SAEMike

On 1/14/2022 at 11:29 PM, SireDoime said:

Wish I could have booked a gay cruise this year.

But I hear they aren't very welcoming to folk who are older and have more than 10% body fat. 😕

You heard incorrectly.

My best friend (Michael) and I (Mike) are booked on this crossing. It's our first Transatlantic cruise. Is anyone else booked on this trip?

Hi guys! My best friend and I are booked on this cruise as well. Looking forward to meeting other members of the "Tribe." [emoji6]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Hey guys! Sorry for my late reply to this thread. My best friend and I are still planning on being on this cruise. Glad to see we'll have some other "family" members with us! :-) Looking forward to meeting everyone!

Mike

I know this is way early but thought I'd toss it out there. My best friend and I are booked on this cruise and we're wondering if there is anyone else is planning on going as well. Let's hear from you!

Mike

My best friend and I are once again spending our birthdays cruising the Western Med on the Norwegian Epic out of Civitavecchia from October 9-16, 2013. We met some great people through the FOD gatherings on this same trip out of Barcelona when we went on it in 2009 and we're looking forward to meeting more this time around. Anyone else out there going to be on the same sailing?

Mike

So SAEMike didn't even report back after all that? How disappointing!

Sorry men. I guess it HAS been a long time since I have been on here hasn't it? My apologies. Well as it turns out, I DID find the freestyle deck and I WAS able to sunbathe nude with no problems. I'm sure others have probably already reported on it, but the freestyle deck is rather small, with only about 16 lounge chairs up there. But that was more than enough as the most people who were up there whenever I was up there was about 10, all older individuals. Every now and then you would get the random passenger who ventured up there thinking they were going to find a better vantage point to take pictures and not realizing what they were stumbling into. The shocked looks were rather comical as were the repeated glances back over the shoulder as they beat a hasty retreat.

As we were on a mid-October sailing, my only complaint was that there was occasionally a colder breeze blowing over the top of the area than there probably would be on a mid-summer sailing. Other than that, I look forward to doing it again when we take the same cruise in October of 2013.

Mike

Cagney's was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and, of course, my dining company. Interesting that is shares the same entrance as Moderno, but it totally works.

 

 

 

 

A running joke for the week began this first night, when at the start of the meal Cheryl commented that she really enjoy enjoyed having a black napkin at dinner (a lipstick thing I don't totally grasp but it does sorta make sense). All I could think of was that with a black napkin in my lap, my pants being black, and the restaurant being a bit dark, I feared I might wipe my hands on my pants in error. Suddenly Cheryl dabs her mouth with her napkin - - it's white. What the deuce?? Didn't we just have this whole conversation about black. I take the black napkin from my lap and show her. Tom raises his own white napkin and we all look puzzled. We try to by sly are we check around the restaurant, and lo and behold every single person has a white napkin except one . . . Me.

 

It's probably on of those "you had to be there" moments, but it did create some fun chatter during the week.

 

My meal was so wonderful, and filling, that I skipped dessert entirely.

 

A good meal can often make you a bit sleepy, but we still had Blue Man Group to go before the end of this very full first day. That will certainly get you back wide awake . . . or will it??

 

So it's off to the EPIC Theatre for a night of entertainment.

 

 

 

My friend and I ate at Cagney's to celebrate my birthday on our recent trip. White napkins were on the table initially, but when we were seated, they were switched to black for both of us. I was dressed in a black crepe wool Armani suit and he was in black slacks with a grey dress shirt. The switching of napkins for one color to another is a sign of a high-end restaurant that is cognizant of its patron's attire. If they had left us with white napkins, we would have ended up with white lint on our pants. The black napkins ensured that didn't happen. The food at Cagney's also lived up to the high-end image and was wonderful.

was drink service available on the freestyle deck?

thanks,

Mike

Sorry, Mike. I didn't notice drink service being available up there. I always just bought my drink from the poolside bar and carried it up myself.

But what about your balcony? ;)

Being nude on my balcony was no problem either. In the early morning, it was a bit nipply, but not too bad.

