Atlantis Liberty (LOS) Review January 14, 2010

[roen]

Hey guys! Sorry this is so late - I came home to a new job and a mother moving in, and as such have been a little busy. I've also got a handful of pictures that I'll post tonight or tomorrow, but they're on a different hard drive.

 

I searched this forum area profusely in prep for our first Atlantis cruise, and everything written here was of tremendous help. So I hope this review will help encourage other on-the-fence guys to take the plunge. DO IT!!!!

 

I reviewed the Royal Caribbean experience on the RCL board here if anyone is curious about them as a cruiseline:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1168804

 

Basics: I traveled with my partner of 7 years - I'm 30, and he's 40. I've traveled relatively extensively (Ecuador, England, Mexico), and have taken two "straight" cruises with my family, both on Carnival, on much older "dumpier" ships. The Liberty (Royal Caribbean) stopped at Labadee (which is Haiti – just a week after the earthquake), Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. It departed out of Miami – we stayed there a few days beforehand in South Beach (one of our favorite places – we found a wonderful new hotel, the Cadet – gorgeous, cheap, and great location).

 

Being on a Gay Charter: This was the first time either of us had done a gay charter. We come from metro Detroit, where there is not a dearth of gayness – we have a gay coffee shop, gay bookstores, bars, clubs, restaurants, etc. So I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect – more of Detroit, all squeezed on a boat? In my experience here at home, it can be difficult to meet gay guys other than at a bar or club, and I’m not a big drinker, so I was hoping that the socializing aspect would be a little more open and interactive (and maybe not quite as drunk).

 

We bookended the trip with a few days in Miami, which was a really nice way to de-stress before the cruise. I had originally planned on cruising first, and then chilling in Miami afterwards, but due to work timing issues, we had to flip it. And I’m really glad we did, because the cruise experience was overwhelming – but in a wonderful way.

 

When we pulled up to the pier in Miami, there were Atlantis flags flying all around, and –already- men, men, everywhere. Big men, little men, hot men, average men, and, most of all, men with LUGGAGE. OMG, so much luggage, everywhere. We travel really light – just a backpack each – but it was really cool to see the literal TOWERS of trunks, bags, packs, sacks… most of which were bejeweled with sparkles or glitter J.

 

So we went inside after being greeted by an Atlantis rep. If I thought there were a lot of men outside, it was NOTHING to the line of guys waiting to get onto the ship. This was the first real moment of really being aware of how MANY guys we were going to be surrounded by. And it was nothing like Detroit, even at a Pride festival. It was more like… feast of nations. Every flavor of gay you can think of. I think that was my favorite thing – it seems like each city I’ve been to has its own homogenized flavor, but on the ship, there was this vastness of variety.

 

We got checked in in all of five minutes, and walked over to get in line. I think that everyone was feeling a little nervous, because we were all furtively checking each other out but looking at the floor when we got caught looking. It takes a while to realize that you’re allowed to look – that everyone is, in fact, a raging homo.

 

We were in line for a bit, sniffing the bizarre cocktail of three thousand different colognes all mixed together, then walked up past four very hungry-looking German Shepherds (dogs, not Germans), through customs, and over the gangplank.

 

A little bit of background on us here: I’m the flirty, open, chatty one, while the partner is more quiet, shy, and reserved. All of my friends growing up were straight girls, while his were all straight guys. So we had two distinct reactions to what happened next: Rich (owner, I think, of Atlantis) was waiting for us across the gangplank to “lei” us with our Atlantis lanyards… and give us each a huge kiss on the lips. To me, this was standard protocol. It startled the hell out of my partner, though. (Not in a negative way – just in a completely unexpected way.) He said he tried to scoot around, but Rich said “No you don’t!” And grabbed him and smooched him. Which cracked me up. Mainly, though, I mention this to just let newbies know the flavor of an Atlantis trip. If you come from a small town, or don’t have a lot of gay exposure, be prepared to be a little stunned. (But, imo, it is a very good thing.)

 

After this, the camera people snagged us, and, just to be a bit of a brat, I also gave my partner a big kiss on the lips, which made him all the more flustered (which is part of what I love about him). And then we were free to find our room.

 

I reviewed everything about the room and the rest of the RC experience in the regular RC forum area, so check that out if you want to read about the ship or the company itself.

