How are Gay Couples treated on Straight cruises?

[Eddie4Paws]

:d :d

[skf]

Eddie4Paws, give yourself a big hug & kisses from Pete & Steve (sailing from Brooklyn Oct 20...((my office-mate is from Brooklyn)) )

[Eddie4Paws]

Eddie4Paws, give yourself a big hug & kisses from Pete & Steve (sailing from Brooklyn Oct 20...((my office-mate is from Brooklyn)) )

 

Thanks...I'm having one hot make-out session with myself now..lol.

[eagle_07]

Bulloch12: Not far from you guys in Georgia. Partner and I have been on 12 straight cruises and have become close friends with both straight and gay couples. No bad experiences.

[eagle_07]

Not far from you guys, Bulloch12. Glad to hear. May meet up with you on a trip someday.

[retlawv]

Just a question...We are going on our first cruise and are a little concerned about how we will be treated since we are a gay couple and we are going on Liberty of the Seas in September.

Thanks for any help or suggestions..

Jason and Dwight

 

 

I do not know how royal caribbean is on a straight venue but my partner and I were on a Princess Baltic cruise in the summer and we found no discrimination issues. We even danced slow and fast in the disco on the ship and a couple of straight couples came to us and said we were great dancers especially when we jived on the ship. We did get a few stares but that was just a novelty thing and no one batted an eye afterwards. The ships photographer sized up things as well and gave us some good couples shots.. so there is no reason not to be yourself on the ship.

[Latino81]

MY male partner and i have done a few cruises with NCL because we like the freestyle experience in that yr not stuck at a table with ppl u dont like or vise versa.

But we have seen on every cruise numerous gay couples of both sexes and everyone just keeps to themselves. Which is fine by us. We both work in the service industry and in the heart of the gay vilage so it's the least thing we need when away. We have also spoken to gay cruise staff both male and female.

And most importantly we have never encountered any negative vibes from either staff or other cruiser's. And if u do I've seen ship security handle other issues quite quickly and the ships have a large security staff.

It's finally to a point that the cruise companies are realizing that their missing a whole other traveller.

And we also won't do the Altantis and RSVP cruises because they jack there prices so high to take advantage of the gay dollars.

GO and enjoy and not to worry!

[KC_fn]

To the OPs: Hope you don't mind a straight lady chiming in here.

 

Since I judge people by their manners, character, and intelligence, I'd be pleased not only to have you on the same ship, but at my dinner table. Except you'd probably look better on formal night than I would. :mad:

 

There are a few 'phobes on these boards who are completely ignorant about you guys. They see a few gays in drag, and get freaked out by it, and start posting about how their cruise was ruined and they plan to sue the cruiseline. Pay them no attention. Most of us are like most of you: live and let live. Those types probably won't even figure out that you're gay at all -- why, you look normal! :p

 

Enjoy, guys!

[SingerEsq]

And we also won't do the Altantis and RSVP cruises because they jack there prices so high to take advantage of the gay dollars.

GO and enjoy and not to worry!

 

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, and we have never done a gay only cruise. I know these cruises are higher priced, but I've never thought of it as them taking advantage of gay dollars. As I understand it, these companies charter an entire ship, therefore taking on the risk of selling all of the cabins. They also provide highly specialized entertainment itineraries that involves paying for, flying in and providing accomodations (probably the most expensive cabins that they could otherwise sell) for entertainers and DJs who are not part of the regular line up. And they provide special parties every evening that we do not see on "straight" cruises. IMO, these companies provide a product at a price that obviously people are willing to pay, since they are selling out regularly.

 

Carry on.

[English Jane]

The general positive attitude to gay people (from staff and passengers) is just one of the many things I love about cruising. I had a lovely couple on my table last October (with RCCL) - we swapped e-mails.

RCCL placed this couple on our table of 6 with myself, my husband and our 2 teenaged children and I was delighted that they did. The young men in question were undoubtedly a bit wary when first meeting us - they admitted to prejudice themselves in thinking we might be uptight English!

 

It has been very heart warming reading these postings as I know what intolerance there can be out there - I have a close family member who is gay and has endured many years of unhappiness as she has been unable to be out in her worklife as a high ranking healthcare worker.