I told you I would post an update once I got back from my cruise, so here it is. I just got off the Epic from the Western Med cruise on October 23. I did find the Freestyle deck, and it IS clothing optional, as verified by the crewmember I point-blank asked about it. There is an elevator on the pooldeck near the buffet line that goes to the 15th and 18th decks only. Take it to the 18th deck and, once you get off, there is a door to your right. Go through this door onto that deck and walk forward about 10 feet. You'll see a stairway on your left with a nondescript sign that says "Freestyle Deck." Go up these stairs and the FreeStyle Deck is at the top. This is a small area with only 16 lounge chairs, but it was hardly ever crowded up there. Of the times that I laid out up there, yes I did it nude, the most people at any one time were 6. There is no way to see onto this deck from down below, so the only way anyone can peep is if they actually venture up to it. You can tell the number of people who have no idea about this CO deck by the startled initial looks and repeated glances when they venture up to what they think is going to be a good photographic vantage point. I didn't care and no one ever made any comments. I just enjoyed basking in the beautiful sun and soaking it in.

Beadbabe,

This is actually the cruise right before the repo cruise from Barcelona back to Miami. I wish I was able to do the B2B on both, but it's not going to happen this year.

I'll be sure to post a review once I get back!

Mike

Mike, is that the repo cruise back to Miami?? I have friends on that voyage, but I think that leaves Barcelona on the 23rd. I'm sailing the Epic on the 10th of December. So post back and tell us all about it! :D

Funny story, BeadBabe! Wow I thought this topic was dead after so many people ganged up on me for posting the question and I quit paying attention to it. I'm still hoping to be able to enjoy nature on my terms while we're cruising when we set sail on the Epic on October 16. But from my research on the weather in that area at this time of the year, I"m a little concerned that it may be a little chilly to do so. Oh well, I guess I'll find out once we get there. The impromptu litmus test will be the 2 days pre-cruise we are spending in Barcelona. I plan on checking out the CO beach areas there and getting some sun time in there, hopefully. Regardless, exactly 2 weeks from today I will be on a plane bound for Barcelona and a glorious birthday trip!!

I'm with you Nathan...it's my balcony and there are full side walls. Don't want to risk seeing something you don't want to see, then don't peek around! :cool:

 

I have a funny story though...my group of friends (I'm the tour guide) sailed the Pearl on the repo cruise thru the Panama Canal. Due to the Swine flu breakout in 2009, our last two Mexico ports were canceled but they added San Diego! Now I live in California, so I decided to stay on board and enjoy my balcony. The rest of my group got off and went to go tour some GIANT naval ship a few docks down. So there I am...ahhhhh....peace at least....the gang off ship and I have some quiet time...mojito in hand, slip out of my swimsuit top....ahhhhh:cool:

 

But wait...my cell phone rings. Oh that's right we are in port so I answer as it's one of my friends, who I'm sure is no doubt lost somewhere and needing help. "Hello" I say..."put your top back on" says he. "What???" I say..."look to your right, straight across on the yellow deck of the naval vessel". :eek: Yup, there they are...binoculars in hand pointed right at me. :o

 

"Perv!", I responded....I hear gaggles of laughter on the other end, and hang up! :D

Sure, if I was sailing on the Pearl.

If you have the time Sitges is really worth the short trip. My partner and I went on our second cruise out of Barcelona and decided to check out Sitges this time. It was very easy to get there. Extremely friendly, great beaches, wonderful cafes and we would go back in a heartbeat.

Thanks, I'm playing around with the possibility of taking a day trip to Sitges on our second day in Barcelona. I'm a bit freaked out right now over all the stories I have been reading about pickpockets in Barcelona. I usually carry a sling backpack (no NOT a sling IN a backpack! :-) ) whenever I'm traveling. But all of the stories I have been reading have got me skittish and trying to figure out what my alternatives are.

On a different note more related to my original post here, it looks like I created a bit of a firestorm on the "Cruise Lines "A-O" " under Norwegian Cruise Lines. It's amazing how people get all up in arms over the topic of nudity. Ugh!

Whether I was dressed or undressed on my balcony, I would not feel relaxed about people watching me while I was out there, and I wouldn't stare at them either. For me its just a common courtesy that we respect the privacy of others. Its the whole personal space thing and we all know where it starts and ends. We're all out on our balconies for similar reasons. We're happy to be where we are at the moment!

 

If we both happen to be leaning on the railing, yes we'll say hello, or good morning... That's different.

 

~Cindy

I agree with you, Cindy.

