Adventure_Seeker_Sean
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Posts posted by Adventure_Seeker_Sean
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Hello Forrest!
I remember being so excited for my own first Atlantis Cruise. It’s been 5 years since then, and every year I go on this cruise. If the cruise falls into Halloween, there will be a Halloween haunted house and a Halloween Party. When the yearly Mexican Riviera cruise is “close” to Halloween but not hitting Halloween, there will not be a specific party celebrating Halloween. ...as another peer mentioned, there WILL be other themed parties every single night. Yes, the themes change every year, but some stay similar. We haven’t had the cruise fall on Halloween in 2 or 3 years. Last time they made the auditorium a haunted house and Atlantis staff would jump out at you from behind curtains and in hallways. Throwing candy at you, and tea bags. There were about 5 guests that had Kim Davis costumes and she “escaped” . They would take you on a trick or treating through rooms with mad scientist scenes and what not. It was so much fun. .....Rich (owner of Atlantis) tries to get the ship booked on Halloween, but lately he’s gotten such a good deal on the ship for “close to” the holiday that he just can’t say no.
Keep in mind this is a yearly annual cruise, and it leaves from either San Diego or LA. The repeat crowd year to year on this cruise is upwards of 66%. Meaning only 30ish percent are new guests. I’m from the midwest but most people that attend are from California. Peoples attitudes are different depending on where the cruise leaves from. This is from the West Coast. If we left from the East Coast, you’d notice a difference.
It is no exaggeration that you will see every shape, size, and fetish represented. About 20 women are on board whom are guests/non-staff. Everyone is usually friendly. At night time, the highest deck on the ship is set up for people to have anonymous pleasures. It is known as “The Dick Deck” or “Deck 13”. It doesn’t literally have to be on the 13th floor, it is just a code phrase for something that “doesn’t officially exist”.
Again, party themes do change but the solid ones remain yearly. You’ll get the finalized list 3 weeks ahead IF ATLANTIS IS ON TIME. they often are not. They are often disorganized on the office end.
-Dog Tag Tea Dance (you’ll want some military looking accents or clothes here).
-Glow (there’s always a light up or glow bright party...glow sticks, light up shoes, whatever. You get creative).
-Throw back (I’m talking 80’s, 90’s, fashions from such eras.)
-Wet party is usually on the last port day (water pistols, floaties,)
Ports of Call
Cabo - This is a fun area, you can shop the Paridiso Mall or do an excursion or eat authentic food on a side restaurants by the boats. Since I’ve been on this cruise many times, I just book ($4) a water taxi to get to Medano Beach and swim in the ocean. We don’t have much time in Cabo, if you do an excursion, you’ll only have time for one.
PV - Puerto Vallarta is the GRAND DADDY of them all on the port of call list. The GAYS go crazy in PV, and we are there the longest. From the time we dock, you have enough time to go shopping in the Walmart across the street. There will be a bee line of gays trying to claim space at “Blue Chairs” a resort where you sit in blue chairs on the beach and drink and watch the rest of the sexy gays play in the water. Blue Chairs will be full, and then you can get green chairs. Not as good of a view.
You can also go to the day resort next door, called “Manta Mar”. As long as you order food there, you can use their pools and services or rent a cabana. Blue Chairs and Manta Mar will be fully staffed and waiting for Atlantis to get off the ship. Sometimes there are dance contests and fun things, think “spring break” but for gays.
You can also go to the bath house during the day. At night time, the gays pile high to get to “Wet Dreams” or “Anthropologie” ....gay men only clubs where you can get private dances or see men showering behind a glass enclosure. That brings us to midnight. At about midnight, you will want to catch a cab to ensure you can get back to the ship by 2am. You don’t want to walk all the way to the pier.
**Update: Right next to Walmart is a mall. It’s kind of neat. There is a cinema there if taking in a Spanish speaking movie is your thing. There’s a BK, and a Starbucks in the food court if you need a fix. You will see an anchor store called “Liverpool” and it is a sort of Mexico style Macy’s.