[WehoAtlantis]

Just be yourselves and no one will care. We just got back from a 4 night Baja cruise out of Los Angeles and it was great. Everyone is there to have a good time and they are not too worried about differences in other people as there are all kinds and types of people onboard. As far as the staff went on Royal Caribbeans Monarch of the Seas, they were great.

 

Here is our photo's from the October 15th cruise with our gay friends.

 

Happy cruising,

 

Mike:D

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hotsauc...7602536324819/

[rin1]

English Jane - That must be so difficult for your family member. I'd hate to come back from vacation and have to be particular about which pictures I show to co-workers. :(

[Treven]

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, and we have never done a gay only cruise. I know these cruises are higher priced, but I've never thought of it as them taking advantage of gay dollars. As I understand it, these companies charter an entire ship, therefore taking on the risk of selling all of the cabins. They also provide highly specialized entertainment itineraries that involves paying for, flying in and providing accomodations (probably the most expensive cabins that they could otherwise sell) for entertainers and DJs who are not part of the regular line up. And they provide special parties every evening that we do not see on "straight" cruises. IMO, these companies provide a product at a price that obviously people are willing to pay, since they are selling out regularly.

 

Carry on.

For these very reasons, I have only sailed with Atlantis. Yes, they do charge more than mainstream cruises. From what I've read on Cruise Critics, no one having taken mainstream cruises, comes back and raves about the top-notch entertainers on their cruise; or about the outlandish pool parties that last until dawn (or later.) Though I'm in my 60s and spend a short time at these parties; my trusty camera gets a good workout then I leave for my cabin & watch a movie on my laptop, or begin Photoshopping the evenings pix from the party.

[ottawapuppy]

Weve only done mainstream cruises, across the realm of 5 major cruise lines and weve never had a bad experience. For the most part, weve always been completely comfortable as a gay couple. Is it coincidence, luck or is it reality? Most of the posts carry the same opinion so it must be reality.

 

Hey Jack and Aaron, I noticed your web page had disappeared, but now I see you have a new one on .mac.

Looks great!

 

Mike

[JonAlone]

I have been on numerous cruises, alone as a single gay man and the last two on Royal Caribbean Explorer and Navigator with my partner (on the avatar..)

He was nervous before Explorer, his first cruise (25 years my junior)... we had a brilliant time, met other gay cruisers and their friends/family from New York at the sail-away party and spent much of the week with them.. they were a blast!!!

 

So much so, last year we sailed on Navigator, and planned the same week, with the same people to celebrate my 50th. (there were 10 of us)

 

The only problem we encountered was on the last night, in the Chamber Club (disco) when staff and passengers decided to remove shirts and carry on dancing...ha ha .. security soon put a stop to that!! But even so it was good natured.

 

On both cruises, the cabin staff put the beds together for us rather than leave single beds, and the treatment was superb throughout.

 

The americans we travel with go way overboard (not literally) with costumes for party nights, ie Big Black Momma outfits for the guys on Caribbean night, and worse on other nights.. Nobody was unaware of us on the ship, and on the last night, our group was asked by the Maitre d' to join the restaurant staff procession, in costume, for the parade!!

 

The restaurant staff were amazing, catering to our needs with more humour and fun than could have been expected..

 

Naturally, we are doing it again and meeting up with the same entertainment staff, fellow travellers (12 this time) and more on Feb 3rd 2008, from Cape Liberty aboard Explorer.

 

Another of our party will celebrate his 50th this year too!!

 

I really can't recommend it highly enough ---- BUT ---- RCCL do not do a Friends of Dorothy listing ... don't let that put you off.

[Skyrules]

Hi guys, thought I'd bring a down under view to this interesting thread.

 

My partner & I have done 4 cruises together on P&O Australia and have had no negative experiences from passengers or crew. The twice that we've had twin beds that could be pushed together to make a double, our cabin stewards have been more than happy to push together the twins to make up a queen - they took it in their stride.