A lot of these threads assume that the balconies are truly "private" not just in name but in function. Well, they are. There are no easy to "peek through" gaps where you would inadvertently catch a glimpse of something you didn't want to see. Although the divider does NOT go all the way to the edge, you would have to look around the balcony intentionally. The only exception is the "keyhole" for opening the partition. Again, someone would have to look intentionally. Might not be a bad idea if you hear kids next door to just stuff a piece of paper in there to block it, and even a better idea to stay away from the railing since the dividers don't extend all the way out. The divider comes out to the pole in these pictures, and you can see there's a few inches between the pole and the railing.

 

Enjoy your time on Epic. It's a great ship

 

 

 

Mike, am I mistaken or are those partitions not closed all the way forward? It looks like there is a flap that is folded back to allow access to the balcony of the room next door. Is that correct?

I find this thread and your attitude quite interesting. You start the thread looking for to see if this would be considered "improper" or "unacceptable".

 

 

 

You move onto defending your position to be a naturalist/nudist (BTW which I hold no judgement on). But still claiming to "respect peoples comfort levels and zones"

 

 

 

Then the first person to really say, in their opinoin, it would be "improper" and make them "uncomfortable" because you balcony wouldn't be so private. You choose to chastize and basically tell them who cares if your kid sees, it's up to you to explain my choice to them.

 

 

 

So personally IMO your original post was full of it. You really don't appear to care what people think unless their position is "sure go for it".

 

The only place I will say you made total sense was your disagreement with Topdeck in the fact that he felt the freestyle deck was equivalent to a strip club and there for his own pleasure of gopping. I think NCL and other cruiselines that have a totally private deck (clearly marked), wish for all their passengers to enjoy their cruise the way they wish without disturbing the comfort levels of others. And since you seem to realize that the majority in the states usually view this different than Europeans, that you are definately pushing some peoples comfort levels.

I accept your rebuttal to my initial post. In retrospect, I should have simply asked "Do people do this?" In the grand scheme I am really not concerned with whether or not someone approves because, as I would be on a private balcony and what I do is my business. In a public area, if people had issue with it, then I would do what I needed to do not to infringe on their comfort. But as I said, their opinion will not disrupt my comfort either. If I chose to sunbathe in a speedo versus nude, there would still be individuals who have a problem with that. It's their problem, not mine.

And I didn't chastize the poster who claimed that they would have a problem with it until it came to the point where they made the threat that they would file a report on me. As if my being outside nude is something perverse. And yes, in my view of parenting, it IS the job of the parents not only to protect their children from potential harm, but also to educate them on things that may not be encountered on a daily basis. That part about educating is something that many seem to forget these days. Isn't that part of the reason people choose to travel the world? To experience and learn from other cultures? What if that same child open the pages of a National Geographic magazine and sees the pictures of the naked African tribes and asks about it? What makes their nude body any different from mine? If they choose to take the negative approach, then so be it, that's their decision. But if they choose to use it as a teaching moment to explain and enlighten that we are all the same but perhaps with slightly different packaging, then that's their decision as well.

I respect your opinion, but I don't think my initial post was "full of it." As I said, perhaps I should have simply asked "Do people do this?" and left it at that.

You're attitude that "If kids want to look--they look" is a bit cavalier and risky. IF you can be seen from an adjacent balcony, you should proceed with caution. I'll be traveling with my young child and if we're on our balcony and can easily see you through a gap, I would probably make a report. It will be hard to tell if you're a "naturist" or just creepy. You should be aware of who your neighbors are and how much they can see. You have the whole free-style deck--why push the boundaries.

It's not pushing boundaries. If I pay for a stateroom with a private balcony, then I will assume that I can be in whatever state of dress or undress I choose to be in on that balcony. My comment of "If kids want to look, they look" is not cavalier. It's reality. Especially if they are seeing something that they have never seen before. Children and adults alike ALL do it. As I stated in that comment, it's the responsibility of the parents to educate their children on what they are seeing. Now, if said parents choose to teach their children that the nude human body is a shameful thing and something that should be viewed in a negative light, then that is their prerogative. Unfortunately, I was raised in this manner, and then, when I got into college and started living less restricted and with a more worldly view of my surroundings and the people in it, I realized that what I had been taught about that subject matter was utter rubbish. As I said in another posting, every person has the same basic body. Some may deem others not as attractive or they may not approve of how someone decides to express themselves through their display of it, but those reservations are the problem and issue of the person holding those views and judgements, not of the person they are being reflected upon.

