Gay Charter Trips vs. Booking on your own???

[njreo]

I've been on Straight cruises long before there were gay groups or gay charters and had a great time meeting other FODs. (QE2 in the 70's is where I first learned the phrase FOD).

 

In more recent years I've traveled with gay groups on straight cruises ... One of them was Pied Piper South America (carnivale) 2002. Fantastic! Celebrity Mercury - Pied Piper people made arrangements with the entertainment staff for us to have Tango Lessons (with some of the sexy dancers in the show), Pool Games and other fun things.. it was great! The food was wonderful. Never a problem with the straight people on the ship except that they were jealous and wanted to participate in our fun ... I've since traveled with Pied Piper a few more times ... excellent! I'm booked on their Nov 25th Cruise and I'm so looking forward to it. I have noticed that this form of travel is much less expensive than traveling with RSVP or Atlantis so if budget is a concern this might be the best for you.

 

I traveled with Atlantis in Hawaii on NCL.. It was great fun .. the food was excellent with so many choices. At times you saw the "bathhouse" atmosphere, particularly if you wanted to use the sauna/steam room.. but you really didn't ever have to go near it .. there were lots of parties that you could participate in or you could go to one of the other lounges for a little quieter time. The entertainment was great and we had Margaret Cho the last nite. I hope to go on an RSVP cruise at some point to compare them. I do think the food is up to the line and not the tour operator .. Also did another Gay Group on HAL .. it was also a great deal of fun, but had some individual problems with HAL relative to the cleanliness of our room ... but it was taken care of.

 

Did a recent trip on the MSC Lirica (Caribbean/Central/South America 11 nites) with a gay group. We had fun, but I really didn't like the ship because I thought the food and drinks were awful! The disco at nite tho was a lot of fun and gay guys danced together with no problems. As a matter of fact the gay guys were in the majority on some nites. The entertainment on the ship was quite good and the ports were fantastic!

 

So far, if given the choice, I would say that I prefer the large gay groups on straight cruises. As I said, I never had a bad experience and really have enjoyed myself. The November cruise should have over 400 gays (including some women).

 

I will go on RSVP, perhaps next year. I could be wrong but I have been told that Atlantis caters to a mostly younger crowd and RSVP seems to attract young, but also the more mature, like myself. So I'll check it out.

 

In the meantime, I'll just say that you can enjoy yourself on any cruise if you put your mind to it.

 

I also live in Ft Lauderdale, so I'm always around gay people doing gay things. I am out in my office and most of the people working there are gay ... Gay restaurants, Gay theater, Gay Pride, Gay music, Gay Library, Gay Center, Gay Bingo, Gay Line Dancing, even Gay Church... etc etc etc ... so I don't need to go on a cruise for more of it. I can certainly understand the feeling that people who don't have the benefit of living in a really gay atmosphere must feel when they find themselves on a totally gay charter for a week or so .. it's got to be fantastic!

 

In some of these postings I've noticed some people say the group was best and put down the charter. Others have said the charter is best and put down the group. Some don't care for either.

 

;) My suggestion: Try them all and see for yourself! :D

[teleskier]

> only hug and kiss your boyfriend back in your closet.

> Finally, I'd just like to suggest that those thinking about doing a gay

>cruise to take advice from those of us that have actually been on one.

 

It’s funny how people come away from threads with totally different impressions from the same conversations – we all read our own experiences into it.

 

I saw most messages giving negative reviews of Atlantis being from disgruntled passengers as they actually returned from those cruises. And I have to say (using my own impressions formed from my own Atlantis cruise experience) that immediately dismissing all fellow cruisers here with negative reviews as “all being closet cases who PROBABLY never did Atlantis and PROBABLY rag on Pride too” is a typical Atlantis attitude which I found rife on that Atlantis ship - “I immediately suspect that everyone else – you all – are just soooo WAY less fabulous than me! Of course I would never talk to anyone else onboard!”