Mazatlan - this is my least favorite port and it is the scariest. The cruise ship pulls in and there are a bunch of metal shipping cartons. Very industrial port. You have to be moved by trolly to the Visitors Center where you may then go into town. To be honest, I don’t give Mazatlan a fair shake. The architecture is so beautiful there. When you walk into town, follow the BLUE line. This is for your safety and navigation. You’ll find many markets in Mazatlan. These days, I go there with my friends when we get to port and we just walk around, before going to a local place for some margaritas and apps. Then we go back to the ship.
This year, I’m going to go snorkeling in Deer Island, which is supposed to be great. I haven’t done so before.
Atlantis does give each guest a gift. It is an Atlantis branded gym bag, and it will be waiting for you on your bed the night before the first port of call. You can use it as your beach bag or put your trinkets in there from town.
Get to LA at least one day before the cruise to make sure you have enough time to get to port if you’re not from LA. With air travel and systems, things can sometimes get delayed.
There is something for EVERYONE at Atlantis.
There’s two major programs happening at all times.
1. The party cruise EDM line
2. The program line (shows, bingo, concerts, events)
There is always one major headliner on the cruise.
2015 - Wayne Brady
2016 - Billy Porter
2017 - Titus Burgess
2018 - Kathy Griffin
2019 - ?
They do not release the name of the headliner until you’re on the cruise. Kathy Griffin, Vanessa Williams, Patti LuPone, Cynthia Erivo, have all been recent past guests.
Clacky fans are sold in the gift shop. Bring or plan to spend 25-30 bucks if you buy a new one.
Be on time for muster drill at your muster station. If you’re not checked on the list, they’ll kick you off or make you do it over before letting out to port. Good luck young man. I hope to meet you on board!
Xo,
sean
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Hey hey! I look forward to seeing all you all onboard.
However, you got the ship wrong if you're referring to the NCL Atlantis Cruise(?) leaving on the 14th. But I know there's several gay cruises leaving on that weekend so maybe you're on a straight cruise?
I'll be onboard the NCL Pearl w/ Atlantis Events. Pearl is one of the most chartered ships in the industry. The "Groove Cruise" party people will be disembarking only to have us party people get on. :cool:
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At the end of the day, I agree, it is misleading that Vacaya is advertising this as a PTown Carnival cruise, but not false. It implies that the guests would at least be in the middle of the height of the action of Carnival.
I do hope that they are successful as a company. Atlantis Events/RSVP needs to have a valid competitor in the industry. At least an alternative full ship charter company, as the office end at Atlantis is disorganized and well-known for it. Give them a run for their money @Vacaya! :cool:
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That is not my understanding: there parade was expected to be on the 15th when Vacaya chartered the ship. Vacaya launched the beginning of May and they must have arranged the ship charter and dates sometime before that. The organizers then decided to make changes to Carnival - making it 10 days rather than a week.
How many cruise ships have called on P'town previously that it would draw negative reactions from many locals?
I know you're question wasn't for me, Peter, but I just did a quick google search and apparently there is indeed some resistance from locals regarding the influx of cruise ships. You'll also find harbor master information and details of fees raising from the increase of ships.
"Cruise ships boosting Provincetown economy — for better or worse" by Katy Ward
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Thank you. We care going with a straight couple but just wasnt sure how accepting it would be.
You pay a lot of money to go on vacation just as anyone else on this ship will have done. I would enjoy ourselves no matter what.
So, you'll probably get the occasional reaction from the closed minded. But luckily it is 2018 and you need no one else's approval. Now go have a great time! And remember for those that don't accept you, others do!
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The ship arrives the day Carnival starts, so of course it can! The flag that is used in the official Carnival kick-off event will be arriving via the ship. The ship will not be there on the day of the parade (since it was moved a week later), which may sound disappointing now but might not be a bad thing after all.
Thanks for all the info. I looked on the PTown Business Community site and it looks pretty empty right now for events on the 15th, 16th.
I've never been to PTown or Carnival, so it would be good to know if we would be going during a quieter time or be in a melting pot of celebration activity. I'm sure the area will be bracing for the parade a couple weeks prior including the kickoff.
