pke-atlanta

Will be traveling on Celebrity Reflection from Rome on August 21, 2017. I've been on Solstice class ships before, but not Reflection. Have booked an Aquaclass stateroom and am looking forward to some relaxation. What can I expect in terms of facilities that are coed versus separate? Thanks!

My partner and I have done plenty of both types of cruises (Atlantis charters and straight cruises). I like both for different reasons, and really have not had any issues on either type of cruise. What we book depends largely on the itinerary and the cruise line/ship. Obviously there are a LOT more straight options. But when Atlantis does an itinerary that appeals to us on a ship that we like, we're happy to sail with them.

Regarding the price, I would say often Atlantis does cost more (mainly because of all the superior entertainment they bring on board compared to straight cruises). But when they announced their French Polynesia trip for 2017 with Oceania, I checked out the Oceania site to see what options Oceania offered. We liked the itinerary, but didn't necessarily care if we did it on a gay charter. And in this particular case, the Atlantis charter was actually less expensive than Oceania's equivalent straight cruise.

So I've learned to do my homework and pick the cruise that works best for my interests, timing and ship preferences, without regard to whether or not it is gay or straight.

Partner and I will be onboard (both early and mid-50's and together 16 years). I'm losing track of the number of Atlantis cruises for us, but I think this one will be 17. Second time on Allure (we did the first Atlantis sailing on Allure and loved the ship). Just got hit yesterday with the final payment - so now it's beginning to feel like a vacation is coming up!

Hey there. We aren't on your sailing, but have sailed on the QM2 3 times (2 of those being TA's). You will find the crossing to be very relaxing. For me, getting a day pass to the spa for the entire sailing was worth it. They have one of the best spas at sea, and I would spend a couple hours a day enjoying the pool, sauna, steam and hot tubs, usually in the afternoon after daily tea and before dinner. Speaking of dinner, if you have the choice, do the late seating. Also, the Commodore Lounge at the very front of the ship is a nice place for a cocktail each night before dinner. Unless things have changed, this is also where the FOD meetings are scheduled. Btw, people do generally follow the dress code on this ship. So plan (and pack) accordingly. And enjoy yourself!

Ok, first I'm ridiculously jealous of mbsilk for having been to Antarctica 3 times! I've only been once (on an expedition ship with Silversea), and it is truly the very best trip I have ever been on (and that includes 6 continents and 50+ countries).

We were only 99 passengers on the ship, which maximized our time on shore - and was totally worth the premium we paid for the smaller ship. Your Celebrity ship will not be allowed to stop (as the previous replies have said). If you really want to get the full experience of Antarctica and can swing it, a small ship is the way to go. There's nothing quite like the experience of a curious penguin walking right up to you and standing just a couple feet away. But if the choice is either go on a large ship or not go at all, I'd still have to vote for go! It'll just wet your appetite to get back there and to see it all close up.

You will love Silversea. We've sailed them twice (once in Asia on the Shadow and once in Antarctica on the Explorer). First class operation all the way, and we'll definitely sail with them again. As wripro said, we didn't have any FOD gatherings, but there never was a problem meeting anyone. On the Asia trip, we were the only gay passengers on board (as far as I could tell), but we had an amazing time and enjoyed our fellow passengers very much. Everyone was quite welcoming (passengers and staff alike). You will be happy you picked Silversea.

Booked this one while on the Atlantis cruise in Tahiti. 16th cruise with Atlantis, and 2nd time on Allure with them. Love the ship and looking forward to sailing with Atlantis on her again!

Millenium class ships tend to have a sauna in the locker room, with some showers but little space to take time out between sessions and no refreshments.

 

The Solstice class ships again have an even smaller sauna in the locker room, a couple of showers and again no refreshments or anywhere to rest.

 

Overall these areas are not great in my opinion but seem to be following a general move to pushing passengers to pay for these facilities in mixed areas.

 

So far these areas remain free, you can pay for a pass for the mixed area.

We've sailed on QM2, and I think it's one of the best spa facilities at sea. However, the large spa area of pools, steam, sauna, hot tub, etc are all coed, and are free only if you are having a spa treatment as well. Otherwise, you can buy a day pass or a pass for the entire trip (which is especially useful during a crossing). On the 2 crossings I've done, the spa was a regular part of every afternoon for me.

In the separate locker rooms, there are only showers, lockers, sinks, toilets, the basics. All of what you're looking for is coed.

Enjoy your crossing.

Will the third time be a charm? Looks like Atlantis is chartering the Allure for January 22, 2017 and the pricing looks better than 2011. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, seems like a lot of negative feedback from last time.

 

I remember the first T-Dance in the Aqua Theater, it was crazy, here is a pic from my Boardwalk balcony:

We were on the first Atlantis charter on the Allure and really liked the ship. Glad to see it back in the lineup!

Thought a boardwalk balcony could be fun for a change, but wasn't sure how high up to book. We booked on deck 9. Bloom9, it looks like you had a view of the water as well. Which deck were you on? And did you like the location of the room? Any other pluses or minuses to consider? Thanks!

Seems we should expect details about shore excursions in the next day or so.

Hey, Patrick, beginning to get excited here also! You mentioned a couple of excursions you're looking at - did I miss an email from Atlantis letting us know what the excursions are? I got the one about the party themes, but haven't seen anything about excursions yet.

RJB, where did you stay in Moorea? We're leaning towards the Hilton, but would love any insights from those of you who have been to Moorea. We will only be staying in Moorea one night, arriving via ferry, if that makes any difference in your recommendations.

