How are Gay Couples treated on Straight cruises?

[aprill121]

I am so glad I found this board. Each year I get a group of my friends and family togther for a cruise. I am straight, but I finally convinced my aunt and her wife to join us. They would not cruise with us before for fear of being the only gay couple going. I tried to explain that every cruise I go on we hang with everyone, gay couples, swingers, nudists, whoever, and all of them were great people and a lot of fun. So I will tell them to take a look at this board and maybe it will ease thier worries a little.

[planeprincess]

You are just another couple on vacation. Have a great time and be yourselves.:)

[DCJohn81]

My husband and I will be officially "honeymooning" on the Celebrity Equinox out of Rome on June 6, 2011 - and I'm very happy after reading this thread. I was initially worried about our treatment, but after reading the positive comments on the board, I'm very happy we chose the so-called "straight" cruise.

 

I have friends who just came back from the Atlantis 20th anniversary cruise, and to be honest - I'd be more than happy to go on that cruise... if I were single. Now that I'm married and almost 30, I'm happy to enjoy my husband with a diverse crowd.

 

Thanks!

 

John from DC

[SgpMBL]

My husband and I will be officially "honeymooning" on the Celebrity Equinox out of Rome on June 6, 2011 - and I'm very happy after reading this thread. I was initially worried about our treatment, but after reading the positive comments on the board, I'm very happy we chose the so-called "straight" cruise.

 

I have friends who just came back from the Atlantis 20th anniversary cruise, and to be honest - I'd be more than happy to go on that cruise... if I were single. Now that I'm married and almost 30, I'm happy to enjoy my husband with a diverse crowd.

 

Thanks!

 

John from DC

 

John --

 

Congratulations to you and your husband. My husband and I are also from DC and did straight cruise for our honeymoon last year after DC allowed same-sex marriages. Rome was great and I hope you both enjoy it as much as we did.

 

Our honeymoon took us to a number of places along the Mediterranean last year (Gibraltar, Cagliary, Civitavecchia, Livorno (Pisa & Florence), Monaco, Barcelona, Naples, Messina, Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, and Alexandria) and we'd be happy to provide recommendations if you're interested.

 

Bryan

[SgpMBL]

My husband and I will be officially "honeymooning" on the Celebrity Equinox out of Rome on June 6, 2011 - and I'm very happy after reading this thread. I was initially worried about our treatment, but after reading the positive comments on the board, I'm very happy we chose the so-called "straight" cruise.

 

I have friends who just came back from the Atlantis 20th anniversary cruise, and to be honest - I'd be more than happy to go on that cruise... if I were single. Now that I'm married and almost 30, I'm happy to enjoy my husband with a diverse crowd.

 

Thanks!

 

John from DC

 

BTW -- Celebrity gave us a cake to celebrate our anniversary and invited us to the honeymoon/anniversary event when we made sure they knew through our travel agent. If you're interested in those, make sure to convey that you're on you're honeymoon to the cruise line through your travel agent.

[pke-atlanta]

John, I've enjoyed both straight and gay cruises (including the Allure trip you reference) - and have done all of them as a couple. We've been together almost 11 years in a committed, monogamous relationship. While we've always been treated perfectly fine on straight cruises, there is a different level of relaxation on a gay cruise that comes from not being in the minority for a change. I would encourage you and your husband not to write off gay cruises just because you're no longer single. They can be very nice vacation experiences for couples, too!

 

Enjoy your trip to Italy!

[DCJohn81]

John --

 

Congratulations to you and your husband. My husband and I are also from DC and did straight cruise for our honeymoon last year after DC allowed same-sex marriages. Rome was great and I hope you both enjoy it as much as we did.

 

Our honeymoon took us to a number of places along the Mediterranean last year (Gibraltar, Cagliary, Civitavecchia, Livorno (Pisa & Florence), Monaco, Barcelona, Naples, Messina, Athens, Kusadasi, Rhodes, and Alexandria) and we'd be happy to provide recommendations if you're interested.

 

Bryan

 

Thanks, Bryan! We were married in the District in November. Where do you live in DC? We're in Capitol Hill.

