welshy74

Oh dear TerrierJohn (my boyfriend is also a town fan BTW) Are you against other gatherings - Christian Bible reading get togethers, Singles get togethers, Friends of Bill W, and the many other groups that pop up from time to time? On one cruise we even had a Welsh cruisers meet up arranged on facebook.. would that upset you too? If you don't wish to 'flaunt' your sexual preference I presume you never hold your wife's hand, introduce her as your wife, tell people about your family, have a nice photo with your arm around your wife (or female partner if you are not married). I was lucky my grandfather, when he was alive, had a very different view to yours. Lighten up John.. LGBT+ gatherings have ZERO impact on your cruise.. but you would be more then welcome to join one of them if you like. You do seem very interested in the subject.

I like a drink but never once drank over the cost of a drinks package so never really thought it’s worth it. You can take alcohol on with you, more than you can on RC, so that can make a difference. Also drinks are cheaper than RC with no 18% service charge. As for dress code, P&O is certainly more formal than RC and NCL. On formal nights the vast majority will dress accordingly and it’s strictly enforced in the MDR and some venues. Shorts are a big No.

On Celebrity Silhouette last June the ship threw a Pride night and loads of people joined in, no matter what their orientation. It was fantastic!! I wonder what terrierJohn and GSPG would have thought of that lol

1974 was a vintage year! 😆

Does anyone have experience booking 8-10 cabins on Iona? I am planning a cruise on Iona for my 50th in July 2024 and so far I’ve got 14 people confirmed, possibly 6 more. I called P&O to see if a group booking can be done and basically got ‘computer says no’ my big concern is dining.. as it’s freedom dining only I am concerned it’s going to be a mess. Even getting us in Epicurean on my birthday is by chance as cannot pre book. does anyone have any tips on how to organise this size group??

You can take on 1lt alcohol each and no limit on soft drinks. From experience I’ve never been stopped taking more on at each port.

Thank you Nunagoras

KSA - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. So Alcohol not served only at port? Are there any other rules that will impact the cruise? I take it Qatar and UAE are ok?

Looking at an MSC cruise that docks in KSA. Does anyone know if things will change on the ship, like alcohol consumption ?

Does anyone know if EUROPA will be able to serve Alcohol when docked at ports in KSA?

We have just booked the 27th Aug sailing on Bolette on a guarantee basis. When does Fred normally allocate the cabin? Most lines we have sailed with give you your cabin number 2 weeks from departure. Is the the same with FO?

We have cruised various regions and never felt unsafe, but we don't do any PDA or run around with pride flags, so I doubt anyone takes any notice. Personally we chose not to pick itineraries that visit countries in the Middle East, Malaysia, Indonesia and North Africa even though I have docked in Tunisia and Morocco without issue. We have also be advised not to book sailings out of Galveston TX as apparently it attracts a certain type of American not to keen on gays or foreigners, both boxes we tick. We pretty much stick with Europe which has the most gay friendly destinations globally.

I'm 48 and often one of the younger members of the lgbt meet ups an I have never been to a meet up where there has been anyone under 30. Not to say there are no under 30s on the ship, I just don't think they want to hang out with an older crowd. I also find the majority of the attendees are couples, like myself.