ANTHEM of the SEAS...How's Gay Social life?

[HLR]

Hi All!

 

Anyone sail recently on Anthem? What's the gay social scene like?

 

I see in posted recent cruise dailies that they have a nightly LGBT meet up at 11 pm...why not 5 pm cocktail hour so you can meet people to enjoy your evening's entertainment with? Hmmm....

 

I'm sailing solo and have posted a roll call and nothin'! Or I should say "No one". This is my 19th cruise and I am surprised on a ship this large that there is not one response.

 

HLR

[keithm]

Hi All!

 

Anyone sail recently on Anthem? What's the gay social scene like?

 

I see in posted recent cruise dailies that they have a nightly LGBT meet up at 11 pm...why not 5 pm cocktail hour so you can meet people to enjoy your evening's entertainment with? Hmmm....

 

I'm sailing solo and have posted a roll call and nothin'! Or I should say "No one". This is my 19th cruise and I am surprised on a ship this large that there is not one response.

 

HLR

Actually, I'd prefer a later timeslot. 11PM is kind of late though. Lots of times the meetings are scheduled near the first seating(which we prefer)We don't live for the meetings, however. We usually do Celebrity/Cunard & once in awhile Princess. Celebrity does the worst by far in promoting get togethers.. It's posted on a bulletin board near the front desk. Cunard/Princess do post it daily in the paper, which gives you a better chance of meeting others. The Anthem generally is like a "mall" with a ship built around it. There's plenty of goings on.

[HLR]

On my last RCL cruise they had the message board thing near the customer service desk with a time of 8 pm posted there. Who isn't either finishing or starting dinner at that time? Three of us decided to take down that note and we re-wrote it for 5 pm and we got a decent turn-out!

 

It seems at 11 pm people will walk by and not see anyone and immediately leave...then the next person comes and sees no-one and leaves, etc....

 

HLR

[keithm]

On my last RCL cruise they had the message board thing near the customer service desk with a time of 8 pm posted there. Who isn't either finishing or starting dinner at that time? Three of us decided to take down that note and we re-wrote it for 5 pm and we got a decent turn-out!

 

It seems at 11 pm people will walk by and not see anyone and immediately leave...then the next person comes and sees no-one and leaves, etc....

 

HLR

Great idea!

[welshrich]

We were on her in April and did not see much happening, but it was a 5 nighter and we were usually in bed earlier than usual. We did not see many 'family' around the ship, unlike other cruises where it is very friendly.

[chelseaguy]

We've been on Anthem and on Quantum (same as Anthem). No activity whatever. The 11 PM meeting was at the bionic bar which is basically a hallway with people walking through and no one stopping. A few guys appeared briefly, and there were some "hellos" but few even brief conversations.

 

RCL seems not to encourage FOD gatherings, although for the first time it actually listed them in the daily program Previously one had to find a posting behind a wall near customer relations. On Quantum there was one postcard posting for one event. It was in the Library which is a tiny space adjacent to balcony of the 270 lounge/theatre. The event--the only one--was on sailing day and after the boat drill. We didn't find out about it until the second day and that was it for the 14 days.

 

Best ships we have found are HAL and Cunard.

 

There are exceptions of course and certainly there were gay people aboard Anthem and Quantum. Hopefully you'll be more fortunate than we. Do enjoy your cruise regardless.

[beachmonkey]

We sailed last month over Thanksgiving week. The first night we gathered in the wine bar and that worked well. Most nights it was not posted by guest services or in the compass. The night they did it at the Bionic bar was a bust as far as function, but we still had a nice size group.

[HLR]

We sailed last month over Thanksgiving week. The first night we gathered in the wine bar and that worked well. Most nights it was not posted by guest services or in the compass. The night they did it at the Bionic bar was a bust as far as function, but we still had a nice size group.

 

Thanks Beachmonkey! You had a very different experience than ChelseaGuy...every sailing is different! I'm crossing my fingers, as I am sailing solo, that there will be people to meet. One week to go!

 

HLR

[onheadphones]

How was it? I sail Anthem next month and I'm curious to hear as many experiences as possible!

[Nauty]

I’m curious about this too. My partner & I booked a non-refundable fare on the Anthem 7-nt Bermuda April 20, 2019 sailing, only to realize after that it’s a public school holiday in NY/NJ. This cruise will be overloaded with families & kids, and we’re concerned we might feel out of place.

[drketchone]

My partner and I have been on the Anthem a few times now, back again in about 40 days, you can never tell from cruise to cruise who will be there, or if they want to interact. The ship started the get together in the wine bar, it was a bit too stuffy for our kind of loud, and occasionally inappropriate crowd, so we moved it to the Bionic Bar, which was OK, definitely not private. Occasionally some of the command officers stopped by, or the directors staff. Several nights the party went downstairs to the Music Hall bar, where it would stay until they kicked us out. If its not on the bulletin board, make your own, if the "standard" ship one is there, go early in the cruise, write your own and cover it up. Make your own party. I have never felt out of place on a cruise ship, probably one of the more accepting places on the planet.

 

 

[dswallow]

The Music Hall, typically late when it's about the only bar still open, and the casino area, in general (i.e., look for groups socializing not necessarily gambling), have been the most regular places to meet up with other LGBT folks on Anthem. Once you meet up with at least a few you can figure out more convenient locations. I would definitely suggest using the community bulletin board and getting into the habit both of checking it daily and suggesting to others to check it daily. On some RCL ships, the bulletin board is in ridiculously out of the way spots. At least on Anthem it's generally been right at guest services where it has a chance of being seen.

 

I usually bring pre-printed signs to place on the bulletin board, so it's colorful and stands out. 🙂

 

In general, I would suggest joining the regular roll call thread here and making yourself known as well; look at smartphone apps like ShipMate which have discussion areas as well, and there's sites like Meet Me On Board that offer LGBT-specific ways to find each other. They all sometimes seem sparse; but if folks with any interest at all would be using them, it might attract more people using them as well.

