Is Carnival Gay Friendly

[dougiedt]

Carnival tends to be the "Walmart" cruise. They have a cheaper price point and the emphasize fun -- and nothing is wrong with that. You will find gays travelling on the ships and they do have FOD at the discretion of the CD. We have found that most of the time people are so busy having fun that 1) the gays don't go to FOD; 2) the other passengers don't care too much; 3) some of these bubbas wouldn't know a gay man from the drunk straight guy at the craps table with him.

 

You will also find lots of "girl groups" and they always ALWAYS are loving the gay men. They are fun to hang around and always good for a few drinks.

 

We have made lifelong friends with straight couples on each Carnival cruise that we have been on. We tend to do the shorter Car cruises for a weekend getaway, but prefer HAL and =X= for our longer cruises.

 

If you are looking for a cruise with lots of GLBT folks then your best bet is to pay the $$$$ and go on the RSVP. You pay extra to be way gay. It may not be for everyone. The Transatlantic are quite the gay trips, too.

 

Happy sailings!

[bgarbus]

One thing I am noticing is that its really not about the cruise line here, its more about the cruise director and perhaps where the majority of the passengers are from... Both are demographics that would be kinda hard to determine before boarding a ship perhaps...

[cruise pup]

I really lucked out on my t/a crossing on Carnival Liberty years ago. I sailed solo and was assigned the "singles" table (which can turn out to be like special ed class) but it turned out there was a gay couple from Canada, a lesbian couple from Florida, another gay single from NJ and myself. I figured out that gay couples are still looked on as singles as far as bookings go which is why they were seated at the singles tables. The other 4 people were all cool with us (and so was our wait staff and maitre d') and we had a ball. We were like a chain gang and hung out at karaoke, rooted for our tablemate at Idol, had dinner at the supper club together, etc. I didn't have as good a time on Atlantis Events. I have no problem with Carnival.

[GaNavy]

I'd say that all of the lines I've cruised have been gay friendly. But I've met more gay passengers on Carnival than on the other lines. And I'm sorry to say that the only people I've ever gotten bad vibes from regarding my travel "arrangements" were other gay men - we were an interracial couple - but that was a long time ago and would be unheard of today. Point is - cruise lines love us just as much as they love every passenger, and the passengers are cool with everything too. If you've never been on a cruise before, you might be surprised at how all those straight boys (and girls, I'm sure) like to cut up....

 

....or maybe you wouldn't :) .....

 

....but everyone's on vacation, having too much fun to worry about much of anything.

[trade1966]

We are an openly Gay male couple and we are getting ready to take our second Carnival cruise. In our opinion, we found most of the staff of Carnival to be very welcoming to Gays and Lesbians.

 

 

I agree, my experience also.

[High Seas Texan]

My partner and I have sailed many times this summer out of Galveston on Carnival and had great times and great experiences on all trips, both from crew and passengers. There has been a FOD gathering every evening, although we have not attended. All the other passengers I have met have been great, and seemed to enjoy the fact that my partner and I have been together so long (10 years now), longer than a lot of marriages. The cabin stewards have talked openly about their partners as well. We also have sailed Holland America, and find cruisers to be more open minded than a lot of people. Go, enjoy, be yourselves.

[Ithocles]

My partner and I have taken two carnival cruises, both 7 days, one the Liberty and one the Legend. Both were amazing trips and we had amazing experiences on both. The staff were great, and the other passengers were too.

 

We don't go to the FOD meetings but everyone we met were fast friends.

 

-Danny

[Thomas007]

I am a first time cruiser and my partner and I will be on the Nov. 20, 2011 cruise aboard the Carnival Magic. I was wondering what is a Friends of Dorothy group? Of course I know what FOD means but are there FOD meetings aboard the ships ??? Will my partner and I be able to meet other gay people to go on shore excursions with ? Being on board with all of my straight family relatives isn't my idea of fun so I was hoping we could meet up with some "like-minded" folks and enjoy our cruise the way we would like. Any information would be appreicated.

[mistereks]

Correct -- an FOD meeting is where you will get a chance to meet other GLBT travelers. Usually happens the second evening of the cruise, and then several times thereafter.

[Thomas007]

Since my partner and I will be cruising a year from now aboard the Carnival Magic, is there a person / website I can access to request a FOD meeting early on in our trip ? Thanks

[Doonan]

NCL is part of Star Cruiseline, which is based in Malaysia. With it being a Muslim country, they are conservative. I wouldn't be too surprised if they aren't too keen on having a lot of gay passengers.

 

Wrong ... NCL is not a problem. FOD meetings and a lot of fun.

 

Likewide take a trip to Malaysia ... its a great place.

[BenjiRodney]

Just off the Glory Nov 7th-14, there were FOD gatherings 6 of the 7 nights.

[Boytjie]

Requesting one a year out for the cruise may be a bit early.