I've only ever done transatlantic crossings on the Queen Mary 2 on straight cruises. Of the 3 I've done, there have always been other gays on board, even though there were no organized gay "groups" traveling on the ship. While I would have to say that Celebrity is probably my favorite of the large-ship lines for cruising in general, whenever I think of a crossing, my mind immediately goes to Cunard.

Hey, Patrick! Well, it'll be great if any other CC members are on, but we'll have a great time either way. I'm already looking forward to it.

I see you are in Toronto. We'll be coming from Atlanta. Like is mentioned in my first reply, we're going to stay in Bora Bora a few days before getting on the ship. And I think we've decided to spend another night in Moorea on the backend once the ship docks. We still have to stay in Papeete on the last night, since our flight leaves at 7AM on April 13.

You mentioned being on the Atlantis charter and staying in Palm Springs before the trip, so as time gets closer we should coordinate meeting for drinks/dinner on board.

In the mean time, maybe some others booked will discover the roll call you started!

Regards,

Paul

Anyone else?

Adidas4fun, How long does the ferry to Moorea take? Our flight back to the states is at 7AM, so whatever we do, we'll have to stay the last night of the trip in Papeete in order to catch our flight. And we only have two total nights on the back end of our cruise, which would mean only one night in Moorea. (As an aside, the cruise we're on also stops in Moorea, so we will see it either way). And you also named the other hotel we were considering for Papeete - Le Meridien! I guess we'll just have to look at pictures and reviews of both, pick a place and go with it!

This will be our first time in that part of the world, so any other tips/hints you can give us of things to do and see would be appreciated. I'm not a huge shopper, but if there are good deals to be had on black pearls or high-end watches (Cartier, Jaeger-Lecoultre, Patek Philippe), I'll take those recommendations as well!

Thanks very much, Doug!

We'll be staying in Papeete on the back end of the Atlantis cruise, arriving on April 11. Before the cruise, we'll be flying to Bora Bora and staying at the St. Regis. But we're at a loss as to where to stay in Papeete. We're leaning towards the Intercontinental, but I've heard mixed things about it. Can anyone recommend the nicest place to stay for these two days? We thought about just flying to Moorea, but our departure flight back to the states requires us to spend our last night in Papeete, and it seems like too much trouble to go back to Moorea just for one night. Not looking for a budget place - looking for the nicest hotel available. Thanks!

Partner and I are booked on this cruise also. We plan to fly over early, spend 3 nights in Bora Bora first, then fly back to Papeete to meet up with the ship. Staying a couple nights in Papeete on the back end also.

Have never been to that part of the world and am really looking forward to it! Nice to know a fellow cruise critic member will be on the trip as well!

Given the additional information the OP provided about the story, it does seem like an unfortunate incident. If the gay man doing the butt touching had handled the situation appropriately by alerting ship management to the harassing behavior of the straight man, it's possible the straight man would have been put off the ship. But since it was the Martini Bar and I expect alcohol was involved, the gay man made the wrong choice - resulting in him being put off the ship. Playing grab ass with a drunk homophobe instead of reporting him was clearly a bad idea.

My partner and I also have this itinerary booked, but I'm a bit anxious about leaving from Mombasa. I contacted a friend who lives in Nairobi to ask if I should be concerned, and her reponse was that the situation was very "fluid". She said anywhere that I was likely to go in Nairobi would be safe enough, but that her husband did not recommend spending the night in Mombasa. His recommendation was to fly from Nairobi into Mombasa the day the ship sails and to transfer directly to the ship.

Given that even folks who live there are saying that Mombasa isn't safe, I'm wondering how likely Silversea will be to change this itinerary to avoid Kenya. Anyone with a crystal ball (or experience in this region) want to hazard a guess?

I've been using a Nikon d700 for a few years now, along with the 28-300mm zoom lens. The advantage is that it takes fantastic, full-frame photos and that zoom means I never have to stop and swap out lenses. The disadvantage is that the combination is somewhat heavy. I like that the d700 goes from fully automatic (so I don't have to think about a thing if I'm just touring around and don't have a lot of time), but it also goes to completely manual, if you want to spend time really composing a photo and controlling all the elements like exposure, aperture.

I tend not to use the camera for just snapping "souvenir" pictures. I prefer to look for subjects/compositions that create a more artistic image that I would want to enlarge and hang on a wall in my house. For the quick pics, selfies or photos to post to Facebook, I just use the camera in my iPhone 5S. It actually does a pretty nice job, too!

I grew up in Columbia and graduated from USC, but partner and I live in Atlanta now (he's originally from Alabama). Any chance we can sneak into your SC "club" along with the guys from Savannah? :-)

Would love to see a gay charter on one of the expedition ships, like Silver Explorer or L'Austral heading to Antarctic, Arctic or Japan/Far Eastern Russia (yes, I know, for Russia I need to wait until the political climate and their stance on gays changes, so don't pounce on me about that). Also still dying to do an Africa itinerary that would include safari options, or as absolutboy said, an itinerary involving Egypt. Maybe a luxury Egypt and Nile River Cruise trip. Hopefully Egypt will become a safe destination again at some point, but I've been waiting over a decade for that to happen.

We sailed on the Allure during the first (infamous) Atlantis charter. We actually really enjoyed the ship and would totally go on either the Allure or the Oasis on a straight cruise. Just be aware that the timeframe you are talking about is hurricane season in the Atlantic. While you're not "likely" to be sailing at the same time a hurricane is blowing through, it IS possible. So keep that in mind as you are making your plans.