Why do gay men like celebrity vs. Other lines?

[Cornus]

But back to the wine analogy: have you ever been to a blind tasting where the "best" wine was the bargain brand, and the fancy wine bombed? It's all personal taste /palate.

 

But you'll never find me drinking two-buck Chuck, and you'll never find me on a ship where neon is the decorative motif. Just not my taste, so for me, it's not a good value.

 

Just to take this back off topic...:rolleyes:...did you know that two buck Chuck won a first place blue ribbon for its chardonnay three years ago in a blind taste test?

 

[This year, results from the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition proved that good things don't necessarily come in pricey packages, as Charles Shaw Chardonnay defeated hundreds of competitors to claim the top prize. One judge told ABC News that "It was a delight to taste." The second-place wine carried a retail price of $18, and the most expensive wine in the competition, at $55 a pop, didn't even earn a medal.]

 

More info here: http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/07/16/charles-shaws-20-dime-wine-claims-top-prize/

 

Maybe you should give it another try...I know I'm going to the next time I'm at TJ's :).

[Blazerboy]

Nah, the point is that taste is individual, and two buck Chuck tastes like Pinesol...to me. But there are GREAT wines (at least for my palate) right next to 'Chuck' at the outrageous prices of $3.99 or $4.99:eek:.

 

And the Cruise I get from Celebrity for $899 for 7 days in Concierge Class to the Carribean may suit my 'cruise palate' more than the 10-day Crystal Cruise 'discounted' to $3900. per person sailing the coast of South America...given my needs at the time. But if the time/money was available, I might decide on the more expensive cruise, and still feel that I was getting value.

 

(And to relate to this thread...) In all cases, you'd find a mix of people- fun, annoying, complainers, go-with-the flow-ers, snobs and every other type. More to the point is to find the environment that suits you. Celebrity may be a little more formal (nowhere near Cunard) and a little slower paced than Carnival, but those might be the reason that it appeared 'snobby'- it wasnt that there were 2000 snobs, but that it wasn't the right level of activity/dress code/interests for the person. And it's not all about how much money you have. I know taxi drivers who love martinis and CEO's who like Budweiser.

 

Andrew

[kkorman]

Seriously, why would you sail during the holidays?

 

I give up, you win. All those who sail as part of their holiday celebration are awful people out to kill your spirit. Congratulations at conceiving a world where anyone who disagrees with you is an oppressive member of the majority.

 

p.s. If you don't hear the dreidel song, why not ask why instead of complaining about what you do hear?

 

p.s. Stonewall Week? Never heard of it. I've heard of the Stonewall riots but Stonewall Week?

 

 

I agree with you here... Dec cruising is not the right thing for poster.

 

I was raised Catholic, but now am agnostic. I love me some Christmas music... religious or nonreligious... I love it all. Does not matter the words, I just love to sing along. I asked my partner to go to midnight mass... just for the music. :)

[kkorman]

I have done all the mass market and have tried Crytstal. My last cruise was my first Celebrity and have to say the overall experience was probably the best we have. I don't judge things based on food, entertainment, FOD gathering, or decor, but the overall experince I have had. Sure I have favorites in each category (I loved my RCI food which everyone on these boards complain about), but when I look back, if I see more positive then negative (usually the case)... it was a good cruise. Everyone will have a different experience like they will have a different taste at dinner. The key is finding which cruise line fits yours.

 

On my Celebrity cruise, there were FOD parties... we did not attend as we were our own FOD party (7 out of 18 were gay or lesbian and a few more questionable. lol)... but found we can find a large group of gays in the Martini Bar every night before and after dinner. This happened to be where we were so all worked out well.

 

I think Celebrity meets my needs for overall experience... though I am sailing HAL for the first time in 10 years in March and have Allure booked for next year and want to do a Disney as well.

[romtoon]

We cruised now14 times on different companies and we prefer Celebrity especially the new Solctice ships, we were twice on Equinox and last December we did Eclipse for a 7 night caribbean. When you book the aqua class cabins to can have breakfast and dinner in Blu restaurant which is great

not only the food but the service makes a big difference. When you have drinks in the martini bar you always will meet gays.