 

Earlier in the year one of the P&O ships was chartered for a gay cruise - just a 3 night cruise to nowhere - and all our friends (gay & straight) assumed that because of our love of cruising we'd go on it.. And we suprised them all by NOT going. The thought of 3 days on a ship full of partying queens but us right off :D . That's not our scene on land, so we couldn't see the point in paying to do something we wouldn't enjoy.

 

It's interesting with the photographers - you can tell from the way they pose you whether they've worked out the relationship. We had one set of photo's done on Pacific Sun where we were posed facing off like gangsters - shaking hands, shoulders back, head up. Yet at another session on the same cruise we were posed, by different photographer, in much they same way as they posed my parents, as a couple, without any questions being asked.

[Jim in dallas]

Just a question...We are going on our first cruise and are a little concerned about how we will be treated since we are a gay couple and we are going on Liberty of the Seas in September.

Thanks for any help or suggestions..

Jason and Dwight

 

My partner and I have been on two "straight" cruises now... both Carnival. We've got a Rhine river cruise scheduled in April, and, we're talking with other friends about all of us going on another carribean cruise. We've never had any problems! And, while we aren't "in your face" about being gay, we certainly don't hide it either. We've always been treated well. IN fact, as you may know, you get your picture taken constantly on board a cruise ... and one time before dinner, one of the photographers even asked if we were "friends or a couple". We told him a couple, and he took extra time with us in posing us and it turned out to be one of the best photos ever done of us! We have it in a specical frame in the living room. Even the waiters at the dinner tables cued in on us and treated us great (knowing we liked to split a bottle of wine, and so on...). You wn't have any problems, I'm sure.

[pmanchuk]

Not that I'm a seasoned cruiser, but after my one (straight) cruise, I honestly believe it's a combination of how others treat the gay couples onboard AND how the gay couples treat/see themselves.

 

Here's my point (I think): I have never done a "gay" vacation of any sort because I never felt it was fair to myself to limit my options and also out of fear that it would be one HUGE party/orgy. With that in mind though, when traveling outside of the country, my partner and I usually try to book higher-end hotels where the staff usually (but not always) has more tact and discretion... places where I feel I won't be looked down upon or discriminated against.

 

So when it came time to book my first cruise, of course I wanted to go on the newest and biggest ship (the Freedom of the Seas) which I saw sail past my balcony every weekend (almost taunting me). Because I'm one of those people who sometimes just needs my space to get away from the big crowds, we agreed to book a large suite onboard. The thought behind it was also to serve as a bit of "refuge"... in the event that we ran into people who didn't care for our lifestyle, etc... at least I knew I had somewhere to relax in peace. Needless to say, the cruise went very well... we did not run into any blatant discrimination and no one ever said anything to us (of course we did choose to stay on the ship in Jamaica for obvious reasons).

 

The fact is that I found the trip to be very enjoyable BUT even without any blatant discrimination, I couldn't help but to think that the entire week, on some level, I was always worried about what someone might say... making sure the bf and I weren't too affectionate or too obvious. I know some will say that's the "price" of going on a ship that caters to main-stream America and families, but it's actually the reason I finally agreed to book an Atlantis cruise. While I'm not a HUGE partier until the wee-hours of the morning, I'm actually very much so looking forward to a trip where the bf and I can hold hands while sitting outside by the pool, or anything of that nature, if we want to without any fear whatsoever of being discriminated against or worse.

 

So my point (yup, I have one) is this, you have a 50/50 shot of going on a straight cruise and not hearing a single comment or receiving a single stare while you're there, or you might get one or two... it's really a toss up, but even in the best case scenario, it may ultimately be your own fears, worries, and concerns that cause you to be uncomfortable... always having to mind yourself and not draw attention to you and your other half. Of course some people will just say too bad, I'm going to be myself regardless of what the straight folk think or say... and more power to you if that's your style.

[NYCFOD]

My partner and I have been on several cruises and have never, ever experienced any issue's. The most I can say is this last cruise in July I caught the room steward the first afternoon and asked him to push the bed's together and he said together? I said yes together and he said the 2 of you, together and I said yes, together. He said ok after a small double take to process :-) My only small compaint is that I wish there was a check box somewhere on the form when you sign up so the Maitre 'D could get the dinner assignments better. We always end up with a large table of Mother/Adult Daughter's or single ladies cruising & looking for single guys. I'd rather be at a nice table with other married couples, straight or gay, as it's usually a bit awkward to have very little in common though in the end it usually works out. I do say if thats the only thing to complain about, life is good! So enjoy your cruise and enjoy the savings! We'd love to cruise on Olivia but it's nearly 3 times as much so we vacation several times a year on the mainstream cruises going when it's good for us, not when it's planned for everyone else.

