Lesbian Couples who love cruising

[kstamp]

Anybody on the NCL Getaway June 7? My 11yo DS and I will be on board.

 

 

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[elaine611]

Anyone have plans to go on the Holland America Baltic cruise out of Rotterdam in July 2014? My wife and I have cruised before, and love meeting other GLBT couples!

Cheers,

Elaine

[Dblack87]

My fiance and I are going to get married aboard the Breakaway on the August 10th-17th Bermuda sailing. We have few family/friends coming with. Any advice from fellow lgbt cruisers about this particular ship?

 

We are doing things a little last minute and haven't booked yet. We are thinking of booking a GTY Balcony then if prices come down trying to upgrade to Haven or a Large Aft Balcony Room.

 

This will be our third cruise together and since we are from NYC, it's a very convenient itinerary. Hoping that cruising will be an annual tradition for us!

[justjoanie29]

I know this is last minute, but is anyone sailing on the NCL Sky on Sept. 8?

My partner and I and 2 friends will be on board. Would love to meet some new friends.

[abisutton]

Hello all! Any ladies on the carnival dream 8/3? My gf and I are going to be more social this cruise! Hope to meet you there! 😉

 

 

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[Mspokertn]

Anyone sailing Carnival Freedom Aug 24, 2014? If so let us know, GF and I will sailing and always enjoyed tong others.

 

 

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[Lipz]

Has anyone been on the NCL Breakaway? We just booked it for the end of the month. I had knee surgery and off work for two months so we thought LETS DO IT lol...

 

We were on the Sunshine in Jan and def loved the 2.0 upgrades though probably not my favorite ship...but for me a day at sea it much better than a day at work!! lol...I would not say no if I was asked to go again!!

 

We are booked on the Breeze in Nov which we loved..will be our second trip on her!!

 

Still hoping to try celebrity one day also!!

 

We sailed the inaugural sailing out of NYC to Bermuda on the Breakaway last May. It wasn't the WOW I was hoping for, I guess being a New Yorker on NY themed ship didn't do much for me, but we had a GREAT time. We really enjoyed being docked in one place for three days and really exploring it. Bermuda was the perfect island to have that experience on.

 

We sailed the Breeze this May, and I loved our first time experience with a spa cabin (balcony). I thought of doing the Sunshine since it was reimbursed. Why wasn't it one of your favorite ships?

 

My fiance and I are going to get married aboard the Breakaway on the August 10th-17th Bermuda sailing. We have few family/friends coming with. Any advice from fellow lgbt cruisers about this particular ship?

 

We are doing things a little last minute and haven't booked yet. We are thinking of booking a GTY Balcony then if prices come down trying to upgrade to Haven or a Large Aft Balcony Room.

 

This will be our third cruise together and since we are from NYC, it's a very convenient itinerary. Hoping that cruising will be an annual tradition for us!

 

We enjoyed the Breakaway and always love sailing from our home port of NYC. We were married on the Norwegian Jewel in 2011 and the wedding company they used back then was excellent. It was a dream wedding come true.

 

Be sure to see Howling at the Moon (the dueling pianos). It was a favorite night spot for us. We also had fun with the mini bowling and playing pool. The steak house was DELICIOUS!!! and worth every penny. The circus type dinner show was fun as well. If your doing Bermuda definitely visit Horseshoe Beach, very pretty indeed.

 

 

 

[Pinklover954]

Anyone sailing in October?

 

 

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[suehi]

Hi

We are going on Dawn Princess to NZ, sailing Nov 28 from Melbourne & wondering if there is anyone else doing the same.

 

We have been on a couple of Carnival Spirit cruises and loved them so hope the Princess one lives up to what we've had. We didn't meet many other LGBTI people so it'd be great to be able to catch up with some this time.

 

We'd love to go on some of the Caribbean cruises I've been reading about, but hopefully it'll be Alaska some time next year.