 

Our first trip post-wedding was to Machu Picchu/Cuzco/Lake Titicaca in Peru in January, which was awesome but exhausting. This cruise is going to be our "relax and enjoy it" honeymoon. HA!

 

We'll be departing from Rome, then headed to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Ephesus and Naples (not necessarily in that order). It will be my first cruise. We're starting off by staying in Rome for 4 nights, then embarking on the cruise. I'm actually looking for something interesting to do the day our cruise embarks. I've heard there's not much to Civitavecchia, so we're planning on touring Ostia Antica in the morning/afternoon before heading to board the ship. Any suggestions? Are there any other interesting sites near Civitavecchia to visit immediately before boarding the ship around 4pm?

 

Thanks!

[johhnnyt]

My experience on cruise ships has always been 100% positive into same sex couples on board. I think in a way they have to set the bar higher than most communities or vacation spots, and here's why. You look at the crew on a cruise ship and its truly a mixed bag. I think last cruise we were on we counted over 70 nationalities on board. I think when you open the door to ANY type of discrimination in that environment, you court disaster and cruise ships realize that.

Case in point, 2003 I think we were on the Celebrity Millenium on a str8 cruise. Two guys dancing nicely in one of the lounges. Some drunk red neck guy makes a comment quietly but still loud enough for people to hear that two guys shouldn't be dancing together.

One of the ships officers walks over to the guy that made the remarks, and says quietly but still loud enough for people to hear that if he ever hears him insult another passenger again he will be left in the next port. Guy apologized says he didn't mean it. Officer again repeats to him what he told him about being left in the next port, and says he DOES mean it as the ship has a zero tolerance policy towards discrimination.

It was done professionally and correctly, and the image will always be in my head, been cruising Celebrity ever since

[SgpMBL]

Thanks, Bryan! We were married in the District in November. Where do you live in DC? We're in Capitol Hill.

 

Our first trip post-wedding was to Machu Picchu/Cuzco/Lake Titicaca in Peru in January, which was awesome but exhausting. This cruise is going to be our "relax and enjoy it" honeymoon. HA!

 

We'll be departing from Rome, then headed to Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Istanbul, Ephesus and Naples (not necessarily in that order). It will be my first cruise. We're starting off by staying in Rome for 4 nights, then embarking on the cruise. I'm actually looking for something interesting to do the day our cruise embarks. I've heard there's not much to Civitavecchia, so we're planning on touring Ostia Antica in the morning/afternoon before heading to board the ship. Any suggestions? Are there any other interesting sites near Civitavecchia to visit immediately before boarding the ship around 4pm?

 

Thanks!

 

We live in the Van Ness-UDC area (just three metro stops north of Dupont on the red line). Peru sounds amazing -- my husband was in Peru for a summer and speaks glowingly about it. We'll likely go there at some point in the next few years.

 

As for Rome, we didn't get to go to Ostia Antica (we focused on the major sites in the city), but from what I've read, it is a great place to visit with the ruins of Rome's old port. There is also a beach in Ostia, so if you're looking for relaxation, that may be another good option.

 

One recommendation though is to go onboard the ship. There are generally already activities going on after 1PM with contests and raffles for prizes such as spa treatments, champagne, et al. It's also nice to get to explore, relax by the pool or nap in the stateroom (as there will be plenty going on that night).

[DCJohn81]

As for Rome, we didn't get to go to Ostia Antica (we focused on the major sites in the city), but from what I've read, it is a great place to visit with the ruins of Rome's old port. There is also a beach in Ostia, so if you're looking for relaxation, that may be another good option.

 

One recommendation though is to go onboard the ship. There are generally already activities going on after 1PM with contests and raffles for prizes such as spa treatments, champagne, et al. It's also nice to get to explore, relax by the pool or nap in the stateroom (as there will be plenty going on that night).

 

Ah, great suggestion. Yes, we'll be doing all the main Rome sites in the days prior, so we figured we'd explore a little outside of Rome the morning of the embarkation. But we didn't realize we could board that soon. We'll probably do Ostia in the morning, then make the trip to the ship.