 

Whereas the negative reviews I read came from out gay people (not closet cases) who said they already live in gay meccas like Provincetown and Ft. Lauderdale, and who said they do not feel the need (been there, done that) to be immersed in a never-ending circuit party 24/7 for two weeks without any escape (even if they did feel like jumping overboard sometimes). On the flip side, my stereotype of people I met onboard who loved that Atlantis cruise so much as to (incredibly) re-sign up for the next one before even disembarking, is that they were typically from small towns where the mere concept of holding hands outdoors for the first time was a total major thrill for them. As it probably was for all of us years ago at our first Pride events. I’m glad Atlantis exists for people like that. And that experience probably DOES outweigh all the rest of the Atlantis mega-ship environment that by design brought out the very worst of the cold, shallow, impersonal, and attitude-driven side of some ghetto/circuit life (as it existed on my Atlantis cruise). And I as I pointed out in my review, it is unlike the similar crazy but fun, positive, social and friendly circuit environments of Whistler Gay Ski and Provincetown July 4rth I do happen to enjoy, where people might actually say hi to each other once in a while, rather than preferring to awkwardly try to squeeze by you in the tight hallways, time after time (like they couldn’t guess this might happen again all cruise?), utterly silently and with dismissive “What, no red sex dots?” looks toward you, for two - whole - long - weeks.

 

But I suppose I’m just closet case too. Who, ahem, lives in Ptown.

 

Also notice that most Atlantis boys recommending Atlantis exclusively have ONLY done Atlantis in their signatures. Atlantis does most of its repeat business by hooking them in for the next cruise before they even leave the ship. For my money, I’d trust the reviews of people who have actually explored other options.

 

HOWEVER NOT ALL GAY CHARTER EXPERIENCES ARE BAD THOUGH! Before I scare anyone off the whole idea of gay chartered cruising, my RSVP sailing cruise was the best cruise of my life. And was the complete opposite of Atlantis. The utter joy of traveling on a large yet still human-scale sailing ship full of well-heeled experienced world travelers who were social and made it a wonderful, “were-all-on-the-same-boat” together “come-join-us” shared group cruise experience. Conversations over fine meals and perhaps even some discussions about the wine, or what travel finds were made that day. With true open seating, finding your own tables of people you met earlier, being able to fortify acquaintances and find people to go exploring offshore together. Versus a cold mega-ship of 3,000 Atlantis party boys never leaving ship from having been so tweaked out the night before, who sit by the pool all day, and throw hissy fits if someone actually swims IN the pool and splashes a drop of water on them, their perfectly manicured hair, or their mail-order $500 decades-ago-not-age-appropriate circuit tank-top.

 

I would gladly pay extra for another elegant, social, well-run RSVP experience again. I would gladly pay extra to NOT be trapped on another poorly-run low-brow Atlantis ship again.

 

And I’m also betting that such similar “Pied is just all closet cases” attitudes will keep those Atlantis-only shallow party boys forever anchored to Atlantis products which cater to them without polluting the rest.

 

It’s win/win! :-)

[etoile]

A lot of cruise pax book future cruises while still on board the previous one - you sometimes get discounts that way. This goes for straight cruises, RSVP, Atlantis, all of 'em.

 

teleskier, you have some interesting thoughts. To be honest, I think a gay cruise is whatever you make of it. If you want a circuit party atmosphere, you can get that on RSVP or Atlantis. If you want a quiet atmosphere, you can get that on RSVP or Atlantis. It depends where you go and who you hang out with. (Actually, I asked about Carnival on the Carnival board and was told this same thing, heh.)

 

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience on Atlantis.

[CRSNDC]

teleskier,

 

I don't know why I am bothering but I had to at least speak up. Obviously my opinions don't count to you, for I am a worthless "Atlantis Only" cruiser. I have had wonderful experiences with Atlantis that have nothing to do with drugs or circuit parties. And I am not from some god forsaken small town. To me they've got a great product that I will continue to "talk up" when I can. As backround, I am 41, carrying an extra 20 pounds, am hairy, and only tried coke once 16 years ago.

 

-Chris in DC

 

p.s. 4th of July in PTown is the worst week of the year. Bear Week or Carnival Week are much better.