[RMS Olympic]

Holiday music...how dare they.

I now live in Florida and I resent the playing of Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I want Don Ho's Tiny Bubbles! LOL

Really.....come on....

Christmas in the US is anything but a religious event anymore......if you find it offensive, you better turn off your radio, the TV and avoid any news paper with holiday advertising.....

My sarcasm is not ment to offend......but the Holiday season should be one of happiness....not conflict nor criticism. If it spoils your cruise....choose another period to sail.

[shepp]

Christmas in the US is anything but a religious event anymore......if you find it offensive, you better turn off your radio, the TV and avoid any news paper with holiday advertising.....

My sarcasm is not ment to offend......but the Holiday season should be one of happiness....not conflict nor criticism. If it spoils your cruise....choose another period to sail.

 

Well, since you chose to rake up these coals, I guess I'll give into the temptation to rake back.

 

To me, there's a big difference between "secular" and "sacred," between being involuntarily subjected to "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" and to "Christ our savior is born." (Just as there's a difference between Macy's holiday ads and the Sunday bulletin of the Catholic Church around the corner.) I have no problem with Christmas trees in the atrium, but I'm glad there's not a crucifix hanging there, thank you very much.

 

"The Holiday season should be one of happiness?" Why? Unless you're a pagan celebrating solstice, it's because it's the season of the purported birth of Jesus. Late December is not the Jewish holiday season, nor the Muslim holiday season. "The Yom Kippur season should be a time of reflection and repentance." "The Ramadan season should be one of fasting." Whatever.

 

I do choose other periods to sail. On the sailing I was just on last week, I happened to wander through a Bible Study class in a centrally located lounge. The cruise director himself was standing in front of a poster of New Testament quotes and lecturing about "sin." Guess there's just no escaping the hand of God.

[RSRTampa]

For me, I love CCL because it strikes a nice balance between luxury and casual. The service is top notch and theres very few kids but at the same time its not like a retirement home.

 

As for the FOD meetings. Im 37 years old, happily married and when we go on vacation we really don't need to find other gay men to hang out with although I have met life long friends on cruise ships (not at FOD meetings). It is my understanding that it is up to the cruise director if FOD meetings are published in the newsletter, not publishing them is not a CCL policy. However, I agree with you that there would be no harm in CCL always publishing the meetings and being a bit more accommodating to its guest with the disposable incomes!

[RMS Olympic]

Just curious.....when you say CCL, which line?

Costa Cruise Line

Celebrity Cruise Line

Crystal Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line

Suspect you are describing Celebrity......:o

[RSRTampa]

D: All of the above! LOL. No, I meant Celebrity. I assumed the thread was about Celebrity and didn't think about how many CCLs there are. My bad.

[RMS Olympic]

:rolleyes:Actually my bad...after I posted, I read your profile which clearly states your fav cruise line.

Now if only Celebrity would sail out of Tampa......I could pop in the car and buz down to embark. Did that on HAL's Ryndam.......what a pleasure.

Happy sailings!

[Maalesh]

My partner and I were on the Solstice about 3 years ago, and they did post F.O.D. in the daily itinerary. About 25 of us showed up each night, and it was a very friendly bunch. We took over the Constellation club one night and danced away to 70's disco classics performed by their live band - it was a blast We went on the Eclipse last year, and I do believe they posted FOD a couple of times - but turn-out was very low and clique-ey.

 

We did Atlantis once on Celebrity Infinity, and will probably never do them again. Apparently, it's NOT "the way we like to play" ... go figure :)

 

I guess many gays prefer Celebrity because it is more upscale, and especially the new ships have a very elegant and stylish boutique-hotel type vibe to them. The service is excellent. I would say the food ranges between "ok" to "Very Good" depending on the night. If you're expecting true fine dining on any cruise ship, you will most likely be disappointed. We usually dined at Blu, because of the more intimate setting and contemporary menu. Great service, ambience and presentation.