[MiamiSpartan]

We have had amazing times on all of our non-chartered cruises.....!

We've met some great people as well....

We even had a great time on an HAL trip with two born-again Christian couples!

They were very accepting, and we ended up hanging out with them for parts of the trip...

The only time we had less than great reaction was on the one trip we took out of Port Canavaral, which seemed to have mostly people from the small towns in the midwest....

There were 35 of us in our group (celebrating milestone birthdays) and a few people complained that we shouldn't be flaunting "our lifetyle".....we are a pretty lo key bunch, so we get a kick out of that....

:p

[fionan]

Wow, this thread has been going since 2007! I've just read it through from the start, and thank you to whoever bumped it up. So much to think about. I've been left with a couple of thoughts/questions:

 

PDA1: Public display of affection: holding hands, that special smile, quick kiss: totally appropriate, whatever the venue, especially if you've been married for 25 years like me and BB (Beloved Butch).

 

PDA2: Public display of amourousness (SP?) Get a room! no-one wants to see your tongues (or worse) - gay or straight, whatever the venue.

 

Secondly - gay cruises vs regular sailings. They aren't always more expensive. I've done one and booked one coming up on Olivia on a smaller ship (Antarctica and Alaska) where Olivia was slightly cheaper than the cruise companies' websites. And I absolutely love the atmosphere and re-connecting with previous travel companions on their larger ships.

 

Thirdly - a question. If I cruised on my own (because BB can't get the time off work) on a long Pacific cruise - any recommendations for which line?

[marigail]

Thank you for all of your posts. We are leaving on a Princess cruise in two weeks. We've taken MANY cruises and never connected with other gay couples. We shall check out the FOD--this board has given me the courage to do that. I had to smile at the comment about being nervous about asking the steward to put the beds together---I labored over that for weeks before our first cruise. We also never have done any of the "couples" things---dancing, etc., because we were concerned about comments or "looks." Thanks so much!

[dzinerguy6]

We have cruised at least 10 times and have never had a problem. We have cruised with freinds and family and once just us on the GRand Princess. We are looking forward to our RCCL Oasis of the Seas cruise in August.

[newcomm]

Dear Lord, this string has been going on for almost four years? Great!

 

The most awkward moment we had cruising was on a 14-day Alaska cruise on Pacific Princess. We went to our assigned table, and found that were were seated with two midwest Baptists and a young Mormon couple from the northwest. At first we were (quietly) terrified, but by the end of dinner we were all getting along famously! Best table we've ever had on a cruise. My partner and I learned a big lesson about pre-judging straight or religious folks. The stereotypes we dump on them are sometimes just as silly as what others dump on us.

 

After two weeks dining together, we were all sad to say goodbye. In our own way, each of us (all six) had done a bit of "ambassadorship" to the "other side."

 

I think cruisers are generally more well-traveled and open-minded than the population as a whole.

[shepp]

The most awkward moment we had cruising was on a 14-day Alaska cruise on Pacific Princess. We went to our assigned table, and found that were were seated with two midwest Baptists and a young Mormon couple from the northwest. At first we were (quietly) terrified, but by the end of dinner we were all getting along famously! Best table we've ever had on a cruise. My partner and I learned a big lesson about pre-judging straight or religious folks.

 

Yeah, well...when I was in SLC, I met some very nice Mormons. But that doesn't change the fact that the church that holds Eternal Authority over them - on pain of excommunication - has been a leader in campaigning against the rights of LGBT people. I wonder if those nice folks dared to defy

the church's "suggestion" to contribute to Prop 8. I don't think its "prejudicial" to have a problem with people, no matter how sweet, supporting a flagrantly anti-gay organization.

 

Which is, of course, a really good reason not to discuss religion or politics with your tablemates.

[vulcan1971]

We have had amazing times on all of our non-chartered cruises.....!

We've met some great people as well....

We even had a great time on an HAL trip with two born-again Christian couples!

They were very accepting, and we ended up hanging out with them for parts of the trip...