 

Sue

[Butterfly Jayne]

We have just discovered this web site when trying to find out info about glbt groups on NCL cruises. I believe they still call them "Friends of Dorothy " on some cruises. We have been on three Olivia Cruises and are going on another one this month,Rome to Barcelona.We wanted a way to get back to Venice and found an NCL cruise leaving Barcelona on July 29th. This will be our first "straight" cruise and am hoping to meet others from our community on the ship. Any advice would be appreciated.Jayne and Angela from Australia

[Turtles06]

We have just discovered this web site when trying to find out info about glbt groups on NCL cruises. I believe they still call them "Friends of Dorothy " on some cruises. We have been on three Olivia Cruises and are going on another one this month,Rome to Barcelona.We wanted a way to get back to Venice and found an NCL cruise leaving Barcelona on July 29th. This will be our first "straight" cruise and am hoping to meet others from our community on the ship. Any advice would be appreciated.Jayne and Angela from Australia

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic; this web site is invaluable for anyone who loves cruising.

 

Re your question: I wrote to NCL years ago and asked them to stop using the outdated, closeted, male-centered, and, for many people, simply meaningless FOD term. I do believe they have updated their language. In any event, check your Freestyle Daily, which will tell you when and where each evening this gathering will be held. It's hit or miss whether anyone will show up, but it's a good way to connect with folks if they do.

 

I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruises. Our "straight" cruise with NCL in the Med four years ago remains one of our favorites.

[IslandGirl43]

Hello everyone, newbie here (both to cruising and cruise critic). I've been lurking and researching for months on this site, what an incredible resource!! After much debate my partner and I finally booked a cruise for NCL Breakaway in Sept of 2015 (my second cruise, her first). We are in an aft balcony cabin (7 days in Bermuda). We would love to connect with other LGBT folks on our cruise. We will keep our eyes peeled for roll call, so far no one is listed for our cruise.

[Turtles06]

Hello everyone, newbie here (both to cruising and cruise critic). I've been lurking and researching for months on this site, what an incredible resource!! After much debate my partner and I finally booked a cruise for NCL Breakaway in Sept of 2015 (my second cruise, her first). We are in an aft balcony cabin (7 days in Bermuda). We would love to connect with other LGBT folks on our cruise. We will keep our eyes peeled for roll call, so far no one is listed for our cruise.

 

Hello and welcome to Cruise Critic, which is indeed an incredible resource.

 

I don't know what day in Sept. 2015 you are sailing, but Roll Calls have been started in the NCL Roll Call forum for the Sept. 20 and 27 sailings. If neither of them is yours, you can start one for your sailing, which is a fun thing to do. And you can start one here in the G&L forum as well. It's probably too soon for a Bermuda cruise to see much Roll Call traffic now, but you never know.

[JennN]

Just wanted to make an introduction!

 

My wife and I have been together for 9 years, married officially 8 years ago and legally 3 years ago. We live in the DC area and have two cats! We've only cruised Carnival (5 under our belt, 2 more to come) and have had nothing but great experiences save a stop in Jamaica. Oh, and the Marriage show - I always want to raise my hand but then chicken out!

 

Happy to be here :)

[MishelleMcc]

My wife and I are planning to cruise this winter for our yearly vacation. We haven't cruised since 2006 and from what I have gleaned, a lot of things have changed.

 

We are only able to travel from December through February. What We love about Cruising are Great food, shows, staterooms (balcony) and exploring! Another couple may be joining us and we would love to make friends along the way!

 

Are there other folks considering the above lines and time-frame? Lets see if we can get a little unofficial group going!

 

also any advise would be wonderful too!

[tpadul]

My wife to be and I are going on our first cruise together on Nov 8-15, 2014 on Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas. This is going to be our Honeymoon cruise!! We are getting married in Chicago on Oct 25th. Not sure yet if we will love cruising or not but we are willing to give the cruise a try. We actually won $1,000 toward any cruise from a Facebook Photo contest earlier this year, for a cutest couple contest and we won the cruise on Valentines Day. We chose a cruise that was very port intensive with only 1 full day of cruising as we were not sure we would like cruising so we will see how we like it. We didn't pay much for it, just the taxes and port charges so if we dont' like it we are not really out that much money. We are used to resort vacations and I have not been on a cruise in about 25 years.

