ToriOKC

Well, I’ve been back from the cruise for a few days and needed some time to process everything that happened before writing this. The cruise was so much fun, I made a bunch of new friends and it was truly amazing, it had its moments though. To say people were gawking and whispering to one another and then looking up at me would be an understatement. It was a lot. I did notice that in general, “people watching” was a past time for most involved, including me, so I totally got it. I had a few harsh comments thrown at me and one guy refused to ride the elevator with me and took the stairs instead. I had to force myself to block out those looking my way. I remember walking onto deck 9 in the main pool area, the sun was in my face, I had on pink shirt and shorts, and when I looked up I can’t even describe how many people were looking at me. I was like, “girl, chin up, chest out, and own this moment and keep moving.” lol I mostly hung out on deck 10 and started making friends right away. My shipmates had lots of questions at first, which I politely answered, and in the ensuing days we drank, laughed and had fun together. I even dropped my discover card accidentally in one of the couch cushions and didn’t realize it. A man wearing rebel shorts came up to me the next day and said, “Hey darlin, our group thought this might belong to you” and handed me the card. I thanked him and his friends repeatedly!! What amazing people!! I tried to be back in my cabin around 11 pm before everyone got drunk and crazy. Since the gawking and staring part was kind of never ending, retreating to my cabin and being able to take a deep breath and just chill out alone on the balcony really helped. Though there was two nights I stayed out until 1 am and then 3 am and I had no problems and had an awesome time. I became close to one of our servers and went into Belize with she and her girlfriend. She later confided that several people made negative comments about my presence, two of which she refused to serve because of what they said. I knew damn well that such things were happening and my server simply validated my suspicions. In the end, people have a right to their opinions and honestly, I would rather not know, but nonetheless I appreciated her telling me. So, to wrap this up, I give my experience an eight out of ten. I had the best time and truly met the most wonderful people. I am in contact still, and Facebook friends, with about fifteen or so fellow cruisers and others I met on the different excursions. There were wonderful memories made and it was one of the best vacations I have ever had!! Since returning home I’ve thought about everything that happened and I would indeed like to go again. The good people outweighed the bad by far and at the end of the day, laughter, smiling and good conversation overcomes most hidden prejudice, which allowed us to see each other as human beings and become friends which made this trip one for the record books !! ❤️❤️❤️

Awww thank you so much Paddy !! See you in eleven days 😊😊😊😊❤️❤️❤️

Thank you darling 🥰

Hey 😊. I’m leaving in just a few days. The mental preparation getting ready for this was a journey I needed to take and I’m glad to say I’m ready to go. In the end I concluded that although there isn’t anything I can do about all the anti trans sentiment out there, I can most certainly control being an ambassador of goodwill, be nice and kind like I usually am and just have fun. Haters are going to hate no matter what and that says everything about them, not me. There are so many wonderful people out there and I’ll concentrate on them and block out the rest. I usually make new friends everywhere I go and I’ll make sure this cruise is no exception. I love to smile and laugh and enjoy life to the fullest. Like minded people usually find one another 😊 and this I shall do. I actually love being tall, though any taller person can attest that being tall does gather some extra attention. I had no idea about French women being so tall !! A tall black lesbian friend of mine who grew up in Philadelphia (she is 6’5”), described to me that where she grew up, being tall was a gift and that she squeezed every bit out of her height for mere survival. “Chin up, chest out, always”, she would say. I took her advice and think of her often. Proud, confident, humble and capable, a nice combo to have and a good mantra to keep in mind for this upcoming trip😊😊😊😊 I appreciate you checking in and I’ll be sure to get on here during the cruise and let you know how it’s going!! We leave for New Orleans tomorrow and the ship leaves Sunday.

Thank you Vibe !! I do truly believe that most people are nice and kind. In my world it’s easy to dwell on the negatives, but what fun is that !!! Thank you for your sweet comment, you made my day !!! 😊😊😊❤️❤️❤️

You are super sweet and thank you!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you Polar and you weren’t offensive at all😊. I am traveling with a large group of gays and I’m sure everything will be fine. Inevitably there will be a few that won’t be so nice but I can deal with that. From what I hear a lot of the ships crew will be gay, hopefully, lol. There’s no question that trans people have become a pariah in our society, some of the claims against us are absolutely ridiculous. I will definitely take your advice and report back once it’s over. I’m really looking forward to going and refuse to let anyone rain on my Parade. There are wonderful people in this world just as there will be amazing people on that ship and that’s what I will concentrate on. Thank you so much for your reply😊❤️

Well said and thank you !!! I’m a trans female and I stopped long ago with the pronoun fight. Every time I get misgendered I always think, “if we would just drop the sir, ma’am thing life would be wonderful”. It won’t happen in my lifetime and I accept that. Thank you for your advocacy and I’m proud of you !! 😊😊

Hey there ! I’m a 46 year old single trans female going on Carnival Glory in January. I’m respectful, friendly and socially outgoing. I am 6’3” tall, tan, platinum hair, but I am visibly transgender. Im not a raving beauty but I can hold my own in the looks department. All of my friends are gay men and I have been immersed in gay culture for the past decade. There’s no denying it, I’m out, I’m proud and I love to have fun!! For the sake of this post I’m talking about ha ha fun 😇 !!! I’m used to being stared at and I’m one of those people who has significant situational awareness. As I watch videos of Carnival Glory, the quiet areas of the ship have really caught my attention as my possible Alamo. I can already tell that I am looking to make myself small and stay out of the way, avoiding any negative attention, but I want to have fun too. I keep telling myself that there will be wonderful people on board and not to worry. Secret thoughts though, I am kind of worried. Do you think there will be a lot of gawking and staring or do the straights tend to mind their business and live and let live while onboard? I’m not worried about my safety, I’m just hoping I can blend right in and enjoy the cruise like everyone else. I would love to hear your thoughts and advice on making this upcoming trip a success. Thank you !!