[njreo]

We like different things. Who's right? Who's wrong? NO ONE!

 

For me I prefer Pied Piper groups .. I'm not in any closet whatsoever .. but I'm not a circuit party type so being on a cruise that's a little more laid back works best for me.

 

I went on an Atlantis cruise .. had a great time .. didn't do all the party things .. Would I go on Atlantis again? Probably not, but I'm not telling anyone else to go or not to go and I'm not putting anyone down who really loves that atmosphere .. it's not for me, that's all.

 

RSVP? I haven't tried it yet and I will. That's the only way I'll know if it works for me.

 

As I said in a previous post .. we should try them all.. see what we like the best.

 

Again, we're all different, thankfully and we all need to discover what works best for ourselves. Above all, enjoy your vacation experiences.. make the best of them even under some circumstances you might not be crazy about...

 

BON VOYAGE! :cool: :D :p

[teleskier]

Hey CRSNDC,

I was only railing against the stated attitude that “everyone else besides Atlantis must all be closet cases.” We’re more on the same page than you think...

I LOVE Bear Week in Ptown too! :-) It has so many pluses. But I also like July 4rth too. And I think it’s fantastic that they often go back to back with each other, where the change in atmosphere is so instant and dramatic. Love that Ptown changes so much week by week, every week in summer, it’s one of the many attributes that makes Ptown so much fun.

Much of this debate sounds extremely similar to the force polarizing split of Ogunquit versus Ptown, which I also hate. Some impugn Ogunquit too with the same “they’re all just closet cases, they’re all just too fat, they’re all just too suburban, they’re all just so unfabulous that of course they can’t ‘make it’ in Ptown.” The other side impugns Ptown for being nothing more than a “sex-crazed bath house full of attitude and circuit boys,” ignoring all the galleries and old bookstores and cultural events and such vast “get away from it” natural beauty. Ptown TRULY is what you make of it. It offers both extremes of experience and diversity of everything in between. You get to choose what you like, for that day, for that hour. I truly love that.

I love both Ogunquit and Ptown, and feel each have their good unique features, where I really hate the fact so many make you “pick one.”

Like being told that non-Atlantis choices are looked down upon as “closet cases” and that one must be “Atlantis only” to be fabulous.

My prime issue with Atlantis is that they go up and down assuring you that “we are NOT a simple party boat as per our widespread reputation”, that our European cruise products feature “more sophisticated” passengers than our party image, where “trust us - it should be *just like* your RSVP cruise”, which set my expectations to be just as high as RSVP. If Atlantis were up front about what their product actually is, I would have no problem with it. The fact that a prime Atlantis cruisers website deletes all non-positive reviews, giving the impression that 100% *everyone* just loves their cruises, is another shady practice but a different topic. But is also another practice that did not endear me to them. It all adds up to you feeling taken and “duped” mid-way through your cruise.

I am someone who enjoys and looks forward to those ‘crazy’ midnight party-boat cruises during circuit week in Ptown that the Ogunquit-only crowd puts down. Except I also like the fact that once I’m done partying, I know that I’ll only be trapped in that environment for only a few more hours (worst case), not two weeks. Everyone KNOWS what they’re getting in for. I personally would never take the entirety my sacred annual European vacation stuck on a 100% Ptown party boat 24/7. And would not have, if Atlantis had been up front about what their true party product actually is. Their product is not bad for what it is, nor people who want it, but I wish they were up front and said “We ARE a party boat, period. We cater to that, we excel at producing only that, and that is the product you will get, period”

I live the fact that diverse offerings like Ptown are indeed “what you make of them,” but disagree that this applied to my Atlantis cruise (which to be fair, Atlantis alumni also deemed bad). I spent two weeks trying unsuccessfully to undo all the Atlantis party generator machinations and group dynamics to make it something I might enjoy. Yes, you can sit all alone in your room to escape the pervasive cold nasty sterile crowd dynamics outside it, but that’s not the image of what you sign up for on an all-gay cruise. Nor can one “make it” a nice social shared environment where you meet people to socially connect with, sit with people who actually talk with other guests at the Atlantis-chooses-for-you random dinner table, etc, if none of it exists even once in two whole long weeks. Atlantis was simply just not diverse enough for that. One could participate in anonymous circuit party behavior on RSVP, but also have fine dinners and social interactions too, truly being a “make of it what you want” product.