It is just hard to set any expectations as Carnival has always been one week vs. two, and as this is the first time the cruise charter customer will be doing it. Those cruise tickets are not cheap.
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Atlantis is the only gay full ship charter for gay men. Olivia is for gay women. A new cruise charter company for all LGBT+ is called Vacaya and they sail their first cruise August 2019 from New York.
RSVP Vacations is simply an extension of the Atlantis brand, but more geared toward older gay men.
As a gay man, I've been on a handful of Atlantis cruises over the last few years and they are excellent. I think that you would have a great time as there's always fun things to do. You'll likely make friends too. ...I'll be honest though, I don't think you'll meet a lot of other trans folk. I've never knowingly met one on cruise. You will be treated best at Atlantis if you're simply a gay male. If you're straight man-especially if hot or good looking, a woman, or haven't made up your mind, you'll be treated like minority; and while not extreme, you'll be able to "feel it".
I would probably recommend just asking around more and collecting info to make your best informed decision.
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Thanks for passing this in, couldn’t agree more. Do wish they would rotate there entertainment more, for us regular cruises.... Otherwise a great product they do
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Do you mean the Atlantis Signature Entertainers or the Main Headliner entertainers? I know lately that the headliners have done more than one cruise in a year sometimes. The Signature entertainers that travel with Atlantis just need new material between cruises.
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Some other guys here did a good job about telling you what to pack clothing-wise. Since this is your first cruise, I also recommend a few things to pack for yourself or room.
1. Antibacterial wipes (wipe everything down)
2. Headache medicine (you'll be around a lot of loud music and drinking and your room might be under the dance floor)
3. Ear plugs (even if your roommate doesn't snore, there's a lot of doors swinging and slamming, and closet doors that can creak)
4. A large plastic mug if you drink a lot of water, tea, or lemonade. Cups are tiny.
5. A magnetic clip for your daily schedules (cruise ship walls are magnetic) or a pocket or folder to keep your paperwork in.
At Atlantis, you can count on getting lots of card stock party advertisement teasers and papers. It's nice when you can just keep it all on one place instead of loose.
6. Condoms and other personal items. Yes it's sold in the gift shop but for a high markup. Just as medicines.
7. There's always a wet party, bring a super soaker if you please. It will be more fun that way.
8. Watch some videos on YouTube of people cruise prepping. You can get lots of good things at the Dollar Tree or sample size item bins of Target - sun block, the things I mentioned above. I always like to get a $1 softsoap. Your cruise will include a shampoo and conditioner is a dispenser- but the hand soap provided will be a bar soap. A soap pump is just easier for everyone sharing your stateroom.
The gift of Atlantis to its cruisers is usually an Atlantis branded gym bag (with separate shoe compartment) given to you the night before arriving at the first port. You can bring it to port and put your things in there so you won't need to bring any beach bags. You won't need to bring beach towels as they're provided for use by the cruise line.
Hope this helps, see you on board
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ADDENDUM:
And one more thing - always bring a lot of small bills for tips. I wish someone would have told me this before I started cruising. If you go out on an excursion they will always want a tip at the end. Or even if you do something in port on your own, it is nice to be able to tip. Or if you take a taxi, etc.
And you WILL see every body type, fit to plus, represented on the cruise. All ages 18 plus represented with majority probably between early 30-55 range. Atlantis claims 50% of guests come solo. That may or may not be true. A lot of singles know others from prior cruises or from a group they travel with so the availability of singles is no where near 50% as having no ties to being alone. ...And usually under 20 woman guests come on board for whatever reason.
You will have fun no matter what. The party and activities spreads runs parallel.
So if you're not a hard partier, there is something else going on like a show. Or if you don't like shows, there's usually an event that is alternate that you might like.