The only time we had less than great reaction was on the one trip we took out of Port Canavaral, which seemed to have mostly people from the small towns in the midwest....

There were 35 of us in our group (celebrating milestone birthdays) and a few people complained that we shouldn't be flaunting "our lifetyle".....we are a pretty lo key bunch, so we get a kick out of that....

:p

 

I couldn't agree with more with the person in quotes above me. I have read a number of his postings as I have moved through different threads and board areas.

 

I met my partner on a gay cruise 5 years ago. I didn't expect it would go anywhere at first, but by the time we left the ship we were hopelessly smitten for each other. Now, here it is 5 years later and we are celebrating a 5 year milestone anniversary on a mainstream (straight) cruise.

 

We pick these cruises based on destinations, cruise lines, quality, and price does figure into that equation. I have met equally nice couples that were straight and gay on these cruises. My partner and I are not "in your face" types and don't have anything to prove.

 

Now that I am more informed on how this board works and have found some great resources to use for the planning of future cruises, I look forward to more trips and also to keep in touch with those people I have communicated in on here or may one day sail with.

[Harry Cane]

Reading this thread and having just come off a cruise, it's amazing how much things have changed in the last few years. While I've never really had a negative experience on a 'straight' cruise, this last time just seemed almost over the top positive (if that's possible).

 

We had anytime dining, so we didn't have a regular table, but on two separate occasions, straight couples started conversations with us across several empty tables. One night having a pre-dinner cocktail, two cute girls struck up a conversation with us and we became best buds. They were traveling with their husbands, kids and in-laws and decided to have a girls' night out. In both cases I was I was struck by their question of how long we've been together and how we met. Just very matter of factly. I started to wonder if we were that obvious but decided they were just very aware (LOL).

 

The kicker came the last night. My partner and I were walking down the hallway having a funny argument and I put my hand on his back. The young lady walking behind us caught up with us at the elevator and said--get this--'oh, wow, I feel like I'm on Modern Family. This is so cool.' and chatted up a storm.

[Schplinky]

 

The kicker came the last night. My partner and I were walking down the hallway having a funny argument and I put my hand on his back. The young lady walking behind us caught up with us at the elevator and said--get this--'oh, wow, I feel like I'm on Modern Family. This is so cool.' and chatted up a storm.

 

That's a hoot!

[jamessemaj]

I know there are gay cruises. There are singles on the prowl straight cruises. But the vast majority of cruises are simply everybody cruises. On those, there are all kinds, but only the extreme bores who everybody avoids would cause others to be uncomfortable. No need for worry.

[jamessemaj]

Just a minor expansion to my comment above..."only the extreme bores, gay or straight..."

[Volunton]

My partner and I (males) and our then nine-month-old twins (boy and girl) sailed on the NCL Pearl in March 2009. They were a 'hit', mainly because they were/are SO DARNED CUTE! :)

 

But seriously, we had no issues whatsoever. In fact, we're sailing on the RCCL Allure on Nov. 13/11 (well, as soon as we make the arrangements) along with our good friends (another male couple) and their three little girls.

 

I've heard NOTHING BUT GOOD about the ship, so I'm sure I'll have a lot to say when I do my post-cruise review in late November 2011. :)

[txflyer]

OK, last OT post for me for a while...I'm off on the Island Princess, where I will not discuss Prop. 8 with my tablemates, not unless they bring up the subject first. :)

 

Have fun and forget this stuff. We have Coral booked for September but have never been on either of the Coral/Island sisters so let me know how it is. --jack

[HNI]

To return to the original question of this thread it is quite obvious gays have nothing to fear as posted by numerous others. It is surprising the amount of animosity by some to non gays who do not agree with their views. Let us continue to be civil with those whom we disagree. I look forward to meeting some of the contributors on cruises. Let us all remember: "Do not criticize the splinter in our brother's eye, while ignoring the plank in ours."

[Host Tyler]

There are literally thousands of webistes that discuss/debate these issues. Cruise Critic is not one of those sites.

 

Stay on topic.