Other factors that come into play : mega-ship versus smaller ship, the types of ‘travelers’ the glossy Atlantis “party boy” image and perfect-pecs-only brochures attracts, with a lot of NCL versus RCCL thrown in too. But when you produce your product and stand by it, you deserve to take the heat for that product. As I said in my review, there were many very easy small things fully in Atlantis’s control which they could have done to make the cruise more like RSVP. But as I later learned is their nature, they have never listened to a single passenger suggestion. And why not, the party boys keep rolling in, they must feel their product hits the mark for their target audience.

And as I think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen one bear or one suit in of ANY of the close-up pictures in ANY of the Atlantis brochures I’ve ever received in the mail.

And certainly nothing like all the ubiquitous hunky bear week posters everywhere in Ptown. Long live bear week!! :-) AND circuit week! Long live truth in advertising, and long live CHOICES!

Your mileage may vary....

[bepsf]

Teleskier--

 

I have the feeling that if you do enjoy 'big-boat' cruises that you might enjoy RSVP on Holland America as well.

 

Although I've only been in two of their charters, and am certainly no 'Circuit Boy" - I've enjoyed the freedom to dine in the grillroom or at my table by the window with the people I chose to invite to my table, then go to the show or costume party and dance till 2am, then wander back to my stateroom and get up in the AM to see something I've never seen before in port.

 

I often liken the RSVP experience to my friends as a week in gay summercamp - everyone is nicer and friendlier than they even are in the Castro (which is no picture-perfect Disneyland, I assure you).

 

In their ads, I find that the truth is in the imagery: RSVP shows diversity in their images, ie: some pretty boys, but also us average guys and women.

 

Atlantis shows - um - Circuit boys...

 

As far as str8 vs gay, I've been in 3 str8 cruises and 2 gay. I've never been closeted aboard my str8 cruises, and always gather folks around me that I've enjoyed traveling with (primarily through these boards) But the scooters and wheelchairs and loud cranky oldsters complaining about the auto-tip sure are a contrast to the open-air dance parties, vast majority of men in Tuxedos and sense of camaraderie that I've never experienced anywhere else...

 

I've even had HAL crew recognize me and ask "Mr Brian - were you on Oosterdam last year?" knowing full well that they are referring to the RSVP charter - then they tell me what a wonderful time they had working on that cruise....

[emjsea]

Hilarious. Since my quote was used to indicate that I seem to think that anyone that goes on a non-Atlantis cruise is a closet case, I'll just have to reply.

 

Perhaps you should have read much more carefully before sharing your opinion. My quote was pointing out that a single poster (not all non-Atlantis cruisers) sometimes said they showed romantic affection to each other on straight cruises and at other times said they saved that for the "privacy" of their balcony or stateroom. And I was also offended at the suggestion that my holding my boyfriend's hand and kissing him was the same as having an extended make-out session in public. I think a lot of more closeted people use that rationalization as an excuse so they can live with the fact that they are actually not comfortable showing affection in public. So they just lump all forms of affection into the "gross making-out" category so they don't have to admit it to themselves.

 

Frankly, I don't care if you come on an Atlantis cruise or not. In my opinion if you find the environment there to be cold and unfriendly, the problem is with you, not with the rest of the people on the cruise. I'm not a muscular, pretty circuit boy. I'm just an average guy with a little bit of a tummy. And everyone always said hello in the halls and elevators, etc. People of all kinds were friendly at dances, dinner, on excursions, at shows, etc., etc., etc. If no one said hello to you, they were perhaps responding to your attitude.

 

So, please do stay off the Atlantis cruises. You won't be missed and you obviously bring an element of negativity and aloofness that no one wants to be around on vacation.

[RMS Olympic]

I think the first question is what are you looking for in your vacation, or what is important to you.

