Early 30s UK Gay Couple - New to Cruising.

[BritLads81]

Hi Gents and Ladies

Well, the story so far...

We have been thinking (off and on) about taking a cruise for a few years now and so after some searching, Celebrity has caught our eye (from a practical perspective, we are not too far away from the departure port in the UK)

We have done some research and Celebrity seem to be fairly well received by LGBT travellers?

We were wondering what to expect in terms of demography and social events?

Have also seen our chosen cruise posted as a "Gay Group" on a few sites, but not 100% sure if this means there will be a fair proportion of LGBT cruisers? How do "Gay Group" cruises work? Can we be sure of good representation?

Any advice or answers to the above would be very much appreciated!

Thanks :cool:

[Phxazzcruisers]

We love Celebrity. The usually have, at the very least, FOD meetings, usually posted on a board, not always in the daily program. We are always treated very well, and have never had any issues with bed being together, or treated badly by crew. Everyone on all of our cruises has been very friendly and outgoing. In fact, on many of our return cruises, staff members remembered our names and welcomed us back on board.

[BritLads81]

Thanks Phxazzcruisers. Really like the idea of the FOD meetings. Will keep an eye out for them on the board! :)

[shepp]

I'm not sure about the "gay group" thing you mention. Sometimes an organization will book a number of cabins on a mixed cruise and hold special events for its members and (as I understand it) those events may be restricted to those who have paid to be part of that group.

 

Demographics on a cruise are a function of factors including itinerary, pricing, and length and date of cruise. In general, the passengers on Celebrity seem to skew older than on lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and perhaps a bit younger than on Princess, a line with a similar target demographic. I've been on eight Princess cruises. On some, the LGBT meetings have been well attended, on others total non-starters, and always you'd have been on the younger end of the age group.

 

Which is to say that cruises - even on the same line and same itinerary - vary and you can't be sure of much, passenger-wise, until you actually get onboard. A dozen or two people can make the difference. On one Canal cruise, we had great LGBT meetings, on the other, no one showed up. On both, we found queers to relate to, but most of our onboard friends were straight.

 

You'll certainly find the line to be gay friendly, and most likely most of the passengers. That's certainly been the case on Princess, too. But I wouldn't count on being part of a thriving LGBT group unless, as you indicated, there's a gay organization onboard. And even then, if they hold, say, a gay dance, there's no telling whether you'd be welcome to attend.

[BritLads81]

Thanks Shepp. Appreciate the response. Useful to have the demographic info as a guide for other lines such as Carnival etc.

[waldorf]

We have done two cruises with Celebrity (and another in October!) and I am sure you will have a great time.

 

Having said that, the passengers are generally much older although as has been said, much of this profile will depend when you sail etc.

 

As for gay gatherings, the best cruise line we have found for this is Norwegian (NCL) a great turn out every time and more casual, but it depends what you are looking for on a cruise.

[twokey]

Hi Britlads!

We will also be taking our first cruise this December. I have done a good bit of research, It turns out that all of the cruise lines do what they can to appeal to the LGTB crowd. From what I have learned, a huge percentage of the crew on most of the lines will be gay. I have never come accross a story of anyone being taunted or mistreated on a ship, except the vary rare story of a drunken homophobe passenger making some nasty comments.

My partner, Will, and I settled on a cruise in the Southern Caribbean because we love the itinerary, We leave out of Colon, Panama, go to Cartegena, Colombia, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba and back to Colon - 7 days. I can hardly wait. Will is a big traveler, I, not as much. We did spend a good bit of time at an apartment at the base of the Tower Bridge in London a few years back and loved it. Where are you guys? We live in Denver Colorado.

Keep reading the G&L Message board posts. You'll learn some great stuff about cruising.

[BritLads81]

Thanks Waldorf and Twokey. We will check out NCL too as we seem to be hearing a lot of good things. Not too fussed on the age of fellow cruisers, just want to be sure that we are in good company. ;)

 

Twokey, out of interest, which company are you thinking of going with? That schedule sounds great.

 

We are quite close to London, just outside. Hope you had a good time in our city.

[COMBOY]

Hi Gents and Ladies

Well, the story so far...

We have been thinking (off and on) about taking a cruise for a few years now and so after some searching, Celebrity has caught our eye (from a practical perspective, we are not too far away from the departure port in the UK)

We have done some research and Celebrity seem to be fairly well received by LGBT travellers?

We were wondering what to expect in terms of demography and social events?

