Gay cruise ship docks in Dominica; two passengers arrested for buggery

[keithm]

Wasn't me, I am not 75. :D

 

 

 

Cool. :)

Neither am I, but I was still impressed. Medical??

[Boytjie]

Neither am I, but I was still impressed. Medical??

 

Don't know about that guy :)

 

Me, no? Actually it was just a toke or two, the kicker doing on QM2 :D

[Cruisegoer]

Pubic Indecency laws should be enforced, just because you pay your $2000 for a vacation doesn't give you a literal "get out of jail free" card!

 

A picture says 1,000 words:

 

http://www.queerty.com/update-incriminating-photo-of-couple-arrested-on-gay-cruise-surfaces-20120330/

[NYC95]

Well said,Cruisegoer.

 

Keep it in the cabin or wait until you get out to sea where the only ones who see it is a whale or two.

[jamessemaj]

Well said,Cruisegoer.

 

Keep it in the cabin or wait until you get out to sea where the only ones who see it is a whale or two.

 

There is no defense of such outrageous display. They and those who would defend the act set homosexual rights and equality back to the dark ages. I curse them. Sorry for the dramatic outrage. I am gay after all, but don't choose to identify with those barbaric sexual maniacs.

[turquoise 6]

There is no defense of such outrageous display. They and those who would defend the act set homosexual rights and equality back to the dark ages. I curse them. Sorry for the dramatic outrage. I am gay after all, but don't choose to identify with those barbaric sexual maniacs.

Barbaric,Dark Ages,Curse them,maniacs,outrageous display

[sharksfansd]

I've found that the people who are most opinionated about the gay charters are people that have never been on them. I know I had preconceived ideas before I went on one.

 

It's easy to try and dispell all the rumors that are floating out there. I also heard it's easier to hook up on a straight cruise being gay than a gay cruise.

 

Atlantis cruises are not all "Circuit" parties. Yes, they have parties, but no where like the "White party" in Miami or the other circuit events around the country. If any of the cruises come close it would be the Jan cruise (which is now the Feb cruise). We did it once and wouldn't do it again. yes, the crowd was younger, the partying last till the next day and the attitude was high. The March cruise is no where near that.

 

People that do the Atlantis or RSVP cruises do so because they like it. Yeah, it's more money but I would gladly pay extra to not have children running around and parents who think that we should all endure their screaming child on our vacation. We don't want to have to "come out" again and explain that we are not brothers and yes, we are legally married. We also like being a part of the whole ship and not just our little group.

 

Atlantis sails 4 maybe 5 weeks a year? The other cruise lines combined sail hundreds of weeks a year? It's no wonder you only hear about the news on the gay charters since they're so rare and under a microscope.

 

Could not agree more with this. Great post.

[ONT-CA]

I've found that the people who are most opinionated about the gay charters are people that have never been on them. I know I had preconceived ideas before I went on one.

 

It's easy to try and dispell all the rumors that are floating out there. I also heard it's easier to hook up on a straight cruise being gay than a gay cruise.... .

 

While a little off the OP, the one and only gay cruise taken was an eye opener. I have never seen so much social discrimination on any straight cruise. Yes, people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

[BostonBud]

While a little off the OP, the one and only gay cruise taken was an eye opener. I have never seen so much social discrimination on any straight cruise. Yes, people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

 

 

It's too bad you didn't have a good experience. After our first cruise we were hooked and have done 9 already. We never felt any discrimination on the ship from the other passengers. Being from Boston (we gays in Boston get a bad rap for not being very social) we had to make sure that we said hi and good morning when passing in the corridors,etc...

 

We've also found that the main reason we do these cruises are because of the people we meet all over the world. Dinners are especially fun because you can meet a different group each night. We've made some good friends over dinner.

[Typhoon1]

It's too bad you didn't have a good experience. After our first cruise we were hooked and have done 9 already. We never felt any discrimination on the ship from the other passengers. Being from Boston (we gays in Boston get a bad rap for not being very social) we had to make sure that we said hi and good morning when passing in the corridors,etc...

 

We couldn't agree more with this statement.

[Boytjie]

While a little off the OP, the one and only gay cruise taken was an eye opener. I have never seen so much social discrimination on any straight cruise. Yes, people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

 

What cruise were you on?

 

I to am sorry that you had such a bad experience. I have seen the opposite, that in general everybody is very friendly and and conversations are struck up anywhere, anytime and with anyone. I have always said that in the time to go from one deck to another on the elevator, guys will strike up conversation. Now I have admit I have come across the odd ones out that are all stuck up and unfriendly but that is not the rule.

 

As I have said before: I have seen twinks and eighty year old chat and have had a twink buy my SO and I a drink while we were waiting in the line for the costume contest. Later on we bought him and his friend a drink in one of the bars when we all happened to be there at the same time.