 

Atlantis had left us a wine bottle as a welcome gift, which was really nice. We got unpacked (pretty quickly, as it was only backpacks), and put up our door decorations. We went mild, since we a) didn’t have a lot of space; and b) weren’t sure exactly what was allowed to be hung on doors. We needn’t have – two doors down was a literal porn fest of wangs. (Though Rich did say a few times to please not hang any fully naked dudes on your door – he prefers you cover your wieners, which I must say is probably always a good idea on an Atlantis cruise.)

 

All unpacked, we went off to explore the ship and seek our destiny. The first impression, after the overload of people who were in line, was that there didn’t seem to be many people onboard. Later we learned that the ship hadn’t come anywhere close to selling out – we heard anything from 2000 to 2400 people (while it’s designed to hold 3400, I think), so we were only at about 60 – 70% capacity. So it felt a little bit like a ghost town at times. It seemed like, wandering the halls, only about every fifth or sixth door had decorations.

 

 

We did the muster drill when we were called, and met our first new friend at our table (he handed us a pre-printed card with his room on it, which had sounded cheesy to us before going; having been, though, I would absolutely take them on the next one. They were really handy to give your contact info to someone you might not bump into again on the entire cruise, but would want to be able to e-mail afterward).

 

The sailaway was the first time everyone congregated up on deck, and it was really neat. There was good dance music playing (see below), and the sun was setting, and it was warm and breezy. We chatted with a couple from Miami while we watched the city sail by, and took pictures of each other. We stayed out on deck until the sky was completely black, just enjoying the sea air (from Michigan, so we’d come from a nasty winter).

 

There was a “ Welcome to Atlantis” session with Malcom and our cruise director (Abe). They had a light, funny repartee, similar to a drag queen comedy show. The info wasn’t anything that hadn’t been covered on Cruise Critic or in your trip prep documents, though, so it isn’t a critical meeting by any means.

 

After the intro, it was time for Pam Ann.

 

And here I would interject – to anyone new to cruising, one of the trickier things about it is learning how to time things, because things are not available all the time. You have to be aware of when you want to have dinner, or when you have to be at a certain show. For example, in this case, we hadn’t eaten dinner yet, but didn’t really feel like hoofing it all the way back to the dining room, then all the way back to the theater for the late seating for Pam Ann, and in so doing ended up missing dinner the first night. It can feel kind of chaotic at first, because we are not really used to being under time constraints in our culture, especially when on vacation. So give yourself a bit of padding room, and be sure to identify the “must do’s” and schedule your day, at least tentatively, around those things.

 

Before Pam Ann came on, Malcom and Abe introduced the whole Atlantis crew, letting us know that they’d be around to chat with us and help us out if we needed anything, as well as to seat us at dinner.

 

Pam Ann’s show was a hoot – she’s very cute and funny, and a bit nasty. She called a few people up from the audience as well, so watch out if you sit on the aisles on the lower floor J. If you’ve seen Ab Fab, and laughed, you’ll probably laugh at her, too. She channeled Eddie and Patsy many a time.

 

She ran long, though, which was why dinner was closed when we made it back. So we grabbed a slice of pizza at the pizza bar, and people watched and chatted on the Promenade.

 

It wasn’t much longer before the first dance party started - Manny Lehman in an indoor converted Ice Rink. Other than meeting new people, this was what I was most looking forward to – I LOVE dancing, and if the music is good, I can dance for hours and hours in a happy little place of sweat and joy. (I don’t drink or party, though, so keep that in mind when you read my opinion of the music). I wasn’t sure what to expect – the only “circuit” type party I’d ever been to was the White Party in Miami, and I hadn’t been terribly impressed with the music there.

 

Unfortunately, the music was very similar here. I can dance to lots of different types of music, but there are a few things I need – good vocals, good melody, or great, high energy synths. I don’t mind darker atmosphere, or minor chords or edgy music, as long as there is a vocal or a very melodic synth line to go with it. What seemed to be the standard, though, throughout most of the dance parties here, were sparse, tribal, heavy beats with little melody and broken vocals. And I can’t keep the energy up long enough to that type of music to dance all night. So I was bummed. We gave it about an hour, and then wandered over to check out the other DJ going, Paul Goodyear in the Catacombs (a REALLY cool, dungeon-like space). The music there was more vocal, but unfortunately we were the only people there except for one really ambitious dude who was shaking his butt all by his lonesome in the middle of the floor (you go, ambitious dude). So we went back to Matty’s party to see if maybe the music had changed. After five or six songs, we figured it hadn’t.