 

We love the Solstice class of ships so much, we decided to return to the Solstice for this August's 12-night Med. cruise.

[Mathguy42]

On our recent Summit sailing, FOD meetings were posted on the notice board for the Martini Bar at 6:30pm. Same notice board that posts the Catholic Mass at 5:00pm. OK. We showed up on time and were the only same sex couple at the bar. Later, two other men showed up and then two women, but how can you tell two same-gender folks are gay because they are having a drink together? You can't! Nobody bothered to introduce themselves and we didn't bother either. We made friends with more straight couples on this cruise, and people we thought might be gay turned out to be either not gay or unfriendly. Not a big issue. We don't go cruising to make friends but it's nice when it happens.

[shepp]

I'm a devoted Princess cruiser at this stage, in part because it's the only mass-market line that sails into and out of my hometown, San Francisco. If Celebrity came any closer than San Diego, I might be an X cruiser, too. And also, I confess, I find the total Princess product suits me and my honey very well.

 

I do find it interesting, though, that over on the Princess board, cruisers are complaining because the new build, the Royal, seems kinda like the Solstice class. Sure enough, a couple of ocean-centric features I love - the full-circuit promenade and the aft pools (which on the Gem class are really wonderful) are gone, just like they went bye-bye on Celebrity. Really, I'd rather have a promenade than swell artwork on the wall - I can always go to a museum when I'm back on land.

 

There seems to be an assumption at work here that gay men are irresistibly drawn to the W Hotel aesthetic. But if that's so, why are so many guys on this board devoted to Carnival and NCL, and so few to the considerably less gaudy Princess ships?

[Denman]

My first cruise was on the Grand Princess, and I will never forget how I loved the wrap-around promenade. It is slowly becoming a thing of the past...few, if any newer ships have them anymore. I wonder if the cruise lines have not heard how much passengers enjoy them, or if they simply have found there's more revenue-producing ways to use space.

 

As for Carnival and NCL, I enjoy having a splash of color and whimsical decorations around as well as some interesting themes about their ships. I've been on HAL, Celebrity and others where the various earth-tone shades. although tasteful, seem to get monotonous. Having said that, Carnival is slowly moving toward a more subtle color scheme with their new ships and older ship redos.

 

I was just on a small gay-group cruise on the Carnival Spirit and I found their layout to be quite "ocean-centric" and the decor was attractive for the most part. The least ocean-centric ship I've ever been on is the Norwegian Epic. I think NCL learned lots of valuable lessons with the Epic that will not be repeated in the future new builds, including curved stateroom walls and separate toilet and shower areas that are not fully enclosed.

[Mermen]

Yup, different strokes for differnt folks.

 

Regarding the Bible, I just take it out and stick it behind the night stand, but do this at a hotel too. Hey in some hotels, the Book of Mormon is right along side the Bible (Marriott I think)...so at least we just have one book of fables.

 

I like Christmas music, so that doesn't bother me in the least. There's a Hell of a lot of diversity on cruise lines, and more religious or spiritual faith than we could probably count. Hard to please everyone.

 

We love the food on =X=. Love the M-Class and love the Solstice Class. Loved the Century Class too (well, the Mercury). Have sailed Princess, Carnival and =X= and will always come back to X. Loved it so much, we bought stock and get a nice owners credit now for each booking.

 

Food is subjective. Some Princess fans rant and rave about their culinary choices - while my husband and I couldn't stand it. At all. I think we were turned off by the steakhouse and the over-the-top American flags on the plates, glasswear and just all over the place. We're patriotic, but really? Too many "ugly American" encounters I guess.

 

IMHO the service on Celebrity is stellar. Next to a 5-star hotel on land, we're treated with a huge amount of respect, gay tolerance / freindliness and like another poster mentioned, very limited sugar-shocked tots running a muck on-board.

 

I know FOD is a big thing for many gays, but not for us. We have been to a handful, but enjoy mixing with everyone rather than a select group - and have made many friends, gay and straight while on-board.