 

We are hoping to meet some other LGBT folks on the cruise but are not holding our breath with will. We just got back from a 7 night all inclusive in Mexico and sadly we seemed to be the only gay couple at the resort. We had a BLAST but we were really really hoping to meet some other gay couples to hang out with.

Edited July 15, 2014 by tpadul

[Lipz]

Just wanted to make an introduction!

 

My wife and I have been together for 9 years, married officially 8 years ago and legally 3 years ago. We live in the DC area and have two cats! We've only cruised Carnival (5 under our belt, 2 more to come) and have had nothing but great experiences save a stop in Jamaica. Oh, and the Marriage show - I always want to raise my hand but then chicken out!

 

Happy to be here :)

 

Hi Jenn,

 

I see you have gone on Carnival Valor twice. I am actually booked to sail on her in May. What do you like about that ship? anything on her a MUST see or do?

[MishelleMcc]

Hi tpadul !!!! Congratulations on your marriage and winning the cruise!!!! I started Cruising in '89 and loved it! I've been on 5 cruises and My wife of 8.7 yrs has been on 1! we are 55 & 50. We both love cruises but haven't been able to take one since 2006! (Olivia - and it cleaned us out!!!) I am a bit of a vacation research freak (it's part of the trip! - planning and dreaming!!)

 

I've been on Royal Caribbean 2 times - back in the day and thought they were wonderful! I took a Norwegian cruise around the same time and thought the food was sub-parr. Then I sailed HAL twice and Loved cruising again!!!!

 

The reason that we are planning on HAL or Norwegian is because we want to be able to smoke on our balcony (Yes, we are two of 'them') In the past on HAL, they would designate a side of the ship for outdoor smoking and we would pick a balcony on that side, Aft, so as to be around other smokers and not to offend others....

 

Hal is more subdued with big staterooms but Norwegian is busier with smaller staterooms. Hal appears to still have better food so if we did choose Norwegian, we would need to factor in a mini suite cost and up-charge dinning venues....

 

Maybe all of us that are currently booked or booking can share with each other experiences and inside information :)

 

For instance, I just read somewhere that you may inquire about upgrading your stateroom for a reasonable fee once aboard ship!

 

Anyone else have any suggestions? I know there are lurkers out there!!!! Chime in!!!

[tpadul]

Hi tpadul !!!! Congratulations on your marriage and winning the cruise!!!! I started Cruising in '89 and loved it! I've been on 5 cruises and My wife of 8.7 yrs has been on 1! we are 55 & 50. We both love cruises but haven't been able to take one since 2006! (Olivia - and it cleaned us out!!!) I am a bit of a vacation research freak (it's part of the trip! - planning and dreaming!!)

 

HI MishelleMcc.. Wow, the Olivia cruise wiped you out in 06?? :( We are hoping to take an Olivia vacation in 2016 and we are going to do the cheapest Mexico one they have available, either the cruise or resort whichever they opt for in 2016. We are still on the fence about whether or not we will like cruising as we are both beach lovers and we prefer to spend the majority of our time on the beach listening to the waves and staying on the beach almost until sunset. That is why right now we both really prefer resort vacations, but since we won the money toward the cruise we figured we would give this a try and see what it's all about. We are both vacation research freaks too!!! We just got back a few weeks ago from a resort all inclusive in Mexico and spent months researching the area an the resort. I'm 46 and my Fiance is 49. We are hoping this upcoming cruise we will be on in November will be mostly adults and not too many kids.. It's during the school year so we are hoping for a nice semi quiet honeymoon cruise. I've gotten very tired of traveling places with a lot of children as I've been traveling with my daughter for the past 12 years now, she will be 17 in a few weeks, in fact she is going on a Carnival Cruise from July 26-August 2nd with her best friends family and she will celebrate her 17th birthday on the cruise. The resort vacation we just came back from in Mexico was my first adults only vacation in 12 years!!!! We are hoping the cruise will be just as enjoyable and child free as possible. Hoping to find some other LGBT travelers on board to meet up with but right now it doesn't look like I've been able to find anyone else via these boards :(

[MishelleMcc]

Hi again tpadul! What wiped us out was the cost! We came home dead broke and it took over a year to recover! We were married on 1-21-06 and took our honeymoon 1-28-06. So the wedding... and the trip were just too much for us.