 

So we went to grab some food at the late night buffet (which Atlantis keeps open from 1am til 5am – great policy! We used it every night, as dinner seatings often felt really early for our body clocks.), and to assimilate our first night.

 

From here, the week gets kind of blurry – a lot of the experiences run together, so I’m going to switch to generalizations and random thoughts.

 

Overall impression: First and foremost, what I learned from this cruise is that there are SO many different ways to spend your time on your vacation (especially on Atlantis), that it is CRITICAL that you take the bull by the horns and identify what you like to do, and then go do it. I, for example, realized only by the third or fourth day that my favorite “people meeting” times were a) lounging around the pool and b) chilling in the coffee shop with some green tea. So if you’re not really feeling the show you’re sitting at, or the dinners bore you, or the music isn’t your style, or the crowd you’re in the middle of isn’t your scene – go track down another, better, more “you” place to be – because they’re out there, and most likely, someone else will be doing it too, and you’ll make a friend.

 

Second, BE FRIENDLY!!! Say hi to people, sit down next to people you don’t know, ask someone what they’re reading or listening to, or ask about their Kindle and how they like it, or whatever. The more I did this, the more fun I had. And the next trip, I’ll do it even more.

 

Third, be prepared for stressful things to come up in your brain, and take time to sort them out. I don’t know if this was just us, but we went through a TON of different negative emotions on this trip – from feeling shy, to unattractive, to isolated, to freaked out, and on and on ad nauseum. But by the same token, I learned MANY wonderful things about myself, about my partner, about our relationship, and about being a gay man (and just a man in general). If you can be open to and ready for the overload of being around so many people who are “like you,” and yet totally different from you, I think you can keep the negative feelings open enough to look at them and let them go as needed. Maybe not everyone will go through this – but if you do, try not to feel isolated from the wonderful community of people that are around you. Realize that even the bitchy party boys or the 80 year old, kind of creepy staring guy are part of who we are, and try to accept them even while you realize you don’t have to spend your time around them. There was such a wonderful opportunity to feel a oneness and a unity, and it would have been easy to miss that with our gay tendency toward being bitchy or judgmental.

 

I mentioned above the first of my music thoughts. In case anyone is curious, here's the DJ’s:

 

Wayne G, Dog Tag T Dance, Poolside

DJ Abel, Lost Island Party, Poolside

Wayne G, Late Night Lost Island, Inside

Paul Goodyear, Just Dance, Poolside

Guy Smith, 80’s, Inside

Manny Disco T Dance, Poolside

Wayne G, Through the Looking Glass, Inside

Able/Manny Lehman 90’s Divas, Poolside

Anthony, Hip Hop, Inside

Goodyear/Rosabel White Party, Poolside

Wayne G, White Afterparty, Inside

Goodyear, Splash T Dance, Poolside

 

I spent about an hour at each of the parties above. If they were outside, I was mainly standing on the top deck watching the moon and stars and listening to the music; if they were inside, we’d grab a chair and just listen to see what type of music was being played, to decide if we wanted to go elbow our way into the dance floor. The one party that did get me shaking my booty was the Alice in Wonderland party, which had some AWESOME costumes (well done, boys! *golfclap*). There was a 7-foot tall Queen of Spades, a sexy Tweedle-dee-Tweedle-dum couple in suspenders and beanies and knee socks, various Alices, cats and birds and rabbits, and more and more and more. I myself wore just a pair of red and white heart boxers, buttoned to prevent pop-out incidents. The music was good enough that I danced for an hour – it wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was vocal and melodic enough that I could get into it for a while.

 

It is worth noting, though, that a circuit party seems to not be so much a dance floor of actual DANCING but instead a shoulder-to-shoulder sweat-and-sway fest. There wasn’t a whole lot of dancing going on (though I move a LOT when I dance, so that might be just my perspective). I cleared out a little corner right next to the speaker to have a little bit of room to move, but just be aware that it can be claustrophobic and very, very snug. Maybe that’s why the music was consistently not super-high energy? People probably would have been knocking each other out left and right with flying elbows and shaking rumps.