[shepp]

Food is subjective. Some Princess fans rant and rave about their culinary choices - while my husband and I couldn't stand it. At all. I think we were turned off by the steakhouse and the over-the-top American flags on the plates, glasswear and just all over the place. We're patriotic, but really? Too many "ugly American" encounters I guess.

 

Huh? I've spent nearly three months on Princess, and the only time I recall flag overdose is on the final night of a cruise, when waiters wear red-white-and-blue vests. American flags on the plates and glasses? Really? Really? Actually, Princess seems to feature more "Italian" tchotchtkes than American ones. At least, unlike some ships, Princess doesn't stick a giant turquoise Statue of Liberty in the buffet.

 

And maybe I just have a totally debased palate, but if I could dine tonight on Princess's goat cheese souffle in garlic sauce, curried pumpkin soup, cod with chorizo, and Sacher torte, I'd be a happy camper (and gain back some of the weight I just dieted off since the last cruise).

[shepp]

Really? Really?

 

In all fairness and on second thought:

 

1) I find the food in Princess' buffet to be markedly inferior to that in the dining rooms, and avoid the buffet whenever possible.

 

and 2) I see your only Princess sailing was on the Pacific, an older, smaller ship. I have no idea whether the menu and preparation is the same as it is on the larger ships in the fleet.

 

I'm honestly not a Princess cheerleader, and would sail X in a heartbeat if the itinerary and price beckoned. I've only sailed Celebrity once, though, and don't recall, at this remove, the food (except X's superior sushi) or the service (my least favorite waiter ever was on the Mercury) being notably better or worse than Princess's. But I'd be hesitant to generalize my experience on a single sailing to the entire fleet.

 

Still, Princess lays on the "Italianate" with a trowel (Sabatini's Restaurant, the Piazza, snazzy pizzerias, signature pastas, limoncello night, the Botticelli and Vivaldi dining rooms) and flaunts its British heritage (the P&O-themed Wheelhouse Bar, daily high tea with scones) and so I find it odd you found your cruise pro-Amurrican jingoistic. You wouldn't have any photos of the "flags everywhere" schtick, by any chance?

[Mermen]

In all fairness and on second thought:

 

1) I find the food in Princess' buffet to be markedly inferior to that in the dining rooms, and avoid the buffet whenever possible.

 

and 2) I see your only Princess sailing was on the Pacific, an older, smaller ship. I have no idea whether the menu and preparation is the same as it is on the larger ships in the fleet.

 

I'm honestly not a Princess cheerleader, and would sail X in a heartbeat if the itinerary and price beckoned. I've only sailed Celebrity once, though, and don't recall, at this remove, the food (except X's superior sushi) or the service (my least favorite waiter ever was on the Mercury) being notably better or worse than Princess's. But I'd be hesitant to generalize my experience on a single sailing to the entire fleet.

 

Still, Princess lays on the "Italianate" with a trowel (Sabatini's Restaurant, the Piazza, snazzy pizzerias, signature pastas, limoncello night, the Botticelli and Vivaldi dining rooms) and flaunts its British heritage (the P&O-themed Wheelhouse Bar, daily high tea with scones) and so I find it odd you found your cruise pro-Amurrican jingoistic. You wouldn't have any photos of the "flags everywhere" schtick, by any chance?

 

Gee, I didn't think this was a debate. You're entitled to your opinion, and I think a lot of your points and mine, and mostly everyone elses can be fairly subjective. I've sailed one Princess and you, one =X=. The wonderful thing is, there are so many cruiselines out there, we can find the one that meets most or all of our vacation / cruising needs.

 

The OP asked a question, and that was my thought.

[shepp]

Gee, I didn't think this was a debate.

 

The OP asked a question, and that was my thought.

 

Sorry if it sounded like a debate. It's just that after being on 7 Princess ships, I couldn't ever recall an abundance of the Stars and Stripes. I haven't eaten in the (optional at extra charge) Sterling Steakhouse, though, and since posting realized that the plates there are indeed flag-themed, at least on some ships. I suppose it's a valid reason to avoid Princess.