Don't get me wrong, WE LOVE Olivia but we can do a straight cruise for 1/3 of the cost. In addition to the cruise fare is the Olivia "NDA" fees of $400 pp. Add airfare, on-board bar bill, excursions, etc and what I thought would be about $3000 ended up being double!

However, If you can reasonably afford it, the experience is amazing! The entire ship (and even some of the crew) were lesbian (and gay!) I remember, on the first night, sitting out by the aft pool - holding hands - when we heard footsteps coming. We quickly withdrew our hands only to realize that it was another lesbian couple! We laughed at our naiveté and gradually came out of our “shell”. At the end of the cruise, we were so “out” that once back at the airport, seeing “hetero” couples just didn’t “look” right!!!!

We love cruising so of course I think everyone else will too! Ha! I can remember the day when the rocking ship would lull me to sleep! Today, the ships have stabilizers so you hardly feel the ship move. No need for seasickness patches and what-not. Bring something with you if you are concerned but don’t take/use anything until you have symptoms. I took my mother on a cruise once and she got the “patch” and was sick as a dog! She went to the ship doctor and he pulled the patch off and told her she’d feel better in 6-10 hrs! - Said he pulls more patches off than he puts on!

Upgrade to a balcony if you can. In the old days, before balconies, I used to leave my porthole open just so I could hear the waves on the side of the ship. With a balcony, you can sit outside and have your own slice of heaven (and Sea!)

Comradery… There is something about being on a ship that makes everyone feel connected in a way. I usually start to notice it on the day after sail-away. We are all on this big adventure together! Before you know it, you are swapping stories with people at the pool or MDR about what you did that day!

My son is 30 now and although I truly love children, I agree: I would rather vacation with adults and not a lot of kids. So things to consider: Are there adult only areas? I am a bit leery of cruise lines that advertise “kids sail free”. The time of year can affect the kid population. Cruise ships that don’t have the “latest and greatest” of kid entertainment will probably have fewer children.

So tell us more about your cruise plans and hopefully others will offer advice and hints! It’s just so fun to plan a cruise!!!

[Turtles06]

The reason that we are planning on HAL or Norwegian is because we want to be able to smoke on our balcony (Yes, we are two of 'them') In the past on HAL, they would designate a side of the ship for outdoor smoking and we would pick a balcony on that side, Aft, so as to be around other smokers and not to offend others....

 

 

According to information posted on the NCL board, NCL is supposed to announce a new smoking policy today that will prohibit smoking on balconies. No offense, but I certainly hope that's true. My spouse and I enjoy NCL, but having smokers on a balcony upwind of your own can really ruin the experience. Celebrity's strict no-smoking policy is a huge plus for us. No smoking even in the casino. What a joy to be able to be in that space and be able to breathe.

[Turtles06]

Hi again tpadul! What wiped us out was the cost! We came home dead broke and it took over a year to recover! We were married on 1-21-06 and took our honeymoon 1-28-06. So the wedding... and the trip were just too much for us.

Don't get me wrong, WE LOVE Olivia but we can do a straight cruise for 1/3 of the cost. In addition to the cruise fare is the Olivia "NDA" fees of $400 pp. Add airfare, on-board bar bill, excursions, etc and what I thought would be about $3000 ended up being double!

 

We've enjoyed our two Olivia cruises, but the "lesbian premium" is indeed huge. Every time my spouse and I get a "2 for 1" offer from Olivia, we joke that the deal would *almost* bring the price down to that of a "mainstream" cruise.