Also know that Atlantis is very disorganized. Keep your shhh together and always be on top of it. They always communicate late (3 weeks before the cruise is the target). Last year I didn't even know who my roommate was until 3 days before the cruise. And I had to call and find out at that. It wasn't ready 4 days ahead which is scary. I always book 8 months in advance to take advantage of the installment timeline, so I should have been in the manifest. When you get on board there will be Atlantis staff that you encounter, wearing orange shirts. These people are unpaid handpicked volunteers that basically get a free cruise to be an Atlantis cheerleader so they never see the office disorganized side of it. The only staff on board paid by Atlantis is their cruise director and the "producer". Maybe the Atlantis entertainers also. But that's it.
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Who’s booked on this cruise? A friend and I are first time Cruisers and have no idea what to pack!
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Some other guys here did a good job about telling you what to pack clothing-wise. Since this is your first cruise, I also recommend a few things to pack for yourself or room.
1. Antibacterial wipes (wipe everything down)
2. Headache medicine (you'll be around a lot of loud music and drinking and your room might be under the dance floor)
3. Ear plugs (even if your roommate doesn't snore, there's a lot of doors swinging and slamming, and closet doors that can creak)
4. A large plastic mug if you drink a lot of water, tea, or lemonade. Cups are tiny.
5. A magnetic clip for your daily schedules (cruise ship walls are magnetic) or a pocket or folder to keep your paperwork in.
At Atlantis, you can count on getting lots of card stock party advertisement teasers and papers. It's nice when you can just keep it all on one place instead of loose.
6. Condoms and other personal items. Yes it's sold in the gift shop but for a high markup. Just as medicines.
7. There's always a wet party, bring a super soaker if you please. It will be more fun that way.
8. Watch some videos on YouTube of people cruise prepping. You can get lots of good things at the Dollar Tree or sample size item bins of Target - sun block, the things I mentioned above. I always like to get a $1 softsoap. Your cruise will include a shampoo and conditioner is a dispenser- but the hand soap provided will be a bar soap. A soap pump is just easier for everyone sharing your stateroom.
The gift of Atlantis to its cruisers is usually an Atlantis branded gym bag (with separate shoe compartment) given to you the night before arriving at the first port. You can bring it to port and put your things in there so you won't need to bring any beach bags. You won't need to bring beach towels as they're provided for use by the cruise line.
Hope this helps, see you on board
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HAL is amazingly welcoming. My husband and I love Holland America. We are on the cusp of 200 days at sea with them, and ONLY sail with them unless family or friends insist we try someone else, usually with less than stellar results. This SEATTLE BASED company has recieved high marks for inclusion, and providing a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBT communtiy. Some guests can be. . . difficult, but you then know who to avoid. ;) and that can happen anywhere.
Seattle based? I thought Holland America's parent company is the Carnival Group. As in Carnival Cruise Lines and HAL is a subdivision meant to appeal to older money/demographics. :halo:
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Due to the horrific fire storms that are as we speak burning down the towns and cities all around Sonoma County, I don't think I will be joining you. My home is safe for now, but the high winds over night promise to bring back the fire again. Santa Rosa, CA is under the direct threat of burning down leaving thousands with out their homes and business.....I don't think this is the time for me to cruise.
That's terrible, I hope the firestorm doesn't mega-impact you or your home. We will miss you on this cruise.
I was looking forward to meeting you.
And I hope you also get your money back from Atlantis but they are hard to deal with.
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Hal is awesome with gays based on my experience with gay charters (Atlantis Events). I was on last year's Mexican Riviera Cruise on HAL Westerdam and it was nice. The staff theatre show (themed around Fairy Tales and Halloween) was excellent and they adapted the storyline and words for a gay audience. The first or second number even included a gay couple meeting in the park to some nice song and dance. I am positive it was not the regular show put on for the "non-gay" cruises. It was more than I expected as I also was on the Mexican Riviera Cruise the year before (Norwegian Jewel) and they did not adapt their shows. So HAL doing it was like an extra touch. With as busy as cruise staff can be, they didn't have to do all that. Aside, I think a lot of the staff of cruise ships are generally gay when it comes to males and females (esp. males), and sometimes it might depend on variables like where the crew comes from or where the ship is registered at. On HAL, I got a lot of great attention, they were all happy to help me. They wanted to participate in our poolside events as much as we actually did. A couple staff member males asked me where I got my dog tags (for the dog tag tea dance) because they wanted to be a part of it all too with us. What we do freely on vacation they only envy. Considering the fact that HAL is so great with gay charters, I would have to rate them at above average.