Have also seen our chosen cruise posted as a "Gay Group" on a few sites, but not 100% sure if this means there will be a fair proportion of LGBT cruisers? How do "Gay Group" cruises work? Can we be sure of good representation?

Any advice or answers to the above would be very much appreciated!

Thanks :cool:

 

Yes, Celebrity is a very well received cruise line with GLBT people since it offers the type of cruise experience that GLBT seem to like; however, like all people everyone has their own preferred cruise line. I was just on the Celebrity Summit last March on an fully chartered Atlantis Events' all-gay cruise to Southern Caribbean out of San Juan, PR. It was fantastic. From the food, to service, to entertainment to ship layout and port of call everything was first rate. The crew was very good, but I felt the crew was a tad stand offish and not overly friendly like other cruise lines I've been on. Other then that I'd give Celebrity high marks. The most popular place the ship with the guys was the Martini Bar with it's very unique frozen bar counter top.

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to regarding gay groups on your sailing date unless I knew what ship and sailing date you are referring to. We have a few travel agents in the US that marketing specific "gay group" sailings on various ships worldwide. These groups can range from anywhere from 20 to several hundred. They offer special group rates, a hosted on board to coordinate various activities for the group including shore tours plus they seat everyone in the dining room together as a group. If you wanted to be included in their activities you would need to book through that agency; however, you are more than welcome to socialize with the group in any of the public lounges if you so choose. Some events are private to the group. The advantage to booking a gay group would be a guaranteed group of GLBT to social with; but you are never obligated to do anything with the group unless you want to. I did a gay group to Alaska several years ago and we had about 35 in the group. You should contact then and see if this is something you'd be interested in. Most have some sort of website, prices and itineraries.

 

As far to demographics this is what Cruisecritic says about Celebrity and I would agree:

 

Fellow Passengers

Celebrity attracts an extremely diverse passenger base, targeting baby boomers and their families, as well as seniors and honeymooners. In addition to U.S. travelers, the cruise line also draws passengers from Canada, Europe and South America. Longer voyages in more distant locales, from Europe to South America, tend to draw an older crowd, while weeklong treks to places like the Caribbean and Alaska are magnets for families. In an effort to attract more multi-generational groups, Celebrity's family programs have expanded to include teen centers and more enrichment and educational programs for children.

 

I would also add that the Celebrity experience is upscale and relaxed. Their ships are elegant and modern and offer all the typical cruise ship activities. However, if you are looking for a wild night life or packed disco this probably isn't your best choice. I would think two guys in their 30's would be in the young side for Celebrity as the average age would probably be in their 50's on a European sailing, but probably younger on a Caribbean sailings. I would think on the port intensive European cruise most passengers would be mostly an early to bed; early to rise crowd with limited late night activities. Carnival and Royal Caribbean would probably be a better fit for 30 somethings, but that's just my opinion. It all depends upon what type of cruise experience you are looking for.

[Roy&Adrian]

We've only been on Celebrity as part of a gay group (Pied Piper Travel sail on many of their ships) so I don't know how their FOD meetings work. There was a small sign near reception saying there was a gathering, but it happened to be the PP pre-dinner gathering, so all seemed welcome. Royal Caribbean also only announced their gathering via a small notice at reception.

Princess have FODs, but the results are variable. The first couple of cruises had an initial host which helped with introductions, then we met occasionally throughout the holiday for drinks or dinner. The last one didn't have a host, so the meeting wasn't well attended. We still met with a nice couple so still had fun. Cunard always had a large nightly group on the Transatlantic crossing.

One cruise I would like to try is on an NCL ship. Our Pied Piper Celebrity ship docked with an NCL liner last year in Bermuda. PP had told us about a drag act in town - but there were more people from the NCL ship at the club. It made me think that they have their act together.

Of course, you could take the plunge and go all gay. Our second ever cruise was around the Med with RSVP. An eyeopener - but great fun.

[LACruiserGuy]

My partner and I just returned this week from a Piped Piper gay group cruise (47 people) on the Celebrity Millennium to Alaska, our first cruise. The PP group held a nightly pre-dinner cocktail party in the Martini Bar that a few members of the ship's crew did attend. There was also a posting in the daily ship bulletin about a general GLBT cocktail hour that started about 15 minutes after the PP gathering was scheduled. I don't know for a fact that it was the case, but since Celebrity was aware the PP group was on the cruise and had planned a nightly gathering in the Martini Bar, they may have posted the notice about a general GLBT gathering at that hour to give them an opportunity to interact with our group. One guy in our group told us that many of the younger people on the ship would gather every night in the Cosmos Bar for late night drinks, etc. and the crowd was mixed with both gay and straight people.

