Guest Posted September 9, 2012 #1 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Partner and I will be on Norwegian Pearl 1/27/13.Never been on NCL.How gay friendly is it?Demographics, couples. Any experiences ? Thanks snyderdnvr@aol.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Single Cruiser Posted September 9, 2012 #2 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Partner and I will be on Norwegian Pearl 1/27/13.Never been on NCL.How gay friendly is it?Demographics, couples. Any experiences ?Thanks snyderdnvr@aol.com NCL tends to attract a younger average age passenger with its more casual freestyle approach and so less likely to get some more conservative, must dress for dinner types. Daily LGBT meetings clearly listed in the ships news letter and I've never seen any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cirman52 Posted September 9, 2012 #3 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Partner & I did a Trans Atlantic on the Sun last year with another gay male couple. Lots of gays on that cruise, not as many as the btw, which was a rt Baltic. We have never had any kind of problem, staff or passengers on any cruise line. Well, there was that i women, but even straights avoided her. Go, enjoy, you'll have a wonderful time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted September 9, 2012 #4 Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) NCL tends to attract a younger average age passenger with its more casual freestyle approach and so less likely to get some more conservative, must dress for dinner types. Maybe, maybe not. If we're going to deal with stereotypes, it's true that younger people are more likely to be pro-queer. But attitudes also have (admittedly variable) correlations to education level, religion, regional origin, and other stuff...including, perhaps, being well traveled. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I'd kinda rather take my chances with a tableful of retired New York professionals in tuxes and gowns than a bunch of 30-something bubbas in Harley T-shirts. Just sayin'. Edited September 9, 2012 by shepp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Single Cruiser Posted September 9, 2012 #5 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Maybe, maybe not. If we're going to deal with stereotypes, it's true that younger people are more likely to be pro-queer. But attitudes also have (admittedly variable) correlations to education level, religion, regional origin, and other stuff...including, perhaps, being well traveled. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I'd kinda rather take my chances with a tableful of retired New York professionals in tuxes and gowns than a bunch of 30-something bubbas in Harley T-shirts. Just sayin'. Interesting.. Yes probably very stereotypical but based on my experience. On my Royal Caribbean cruise I got stuck on a table with some very traditional elderly couples, let's just say I didn't rejoin that table. Guess a lot also depends on where the cruise originates from lol. Besides most of the bikers I know are the friendliest of people despite appearances and stereotypes :D I found NCL a bit more relaxed but your cruise is what you make it .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttilaTheFun Posted September 9, 2012 #6 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Maybe, maybe not. If we're going to deal with stereotypes, it's true that younger people are more likely to be pro-queer. But attitudes also have (admittedly variable) correlations to education level, religion, regional origin, and other stuff...including, perhaps, being well traveled. Maybe I'm being unfair, but I'd kinda rather take my chances with a tableful of retired New York professionals in tuxes and gowns than a bunch of 30-something bubbas in Harley T-shirts. Just sayin'. Now you're discriminating based on clothing/perceived wealth. Well-dressed people can be just as homophobic as anyone else. There are also "bubbas" out there who may be perfectly accepting. Back to the subject at hand, I've sailed NCL twice and found it gay-friendly wih no issues onboard. The turnout for the lgbt gatherings is hit-or-miss, just like any other cruise line, but NCL does publish it in their daily newsletter, which is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crewmember59 Posted September 9, 2012 #7 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I was on the NCL EPIC this year and i felt very comfortable throughout the cruise. I saw lots of gays couples, more than i expected. Most being openly gay holding hands public areas, i didnt see any heads turning. They publish the friends of Dorothy meetings in their daily newsletter and all staff were very friendly. Go for it and enjoy! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepp Posted September 10, 2012 #8 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Now you're discriminating based on clothing/perceived wealth. Well-dressed people can be just as homophobic as anyone else. There are also "bubbas" out there who may be perfectly accepting. As I said, stereotypes are stereotypes. But fact is that homophobia correlates inversely with educational level, and people with less education do tend to have lower socio-economic status. Are there worldly urban folks who are intensely anti-gay? Of course, just as there are prolly rural Southern bikers who are, I'm sure, vocally pro-queer. But, you know... Not having been on NCL, I don't want to take this thread farther OT. But I find it tough to believe that wanting to dress nicely for dinner is a marker of homophobia, is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bocadude85 Posted September 10, 2012 #9 Share Posted September 10, 2012 We have always found NCL to be very gay friendly. We have never had a problem with anyone on any of our cruises with NCL. The staff on NCL are very gay friendly from my experience. On our last cruise with NCL our butler thought we were on our honeymoon for some reason and surprised us one day with balloons and banners. He also had drawn a warm bath and had a bottle of chilled champagne by the tub. It was a wonderful surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milanojosh Posted September 10, 2012 #10 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Having both worked on NCL (as a performer) and sailed as a pax, I have never heard of or seen any problems. Most are just there to have a great time and leave to each his own. FOD meetings are indeed hit-or-miss, but not always necessary. Have fun!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark with a laser Posted September 10, 2012 #11 Share Posted September 10, 2012 I've been on 3 NCL cruises with my partner and never had an issue. Also never had an issue on Royal Caribbean and Carnival going back to 2002. We're not heavy into PDA or anything, but we're pretty open. The FOD gathering pretty much took over the martini lounge on Epic every evening. There were 2 groups of friends travelling, and we all connected on the roll call beforehand. Maybe find the roll call for your cruise and ask if any others are travelling? I haven't had much luck on the G&L roll calls for either of my upcoming trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikki72 Posted September 11, 2012 #12 Share Posted September 11, 2012 We went on the Epic on a transatlantic and the Haven was mainly gay and lesbian. We had a great time and made some good friends. The FOD meetings were massive some nights we took over Bliss ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruiser Bruiser Posted September 14, 2012 #13 Share Posted September 14, 2012 Partner and I will be on Norwegian Pearl 1/27/13.Never been on NCL.How gay friendly is it?Demographics, couples. Any experiences ?Thanks snyderdnvr@aol.com I've been on NCL three times and on the Pearl twice in the past two years. All of my experiences have been great. The Pearl is a nice ship with an exceptionally friendly crew. As others have noted, there's always an LGBT get-together listed in the Freestyle Daily. Most nights it's in the Star Bar on Deck 13. Once they had free bowling in the Bliss Ultralounge. (That's when the lesbians showed up!;)) Attendance is hit-or-miss. On the Pacific Coast cruise in 2011, there were about 25 regulars who attended. On the Alaska cruise in 2012, there were about 6 of us. Folks on the Alaska itinerary were less friendly overall. (I think that's because they were there primarily to see Alaska, and a cruise was the best way to do it.) As you will be in the Caribbean, I would expect the atmosphere to be a lot more liveley. The vibe on NCL is fun and sexy generally--that's their brand. Plan to attend the White Hot Party; it's a lot of fun and a very mixed crowd, from tweens to 70-somethings. Be sure to bring an all-white outfit. Have fun, and tell us how it went. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinMaterial Posted September 15, 2012 #14 Share Posted September 15, 2012 OP: I have cruise NCL 14 times, once a gay charter, the rest straight cruises. NCL overall is a very gay-friendly brand. They have regular LGBT Gatherings as most ships call them (dumping Friends of Dorothy code) and they are nightly. On the Jewel and Dawn class it's usually in the Star Bar which is an off the beaten path where most straight cruisers don't discover until later in their voyage. Some gatherings are very well attended such as my last sailings and others are not. It really depends on the itinerary you are doing. Alaska has a very dry crowd in general where as Caribbean / Bermuda tends to get a younger more alive crowd. I wouldn't worry about your trip! Relax, sit back and enjoy the FreeStyle experience! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder3 Posted November 22, 2018 #15 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Any gays going Panama cruise NCL Star on November 30 - 2o18? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC_GAY_Cruiser Posted November 22, 2018 #16 Share Posted November 22, 2018 We are going on the Getaway this Sunday and there are at least 20 guys from all over the US and England. Should be a fun FOD get together every evening. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boristynkov Posted January 2, 2019 #17 Share Posted January 2, 2019 anyone on norwegian escape 1/6 january 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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