Same Sex Cruising - Beefs and Bouquets!

[ozboys]

We had one bad experience on a South Pacific cruise out of Sydney on Dawn Princess. There was actually a large G&L contingent aboard, about 18 came to the LGBT drinks and a gay entertainment member managed to get us free champagne each time. However one night we went to go see the late show of a cabaret entertainer we knew from gay pubs in Sydney. We arrived to find out the show was cancelled and when we asked a staff member why we were told the show was too "gay" and that Princess was a family line and didn't go for that thing.

 

After a number of complaints the cruise director came and made a not very sincere apology, made up for only by the fact that he brought more free champagne.

 

Otherwise we have always felt wlecomed by both staff and other cruisers, whether on activities or dancing together at the nightclubs. We've done one Atlantis cruise and met many who had only ever been on gay cruises and said that is all they would ever do, but we have made many good friends both gay and straight from all over the world and would never give up that opportunity.

[NCMtnBoys]

My partner and I have been on six cruises together, 5 RCCL and 1 Norwegian. I've been on 4 other RCCL cruises and we have several others booked including one RCCL in October this year and two on Carnival next year. We've never had a problem on our cruises, the staff have always been great and never a negative comment (that we've heard, at least) from staff or passengers. We've met some wonderful people through the roll call threads, some of whom we still keep in contact. In fact, our two Carnival cruises next year we booked with a straight couple we met onboard an RCCL cruise in 2009. They happen to live about two hours from us, down in Charlotte, NC - the lady, old enough to be our mother, refers to us as "my boys". They will be renewing their wedding vows for their 20th anniversary on one of the cruises and want us to be at their ceremony. They took us out for our birthdays this year, came and spent the night at our place for her birthday last year. We're going to the American Idol show with them later this month. They're just a great couple.

 

We're just easy to get along with, fun to talk to, not openly affectionate. We just love cruising as much as anyone else.

[ATL2LAS]

When cruising either with my partner or solo, I have only had the best time. From the cabin stewards to the dining staff, all aces. We usually do an annual cruise with friends and its a mixed group of gay and str8. Noone has ever had or heard an unkind word spoken to them. Usually the staff tends to gravitate toward our group because we are there to have a good time and always do. We are ourselves.

[Wavyd]

I am about to embark on my 4th cruise with my partner and have yet to have any kind of negative experience.

 

We have been on RCCI, NCL and Disney and are about to go on Celebrity.

 

We were a bot worried on Disney due to the family angle - but should never have given it a second thought. Had a great time with our dinner companions and not a single comment or funny look anywhere - even when queuing together for pics with some of the characters :D.

 

Wavy.

[john0670]

I have sailed Carnival for years now with either gay friends, boyfriends, or tricks de jour (just kidding, truly just kidding, especially if my bf happens to find this thread) - I have had exactly 0 trouble with anyone on the boat. In fact last thanksgiving the partner and I were on a cruise and the first night he outs us all to the entire boat at the Welcome Aboard Show. Well that made dinner FUN!

 

Like KrashTest, we have been on several Carnival cruises and had no problems with staff or other guests. We had another gay couple with us on one cruise, and we were seated with a very "country" group of people who felt overalls with a color shirt was appropriate for elegant night. We had a great time with them, just as we have with everyone we have met on any of our cruises.

 

We do tend to take longer cruises, and as one poster mentioned earlier, perhaps not taking the shorter cruises has put us with more tolerent people.

[GriffinAlexander]

Lol @ the overalls comment. I know what you mean though. I lived in NYC for many years and got a big dose of culture shock from day 1. Figured it's all good as long as the individuals' intent is good.

[krashtest]

They happen to live about two hours from us, down in Charlotte, NC - the lady, old enough to be our mother, refers to us as "my boys".

 

Would that happen to be treasure4two on here? I met them on my Thanksgiving cruise! WONDERFUL people! Due to my work I haven't kept up with them as much as I would have liked, but they made the cruise so much fun!

[Boytjie]

The funniest thing that happens occasionally is that we are referred to as Father/Son.... Which at times has it's advantages... DH is almost 14 years older.

 

Well we're always asked if we are not only sisters, but TWINS!?!?!?

 

 

My partner is Asian and I am Caucasian, people have asked whether we are brothers.

 

 

I am 11 years older but they have never asked whether we are father/son. :D

[pidaho1971]

My partner is Asian and I am Caucasian, people have asked whether we are brothers.

