Vivere LaDolceVita
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Posts posted by Vivere LaDolceVita
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And does anyone have any recommendations for a gay-friendly hotel?
Again, we didn't specifically look for a gay-friendly hotel, but found ours was just fine. We stayed at the Boscolo Exedra on Piazza della Repubblica. It was amazing but pricey -- we got a great rate thanks to a happy mix-up on Expedia's part, and it really set a nice tone for the start of our trip. Other commenters have suggested Hotel Barocco near the Spanish steps. I've checked it out on tripadvisor and it has stellar reviews. Think we'll be staying there next year.
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Last time I was in Rome was in 2007, but I'm scheduled to return next year for a Celebrity cruise. I can tell you that in 2007, I was there on my honeymoon and found that the city in general was very laid back and accepting. We had some difficulty finding gay bars/clubs as our guide books appeared to be out of date. But I suspect by now, finding up to date info is much easier, not least because of the advent of the iphone and the ability to search for businesses in your area via internet/GPS.
With the exception of 1 bar, we never went anywhere just b/c it was gay. Despite that we never got a sideways look, from waitstaff, hoteliers, etc., even with our open affection.
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As for the whole. Lots of gay people on board all I can say is nit on my ship. I met 6 gay guys in a week. 2 couples, nice friendly but have their own plans and we're happy to say hi and a drink then do there own thing. Which is cool but.... 1 guy who I had a meal with, nice guy but had his own plans. Final guy was part of a group who basically we're not inclusive of any new people. Little private clique.
The main thing I noticed was the solo lounge co coordinator met and set up dinners etc at 5 daily. The solo lounge was mostly women in their 50+'s, very nice but not really what I was after. So I could opt for the plans made with the solo group, or wait until 7.30 when the LGBT gathering in a bar happens, hoping that a friend could be made there. Most of the time these gatherings were so vague you needed to put up a sign and say I'm gay. The chosen bar was part of a thoroughfare so all sorts dropped by for a martini. No staff supervised the gathering so no help co-ordinating.
I attended most of the parties onboard and found them very much the same ever time. Same music, same venues, same people, same staff trying to upswell you.
2.To be sure of a fun gay ole time I will only go on a gay cruise or with a group of gays on a cruise. From what I saw and experienced most people were too busy with their own friends /partners to make new ones.
3. Sadly after a lot of questions and research I found most of the time I was alone , making my own fun as best I could. Evening parties most people ignored you. Maybe if I wasn't 45 average build and 5'7 that would be different but ....
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Sorry to hear your 1st experience was not so great. You were brave to put yourself out there and I hope this doesn't turn you off cruising in the future. I definitely would recommend going with PP next time or a similar charter. I had 2 friends who were solo (no friend/bf sharing the cabin) on my last cruise with PP on the Celebrity Silhouette, and they had a blast. It helped that they had friends on board but they each met new friends on the ship.
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Rick, you're not in Tucson anymore. :D Just find a good restaurant. It will be plenty gay. ;)
Wise advice. Go for the food and service; there will be plenty of queens around. I live in the heart of the theater district (HK) and some of my favorites are:
Maria Pia on 51st b/w 8/9 Aves. -- Italian
Viv - 9th Ave b/w 48/49 -- Thai
Becco - 46th b/w 8/9 -- Italian
Pio Pio - 10th Ave. b/w 44/45 -- Peruvian
Medi - 9th Ave b/w 52/53 -- Mediterranean
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There is a restaurant where the servers are Drag Queens on the Upper East Side called Lips, http://www.lipsnyc.com/
It's a fun show but the food is God-awful.
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My partner and I will be on the Equinox, sailing from Rome to BCN -- sail away exactly 1 year from today! Going with a group of 6 friends. Can't wait!! :D
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We booked regular veranda on Reflection last year and when the price dropped after final payment, the difference between our current cabin and Aqua was about $35, so we upgraded and were very happy with the switch. No problem at all with paying to upgrade, and plan/hope to do the same thing this year on our sailing on Infinity in October. Currently in Concierge and hoping Aqua drops to within range of our current reservation price. (Unfortunately, so far, it's gone up.) :rolleyes:
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It probably wouldn't be worth it to upgrade solely for wine, since, as someone already noted, there's not a whole lot of difference in the selection available under the premium package that isn't available under the classic. And neither selection is all that great. If you're a big wine person, just stick with the classic and pay for special wines/order your preferred bottles separately.