 

Cruise lines can't ask you whether you belong to a minority group because that would run foul of anti-discrimination laws in many jurisdictions. I think they'd love to be able to make up dinner tables better. You can however give your dining and room setup preferences to your travel agent and maybe you'll luck out and get a table you like.

[maxamuus]

For my partner and I, it kind of came down to Atlantis inside cabin or mainline cruise in a balcony. We arent big public affection people anyway, so needless to say we will be enjoying our "affection" time on our balcony. :D

[Skyrules]

Cruise lines can't ask you whether you belong to a minority group because that would run foul of anti-discrimination laws in many jurisdictions. I think they'd love to be able to make up dinner tables better. You can however give your dining and room setup preferences to your travel agent and maybe you'll luck out and get a table you like.

 

 

I think they will sometimes have good idea of the nature of the relationship from the booking details they do collect.. Eg two mid 30s males (us an example) with different surnames, living at the same address, paying for the cruise in one payment, and booking a 2 berth cabin with queen configuration is a pretty good indication that we might be a same sex couple.

 

We travel quite extensively (land based holidays as well as cruises) and we've never experienced any problems with hotels etc... We nearlly always get queried 'Oh we have you as a double booking.. Is that right/OK' and never had any problem when we've said yes, that's fine.

 

NYCFOD I see you've travelled on Pacific Sky & Fair Princess, how did you enjoy your crusing down under?? Pacific Sky is my favourite cruise ship (hence my user id) and she was the first ship I cruised on.

[Skyrules]

So my point (yup, I have one) is this, you have a 50/50 shot of going on a straight cruise and not hearing a single comment or receiving a single stare while you're there, or you might get one or two... it's really a toss up, but even in the best case scenario, it may ultimately be your own fears, worries, and concerns that cause you to be uncomfortable... always having to mind yourself and not draw attention to you and your other half. Of course some people will just say too bad, I'm going to be myself regardless of what the straight folk think or say... and more power to you if that's your style.

 

 

You're so right.

 

My partner & I don't openly flaunt our relationship in public, but we also don't conceal it - if that makes sense? We tend to judge the environment we're in and behave accordingly.

[pmanchuk]

That's exactly my point (thanks for clarifying what I was very long winded about LOL). No matter where you go, ultimately it's a matter of judging for yourself and acting accordingly.

 

And come to think of it, I have no issue when the straight crowd "figures out" that we're a gay couple... but it still amazes me how naive some people can be when they ask me if I'm dining with my father ... hello?! 28 y/o 6'3" blond guy as pasty white as they come sitting to dinner with a 54 y/o 5'6" latin guy who's considerably more tan... yeah, sure... it definitely looks like we're from the same gene pool! LOL I guess some people are just more comfortable believing the unbelievable than accepting something for what it is!

[twodads]

my partner and I have been together 18 years we are 44 and 53 and have taken 5 straight cruises together and have taken our 10 year old daughter with us who we adopted at birth, and last year took our 2 older married children and their spouses, as a christmas gift to them along with us. we have never been treated any different than any other person onboard, lots people think we are brothers-lol- we kinda do look simalar, our table mates have all been great on all ships and even keep in touch with 1 or 2.

we did even make friends few years back with crew members from ireland, and keep in touch and even visit them time to time in other ports they might be in on our travels. we also have met lots of other gay men and women on trips onboard the ship, and had great times too. the staff has always been great and yes, they even had our beds together for us!

relax and have a great time:)

[English Jane]

You're so right.

 

My partner & I don't openly flaunt our relationship in public, but we also don't conceal it - if that makes sense? We tend to judge the environment we're in and behave accordingly.

 

My husband and I also don't openly flaunt our relationship in public, nor conceal it either - that's normality, isn't it? :D

Jane

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