 

 

I am 11 years older but they have never asked whether we are father/son. :D

 

On our first RSVP trip, someone in the RSVP staff asked if my partner and I were father/son (he is 25 years older than I). We answered that we were not, and I immediately regretted it. The potential for comedy in that misconception is staggering! :D

[marcopolo1125]

The only issue my partner and I have had when going on a cruise (which we've now been on 4 together now) was requesting our beds together and when getting to our room them being separated as 2 twins instead of 1 queen. It's happened twice because we assume they see 2 men on the manifest for the room and assume incorrectly that we aren't a couple. Bad assumption but better than snide comments... those have not happened to us (at least to our knowledge.)

[Ringtail]

The only issue my partner and I have had when going on a cruise (which we've now been on 4 together now) was requesting our beds together and when getting to our room them being separated as 2 twins instead of 1 queen. It's happened twice because we assume they see 2 men on the manifest for the room and assume incorrectly that we aren't a couple. Bad assumption but better than snide comments... those have not happened to us (at least to our knowledge.)

My hubby and I have had the opposite experience quite a few times. We specify TWIN BED accommodations but find the beds together when we arrive. It only takes them a moment to separate them for us.

 

This being what we've seen, I don't think they're going by the names on the manifest; it's simply something that was unattended before boarding time.

[5:00_Somewhere]

Count us among those who love cruising and who have (almost) never had a negative experience while cruising (I emphasize the "while cruising" part.) This was one of my biggest concerns before we first started cruising. I was especially concerned about dinner, as there was only "traditional seating" back then, and I just didn't think it would be much of a vacation if we got stuck at a table with 6 other people who hated our guts. As it turned out, of course, that never happened; quite the reverse. On our first cruise, we were seated with 4 other people who were wonderful, one of whom actually came out to us part way through the cruise. On our second, we were seated with 3 other couples who turned out to be one of the most fun groups we've ever cruised with (they were all straight, married couples, btw.)

 

In fact, our experience has been just the opposite of negative: we've sometimes felt that we had been treated ESPECIALLY well by staff and crew on occasion BECAUSE we're a gay couple. And we've met the most wonderful people among the other passengers, both straight and gay. On very rare occasion, we've gotten the stray odd (and, yes, perhaps disapproving) look if we're walking down the hallway holding hands, but it's very rare, and it seems more rare as time goes on. As someone else said, that's their problem, not ours. And, heck, I've had much worse more often at home on dry land.

 

We have had only 1 experience that you might call negative while on ship and it, like others, had to do with a comedian. I have to say at the outset that I am very difficult to offend. As GriffinAlexander said above, I think a comedian CAN effectively and inoffensively use race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and other traits in comedy if it's done as observational humor or otherwise in a way that does not demean the members of the group. Unfortunately, there is one comedian we saw whose humor was barely above that of a 4th grader, and consisted largely of making insulting jabs at specific groups. It happened that with us on that cruise were not only my husband, but my 80 year old mother-in-law and my disabled nephew, as well as our nieces who also have a lesbian aunt. This guy succeeded in offending EVERYONE: the fags, gimps, retards, Q-tips, the Hebs, the towel heads (all his words), among others! My teen aged niece, bless her heart, was the one who finally called him on it. We did report it to the Cruise Director.

 

But, I emphasize, that was a one time experience, and we have never seen any other entertainer - comedian or otherwise - who crossed the line like that ... on ship.

 

We have had negative experiences on shore, including in Jamaica and Hawaii (please, NEVER patronize Germaine's Luau on Oahu, by the way.) But, again, those were very isolated incidents. Most every excursion we have taken has been an incredibly positive experience.

 

I guess it's why we've got our 16th and 17th cruises booked and know there will be many more to come.

 

Hope to see some (or all) of you on the high seas one of these days! :D

[aaerobear]

Just an FYI... The cruise director has a lot of say on guest performers. On HAL, for example, the CD has to send a report on how the performer did and the audience's reaction. Many a comedian has been dropped from the "approved " list of HAL because of repeated bad reports. (usually one will not do it, but a repeat complaint of the same type will)

 

If you or any of your party is offended by what is said, then tell the CD in no uncertain terms that you expect him to put the incident in his/her report.

[Kenito]

I've told this story before, but never on such an appropriate thread....

 

We do a gay group cruise every year, and I like to haunt this board and the roll calls for news I can share with the group. It happens that on the roll call I met a fellow cruiser... very outgoing lady by the name of 'Gay.'

 

There was, of course, a CC Roll Call party, and we made a joke about finding each other, that I could go around to everyone asking, 'are you Gay?' Ha ha... :p yuk yuk.

 

We cruise on Carnival every year, and have enjoyed our interaction with the Australian CD, (Stu Dunn) and he had a schtick where he asked us to say, "G'day mate!"

 

My boyfriend and I had of course discussed these two distinct stories.