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I think it may come down to a matter of perspective. On my 1st cruise on =X= in 1999, I remember thinking the food was amazing. However, I was also 19 and at the time, my taste buds were constantly being assaulted by borderline poisonous college cafeteria food. On my next cruise, for my honeymoon on RCI, I thought the food was good but nowhere near the level of =X=. Although, by that point, I had already been living in New York for several years and as my then-husband was a pharma sales rep who often took me out with his clients, I was used to dining in some pretty swank places. My next/last cruise on RCI was in 2013 and I got the distinct impression that the food had actually improved in the intervening years, while on my next =X= cruise later that same year, I thought the food had declined. However, on my most recent =X= cruise, I was surprised at the high quality of the food in the MDR and BLU.
So, in short, I think a lot has to do with changing/evolving expectations and perspectives. My general feeling is that food quality is very good on both RCI and =X=, with =X= having a slight edge (as it should, since it styles itself as being in the "premium" market). I very much doubt you would be disappointed in either experience, so long as you go with the right mindset and relax. :)
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Hi Teabag : Have you sailed reflection? The only reason I am asking is I have sailed Reflection twice and looking to try something different. Would the Silhouette be my next logical choice? I know this can be subject. Just looking for feedback
Thanks Dennis
We sailed on Reflection in Nov 2013 and Silhouette in Nov 2014. They're sister ships and honestly, there is very little difference. Molecular bar is smaller on Silhouette. There are other minor differences, which, IMO, make Reflection a slight improvement over Silhouette. Bottom line, if you enjoyed Reflection, you should enjoy Silhouette.
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I sailed your same itinerary. I was on the Western itinerary Nov 30.
I booked last year and found my itinerary as booked then:
- COZ 7am to 4pm
- Grand Cayman 10 am to 6pm
- Falmouth 8am to 5pm
- Labadee 10am to 5pm
Actual was:
- COZ 7am to 3:30 pm (30 min early departure)
- Grand Cayman 11am to 6 pm (1 hour late arrival)
- Falmouth 8am to 4 pm (1 hour early departure)
- Labadee 11:30 to 6pm (1.5 hours late arrival, 1 added hour departure, net 30 minutes shortened)
So in summary:
- COZ 30 minutes lost
- Grand Cayman 1 hour lost
- Falmouth 1 hour lost
- Labadee 30 minutes lost
Total of 3 hours lost over 4 ports of call. If only airlines were so good at their timing!
I think in Grand Cayman, as with any tendered port, anyone doing self-excursioning needs to assume a several hour delay on arrival. I was in a suite, so we got a tender before they even announced tenders, were on the tender at 11:45 (also allow time to set anchor etc, 11 am arrival does not mean 11 am disembarkation).
Grand Cayman was an absolute nightmare. We decided not to drive ourselves crazy by queuing up and trying to get off as early as possible, ended up getting a ticket for group #41 and after 2 hours of drinking by the pool (thank God we had the bev package) finally tendered at about 1:45 p.m. Took a taxi and got to the beach at about 2:30. Since all aboard was at 5:30 and it took 20 mins to get to the port, we had about 2 hours total at the beach. Kind of sucked because the following day in Jamaica was totally overcast. (In fact this was the 1st cruise where I didn't come back with a deep tan.) We made the best of it but what a waste of a port day!
- COZ 7am to 4pm
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Hi all, we're a gay couple (one is Aussie, one German, both in our 30ies) and will go on our first cruise ever on RCI's Allure of the Seas in September. I've seen some reports here and there about single staff members who act discriminating or outright homophobe towards gay couples- is this something we need to fear?
It depends on the line and itinerary. Never had a problem on RCI or Celebrity on 5 or 7-day itineraries. Went on a 4-day Spring Break cruise on NCL to the Bahamas last March where we confronted a lot of ignorant people. In retrospect, we should have expected it, given the timeframe and destination. Lesson learned. Here's my review of the experience for a cautionary tale: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2009337
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Atlantis owns RSVP and I don't think there is a huge difference in prices for similar cruises. Atlantis has a lot more cruises and has a larger client base with higher demand so I assume they can charge more (supply and demand).
Just to get an idea of how they compare I looked at the Atlantis cruise Feb 1-8 on Celebrity's Silhouette and RSVP cruise Feb 8-18 on the Regal Princess. Now the ships of course are different so same-to-same comparisons aren't possible there are different categories withing a class but here are two classes of cabins compared:
Interior cabins
Atlantis: $949 - $1,049
RSVP: $899 - $1,099
Balcony
Atlantis: $1,299 - $2,049
RSVP: $1,249 - $1,599
Pied Piper doesn't do charters but group cruises and I believe there rates are the same as the cruiseline's. Other groups - like Ru Paul's Drag group cruise - most likely charge more since they bring on their own entertainment.
We live in Brooklyn.