 

We found the ship's crew to be courteous and friendly and we didn't experience any overt homophobic attitude from the other passengers. We had a great time and I believe we would have felt totally comfortable as a gay couple on the cruise even if we weren't sailing with a gay group. All in all, the atmosphere on Celebrity appeared to be very gay friendly and we would defintely cruise with with them again. And most importantly, the service and attention we received from all the crew was outstanding. They made us feel like VIP's every day.

 

Enjoy your cruise! If it turns out to be as good as ours, I suspect you'll be hooked on cruising.

[simon stingray]

Hi Guys,

 

Celebrity is by far our favourite cruise line.

 

We would just like to add that whilst the average age of Celebrity passengers might be slightly older than that of other lines, on a ship with 2 or 3 thousand passengers, there will be plenty of other guys your age and younger.

 

We were on Silhouette last year in the Med and both the Nightclub and Casino were open late every night-we were up most nights until well after 2am, so not everyone goes to bed early:)

 

We have always been treated very well by Celebrity and have also met up with some really great groups of guys at the FOD meetings.

 

After your 1st cruise you will be hooked:cool:

[CrusingJoe]

As you can see we have been on many cruises and we have found it’s all over the board gay passengers on the cruise. It all depends on the port it is sailing from, the length of the cruise and the cruise line. From our number one pick it would be Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, NCL Celebrity and Costa. As other said it all depends on the date one is sailing, you never know. If you do cruise with a gay group, like Pied Piper as we have you will have a great time. If you go with an all gay ship like RSVP or Atlantis, It’s like Tea dance 24-7 and cost twice as much as a regular cruise. "A bad day at sea beats a good day at home."

[Single Cruiser]

Thanks Waldorf and Twokey. We will check out NCL too as we seem to be hearing a lot of good things. Not too fussed on the age of fellow cruisers, just want to be sure that we are in good company. ;)

 

Twokey, out of interest, which company are you thinking of going with? That schedule sounds great.

 

We are quite close to London, just outside. Hope you had a good time in our city.

 

Im a NCL convert. Find all the staff a bit more friendly and informal than say Royal Caribbean.

[BritLads81]

Really useful info here. Thanks so much for your responses guys. We have requested some brochures for NCL and Carnival and will take a look, but we have kinda set our hearts on a Western European sailing in September with Carnival as the departure port is a stones throw from where we live and we have seen it advertised with PP and MIM, so from what most of you are saying, there should be some good representation.

I have a feeling this going to become an expensive hobby...:cool:

[CtheW0rld]

Really useful info here. Thanks so much for your responses guys. We have requested some brochures for NCL and Carnival and will take a look, but we have kinda set our hearts on a Western European sailing in September with Carnival as the departure port is a stones throw from where we live and we have seen it advertised with PP and MIM, so from what most of you are saying, there should be some good representation.

I have a feeling this going to become an expensive hobby...:cool:

 

i've cruise carnival multiple times. i've never had a 'gay' issue. i'm not much for fod parties (i prefer to meet more informally) but i do believe they have them. cruising does not have to be expensive. if you can settle for an inside cabin it can be VERY affordable. remember, you have the whole ship to 'live' in.

[BritLads81]

Oops just noticed a typo, it's Celebrity we're set on, as they are departing from our local port.

 

Really useful info here. Thanks so much for your responses guys. We have requested some brochures for NCL and Carnival and will take a look, but we have kinda set our hearts on a Western European sailing in September with CELEBRITY as the departure port is a stones throw from where we live and we have seen it advertised with PP and MIM, so from what most of you are saying, there should be some good representation.

I have a feeling this going to become an expensive hobby...

[welshflyer]

Have you made up your minds yet on which cruise line you are going with?

I've been on quite a few different cruise lines with family and friends but did

my first solo cruise in May on Royal Caribbean from BCN and met loads of other gay passengers (and staff) and had a great time.

The cruises I've done on Celebrity & NCL were also very good. The only line I didn't enjoy quite so much was Carnival as I found it a bit like Butlins on water.

[Boytjie]

We have requested some brochures for NCL and Carnival and will take a look, but we have kinda set our hearts on a Western European sailing in September with CELEBRITY as the departure port is a stones throw from where we live and we have seen it advertised with PP and MIM, so from what most of you are saying, there should be some good representation.