 

Most of the music was along the same lines – dark, not much melody, not a lot of vocals, and, to me, not a lot of life. So I ended up skipping out after just a bit of time at most of the parties. Even the 90’s diva party, which I expected to be a scream-along fest of claws and indignation, was strangely subdued musically. I felt like I could have plugged my ipod into a speaker system and hit random and generated a better set list – that said, though, the dance floor of the main parties were always packed, so maybe it is just what I prefer.

 

Regardless, we left when we got bored, and went and had other wonderful experiences, so it was fine, but I wouldn’t go on another one expecting to dance the whole trip – the music was too consistent through the various DJs for me to expect a massive change.

 

Regarding the shows, the only one we saw was Pam Ann. Roseanne (Barr) was our special guest, FYI. Neither of us is a fan, so we didn’t make it a priority to go see her. Pam Ann was funny, but I prefer to be outside whenever I can on cruises, so those weren’t a priority. Many guys said they were great, though.

 

The steam/sauna area was an interesting place to visit, too… Be prepared if you go in; this is not your Grandma’s Bally steam room. All men + naked + wet =….? I’ve also read a lot of questions about the ships being floating bathhouses. Here’s my thoughts. First, there is a lot of sexual energy on a ship full of gay men. I got a lot of flirty smiles, catcalls, arm squeezing, etc… but I also am very friendly, smile at just about everyone I meet or pass, and am young and considered cute. But it did overwhelm me at points. There were times that I’d be chatting with someone thinking I was making a platonic new friend only to ultimately be asked back to their cabin. For all of the flirting, though, I also made some amazing friends, and met lots of people that I have a lot of (non-sexual) affection for – and I think the January Atlantis cruise tends to be more “cruisy” than the rest, from what I’ve heard. So go into it knowing that at some point it will happen, and to be comfortable saying “No, thanks” (or "Let's rock!" depending), and keep an eye out for the wonderful friends you are bound to make.

 

Moving on, the dining experience on Atlantis was… weird. I’ve taken two other cruises, both with large groups of my family, so haven’t ever done the “cruise dining” thing where you eat with random people. On Atlantis, all of the seating is open time, so you go whenever you want (which I understand is how it is on most cruise lines, as well). A group of Atlantis staff greet you at the door… sort of. The three times we went, they basically were standing there chatting, and just sort of waved us in through the dining room doors, handing us over to a weird assembly line of RC staff who were talking in hushed voices through walkie talkies. From what I understand, they’re supposed to ask you if you want to sit by yourself or join another table. This didn’t happen. The first night, they just sat us with two other guys, who had already ordered, so the timing was strange. Conversation was a little awkward, partially because it was the first night, partially because it is a very intimate setting to just start chit chatting, and partially because (see my RC review) the staff FLEW us through ordering to try and catch us up to the guys at the table. So we felt like we were messing up the other guys’ timing, and that in turn made us nervous… it was not the calm, warm dining experience I’m used to, both on trips and at home. Once it got going, though, it was cool – the guys were really nice, and we ended up saying hi to them several times throughout the trip.

 

The second time we tried it, the Atlantis staff barely even acknowledged us . So we walked in and I told the RC staff that we’d like to join a table (figuring the first time would be the most awkward, and that it was bound to smooth out). So, they sat us… at a table for two right in the middle of the floor. By the time I tried to turn around and tell the staff we wanted to sit with a group, they’d disappeared. So I figured we’d wait a bit and let the server know when he came over. 15 minutes later, we hadn’t seen anyone. So, we left. I debated asking to sit with someone else at the front door, but I was kind of flustered by this point, and needed a few minutes to chill.

 

Maybe this type of situation wouldn’t have thrown most guys for a loop; I’m not sure. For me though, joining a new table felt really shy (lack of practice, probably), and uninvolved Atlantis staff made it more awkward. Now that I’ve had some time to think about it a little, I would be fine on the next one being more direct and vocal with the staff, but I think that there are much better ways to handle it on Atlantis’s end. If, for example, the Atlantis staff were to bring you to a table, introduce you to the guys already sitting there, and play hostess just a little bit more, I think it would be fine. And that was what I’d been expecting from the way they described it in the brochure, but that wasn’t what happened. The Atlantis staff wasn’t involved at all, other than pointing you into the dining room. I’m not sure if it is always like this? But, again, you get over it and just sort of plow your way through. It just could have been handled much more gracefully and elegantly and warmly, especially for the newbies who had no idea what to expect, and/or little practice socializing in this new environment.