 

Well, at the CC Roll Call party a few days into the cruise, I found Gay, and we happened to be standing in a group together with the CD when my boyfriend joined us. I prompted my bf with a "what do you say?" expecting him to say 'G'Day Mate!' when out of his memory bank comes, "Are you gay?" :eek: directed at the CD.

 

I almost passed out... Gay spit her drink... the CD was stunned and practiced his stone face.

 

It became the story we all had fun telling... and telling again. My bf never seemed to enjoy the re-telling as much as I did.

 

I think we'll be seeing Stu again on our next group cruise....

[Schplinky]

I've told this story before, but never on such an appropriate thread....

 

We do a gay group cruise every year, and I like to haunt this board and the roll calls for news I can share with the group. It happens that on the roll call I met a fellow cruiser... very outgoing lady by the name of 'Gay.'

 

There was, of course, a CC Roll Call party, and we made a joke about finding each other, that I could go around to everyone asking, 'are you Gay?' Ha ha... :p yuk yuk.

 

We cruise on Carnival every year, and have enjoyed our interaction with the Australian CD, (Stu Dunn) and he had a schtick where he asked us to say, "G'day mate!"

 

My boyfriend and I had of course discussed these two distinct stories.

 

Well, at the CC Roll Call party a few days into the cruise, I found Gay, and we happened to be standing in a group together with the CD when my boyfriend joined us. I prompted my bf with a "what do you say?" expecting him to say 'G'Day Mate!' when out of his memory bank comes, "Are you gay?" :eek: directed at the CD.

 

I almost passed out... Gay spit her drink... the CD was stunned and practiced his stone face.

 

It became the story we all had fun telling... and telling again. My bf never seemed to enjoy the re-telling as much as I did.

 

I think we'll be seeing Stu again on our next group cruise....

 

That is a hoot!

[GriffinAlexander]

We just got back from our first cruise, on the Epic, April 7-14. We had a great time, and while there may have been a look here and there from an older couple, for the most part, we had a great time and didn't experience anything negative. In fact, we spent a lot of our time hanging out with a straight couple we made friends with that we'd begun talking to on CC.

 

DH and I also met a lot of nice people at the FOD meetings. On White Party night many of us hung out together at the White Party, then moved to Bliss. There was a DJ and it was def one of the most fun evenings of the week.

 

We met so many nice people, some whom we spent more time with than others, but many many whom we got to spend a little time with throughout the week that were good people that didn't seem at all bothered by our orientation. The couple of people I noticed a little homophobia from didn't voice anything.

 

We will be going back next year since we had such a good time. DH and I really enjoyed this ship, and now that we've sailed, we know what to expect. Thanks to everyone who's posted on here for the thread!

[GaNavy]

Never a problem on any of my cruises, regardless of with whom I was cruising. The only weird vibe I ever got was on one cruise, from another gay couple at that, perhaps because my partner and I were an interracial couple (but since I didn't ask, I can't say for sure, maybe they just got up on the wrong side of the bed for 10 consecutive days :o). It wasn't an isolated incident either; every time they saw us their body language got very withdrawn and defensive. But it didn't affect our enjoyment of the cruise; after about the second incident, we thought it was funny.

 

Cruise ships are about as gay-friendly an environment as I've encountered.

[GriffinAlexander]

Never a problem on any of my cruises, regardless of with whom I was cruising. The only weird vibe I ever got was on one cruise, from another gay couple at that, perhaps because my partner and I were an interracial couple (but since I didn't ask, I can't say for sure, maybe they just got up on the wrong side of the bed for 10 consecutive days :o). It wasn't an isolated incident either; every time they saw us their body language got very withdrawn and defensive. But it didn't affect our enjoyment of the cruise; after about the second incident, we thought it was funny.

 

Cruise ships are about as gay-friendly an environment as I've encountered.

 

Lol. There was a gay FOD cruiser that some of the FOD bunch didn't find to have the most appealing personality, but while I'm certain those that didn't mesh well knew so, everyone for the most part kept it courteous and polite enough that it wasn't unbearable when situations put us all together. We all still had support for each other though, even those whom had personalities that could use an update.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[tysona]

My Partner and I hae been on three cruises. We have met the most wonderful people .Most of whom were straight and we hung out with a lot on the cruise. We have also met gay travellers and had great fun with them too. One cruise we were in the sauna and the ships doctor was in there, he took us on a trip with him in nassau it was great fun. All the staff have been fun and one of our cabin stewards( a girl ) was a riot and used to sneek in the cabin and have a drink and a cigarette with my partner (when he used to smoke).

We are looking forward to our cruise next year and hope to make more new friends.I think if you are freindly and chatty but not in your face you will make friends with most people.

tysona x