 

I would suggest booking through Pied Piper (not sure who the other group is). fares should be the same as if you booked directly with the cruiseline or a travel agent - and you get some extras e.g. the cocktail parties etc. If the group is larger than say 10, there will be a host (or hosts depending on the size of the group).

 

We did a PP group on QM2 a few years ago - about 40 of us in the group. It was only a 4 night cruise and we enjoyed being a part of the group. (A few days in we'd hear comments like "oh, you are with that group" (must be because we were having such a good time - we closed the bars and disco every night) We all ate together at tables in the same area of the dining room. We had a special galley tour on a sea day and PP arranged a private excursion in St John (NB).

 

So, you have a friendly group to socialize with and can also interact with other passengers. We would gather after dinner in the Commodore Club and other gays (and lesbians) would eventually get drawn into the group. There was still a regular FOD gathering and many of attended that as well, meeting more of the other passengers.

[Britboys]

Hi Britlads,

 

I am sure you will have a great time aboard Celebrity, we did a few years back. I am just posting to put in a word for P&O too. They don't tend to have any FOD meetings but my partner & I have done quite a few cruises with P&O as an open (but not 'in yer face') couple and have at no time been made to feel uncomfortable. Other pax and staff always accepted us for who we were.

 

Enjoy your cruise - as you say, it can become an expensive habit :)

[Phxazzcruisers]

Oops just noticed a typo, it's Celebrity we're set on, as they are departing from our local port.

 

Really useful info here. Thanks so much for your responses guys. We have requested some brochures for NCL and Carnival and will take a look, but we have kinda set our hearts on a Western European sailing in September with CELEBRITY as the departure port is a stones throw from where we live and we have seen it advertised with PP and MIM, so from what most of you are saying, there should be some good representation.

I have a feeling this going to become an expensive hobby...

 

Hi again. As per my first post, I think you will really like Celebrity. Depending on your price range, if you can, look at Aqua Class Cabins. With them you get to eat dinner in their specialty restaurant, Blu. We find the food fantastic and even though the food in the main dining room is also very good, above most other cruise lines standards, we find that the dinners in Blu top rate for quality and selection.

Enjoy your cruise. !!

We are on a cruise on Azamara next year that begins in Nice and goes around Spain to Lisbon and ends in South Hampton. If you have questions about Azamara, just ask. It is the premium line in the Royal Caribbean family above Celebrity. The ships are much smaller, about 800 guests, and go into ports that many lines cannot get into. They also stay later at many ports and sometimes stay overnight. It is an incredible experience They are also VERY gay friendly.

[Cunard Rules]

You might want to look at Cunard as well.

 

My partner and I have always been well looked after on Cunard and as we are quite regulars are well known with the crew (whichever team they bat for).

 

Unfortunately I can’t give a glowing reference of Celebrity like everyone else.

After 2 disastrous cruises on Celebrity both my parents and we vowed never to travel with Celebrity again. The second cruise with Celebrity was so bad that even after we threatened to take them to Court unless we received some sort of compensation for such a terrible cruise Celebrity would not offer anything in compensation.

 

Anyway we have been cruising for ten years and only had a couple of duff cruises (or parts of a cruise) happy cruising.

[twokey]

Hi Brittlads!

Sorry for being so long in responding. I just don't check in w/CC as often as I could, I guess,

The cruise I referenced is on the GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS, Royal Caribbean. Our cruise leaves on Dec. 2nd, but there are other dates, too. I think there are some good rooms left, if you can get to Colon, or Panama City by December 2. We'd love it knowing there were other couples "like us" on the ship. It will probably be mostly Spanish speaking because of the part of the world the ports are in. That is cool. I am quite excited about the food and lots of Latin music and dancing(I've been told that these itineraries involve lots of dancing). You can be sure that there will be no awkwardness at being gay. Nobody cares in these environments.

Let me know if you are considering this cruise. It's my first. I have accumulated lots of info.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Tom

[bdpnatl]

My partner and I have sailed exclusively on Celebrity and have always enjoyed our cruise. He has also been on NCl and prefers Celebrity over that line. We always feel we have been treated with respect and like the level of service offered. There have always been other LGBT couples on board and we have almost always found them in the Martini Bar before late seating for dinner. There are people we have become friends with and have kept in contact with and sailed with again. We are obviously biased, but I think Celebrity has a very good product. That being said, they are not all-night round-the-clock action ships. We enjoy the quieter atmosphere and have always found things to do, but no rock climbing, ice skating, or bowling like some of the other lines.

 

No matter what line you choose (like I have read alot on these boards), A Day At Sea Is Always A Good Day