 

 

And on future trips, I absolutely would do more dinners. I realized by the end of the trip that there were limited opportunities to meet guys in non-bar situations, and that those were very, very precious to me. So on the next trip, I'll seek those out and use the later hours to have quiet, private time (unless the music is insane, in which case I probably won't sleep at all!). But the dinners were definitely the most nervous time for me, so just go into them knowing they're a little awkward, and shore yourself up with a couple good conversation starters, and you'll be fine, and well-rewarded.

 

 

I’d read before we went that this trip skewed younger that the March one, or the RSVP trips. It did feel young (and I’m 30), but the interesting thing was that most of the people we talked to said it was very, very subdued compared to past January ones, because there weren’t as many young guys (presumably because of the economy). So I can only image what an extra 1,000 horny 20-somethings would do to the atmosphere.

My take on it was that the bulk of the people were there for the parties. The crowds were much heavier at the dances than they were in the morning around the pool or at the coffee shop. So take that into account if you book the January cruise – it is a party ship, for sure.

 

Another interesting thing was that Rich said that 50% of the crowd was foreign, which was apparently also unusual. I liked this, myself, but I heard a few grumbles from the US guys.

 

The one excursion we did was to Tulum in Cozumel. It was a lot of fun – kind of like a gay summer camp bus trip. Beautiful ruins. We did it through RC, mainly to have an all-gay trip; we weren’t rushed or herded or anything. (We’d already been to Grand Cayman for the stingrays on a previous trip, but if you haven’t, DO IT! They’re incredible.)

 

Final Thoughts: This was a very, very special trip both for me and my partner, as couples and as individuals. We met many wonderful people, and beyond that, came home feeling full of pride and happiness. Travelling (for us) has always been about learning about ourselves and each other, shaking things up, and having fun – this trip, though, added that travelling also is about being around your peers and having the amazing experience of belonging to a very special group of people.

And that adds an element that we realized we want to cultivate as much as possible in our daily life, because it was such an invigorating and affirming feeling.

 

If you’re debating whether you should go, whether you will fit in, or whether you will like being around such a large gay population, I would say the most important thing is to honestly evaluate your ability to cope with new things, and to have a positive attitude even when things get confusing or a little overwhelming. If you can stay positive, and find affection for those around you even if they’re different, and see the joy in learning about new people and new things about yourself, you will definitely come home changed for the better, and enriched by your time on Atlantis.

 

And if you’re NOT wondering whether you should go, but are reading this to find out the DJ set list or the specifics of travelling with Atlantis, then CALL NOW and book your cabin.

 

We’re already booked on next winter’s RSVP trip. I want to try them out and compare, but would certainly not be against booking Atlantis again either. The January cruise next year is on the Allure, which looks way too big and resort-y for me (the Liberty felt like a mall as it was), and their winter one goes out of San Juan, which sounded a little too complicated for a quick winter break (besides which I like to hang in Miami before or after), so we’re doing RSVP. (Also, RSVP’s special guest this year was Jennifer Coolidge – OMG, she beats Roseanne to a PULP!!! “WE BOTH LOVE SOUP!!! EEEEEE!”) I’m hoping the crowd is a little more present during daylight hours (and by present, I don’t mean just asleep in the sun), and that the music is a little brighter(and by brighter, I mean sing-a-long-able), but even if not, I’m sure it will be fabulous(and by fabulous, I mean FABULOUS!!!).

 

One other thing - people also asked quite a bit about the cost in the threads I'd read previously (thanks, Ray!), and whether it is worth it b/c Atlantis can be almost twice as expensive as a regular cruise. All I can say to that is that I will probably never take another regular cruise unless it is a family event, but I am fully expecting to take one gay charter cruise (or possibly land vacation) per year for as long as I am financially able. To me, they were two entirely different vacations. So yes, they are more expensive, but they were also nothing like each other, and I would have paid quite a bit more for the Atlantis trip (we got the cheapest cabin possible, b/c I love sleeping inside in the dark). To be on vacation with my partner and be able to snuggle on a lounge chair, walk hand-in-hand, talk to ANYONE about almost ANYTHING, and be surrounded by thousands of potential friends was really worth so much more than the surcharge. So I would say, try it for yourself to make sure, but to me, it was money VERY well spent.

Thanks for reading!

[Oslo Dutch]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review. I think a lot of people have been waiting for information like this.