[sixflags89]

I am a single gay man and will be on four Carinval cruises this year and four booked for next year. I have never had any problems with fellow passengers. I honestly don't think most people care. They are there to have fun. Most of the FOD meetings I have been to have been duds except for my Canadian cruise out of NYC last June. I met the best groups of guys at the Fod meeting and we met every night of the cruise. We all stayed in touch and are meeting again this September for a week long cruise on the Dream.

 

Will be on the Glory on Dec. 5 for the Eastern Carib. cruise. Any other fod's on this?

[rangerrobin]

My GF and I are sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Carnival Freedom Feb 6, 2011. It will be our 1st cruise together, as well as individually! Before booking, I confirmed with our TA that there will be FOD meetings on board. :-)

[DFWGUYZ]

Partner and myself have had zero problems on Carnival. We are pretty low-key for the most part and don't draw attention to "being gay". Most people are okay but we have had people leave the table at breakfast once they make up their minds that they could not "deal" with a gay couple. Mostly we have had our own dining table...and the "Grant" didn't bother the Matride' to accomplish getting seating with other "family".

 

 

my only experience with carnival was business related so i have no idea what to expect. All the other ships i have been on have certainly not felt homophobic and i have had a great time. Only 1 held an fod party' date=' but for the most part i have always felt part of the cruise. I would be interested to hear what people's experiences on carnival have been.

 

Joey821

psm821@aol.com

ms scandanavia 1983

carnival victory 2000

nordic empress 2000

monarch of the seas 2001

explorer of the seas 2002

millennium 2003

norwegian star 2004

carnival miracle 2004

[krashtest]

My partner and I have never once had a problem on Carnival, nor have any of our friends that have cruised with us. On our last cruise, he was pulled up on stage during the Welcome Aboard show and in the introduction he proudly announced that we were together and such, to many applause and cheers. Some girls screamed his name (later found out it was the 3 at our dinner table). We saw a TON of people all week around the ship all saying hello and talking to us becuase they saw him on the video. We truly haven't had a problem. Our cabin stewards have never been a problem, wait staff, CD's, nothing.....it has always been a hugely pleasurable experience!

[deweydjb]

I have been on Carnival twice, once on the Pride and once on the Miracle and had a good time both cruises. I am a little introverted and do like my time reading on the balcony, but I when I was out and about, it was great.

 

And it isn't like you can't tell with me, I spent craft time in the afternoon with all the ladies, and in the Karaoke bar I was singing things like "Don't cry for me Argentina" and getting applause! Did not meet many other gay cruisers but the people we met were interesting and friendly.

 

There was one mother and son at our dinner table that never came back after the first night and my partner thought it might have been because of us, but that is their loss, not ours.

 

I tend to avoid comedy shows so I am not sure how they were.

 

Doug

[apollobeach]

link to another thread: Is Carnival Gay Friendly?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1206938

[djg30084]

I last posted on this board three years ago

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=14439483&postcount=121

 

Our two previous Carnival experiences were with close friends (a straight couple), so we were always having fun with them. In 2009, we decided to go out of Mobile again, on one of the last sailings of Holiday, and by ourselves. We still had a BLAST!

 

While we didn't gel with any of our fellow cruisers (including other family we met at the FOD's), being gay was a non-issue. NOBODY CARED. And I have to point out that the cruise was out of MOBILE, a drive-in port for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, The Carolinas, Georgia and Florida (yes, this is "Redneck America" who shop at Wal-Mart).

 

On one of our Mobile cruises, I ended up getting a handshake and business card from a couple who said, "Y'all come visit us if you're ever in Texas". The business card's logo was the "Christian Fish" (Even here in the South, I find few Christians homophobic - they're out there, I just rarely meet them).

 

I think that a cruise is what you make of it. Smile a lot, say "hi!" often, and you get that back.

 

All that said, we're going out of Mobile AGAIN in April, this time with two straight couples (and it's a first cruise for one of the couples). Wheeeeee!

 

Dennis & Richard

 

Costa Romantica, 4/1998

Celebrity Mercury, 4/1999

Celebrity Galaxy, 12/1999

Costa Victoria, 4/2000

Costa Atlantica, 4/2001, 4/2002, 4/2003, 4/2005

Costa Mediterranea, 4/2004

RCI Serenade, 4/2006

Golden Princess, 6/2006

Carnival Sensation, 10/2006

RCI Radiance, 11/2006

Carnival Holiday, 10/2007

RCI Jewel, 11/2007

RCI Grandeur, 2/2008

RCI Serenade, 11/2008

Carnival Holiday, 9/2009

RCI Liberty, 11/2009

Celebrity Solstice, 11/2010

Carnival Elation, 4/2011

Celebrity Eclipse, 11/2011

Edited March 7, 2011 by djg30084

[aucruiser1980]

My partner and I have only cruised with Carnival. Not because we would not try another line, we are just comfortable with Carnival. We will be taking our 5th cruise this May on the Legend. Our first cruise on the Pride was with a straight couple. They had cruised before, and "showed" us the ropes. We fell in love with cruising the moment we boarded.