You said you will be traveling with your young child and if you're on your balcony and can easily see me through a gap, you would probably make a report. That's fine and that's your prerogative. t won't be hard to tell if I'm a naturist or just creepy. the haturist basks in the sun and enjoys nature in a relaxed manner. The creepy individual is scanning the other balconies trying to see what he can see and possibly doing things to himself. I can guarantee you that wouldn't be me. But going along with your threat to make a report, I'll be traveling with an adult friend and I can't stand small children. If you can look through a gap and see me, that means I can look through the very same gap and see you. How about I make a report that I am being harassed by the child and their parent who are constantly looking at me? Looking one time and recognizing that I'm nude is one thing. It is what it is. But constantly looking to see if I'm out there in the nude time and time again and huffing and puffing in a deprecating manner because of something YOU don't approve of or understand could be construed as creepy all the same. Sound ludicrous? So does your claim that my lounging on my private balcony in the nude would warrant lodging a complaint. It goes both ways.

I have to disagree. Many or perhaps most women who wear those tiny bikinis will not ever consider sunbathing topless or nude. I'm sure for some that legal compliance is the only reason they wear swimsuits, but it's far from the norm considering how few people take advantage of the topless/nude option.

 

beachchick

Beachchick, did you read my comment a few days ago about how the judgemental and myopic people always feel the need to randomly chime in on topics on which they know nothing? TopDeck fits that category. I find it kind of ironic that, going by his early post about surreptitiously checking out, from behind dark sunglasses, the topless deck on the Carnival cruise that he was on (because he HAD to see it for himself), he would come across as now making negative comments about the very people he was ogling. Sounds pretty hypocritical to me.

And here's hoping that in the future you don't have to have a doctor remove skin cancer from any of those places that normally aren't exposed to the sun.

Your comment just drips with sardonic condescension. Thanks for that.

Very true Mike! We think alike on this topic!

Sorry I just had to get that off of my chest. While I have enjoyed and appreciated the majority of the comments on this thread, that one got under my skin. It just holds a magnifying glass up to how judgemental and myopic people can be when they know nothing about a topic but feel the need to chime in randomly.

I've been to "freestyle" beaches before, most of the people who choose to go "freestyle" would not be wooed by the adult film industry :eek:

 

not me, I'm afraid that some one might try to roll me into the ocaen in an effort to "save" me :D

I guess that's the thing with people who are naturists, or true nudists, versus the rest of American society. True nudists understand that sunbathing nude, or even living our lives in the nude as much as possible, has nothing to do with sex or erotica. It is about the freedom to exist as one with nature. It is about being comfortable in the skin that one possesses. It's about not always being needlessly bound by clothing and just being able to function without restrictions. Who care if "most of the people who choose to go "freestyle" would not be wooed by the adult film industry"? Being a nudist has nothing to do with wanting to engage in sex on camera. Incidentally, while I HAVE worked successfully in the adult film industry, I choose to live freely nude because it's simply more comfortable. I could care less if people approve or disapprove of my desire to go clothing optional. While I try to be respectful of people's comfort levels and zones, ultimately, their opinion does nothing to disrupt my comfort with myself. They are the insecure ones, not I. If they don't approve of going clothing optional, then it's probably a good idea that they don't. Unfortunately, here in the states, we are all taught that nudity = sex and that the human body is something of which to be ashamed and we learn to pas judgement on those who sidestep the rest of the sheeple. In reality, the human body, whether it be clothed or nude, is one of the most amazing machines in the world. And, thankfully, not everyone looks the same and not everyone does the same things with theirs, and not everyone harbors the same amount of shame as the insecure ones. The Europeans have got it right in that they don't have so many hang-ups with nudity and they don't equate nudity with sex. I guess that's why it's easier to find a nude beach in Europe than to find a nude resort in the United States.

I used the Freestyle deck on the EPIC last year. It does not specify topless or CO. It is up to the people that go up there. When I used it there were many people that went nude. It was nice but quite windy when at sea!

 

~Intrepid <-- just a little crispy.

Thanks for that info, Intrepid. I'm looking forward to it. I hope in October it's not too chilly to indulge.

I think it depends on how in shape you are :D

And why should that matter?