 

I so wish that you could have experineced what I have seen as the norm on the gay charters I have been on.

[keithm]

While a little off the OP, the one and only gay cruise taken was an eye opener. I have never seen so much social discrimination on any straight cruise. Yes, people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

Wait..does that mean "even among misfits. you're misfits"? (Hopefully someone catches the gag here) We do discriminate agaist ourselves, but then again who doesn't. It's shame but it's human nature, I guess.

[keithm]

It's too bad you didn't have a good experience. After our first cruise we were hooked and have done 9 already. We never felt any discrimination on the ship from the other passengers. Being from Boston (we gays in Boston get a bad rap for not being very social) we had to make sure that we said hi and good morning when passing in the corridors,etc...

 

We've also found that the main reason we do these cruises are because of the people we meet all over the world. Dinners are especially fun because you can meet a different group each night. We've made some good friends over dinner.

We're from NH & we always found the Boston folk to be pretty much the same as everyone else.

[VibeGuy]

Interesting. I just read the whole thread...the photos showing the docked ships aren't the only mooring option in Dominica. When we were there on Caribbean Princess, we were moored at the container pier slightly north of "downtown" Roseau, where you're *much* closer to the main dock area where the guides and hair braiders, et al, hang out.

 

If you look at Google Maps at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Dominica&hl=en&ll=15.304096,-61.382933&spn=0.021463,0.033023&sll=30.283348,-86.015968&sspn=0.614882,1.056747&oq=Dominica&t=h&hnear=Dominica&z=16 - you'll see the river that runs through Roseau. The pictures in the thread are taken at the dock about six blocks south of the river. But for our call, we were at Woodbridge Bay, which is maybe a mile and a half north on Goodwill Road.

 

The queerty image posted doesn't contain GPS data, but I'd be almost positive it's taken at Woodbridge Bay, where you wouldn't need binoculars if you were inside the security cordon as a permitted vendor.

 

FWIW, we had a great time in Dominica and our guide was awesome, very friendly and engaging and genuinely interested in and respectful of my relationship with my Charming Partner. Grenada was going through a fit of politically-motivated anti-homo activity while we were there, and somewhere I have a paper that mentions "crimes against nature, of a sort that cannot be described in a family newspaper". In 2010. *sigh*.

[sharksfansd]

While a little off the OP, the one and only gay cruise taken was an eye opener. I have never seen so much social discrimination on any straight cruise. Yes, people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

 

As many have said it depends on individual experience. I am overweight, not a fashionista, don't run around in my underwear - see overweight part-and by no means a social butterfly (i.e. shy guy here) and could not have had a better time on my first Atlantis cruise last year.

 

Maybe it was a fluke, so gonna see what comes about on the Independence in Feb of 2013. ;)

[KevinIntel]

And I find the people who "overly" try to sweep things under the carpet or uphold the actions of some of the people on these cruises, usually are the ones involved in the action.

 

And to be clear, I wasn't knocking the action of others, or the D deck or whatever goes on during these cruises, I simply made a comment that if it does go on, why must people come back and discuss it.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

people want to meet people of their dreams but you had better not be overweight, balding, wear yesterdays cloths or not be up on the “in” thing for you as cast aside, not in the intimate pursuit, I mean socially . One would think that a group of people so drastically discriminated against in society would recognize discrimination when they practice it.

 

I've been on three RSVP cruises, now, and I've had nothing but an awesome time on each one. And, as someone who has lost 41 lbs. on Weight Watchers, but who still has about 48 lbs. to go, guys were pretty "friendly." (And two really good looking guys in question pursued me. Go figure.:cool:)

 

We've also found that the main reason we do these cruises are because of the people we meet all over the world. Dinners are especially fun because you can meet a different group each night. We've made some good friends over dinner.

 

That's been the experience of me and my travel buddies, too. We've met nothing but nice, interesting, accomplished, friendly guys who were great to talk to. And a lot of great guys from the Northeast.;) Dinner is where you actually get to know guys, not at the theme parties.

[starnsky]

would this even get attention if this was a man and women having sex on the ship? Honestly I am a gay rights supporter but I would not like anyone doing this gay or not! Sex is for the bedroom not for the public, and when we visit other countries we should abide there rules when at there house!

 

I have no problem with them being arrested! My husband wears camo clothing but does not wear it when abroad because he could end up in jail. Common since people.

[starnsky]

I think the captain should have not sailed from dominica until the 2 passengers

were released and returned to the ship. The passengers should have put down their "sex on the beach" DRINK and put up protest signs.

 

Protest what? These men were breaking the law in the Country that they were in. What needed to happen is that they were arrested, just as anyone should have been. What if a child seen that? I am sorry but I have sex in the bedroom not in public places!

