Friends of Dorothy on Crystal?

[tv24]

I just thought I would put this out there to see what would happen, recognizing that someone at some time had already started a thread on this. DH and I will board the Crystal Serenity in mid-march in Perth for a cruise to Cape Town. We cruised Crystal in 2004, a long time ago, and remember that there were only 2 other gay-identified PAX, and that the other PAX were (ahem!) quite mature. We were in our 50s at the time, so we were the hot young things onboard. So is there any meet-up of FOD on Crystal? I know there will be a CC Meet-and-Mingle, and we will go, but not the same thing. And can I expect any particular gay/lesbian presence on board? I'm sure we will have a great time either way, but it would be fun to anticipate, or connect ahead of time. What have you experienced, Crystal veterans?

[CrusingJoe]

I just thought I would put this out there to see what would happen, recognizing that someone at some time had already started a thread on this. DH and I will board the Crystal Serenity in mid-march in Perth for a cruise to Cape Town. We cruised Crystal in 2004, a long time ago, and remember that there were only 2 other gay-identified PAX, and that the other PAX were (ahem!) quite mature. We were in our 50s at the time, so we were the hot young things onboard. So is there any meet-up of FOD on Crystal? I know there will be a CC Meet-and-Mingle, and we will go, but not the same thing. And can I expect any particular gay/lesbian presence on board? I'm sure we will have a great time either way, but it would be fun to anticipate, or connect ahead of time. What have you experienced, Crystal veterans?

 

If they don't post one, you can yourself on the bulletin board or ask the CD to do so. With only 600+ passenger's the % of LGBT would be low, enjoy.

[Rotterdam]

Good morning,

 

Here is a link to a posting by a gay couple on the Crystal board that have taken a couple of Crystal cruises. They compose videos / reviews - they really are funny - they live in Southern California I believe. The first review covered a cruise they took w/ another couple on Crystal.

 

They could have relevant & recent info for you along w/ a couple of very funny reviews.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2153390

[tv24]

Good morning,

 

Here is a link to a posting by a gay couple on the Crystal board that have taken a couple of Crystal cruises. They compose videos / reviews - they really are funny - they live in Southern California I believe. The first review covered a cruise they took w/ another couple on Crystal.

 

They could have relevant & recent info for you along w/ a couple of very funny reviews.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2153390

 

Very cute. Thanks for the link.

[Kruzngrl]

We were on the Serenity last October. for a ten day cruise. Loved the ship and the specialty restaurants. They had two FOD meetings posted in the bulletin. Only one couple attended besides ourselves. Noticed several other gay people on board however. Have a wonderful cruise!

[tv24]

Thanks Kruzngirl. We will monitor postings and notices on board and take advantage of whatever happens.

[TxnAquarian]

What a great itinerary you have planned!! We have done Crystal several times and can confirm that there is a near-non existent gay crowd onboard. The best odds of having other gays on with you are during Christmas cruises or itineraries with more sea days (Trans-Atlantics). That's been our experience anyway. We are in our 30's and really enjoy meeting others from a wide age range. But our last two trips on Crystal were beyond senile, so we decided Celebrity and Azamara are a better social fit for us. On our last Crystal cruise a couple of years ago, there was a gang of guys in scooters who followed us everywhere and would hide in the shadows of the outside decks at night and go "Psssst...." whenever we would walk by. It started as humorous, but got annoying lol As much as we like the product and itineraries, we got tired of feeling like loners. But the Crystal experience overall is hard to beat. Now if they would just come out with a new ship! :)

 

 

Michael & Omar

[tv24]

What a great itinerary you have planned!! We have done Crystal several times and can confirm that there is a near-non existent gay crowd onboard. The best odds of having other gays on with you are during Christmas cruises or itineraries with more sea days (Trans-Atlantics). That's been our experience anyway. We are in our 30's and really enjoy meeting others from a wide age range. But our last two trips on Crystal were beyond senile, so we decided Celebrity and Azamara are a better social fit for us. On our last Crystal cruise a couple of years ago, there was a gang of guys in scooters who followed us everywhere and would hide in the shadows of the outside decks at night and go "Psssst...." whenever we would walk by. It started as humorous, but got annoying lol As much as we like the product and itineraries, we got tired of feeling like loners. But the Crystal experience overall is hard to beat. Now if they would just come out with a new ship! :)

 

 

Michael & Omar

 

Thanks for your very funny response, M & O! We cruised Crystal to Alaska in 2005 and it was announced that the average age on board was 76! We were told that many super-seniors never left their staterooms. Well that meant more room at the fitness center, which was usually empty, and no crowds disembarking in ports. We are a bit older now, but not yet using scooters. We will see if this is our cup of tea...we have a deposit on a 102-day World Cruise on Crystal in 2016, so this will be a test drive.

[Psoque]

We have been on 4 or so Crystal cruises in the past, and going for our next one later this year. In our experience, there are as many "family" members onboard, but because the ship capacity is around 900-1000, it is hard to have a large FOD group going. However, we have managed to meet more than a few gay/lesbians (mainly couples) on all of our cruises with them. I don't have the hard numbers (and I doubt anybody really does), but the percentage of "family" on a Crystal cruise appears to us as comparable to other lines we have been on. The big difference on a Crystal ship, however, is that the average age appears to be a bit higher than a comparable itinerary on other lines, probably because of the pricing. My understanding is that gay group companies such as Pied Piper used to book groups on Crystal in the past, but not recently. I am not sure why that is, though.

[tv24]

We have been on 4 or so Crystal cruises in the past, and going for our next one later this year. In our experience, there are as many "family" members onboard, but because the ship capacity is around 900-1000, it is hard to have a large FOD group going. However, we have managed to meet more than a few gay/lesbians (mainly couples) on all of our cruises with them. I don't have the hard numbers (and I doubt anybody really does), but the percentage of "family" on a Crystal cruise appears to us as comparable to other lines we have been on. The big difference on a Crystal ship, however, is that the average age appears to be a bit higher than a comparable itinerary on other lines, probably because of the pricing. My understanding is that gay group companies such as Pied Piper used to book groups on Crystal in the past, but not recently. I am not sure why that is, though.

 

Thanks guys. I can see that you've had more Crystal experience than we have, so your input is much appreciated. Happy sailing!