 

The second cruise was on the Conquest out of New Orleans. We went with my sister and her husband. It was their first, so we looked at it as "paying it forward". HA!

 

Third cruise was on Glory out of Port Canaveral. We cruised with our dearest friends, who just happen to be lesbian. Funny thing is that they did not like the cruise experience. :confused:It had nothing to do with the way that they were treated by anyone, they just did not care for it. They did have a good time, but just not their thing. I about passed out when they told us.:eek: I just knew we would have years and years of cruising with them. Oh well, does not hamper my desire to cruise at all.:)

 

This was also the cruise that I discovered the FOD meetings. When my friend asked if we were going to the friends of Dorothy meeting, I thought she was making a joke. When I saw it in the Fun Times (Friday), I ran to tell her that there was a meeting. She looked at me like I was from outer space. HA! She told me that I lost some fairy points for not knowing about FOD. Oh well, I learned. Although I did not enjoy the meeting.

 

Our 4th cruise was last November on the Freedom out of Fort Lauderdale. We finally put on our big boy pants and went alone...just the 2 of us. WE LOVED IT! I would love to cruise with friends and/or family, but I know now that cruising alone is even better! That sounds so snarky of me....sorry:rolleyes:

 

All of that being said, we have always been very comfortable on Carnival. We are not big on PDA anyway, so I do not think we have the same "shock" value as some. We also do not blend into the straight world like some do. Although we are not throwing fairy dust everywhere, it is very obvious that we are a gay couple.:D The crew and the passengers have always been very polite to us and I have never felt uncomfortable.

 

Cannot wait till May 29th!

I last posted on this board three years ago

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=14439483&postcount=121

 

Our two previous Carnival experiences were with close friends (a straight couple), so we were always having fun with them. In 2009, we decided to go out of Mobile again, on one of the last sailings of Holiday, and by ourselves. We still had a BLAST!

 

While we didn't gel with any of our fellow cruisers (including other family we met at the FOD's), being gay was a non-issue. NOBODY CARED. And I have to point out that the cruise was out of MOBILE, a drive-in port for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, The Carolinas, Georgia and Florida (yes, this is "Redneck America" who shop at Wal-Mart).

 

On one of our Mobile cruises, I ended up getting a handshake and business card from a couple who said, "Y'all come visit us if you're ever in Texas". The business card's logo was the "Christian Fish" (Even here in the South, I find few Christians homophobic - they're out there, I just rarely meet them).

 

I think that a cruise is what you make of it. Smile a lot, say "hi!" often, and you get that back.

 

All that said, we're going out of Mobile AGAIN in April, this time with two straight couples (and it's a first cruise for one of the couples). Wheeeeee!

 

Dennis & Richard

 

Costa Romantica, 4/1998

Celebrity Mercury, 4/1999

Celebrity Galaxy, 12/1999

Costa Victoria, 4/2000

Costa Atlantica, 4/2001, 4/2002, 4/2003, 4/2005

Costa Mediterranea, 4/2004

RCI Serenade, 4/2006

Golden Princess, 6/2006

Carnival Sensation, 10/2006

RCI Radiance, 11/2006

Carnival Holiday, 10/2007

RCI Jewel, 11/2007

RCI Grandeur, 2/2008

RCI Serenade, 11/2008

Carnival Holiday, 9/2009

RCI Liberty, 11/2009

Celebrity Solstice, 11/2010

Carnival Elation, 4/2011

Celebrity Eclipse, 11/2011

[Lipz]

We had our very 1st cruise with Carnival in 2004' on the Imagination; LOVED it! We had separate beds, told them we were a couple and wanted them attached and no one batted an eye. Fast forward 6 years and I got the biggest surprise. Carnival does not allow same-sex weddings on their ships. :eek:

At any rate, we will be getting married on the Norwegian Jewel this July and we are still as happy as can be. We'd still cruise Carnival even though we're not happy with their stand on the issue, but hey... everything in life doesn't make one happy so you move on.

[apollobeach]

The purpose of the CC boards is to share our experiences. We as an openly Gay were in favorite of Carnival until one of us got sick

and were landed unnecessarily. The issue was our treatment by Carnival. In our opinion, and we have a right to our opinion, the situation would

have been completely differently by another line.

[CrusingJoe]

The purpose of the CC boards is to share our experiences. We as an openly Gay were in favorite of Carnival until one of us got sick

and were landed unnecessarily. The issue was our treatment by Carnival. In our opinion, and we have a right to our opinion, the situation would

have been completely differently by another line.

 

Sorry one of you got sick, but what do you mean "landed unnecessarily".

[apollobeach]

We were told by Carnival that a Medical Evac had been arranged with our Travel Insurance. Once we paid for the transportation to a local hospital, the driver gave us an envelope which stated that the hospital was our final destination. We were lied to by Carnival.

 

The ship sailed and we had to arrange our own way back home. In addition, In our opinion, both the hospital and our doctor at home

did not feel one of us needed to be landed.