 

We've actually sailed twice with Pied Piper, which is not a full ship charter but a gay group, which varies in size depending on how many people book. We were the only lesbians each time, but we had a good time with the guys and it was nice to know in advance that we'd have a group to socialize with on board.

 

This fall, we are doing our third TA, but our first "on our own" so to speak -- no Pied Piper, just a "mainstream" cruise. We'll see how it goes, but we are really looking forward to it. We love TAs and sea days in particular.

[tpadul]

Don't get me wrong, WE LOVE Olivia but we can do a straight cruise for 1/3 of the cost. In addition to the cruise fare is the Olivia "NDA" fees of $400 pp. Add airfare, on-board bar bill, excursions, etc and what I thought would be about $3000 ended up being double!

 

So things to consider: Are there adult only areas? I am a bit leery of cruise lines that advertise “kids sail free”. The time of year can affect the kid population. Cruise ships that don’t have the “latest and greatest” of kid entertainment will probably have fewer children.

So tell us more about your cruise plans and hopefully others will offer advice and hints! It’s just so fun to plan a cruise!!!

 

What is the NDA fee stand for? I just peeked at their Punta Cana resort Vacation in May 2015 and they are advertising the NDA fee to be $249 per person for this trip? What kind of charge is this for?

 

We are planning a two week vacation to Paris in Sept 2015 so 2016 will be there year we are hoping to do Olivia. While I think the resort vacations will be much cheaper as the resorts are always all inclusive so there would be no extra bill for bar/drinks and just an occasional excursion. So that is why we are hoping to see them add a Mexico resort vacation in 2016. I called them last week and asked about it, and since they are doing Puerto Vallarta in Nov this year and are skipping Mexico in 2015 they said their chances of doing a Mexican resort are pretty good in 2016. We know that flying into Mexico would be so much cheaper and Yes, I agree these Olivia trips will wipe someone out financially. That was a reason why with our upcoming wedding in 100 days from now!!! :D We are taking advantage of the this almost free cruise and the airfare happens to be totally free because I won a Raffle for two free airline tickets on United Airlines at a LGBT wedding expo here in Chicago in April. So we really did luck out with this honeymoon trip having it be practically free so to speak.

 

We don't really have any ideas yet lined up for the cruise excursions and I'm in the process of trying to research that now. Our ports of call are Southern Caribbean, we are leaving from San Juan, and our stops are Tortola, BVI, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Maarten, Dominica, Barbados.

 

We will probably want private dining in the evenings with just a table for two and we signed up for the "My Time Dining" with Royal Caribbean so we can choose our own dining time.

 

The cruise is not listed as an adults only but since the dates are Nov 8-15th we are hoping there will be little to no children on board since that is right in the middle of the school year and not even close to Thanksgiving where they would have time off. Keeping fingers crossed on that..

[tpadul]

We've enjoyed our two Olivia cruises, but the "lesbian premium" is indeed huge. Every time my spouse and I get a "2 for 1" offer from Olivia, we joke that the deal would *almost* bring the price down to that of a "mainstream" cruise.

 

We've actually sailed twice with Pied Piper, which is not a full ship charter but a gay group, which varies in size depending on how many people book. We were the only lesbians each time, but we had a good time with the guys and it was nice to know in advance that we'd have a group to socialize with on board.

 

This fall, we are doing our third TA, but our first "on our own" so to speak -- no Pied Piper, just a "mainstream" cruise. We'll see how it goes, but we are really looking forward to it. We love TAs and sea days in particular.

 

Turtles06 what does "TA" stand for??

[Turtles06]

According to information posted on the NCL board, NCL is supposed to announce a new smoking policy today that will prohibit smoking on balconies. No offense, but I certainly hope that's true. My spouse and I enjoy NCL, but having smokers on a balcony upwind of your own can really ruin the experience. Celebrity's strict no-smoking policy is a huge plus for us. No smoking even in the casino. What a joy to be able to be in that space and be able to breathe.

 

And I'll update my own post to say that NCL has now made it official: no more smoking on balconies as of Nov. 1:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5916