 

From what I read you will like RSVP even better. The energy level is a bit lower and the public socially more mature. Also the music at the parties might suit you better. Deck parties go on til about 3am and after that you will find everybody having a chat and laugh at the buffet. You will not find druggy boys at RSVP and parties are also a big social gathering.

 

RSVP Cruisers take the costume parties very serious. You can look at pics at http://www.gaycruisepictures.com and have a look for yourself.

 

The wide arrange of feelings you described is something I felt at Atlantis too however it was far less evident at RSVP. It can at first be a bit overwhelming but once you get over it, it feels really good.you

 

Once again, thanks for taking time and effort for writing this review

 

Reint

[utlr]

This is an excellent review, as someone from overseas and in his late 20's, this does appeal to me. When will the cruises for 2011 be launched on the Atlantis website?

 

Is it better to book direct with Atlantis or can you get cheaper elsewhere?

[roen]

From what I read you will like RSVP even better. The energy level is a bit lower and the public socially more mature. Also the music at the parties might suit you better. Deck parties go on til about 3am and after that you will find everybody having a chat and laugh at the buffet. You will not find druggy boys at RSVP and parties are also a big social gathering.

 

RSVP Cruisers take the costume parties very serious. You can look at pics at www.gaycruisepictures.com and have a look for yourself.

 

Thanks Reint! That sounds even more like something I will love. I had read your great Atlantis review before we went, so I knew going into it to be aware that certain things were possible; I didn't see any rampant drug use, but I also wasn't at the parties late enough b/c of the music. I certainly saw the after-effects of long nights though, in the AM :). Talk about a ghost town!

We're both really looking forward to trying out RSVP - Atlantis was such a blast that it can only get better :). I also like the way the parties are handled - the themes sound simpler, and more fun to dress for. Atlantis was a little over the top for me. It's much easier to throw some leather gear and a pair of underwear in a backpack than a full-blown Mad Hatter costume (though the Looking Glass party was GORGEOUS). So I think it'll be a really nice fit.

 

This is an excellent review, as someone from overseas and in his late 20's, this does appeal to me. When will the cruises for 2011 be launched on the Atlantis website?

 

Is it better to book direct with Atlantis or can you get cheaper elsewhere?

 

Last year I booked as soon as Atlantis put the January cruise up, which I think was in August. RSVP hasn't put up their Eurodam one yet, but I was still able to book it when I called - maybe you'll have similar luck with Atlantis? I know by the time they put it up, one of the cheaper categories were sold out (and when I called RSVP, the TWO lowest categories were already sold out, a year in advance - oi!).

I booked direct with Atlantis, so I'm not sure if there are cheaper options - I think the only way to get it cheaper would be to Craigslist a cabin after the refund period has expired. Atlantis has a "lowest fare" guarantee - we got a few hundred back toward the end of the booking period when they lowered the price of our cabin category. I'm not sure if you have to call to get it, though, so I'd keep an eye on the prices and call if they change (once it is posted online, obviously).

[MiamiSpartan]

You give some good advice to people going on their first gay charters...

Don't be afraid to say hi to people, and put yourself out there socially...

We have never found any unfriendly people on any of the trips we've taken. We are not big partiers by any stretch, but have always had great times on board just by talking to people.

People will only be uncomfortable around you if you are uncomfortable with yourself....

The average age of the 2009 Freedom cruise was late 30s, early 40s.....The overseas trips skew older of course....

[BostonBud]

Good review. We did the March cruise before we ever tried a January one and prefered the March cruises. One of the things I did like about the January cruise was that you could find a spot on the pool deck in the morning!

 

Dinner time is also our favorite time to meet people. The Atlantis staff is there to find out how many is your party and then directs the RC staff to seat you. We've found that since they're used to people sitting in the same spots for every meal they don't quite get the anytime dining so we always say "We want to join a LARGE table" and if they sit us at a big table and we're the first ones we always have to tell them that you can sit others here too.

 

I did laugh a bit at your comment about only having to pack some leather and underwear for the RSVP cruises because RSVP guests REALLY get into the theme parties. The guys on those cruises really go all out which is one of the main differences between Atlantis and RSVP. With Atlantis, you don't have to dress up for any of the parties and they're made that way, however, on RSVP it seems that it is expected.

 

We were hooked after the first one, although I doubt we'd ever go on the Jan. cruise again since it was too much of a circuit party.