I know I have often seen the price of Atlantis anywhere from 50% to 200% greater than a regular booking. For example, I paid 1149 for the A2 cabin on the PP PT on Silhouette. The 2/1 Atlantis cruise on Silhouette in A2 is 1899 (over a 60% increase). Yes, itineraries are different (actually fewer POC on the Atlantis), and dates are not identical (but regular cruise fares on Silhouette in late January are very similar to Nov/Dec, give or take $50).
So I still maintain that Atlantis comes at a significant premium, especially if you take into account the fact that unlimited drink packages are unavailable (and, like me, you make good use of that perk).
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I actually priced our last RSVP cruise on the MSC Divina to the sailings before and after our charter in February (same itinerary) and the price for the cabin was not all that much more. And you get a helluva lot more than you would on a regular cruise.
Our balcony on RSVP on the Regal Princess in February 2015 will cost $1.439 per person while the week before and after on the usual (boring) itinerary of St. Tomas and St Maarten will cost $1.049. We will be going to Cozumel and Grand Cayman instead. :)
Oh, and I live in New York too. ;)
I was actually referring to the Atlantis cruises -- should have been more specific. I have no experience with booking/shopping for RSVP or other gay charters (other than PP).
Where in NY? I'm in Hell's Kitchen. :)
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The only drawback to an all-gay cruise is that they are more expensive.
Agree, and shocked that you're the 1st person to mention this on this thread! They're not merely more expensive; they're something on the order of twice as expensive, or more, than the same itinerary on the same line for a non-charter cruise. I just can't justify spending $3K on a room I'd pay $1200 for on a "regular" cruise. Then again, I live in Manhattan and have access to gay nightlife 24/7 so maybe i'm just a little blasé about it and maybe it serves a need for those from the middle of the country. In any event, it's not something I'd consider doing at the current price point.
I don't think the drug dogs sniff luggage during embarkation but I would be surprised if they don't on the return.Have to disagree here. They most certainly do have drug-sniffing dogs at embarkation and local police present to arrest pax attempting to carry on drugs. I know from the experience of a friend whose roommate on an Atlantis cruise leaving MIA a few years ago was arrested at embarkation. So tread carefully. I'd recommend leaving anything recreational at home.
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Any idea when RCI will publish the itineraries for Quantum OTS after it is finally repositioned in June 2015? Interested in booking an Asia itinerary on Quantum but nothing on the RCI website so far, and not even any pricing on the final leg of the repositioning in June. :confused:
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I've only had 1 problem -- on my 2nd cruise, on RCCL's Splendour OTS in 2007. It was my honeymoon cruise and I went to Guest Relations to clear up a mistake on our bill. When I told the employee (Italian, if I recall correctly) that my husband and I had an issue, she looked perplexed and said, "your...what?" I said, "my husband." She still looked puzzled, then laughed nervously, and then told me she had serious customer issues to deal with (implying that I was a stupid American kid playing a prank on her?). Instead of a full on confrontation, I opted just to return later on and get the issue sorted. But it stands out to this day as the one negative experience I've ever had on RCCL. For the most part, RCCL (and by extension, Celebrity) has been a very welcoming atmosphere for us.
My last cruise in March 2014 on NCL Sky was a different story altogether. There were at least 2 instances of outright homophobia (slurs, taunts directed at my group of friends) by fellow pax. But I attribute this more to the nature and timing of the cruise (a 4-night bahamas/spring break party cruise) than to NCL itself.
In general, I think you have nothing to fear, particularly on Allure, where you'll undoubtedly be 2 among literally hundreds of other gay pax.
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Sailed on Reflection last year, sailing on Silhouette this year. Some of my highlights:
- Molecular Bar: went there EVERY night for a couple aperitifs before dinner or shows -- the drinks are AMAZING!
- Cabins (we stayed/are staying in Aqua): roomy, tastefully appointed; showers are luxurious; bath products are excellent; beds are very comfy.
- Aqua Spa: heat beds, turkish hamam.
- BLU
- The ship itself, from bow to stern, is gorgeous.
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That's exactly why we are getting off the ship in Montego Bay. This will be our first and only time to visit Jamaica. We want to see the island while we are there.;)
When we stopped in Falmouth last year, we took a shuttle to Montego Bay. Really nothing to see there; nice beach, nothing spectacular, and a margaritaville on the end of a run-down commercial strip. I think this time we will try to do the Dunns River Falls excursion.
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No, that's not it at all...I'm probably going to get off the ship and hit the beach at least!
But I don't want to feel like a rotten person because other people disapprove. I live in a studio apt in Boston where the number of beach days is cut by three seasons...If I go on a tropical vacation I want to make the most of the sun and sand.
If I choose to hit the beach in Haiti, I will do so without guilt or shame.
I wasn't suggesting that you shouldn't, only that I would probably not do the same for the reasons I listed. As with any port, different people will experience things differently.
