Did NCL change its policy on topless sunbathing?

[Solararc]

I meant the real estate not the activity lol perhaps a sail away open air lounge

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[tallyho8]

I was on the Jewel last year on a repositioning cruise going through the Panama Canal. Anyone who has ever sailed through the Panama Canal knows that the outdoor areas are extremely crowded as everyone vies for the best place for views and photos.

 

I found that the sundeck was a great place for views and to take photos of the scenery as it was high up and practically deserted so I preceded upward.

 

There was only one person up there who was an older German gentleman who was comfortable with using the sundeck as a place to sunbathe in the nude. I saw many people take the trip up the stairs, get an eyeful, and embarrassingly quickly head back down the steps.

 

I was not very comfortable being up there with him but managed to keep him behind me at all times and was able to see all the great sites along the canal and get many great photos of the canal without a crowd of people in my way.

 

There was a sign warning people that this was an adult only area and it could not be viewed from down below so I have no complaints with Norwegian allowing this deck to be used for nude sunbathing especially since it kept the crowds away so I could get great views of the canal.

 

Of course, being a gentleman myself, I probably would have preferred it more had it been a woman sunbather. ;)

[beetle9]

Yes on pearl and epic the deck was used topless and total clothing optional at times and funny thing research and see the only nude beach in usa is in miami where cruise ships leave from. Carnival used to have area around funnel but slides got so high they did away with it,

[zdcatc12]

Yes on pearl and epic the deck was used topless and total clothing optional at times and funny thing research and see the only nude beach in usa is in miami where cruise ships leave from.

 

Not sure exactly what you were saying, but Playalinda and New Smyrna Beach, about 200 miles north of Miami both have nude beaches. They are within the National Park system so local jurisdictions have no control.

[Solararc]

 

 

*Living large one week at a time*

[beetle9]

Not sure exactly what you were saying, but Playalinda and New Smyrna Beach, about 200 miles north of Miami both have nude beaches. They are within the National Park system so local jurisdictions have no control.

the one in miami is approved by the gov and even gets full services from gov only one that was voted in

[DumbleDork]

Not that NCL staff EVER enforce the rules for ANYTHING. We are beginning to feel like "Freestyle" actually means "Free for All." I get that they don't want big confrontations, but come on. I'm all for topless sunbathing, just against chair hogs.

 

This is so true. We were on the March 15-22 2015 sailing and there were kids constantly in the SpiceH20 area (even though there is a silver sign mounted over the entrance that clearly says "Adults only 18+") and in the Casino (kids from knee-high to teenage, were constantly loitering in the Casino area, not just passing through), though they are both designated as "18+ only" areas. After trying unsuccessfully to find an available lounge chair in the Quiet Deck with beds (Forward deck 18), I asked a crew member if the Freestyle Deck was for topless sunbathing since it was marked Freestyle Deck Adult Area, he said I could go topless or full-nude if I'd like (although I would later choose to keep my trunks on), that it's Freestyle for a reason and to enjoy it. To our delight we were able to find peace from the masses of children and noisy activities once we made it up to the Freestyle Deck (also an opportunity to get rid of tan lines and enjoy the serene environment). A few other couples/guests came up and joined us to take in the sun, it was nice so we figured this deck would serve as our quiet place for the duration of the cruise.

 

The bliss was short lived, on the fourth or fifth day we were walking down the stairs from the deck and encountered a group of giddy young boys headed up the stairwell to get a quick peek. We politely ushered them down the stairs and went directly to guest services to air our grievances. We explained how kids are constantly in the SpiceH20 Bar and Casino though both areas are designated 18+, and that there were young kids headed up to the Freestyle deck as we were walking down. We were quickly corrected by the Guest Services clerk, she went into some spiel about Freestyle Dining and how the dress code is more relaxed, and you don't have to dine with the same people every evening, and you can pick when you want to dine. I felt like she was a robot reading directly from some script affixed to my forehead. We tried to tell her we didn't care about dining, and our concerns were more about 18+ only areas and the lack of enforcement in those areas. She went back to her robot-like script and told us that "Freestyle" means kids are allowed in 18+ only areas, so long as they are escorted by an adult. We mentioned the children walking up the stairwell to the Freestyle (topless) Deck, and asked how they are dealing with the problem. She went on to tell us that Topless sunbathing and Nudity is not permitted on any public decks, as it's not legal in the United States.

 

We politely tried to inform her about U.S. decency laws, and remind her that being Topless (in public) is legal in a number of States and that there are multiple clothing optional beaches in Florida, one of which (Haulover) is just up the road from the Port of Miami (where the Epic leaves from). We also mentioned the design of the Freestyle Deck, the closed walls and how it is recessed by about a foot, so that any passengers approaching the deck would have plenty of time to turn around before seeing the deck, and the "Adult Area" sign at the foot of the stairs to warn kids. She was hearing none of it. She continued to parrot the same tired "Freestyle" line. After finishing her Freestyle speech, she continued to admonish us, and we were over the entire situation. We decided to walk away with cool heads and show how we felt with our wallet instead. As such, we didn't spend a penny on board after that.

 

Yes BendORcruiser, at Norwegian Cruise Lines Freestyle does mean Free-For-All. That's their answer for everything it seems.

 

Also, for what it's worth, there was a pipe burst on Deck 8 (about a dozen passengers with flooded staterooms), once we got in the elevator we mentioned it to the other passengers, who then mentioned another pipe had burst on Deck 12, and another passenger mentioned it was raining in their stateroom on Deck 14. Any time we would ask other passengers about their stay, we were met with only complaints and not one compliment.

Edited April 7, 2015 by DumbleDork

[wichitastatecruiser]

There used to be a freestyle deck on some ships where full nudity was ok.

Then, if I recall correctly, Norwegian said no nudity at all.

Now I'm seeing a reference to toplessness being banned except in designated areas. So there are designated areas?

 

As another poster stated. I believe it now depends on the ship. On my sailing of the Getaway in October it was a Sundeck. Didn't see any topless or nude sun bathing the entire trip. Also not that you could see the deck from the slides so I believe that there is no "freestyle" deck on the -away class. I would think that if the deck is not in view of other decks then topless and nude sun bathing would still be allowed as stated by other posters.