trouble making the threshold in the contract (Atlantis holds a free cocktail hour for the guests when they make their contracted threshold) in part due to the ships not being sold out but possibly also due to less drinking. No real hard evidence, just a feeling

Todd

That included booze, excursions and spa threats.

I hope you didn't threaten too many people at the spa! :p

OK...my last Atlantis bar tab was about $231 and that included an Atlantis tank top and some internet connection time. The rest was bar. I purchased shore excursions outside of cruise line and saved a bundled. I'm not a heavy drinker so my bar tab is pretty light. The way some people drink on those charters I can't image what their bar tabs are like....but to each is own. I was told that gay charter they drink 3x as much and eat half as much as a regular sailing. However, I noticed that the gay charters aren't sell out as fast as they use too. When you fact in the rack rate you are paid plus your on board spending it becomes a very expensive vacation although both RSVP and Atlantis still put on a top rated experience that compares bar none.

I hope you didn't threaten too many people at the spa! :p

LMAO! Oops...

Our weekly bill on an Atlantis trip is generally around $900-1000 per person. That covers internet access, usually one spa treatment, shore excursions, bar bill and pretty much every dinner for the week in a specialty restaurant. I've never heard of Rich Campbell throwing a "free" cocktail party when the bar threshold is met. I"m only aware of the "thank you" cocktail parties for alumni who have sailed at least 4 times with Atlantis. Is the "free" cocktail party something he does on RSVP? I've never sailed on one of the RSVP charters, but have done about 12 with Atlantis. And have 2 more booked currently - the upcoming Auckland to Sydney trip next month and the Venice to Rome trip in August.

Mine was $1,250.00 on the Alaska cruise on Amsterdam in 2007. Those shore excursions are sky high if you want to take a helicopter to a glacier or a bush plane into Misty Fijords National monument. The cruise cost me less than the onboard bill.

On a gay group cruise last november on the Allure, our joint bill (I and my hubby) was 1100 usd, but we're from Finland so that was our excuse... Lol

The few bottles of Moet that we drank on our last day really made our bill skyrocket. :eek:

We went on the Allure last year, and we had a comma in our tab before day 3.!!l LOL My hubby drinks beer. It was from the spa treatments. And the wine. :p

If we do a straight:eek: cruise, we can keep it to $700 total. Mainly - because the ship is a morgue after 11pm. Especially Celebrity:(...LOL

This year, we were able to persuade some friends to join us...so, I fear another crazy bill is in the Works.

We'll be the Red Hat ladies, BTW....:D

I don't want to sound cheap and it's not something I feel the need to normally do but doesn't anyone smuggle liquor on these cruises?

For someone who isn't a heavy drinker or rarely drinks, do you think he would still enjoy this type of cruises?

O..... I've never heard of Rich Campbell throwing a "free" cocktail party when the bar threshold is met. I"m only aware of the "thank you" cocktail parties for alumni who have sailed at least 4 times with Atlantis. Is the "free" cocktail party something he does on RSVP? I've never sailed on one of the RSVP charters, but have done about 12 with Atlantis. And have 2 more booked currently - the upcoming Auckland to Sydney trip next month and the Venice to Rome trip in August.

On the first Allure charter they did have a free drink happy hour, that was supposed to replace the "Free Bag" major backlash over not getting the bags and they finally sent them out just in time for the next years sailing.

I don't want to sound cheap and it's not something I feel the need to normally do but doesn't anyone smuggle liquor on these cruises? For someone who isn't a heavy drinker or rarely drinks, do you think he would still enjoy this type of cruises?

I do not drink and have a great time on the charters - awesome experience. As far a smuggling alcohol onboard it probably does happen but they search hard and confiscate it when they find it. The small print i think says they can deny boarding for this but i have never heard of that happening.

I'm assuming you can still bring the usual bottle of wine or champagne on Atlantis cruises if the respective cruise line generally allows it?

I know this is off topic...but what is the appeal of a gay charter cruise versus a mainstream cruise:confused:

HELLO......................!!!!

Mostly it's all the GAY men/women (mostly men) in various stages of undress and inebriation!! LOL

Oh, and the lack of others' judgement...........

I know this is off topic...but what is the appeal of a gay charter cruise versus a mainstream cruise:confused:

They are two very different things. OK my only non-gay charter cruise was a 4-day cruise on the QM2 but I think from that and what I have read on Cruise Critic you can't compare it.

From the "we are the majority" experience to the specail entertainment and ttye commaraderie, you are if for a very different experience. I maintain that gay charters are not a relaxing experience (for me, your mileage may vary) but you leave tired yet envigorated.

I don't want to sound cheap and it's not something I feel the need to normally do but doesn't anyone smuggle liquor on these cruises? For someone who isn't a heavy drinker or rarely drinks, do you think he would still enjoy this type of cruises?

Smuggling liquor on a cruise is not allowed. Just buy the Liquor package they offer, if your a heavy drinker.

They are two very different things. OK my only non-gay charter cruise was a 4-day cruise on the QM2 but I think from that and what I have read on Cruise Critic you can't compare it.

 

From the "we are the majority" experience to the specail entertainment and ttye commaraderie, you are if for a very different experience. I maintain that gay charters are not a relaxing experience (for me, your mileage may vary) but you leave tired yet envigorated.