And of course, I've already seen Labadee, so I'm not passing anything up. If I had never been, I would probably want to get off and explore too, despite the issues.
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Right. I think I actually have to unsubscribe from this thread! This cruise is, for me, a real luxury...it's costing me every penny I have. It's a ridiculous waste of my funds and it's really quite frivolous.
My avocation is to make the world a better place. But, for one week out of the year I don't want to know about a fence or to imagine what's beyond it. My life isn't hellish...but I'm exhausted. I serve people everyday and look forward to one week of not caring about the state of the world beyond the next buffet. I have 51 other weeks of the year to worry about fences and poverty. Of course I probably sound like an 'ugly american'...I'm not, but the last thing I need is my one real luxury weighted by guilt.
That's exactly why I intend to stay on the ship. The country will still get your port fees (although who knows whose pockets they will fill). Assuming you don't plan to buy anything in the market (artwork, souvenirs), there is no good reason to disembark. The beach is nice but no better or worse than at any other major caribbean port. You can see the lush, green, rolling hills and shoreline from the ship. And if you get curious about the locals, they sometimes have local musicians and dancers performing on the dock next to the ship for tips. You can look from deck or walk just off the gangway to check it out.
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Ah that is really sad then, I have not been to Labadee but from what I read about it from others was that it was so closed off from the rest of the Island you would not be able to see the fence or anyone else on the other side for that matter, obviously those people that said that in their posts really were not paying attention at all then.
I'm glad you have had the chance to visit already once, and Yes the poverty is beyond horrible. I don't think I would be able to be in vacation mode and be eating at the lunch buffet either then if I could see the locals on the other side of the fence watching. That is really sad :( Thank you for informing me about this as I had absolutely no idea at all that the area was laid out like that. I have been reading reviews for a while now from people that have gone to Labadee and go there a lot and nobody ever mentioned that the local people were standing there staring at you from the other side of the fence.
As sad as it is to say, I imagine that for some people, poor, starving folks do not even register for them. They are too wrapped up in themselves and their vacationing to notice the world around them. It's also possible that if you were only looking towards the beach and did not look up the hill beyond the barbed wire fence, they could escape your attention. But I tend to think most people just didn't want to acknowledge the situation. Very sad.
I absolutely believe in supporting the poor in our own country and abroad, and do a good deal of charity work at home. But on vacation, it's tough to enjoy yourself if you're confronted with such misery. It just feels wrong and insensitive to put a cruise port in the middle of an island where just feet away, the govt cannot provide basic infrastructure and support for its own people.
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Actually there won't be people looking at you through a barbed wire fence 20 feet away. The section in Labadee that is closed off from the rest of the Island of Haiti is a huge section and the fence is not even visable at all, nor would the average person know that they are cut off from the rest of Haiti. It is at a very remote tip of the Island and the only Haitians that will be anywhere remotely near the area are the ones that work there and maybe their children will be with them in the market area.
Your connection to Haiti in general notwithstanding, you're wrong. I was there just last year on Liberty OTS. And there absolutely were people standing on the other side of the barbed wire fence next to where the lunch buffet was set up, rubbing their stomachs and motioning to the food.
Let me be clear: none of these people bothered me or harassed me at all. Every Haitian I came across (including the local artists) seemed very nice. Incidentally, not that it matters, but my best friend is Haitian, from a prominent family in Petionville and his family built Labadee. And the poverty is palpable, even there. It's very sad, and I feel real empathy for their situation. I just don't necessarily want to be overcome with it while on vacation. :(
P.S.: My avatar was taken in Labadee!
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I've been scouring the Celebrity website excursion pages...I just want to do everything. I really hadn't cared about Jamaicans and their apparent hatred of the most fabulous people. I've grown up with Americans who hated me because of my being gay...no worries if some stranger on an island hates me. Right? But, with SO much being said about their awful behavior, skipping Jamaica sounds like a good idea.
Besides, I thought of all the gay people who are probably going to stay on the ship...and, well, doesn't that just sound fantastic? A ship full of gay people? So, I'm going to treat Jamaica as a Sea Day and work on making the most of my beverage package. :eek:
I'll be doing the same in Labadee. Absolutely no reason to get off the ship. Unless you like dining at an all you can eat buffet while starving people stare at you through the barbed wire fence 20 feet away. :(
LGBTQ in Rome
in LGBTQIA+ Cruisers
Posted
You're welcome. No, I wouldn't worry. I never consider that a high priority in Western countries. I'd rather focus on getting the best/most authentic experience, rather than simply the "gayest" one. In places like some corners of South America or Asia/Africa, I would definitely seek a gay-friendly place out, but you're good to go in most of Europe. :)