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Note the top deck is Deck 11, the Sports Deck. There is no Deck 13 on the Oosterdam.
Yes; also do note that "Deck 13" is simply a code name at Atlantis, whether there is literally a deck 13 or not.
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That’s great, I have always found them responsive.. Often it the cruise line that hasn’t got all the booking in the system and back out to Atlantis. The downloaded into HAL system closer to when we get out booking number.
And found the folks at Atlantis reservations to great
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Sometimes they pick and choose in my experience. And I'm nicer than most people. I've emailed before and never gotten a response back on a basic inquiry.
Recently, I've asked them what the deal is on such late registration and they lied to me in email. Atlantis has no competition therefore no need or desire to get better. They run the circuit on floating gay summer camp. They don't care if they've inconvenienced their loyal guests, "go somewhere else" is their West Hollywood attitude.
I'm thankful for them, it's a great thing. The union aspect is an important part of the experience.
But there are office issues and misinformation given from their associates that have worked there a long time and should know the policies.
Just check their reviews everywhere on the internet, there are several other guests that have been mistreated for no reason other than they can.
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I was one who did not get a booking number last week, I sent them an email and they answered right away with my HA: booking number. So that was good service......
Sometimes it depends on who you get. It's good for you that you have yours and your experience was a good one. ....When I emailed I didn't get one back nor any explanation and my loyalty is high - I'm a repeat customer who has brought them lots of money.
When I called them I got a sweet person who said he would take care of it and send me an email as soon as he got it.
It is very well documented on the interwebs that Atlantis is not organized so consider yourself lucky.
See you onboard!
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The "Dick Deck" is called "Deck 13" and it is present on all Atlantis ships. It is the highest desk on the ship. Probably across from the basketball court.
Good luck, see you onboard.
PS: For Deck 13 at nighttime, Atlantis takes over the lights and turns it pitch black and the cruise line "loses the camera footage by accident". Bring a glow stick unless you want to just see under the light of the moon.
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Are there usually Bon Voyage parties the night before the cruise? I've only sailed RSVP out of FLL and there were many parties the night before in Wilton Manors.
Also, Atlantis has a reputation for attracting younger hard partying guys. I hope that more mature non-partying men are welcome too.
Atlantis has sort of two "crowds". I myself try to do be in both and I switch back and forth.
1.) Circuit Party Boys
2.) Broadway Boys
The first type above are party till they drop, non-stop, hard partiers. At every single party.
The second type goes to the shows, gambles, plays bingo, goes to the spa, and participates in any other non-party animal event.
I know this is a little bit generalized. But point being, there is basically something for everyone on Atlantis. If you don't wish to party your face off, you can find something else to do fairly easily and vice versa. There's always a mix of ages and bodies, so just have FUN!
Parties usually occur at a bar the night before the cruise. "Check back with Facebook" to see.
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Don't be surprised if we get HAL booking information day or so
Beyond a Tuesday to fill out. Happened few times to us. We're excited too, need the distraction
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Absolutely agree. I will state that Atlantis is very disorganized on the front end, as you can all see. They still haven't given everyone their reservation numbers to register on the cruise line site and we're less than 9 days until cruising. Some people have gotten reservation numbers, so guess what - they get to pick excursions before those who don't do. Hope nothing we want to do gets sold out.
Atlantis is such a fun time though. By the time you get on the ship you'll be relieved and it will feel nice, and you forgive them. I've met so many cool people of all walks of life on Atlantis that I still keep in touch with today.
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Does anyone know if there is a clothing optional deck/area on this charter?
The "Dick Deck" is called "Deck 13" and it is present on all Atlantis ships. It is the highest desk on the ship. Probably across from the basketball court.