To some the itinerary is the number one issue. If this is the case the line, ship, cost, ammenities or even passenger mix is not an issue.

If the cabin takes priority, the cruise line is the deciding issue regardless of the passenger mix...more upscale for the luxury cabins.

If food is it, then your upscale lines are for you...again regardless of whether it a gay charter, group or mainstream cruise. As Thulewx pointed out different budgets for different lines.

Romance......this might be dictated by age group that sails a particular line and whether the line is frequented by gay/ lesbian singles. Young maybe more on the mass market, older on the upscale. Perhaps a greater chance on a gay cruise..but there is no gaurantee....less competition on a straight cruise. On a straight cruise you can very quickly be classified as a POTW. That is passenger of the week by the crew...yes they observe , discuss and decide whether you should be considered a fair target.

Entertainment......might dictate mass market ships with big shows....but the offerings may dictate a gay cruise where the entertainment maybe more gay oriented.

If what some call freedom (to be you) is a very important part of your escape from the every day hum drum, the choice might be dictated by ones own comfort level while out in public. If a frown from a straight passenger is going to negatively impact your evening and for some people it can dwell in their mind.....avoidance may dictate a gay cruise even more than a gay group. A gay group can be stared at or frowned upon just the same.

So is it the itinerary, your cabin, or the food, then a gay charter is probably not worth the money.

If its a combination with the ability to mingle with other FOD, then perhaps a gay group on a charter is the choice.

If having the choice to be you, whatever that is..... becomes part of the equation or even paramount, then a gay charter might be the ticket.

As to posts that appear to be negative, to each his own. The gay charters are currently going through a change process and like the entire cruise industry they are going to have to offer something for everyone to remain in business. The late 80's early 90's gay cruise was on a small ship, low in cost since they were the economy lines, and were filled with the young. Now that same age groups is getting older just like the rest of our country. Some of these same people have now more income and want something more upscale. Also with the size of the ships today...with so many more passengers there is a greater mix of people...you just aren't going to find a gay cruise full of 3500 buffed bodies, just like you won't find all beauties on a straight cruise.

For me, I prefer small ships, I loved it when the gay cruises were on the small ships...much more fun. The Greek Island cruise on the Stella Solaris was still the best.

My cruise history...61 ships has been dictated by 1 ship, 2 itinerary

and if a gay charter happen to be on a ship I wanted or a itinerary that was a must do...the gay charter won hands down. I now have 17 gay charter cruises under my belt.....is it worth it to me to continue gay cruises ...yes. The main reason for me is that years ago I was very comfy on a straight cruise...the passengers were what I called ship people. Now it is families, kids everywhere and parents ignoring their kids. I have also found that on the straight cruises, the straight people complain more,,,,,and the crew have agreed....the gay cruises have a much more happy up beat atmosphere. So when I escape from the hell of work...I want the energy, the smiles, the laughter and the acceptance I find on a gay cruise......and I will pay. As a single I get toasted by the cruise lines anyway with the single surcharge so I will pay even more for the happiness that seems more prevalent on a gay charter.

As to those that dont want to be around 3000 FOD, well I guess its a trade off....3000 gay, or 3000 straight..its all up to you.

Straight cruises.....yes, when it comes to Regent 7 seas.....that fits right up there with RSVP for what is important to me...and on Regent (Radisson) I know I will be ccepted as a gay man.

Guess I got carried away with my post.....how one spends their hard earned cash is such a personal thing...how do you tell someone something is worth it...its like discussing whether a Timex or Rolex is worth it. You earned your money...spend it on what makes you happy regardless of whether it makes sense. Ciao.

[etoile]

the types of ‘travelers’ the glossy Atlantis “party boy” image and perfect-pecs-only brochures attracts

I don't think brochures have much of anything to do with it. Like all advertising, they're using what people want to see - I don't think it actually bears any resemblance to the pax. Or rather - I'm sure there are some brochure-quality hunks on Atlantis cruises, but they are certainly in the minority. Everybody else looks like - well - everybody else!