[JackHamilton]

I've been on HAL, Princess, Celebrity, and NCL. HAL had the most "out" staff, and all of the ships except Princess were very gay friendly.

 

Each of the ships was superior in some aspect to any of the other ships, so there's not a clear winner. But I look for cruises on HAL and NCL first.

[shepp]

HAL had the most "out" staff, and all of the ships except Princess were very gay friendly.

 

Just curious what specifically you found non-gay-friendly about Princess. To me, the only downside has been that on most of our sailings, none of the LGBT meetings (usually scheduled daily and listed as such in the ship newsletter) was hosted. Aside from that, we've celebrated our anniversary in the dining room, walked on the promenade deck hand in hand, slow-danced together in the atrium, and otherwise presented as a couple. Always found the staff totally supportive and never got any flack from passengers. And I think it's fair to say that since I've been sailing Princess, yours is the first mention, either here or from fellow pax, that it's not queer-friendly.

 

On the other hand, the only real homophobia I experienced was on HAL, expressed by the passengers but tacitly encouraged, I think, by the CD. At one point, the gay group's lunch table was even moved to a less prominent spot in the dining room than on a previous day, due to complaints - we were actually told - from passengers. Yes, there were other folks besides me distressed by the anti-gay stuff onboard. But that was a single cruise, and I'd never generalize from that. Some of it is obviously luck-of-the-draw. Was the negative Princess stuff a one-off, which I'm assuming due to your sig line, or did it occur on multiple sailings? And what was it? Something about your fellow passengers, or a matter of Princess policy?

[JackHamilton]

I did not see anything specifically gay-unfriendly on my Princess cruise, although I did not find the ship particularly friendly to anyone. But my friends in the next room said they got the impression that the cabin steward did not approve of two women in the same bed. (I had a different steward.)

 

Has Atlantis ever had a cruise on Princess? They had not when I last sailed with them, but that was several years ago.

[RMS Olympic]

I have experienced little anti gay crap during all my years of cruising, although the looks are been increasing as the passenger mix has changed with the cheap fares.

I think all the lines are pretty gay friendly as much of the crew are family (In my opinion).

I will admit my impression is that Princess is extremely friendly, second is HAL, third is Celebrity. But with Celebrity I may be confusing a stuffy attitude of the crew for less than gay friendly behavior. My last Celebrity cruise was on the Sumiit last year to Bermuda (my second time on that ship). Everything on that cruise was ragged....the ship, the crew, the food, the atmosphere. Some chalked it up to the fact the ship was going in for Solsticizing later that year.....but that did not explain the snotty attitude of the staff. It was so bad I almost swore never again. But then I remember the Solstice which was lovely.

The only truly homophobic cruise I ever had was on Seabourn......have not sailed them since.

I try not to consider the actions of one crew member to label a ship non gay friendly....unless its the Crew Director. That staff member sets the tone on the ship which can encourage passengers to follow along.

Now to figure out which line...Princess, HAL or Celebrity to sail in 2014 on a New Zealand cruise. May come down to pricing as all the itineraries are basically the same. HAL, best cabins, Celebrity better food, Princess a more up beat friendly atmosphere. E NE MINI MINI MO......on which cruise line dare I go?:D

[neilrr]

We also do a significant amount of cruising and we prefer Celebrity, though as of late, Princess has become a close second. You can not beat the food and service on Celebrity and Princess for the mid-priced/mass market lines and the crowd is a bit more upscale. We have always been treated respectfully, as we do not go overboard about being gay in public.

 

We will not go on NCL again :( (no matter how gay friendly it is; food was disgraceful (my husband is still waiting for NCL to discover chocolate) and service average at best); RCCL is a bit too family oriented for us (too many kids); Holland had the best cabins and food was very good - the people were a bit too old for us. We have friend who is 84 and she said the people on HAL were too old for her. :eek::p

 

We are going on a TA on Oceania this summer for the first time and we we see how we like the "smaller" ship experience. We heard food and service are excellent - we shall see...

 

Happy Cruising Everyone!!!:)