Good luck, see you onboard.
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Why does Atlantis schedule this cruise in October? It's rainy and hurricane season in that part of the world.
Because it is easy money for Atlantis and on a smaller cruise ship compared to almost all of their other MEGA ships.
You have to look at it from a business perspective.
1. To your own point, It is the off-season (full cruise ship chartering is cheaper at this time)
2. The probability that the cruise line will sell the ship out is much lower than Atlantis selling it out. Atlantis comes close to selling out every ship they charter.
(the objective of the cruise line is to sail a FULL ship to maximize profits and ancillary incomes). The full staff of 800 workers will serve a non-sold out ship of 700 passengers equaling money loss because the same 800 staffers would be required for a sold out ship of 1800 passengers. Workers of cruise ships are typically on 6-8 month contracts to stay on the ship and live and work for that period, so the staff of a ship does not get cut based on volume of people. It's always the same. If you own a McDonalds and it is not busy one night, you can cut your staff back and let people go home early - here you can't.
This point was long so to recap, in short, the cruise line wouldn't be sailing with a full ship anyway ...so it is better to let Atlantis charter it to sell out the ship and guarantee the Cruise Line an income of "cash flow positive" in a world where people decide money is tight so no vacation this year.
3. The itinerary is always the same on the Mexican Riviera cruise by Atlantis (Cabo, PV, Mazatlan) so it's easy to recycle the outline of events, ...and it is also more manageable to wrangle 1800-2400 guests on this mid-size ship than it is on all of the other HUGE Atlantis ships that host 5000 plus guests.
4. Modern cruise ships (anything Atlantis charters) have good technology to be able to tell where storms are, with enough lead time to get to safety and shift the itinerary. The itinerary can always be shifted per your agreement of carriage. No refunds or credits unless it is at the expense of the line or Atlantis (if you get anything back it would be just for good customer service and PR - they don't have to).
Also, realize that the Atlantis "Staff" that they bring on are volunteers. They get a free vacation, the one that you get. But not a lot more than that. They're fanboys. The only people that are paid on the Atlantis crew by Atlantis are the Cruise Director and the "Producer" and DJs.
Hope this helps!
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Atlantis Events cruises are fun. There are a lot of singles but I don't believe the claim of 50%. However, it may be because it's hard to tell visually as many gays travel in groups or go everywhere with roommate/s. It seems like everyone is with someone. ...then you have the singles dinner which only 20-25% of the ship guests show up for.
Cruises that leave from the West Coast have a different demographic than a cruise leaving from the East Coast.
More (daily) stops and a bigger sized cruiseliner = you may not see the guy you just met for the rest of the cruise.
Medium sized cruiseliner and less (3 perhaps) stops = less excursions and more time to "play." <Atlantis, the way we play>.
I don't mind paying the higher cost for the gay cruise. It is nice to, for one week, be around your peers. The entertainers are so much fun - after you've gone on a few Atlantis cruises you'll get the feeling. They have a lot of base-line Atlantis signature entertainers that you see on every cruise. It becomes like gay summer camp. There is something for everyone. You'll see gym bodies and ripped abs like on the advertising. And you'll see the exact opposite and guys who fall in the middle. Everyone is usually nice. I've signed up for 3 Atlantis Cruises so far and only witnessed one gay being a total asxhole to a food bar worker.
Can't speak about RSVP but imagine, as many have mentioned, that it is a more calm experience contrasted against Atlantis' circuit party. Have fun!!
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Transgendered Cruisers - Question
in LGBTQIA+ Cruisers
Posted
I think you'll be great on any cruise line. RCCL/Celebrity is very LGBT friendly as is HAL, NCL.
Truly you'll have a good time.
If you have romantic designs, maybe pick a charter or line that best accommodates transgendered folks:
Vacaya is for all LGBT community in a broad audience, although majority will still be as described above.
If you're just cruising any line for a good time just to enjoy yourself and have a good vacation, you're going to be fine and be entertained by any and all.
Have a great time on your cruise, I'm sure you'll be fine and make many friends!