[GriffinAlexander]

There seems to be a lot of debate on this subject. My feeling is that regardless of what happened, a rep for the cruise line should have stayed with those charged, remained at the stationhouse or courthouse until everything was taken care of, arranged to have the men transported to the next port of call and perhaps given them a free cruise, all in the name of publicity. It would have done a lot to make the line look better and let these guys feel that they were not alone throughout this experience. Right or wrong, that will be debated forever, and it's well documented that many of these islanders will maintain homophobic mindsets while whipping it out any time they think a guy will give it up for them, but still, the cruise line or promotors should have done all they could to ensure these men were represented, transported away from that island ASAP, and given another cruise or a refund. This would have gone a long way to keep their gay customer base happy.

As a gay first time cruiser myself, I prefer mainstream cruises over these types, but to each his own.

[Boytjie]

There seems to be a lot of debate on this subject. My feeling is that regardless of what happened, a rep for the cruise line should have stayed with those charged, remained at the stationhouse or courthouse until everything was taken care of, arranged to have the men transported to the next port of call and perhaps given them a free cruise, all in the name of publicity. It would have done a lot to make the line look better and let these guys feel that they were not alone throughout this experience. Right or wrong, that will be debated forever, and it's well documented that many of these islanders will maintain homophobic mindsets while whipping it out any time they think a guy will give it up for them, but still, the cruise line or promotors should have done all they could to ensure these men were represented, transported away from that island ASAP, and given another cruise or a refund. This would have gone a long way to keep their gay customer base happy.

As a gay first time cruiser myself, I prefer mainstream cruises over these types, but to each his own.

 

If two guys are stupid enough to have sex in public the cruise line (and charter company) owes them nothing. Why on earth should the idiots be rewarded with anything? :confused::confused:

 

What makes you think the "gay customer base" is unhappy and what would they be unhappy about?

[GriffinAlexander]

If two guys are stupid enough to have sex in public the cruise line (and charter company) owes them nothing. Why on earth should the idiots be rewarded with anything? :confused::confused:

 

What makes you think the "gay customer base" is unhappy and what would they be unhappy about?

 

There does seem to be a lot of debate about whether these people were indeed doing anything more than sunbathing nude on their balcony. I'm going with the benefit of the doubt here, and presupposing that if certain facts are taken as truths; that a straight couple on a mainstream cruise would not have faced the same issue, that a good percentage of the islanders have an anti-gay sentiment, and that there seemed to be no evidence presented of any sex because the charge ended up being lowered to something in a misdemeanor-like category, and that the jurist referred to the accused as rogues and vagabonds despite their proven ability to pay their fines immediately.

 

I spent some time reading through many of the posts in the thread. I wasn't on the cruise, don't go on gay cruises even though I'm gay, I just prefer mainstream. If I did go on all gay cruises with my partner (who I share an open relationship with), I'd expect there to be a good amount of sex going on, maybe even on someone's balcony. For me, I don't think it's appropriate unless everyone who could see knows what they might be exposed to.

 

It did seem from what I've read that a fair share of people felt that the Atlantis owner guy that was on board should have done more given the ambiguity of the circumstances. I feel that had there been a photo of something more than someone nude in what they considered their own private balcony, the charges would not have been reduced. I could be wrong. I wasn't there. I also feel that it doesn't look good for gay people as a political group to get this kind of negative attention because someone was too self-involved to think about the common good. The couple that were charged may very well have been going at it on their balcony and got caught. They also may have been getting some sun, nude, in their private balcony, and didn't think anything of it. I just considered that when I left my previous comment. The powers that be running that gay themed event, going to an island that might have some issues with homophobia could have been proactive in giving the benefit of the doubt to their guests in lieu of any other information.

 

I'm sorry to have stretched my point so long. If it were clear that these guys were or weren't doing anything more than sunbathing nude on their private balcony as a couple then you're absolutely right. Let them pay their fine, suffer the terror of a night in a foreign jail and the hell that must entail, their vacation is ruined, then they have to fly home in shame. But I have a feeling that if that were the case there would have been references to videos and pictures clearly showing more than nudity.

 

 

 

 

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[Boytjie]

Does the picture of them on the balcony look like were sunbathing or does it look like they were having sex? Duh

[GriffinAlexander]

Does the picture of them on the balcony look like were sunbathing or does it look like they were having sex? Duh

 

I guess I'm missing something here. I didn't see any links to any pictures.

 

We all agree that any behavior sexual in nature should not have taken place in view of anyone who didn't consent to being part of or at least viewing such activity. From what I read on this thread it appears that there is no evidence of sexual activity, and that was the basis for my comments. There's no need for you to get snippy about it.

 

 

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[Schplinky]

There were pictures of the two clearly having sex posted on other sights, if not this one. I'm afraid this was a case where these two went to all the gay press, claimed homophobia against what they claimed were innocent "moments" on their balcony, and then turned out to be lying.

 

The link was in post 178 of this thread.