I have not cruised on a gay charter cruise, but have heard it's like a floating bath house and the cost is 3 time that of a regular cruise.

I have not cruised on a gay charter cruise, but have heard it's like a floating bath house and the cost is 3 time that of a regular cruise.

Well, you have heard wrong . ;)

I know, people that have not been on a gay charter have heard that "it's like a floating bath house". Does sex happen? Yes, like on any cruise. Does sex happen around the swimming pools, in the buffet, in the atrium, in teh bars or in the show lounge? No. Are cabin doors open with people lying naked on their beds? No. Are people walking around naked or wrapped in towels looking for sex? No. So it is not like a bath house at all. If you want to find action you could find it, just like on a regular cruise.

Now for that other myth: gay charters are three/X times more expensive that a regular cruise... I looked at the cruises before and after the Feb 2015 RSVP charter on the Regal Princess and compared prices for the exact same cabin that we booked on RSVP (balcony category BB):

Regular Princess cruises - Princess Cay, St. Thomas and St. Maarten

Feb 1, 2015 - regular cruise is $1,299 + $210 port fees and taxes

Feb 15, 2015 - regular cruise is $1,379 + $210 port fees and taxes

RSVP charter goes to Princess Cay, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.

Feb 8, 2015 - RSVP cruise is $1,359 + $270 port fees and taxes + $99 prepaid gratuities.

Wait... what?? The cruises are priced about the same?! :eek: AND the RSVP cruise has a unique itinerary and a lot more entertainment! :D

DOH!

Well, you have heard wrong . ;)

 

I know, people that have not been on a gay charter have heard that "it's like a floating bath house". Does sex happen? Yes, like on any cruise. Does sex happen around the swimming pools, in the buffet, in the atrium, in teh bars or in the show lounge? No. Are cabin doors open with people lying naked on their beds? No. Are people walking around naked or wrapped in towels looking for sex? No. So it is not like a bath house at all. If you want to find action you could find it, just like on a regular cruise.

I've had friends who've been to some of Atlantis cruises in the Caribbean and they said there were guys having sex everywhere (i.e. in the halls, gym, steam room, dance floor, etc). So there's a lot of truth to that. It's not a typical cruise.

I've had friends who've been to some of Atlantis cruises in the Caribbean and they said there were guys having sex everywhere (i.e. in the halls, gym, steam room, dance floor, etc). So there's a lot of truth to that. It's not a typical cruise.

Who said it was a typical cruise? :confused: If it was typical, who would bother going?

I have not been on an Atlantis cruise; they are a tad wilder, I believe. But that bath house label is not a true reflection of an RSVP cruise. I have been to a bath house and on RSVP cruises and it is not remotely the same. ;)

Well, you have heard wrong . ;)

 

I know, people that have not been on a gay charter have heard that "it's like a floating bath house". Does sex happen? Yes, like on any cruise. Does sex happen around the swimming pools, in the buffet, in the atrium, in teh bars or in the show lounge? No. Are cabin doors open with people lying naked on their beds? No. Are people walking around naked or wrapped in towels looking for sex? No. So it is not like a bath house at all. If you want to find action you could find it, just like on a regular cruise.

I've had friends who've been to some of Atlantis cruises in the Caribbean and they said there were guys having sex everywhere (i.e. in the halls, gym, steam room, dance floor, etc). So there's a lot of truth to that. It's not a typical cruise.

Hmmm, I think both of you are sorta right. There has been sex taking place or at least something going on:rolleyes: in the steam room of every cruise I have taken (and I wasn't the one doing it!)....now on my one Atlantis cruise rather than being just one or two enjoying themselves until they took it elsewhere, it was a whole group with some watching from the restroom outside through the big round window (Celebrity). Certainly, I have seen guys on non chartered cruisesgiving each other the googly eye in the gym and gym locker rooms and then noticed that they seemed to head to their staterooms at the same time:eek:. And I KNOW that there was some action going on in a certain hottub on my Atlantis cruise...but it was descreet and I presume that similar activities have taken place on non chartered cruises. I will say it is easier to find on a chartered cruise of course that may be because I am not a hunky young guy...perhaps it happens all the time to them! LOL

I've had friends who've been to some of Atlantis cruises in the Caribbean and they said there were guys having sex everywhere (i.e. in the halls, gym, steam room, dance floor, etc). So there's a lot of truth to that. It's not a typical cruise.

In the halls? My word, that sounds not only a bit problematic but fairly uncomfortable as well. Oh my. I'll take my sex the good old fashioned way: In the exit stairway!

Someone once said that RSVP and Atlantis

cruises sell more liquor for the sailaway alone

than straight cruises sell all week.

Not sure if this is entirely true.

was wondering what the average tab was

on a gay charter compared to mainline cruises.

just for fun....wanted to see what people posted.

That's the main reason we avoid these type of cruises. I still love that day in '98 in PTown. A gay cruise came back from an afternoon of wild partying. We were having dinner & watched the ship come in. Soon the sirens blared & about 5 ambulances were there to great & treat the revelers. Of course not everyone was wasted, but enough were to make us avoid the fun & games of such party boats.

I know this is off topic...but what is the appeal of a gay charter cruise versus a mainstream cruise:confused:

Sex drugs & Rock & Roll!