 

And if you happen to be on the 12/10/2018 11-night Anthem sailing, the 1/6/2019 12-night Anthem sailing, the 1/5/2020 11-night Anthem sailing, or the 3/15/2020 or 3/22/2020 7-night Anthem sailings, make sure to let me know!

Edited November 2, 2018 by dswallow

[onheadphones]

Just got back from the cruise, and I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have to be honest - I did not much care for the crowd on-board. This was my third time sailing with Royal Caribbean, and despite being on one of their larger boats, the demographics were ironically less diverse than the two smaller boats I had previously been on. The crowd on Vision of the Seas felt more gay/gay-friendly, and more diverse in general.

 

During a meal in the Solarium Bistro, I overheard an older woman telling her friend how she couldn't stop thinking about these "two gay men" because it made her "sick". Granted, this was an isolated incident that could have occurred anywhere, and is no way Royal Caribbean's fault, but it really took me aback. Having lived in my gay liberal bubble for so long, it has been a very very long time since I experienced homophobia like that. There were some other unpleasant, but not necessarily gay-related encounters besides that.

 

The nightly LGBTQ meetups were scheduled at Vintages bar at 7pm, which was not a convenient time for me. I attended the first meetup and met a group of bears who were all sailing together as a pack. They were friendly and we chatted for a bit, but didn't particularly click. A couple from Tennessee linked up with the group as I was leaving. I didn't run into any of them again nor was I able to make it back for any of the other nights. That was the extent of my interaction with other gays on-board.

 

Everyone's experience is different, and sometimes it boils down to luck-of-the-draw, combined with factors such as what time of the year you sail, destination, etc. But given the chance, I would have rather chosen a different ship altogether.

 

I personally would not recommend.

Edited November 20, 2018 by onheadphones

[dswallow]

Sorry to hear your experiences were not what you were hoping for. I recall one cruise on Anthem where I probably had similar feelings about the folks I met at the gathering, but on disembarkation, while in the US Customs line, managed to meet something like 3 or 4 other small gay groups I hadn't once seen onboard. It just works out that way sometimes.

 

As to the little conversation you overheard; I'd probably have stopped by and said something like "I'm sorry but I couldn't help but hear your conversation, ..." and see what I could accomplish starting a conversation. For my amusement, perhaps, or maybe to give her something else to think about, too. A lot depends on my mood what I might choose to do. 🙂

 

I hate when they put the meetup in Vintages. I always bring my own little Community Bulletin Board signs, preprinted in color, and move it someplace more fun and at a time that works better. Which reminds me I need to make something up to point people to Music Hall late-night, too.

 

[onheadphones]

Just curious, why did you not feel Vintages was an adequate meeting spot?

 

Looking back, I couldn't help but think I should have brought a pride flag, or at least worn a pride bracelet to make things easier.

 

The community bulletin board was in the 270 library. I checked it frequently throughout the week, it received zero activity.

[dswallow]

44 minutes ago, onheadphones said:

Just curious, why did you not feel Vintages was an adequate meeting spot?

 

Looking back, I couldn't help but think I should have brought a pride flag, or at least worn a pride bracelet to make things easier.

 

The community bulletin board was in the 270 library. I checked it frequently throughout the week, it received zero activity.

 

The community bulletin board on Anthem used to be right out front of guest services, through at least January 2018. Every ship where it's in/near the library the thing is mostly useless, unless you're trying to organize a card game. That'll have to be fixed somehow. 🙂

 

Vintages doesn't even have close to a full bar. It's set up for wine and afterthoughts. I'm not sure how they justify Vintages taking up the space it does, for as often as it's empty. If you expect people to hang out and wait for a group of strangers to gather it's ever so helpful for it to be a place where you're not just sitting someplace staring at a wall. I just haven't ever found Vintages to be conducive a place to pull strangers together, get them out of their shell and start conversations. Quite the opposite of most every other public bar on the ship.

 

You're right about needing something for folks to notice and attract attention at gatherings at least initially. 

 

 

[cot427]

On 11/20/2018 at 12:58 AM, onheadphones said:

Just got back from the cruise, and I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I have to be honest - I did not much care for the crowd on-board. This was my third time sailing with Royal Caribbean, and despite being on one of their larger boats, the demographics were ironically less diverse than the two smaller boats I had previously been on. The crowd on Vision of the Seas felt more gay/gay-friendly, and more diverse in general.

 

During a meal in the Solarium Bistro, I overheard an older woman telling her friend how she couldn't stop thinking about these "two gay men" because it made her "sick". Granted, this was an isolated incident that could have occurred anywhere, and is no way Royal Caribbean's fault, but it really took me aback. Having lived in my gay liberal bubble for so long, it has been a very very long time since I experienced homophobia like that. There were some other unpleasant, but not necessarily gay-related encounters besides that.

 

The nightly LGBTQ meetups were scheduled at Vintages bar at 7pm, which was not a convenient time for me. I attended the first meetup and met a group of bears who were all sailing together as a pack. They were friendly and we chatted for a bit, but didn't particularly click. A couple from Tennessee linked up with the group as I was leaving. I didn't run into any of them again nor was I able to make it back for any of the other nights. That was the extent of my interaction with other gays on-board.

 

Everyone's experience is different, and sometimes it boils down to luck-of-the-draw, combined with factors such as what time of the year you sail, destination, etc. But given the chance, I would have rather chosen a different ship altogether.

 

I personally would not recommend.

 

On 11/20/2018 at 4:32 PM, dswallow said:

 

The community bulletin board on Anthem used to be right out front of guest services, through at least January 2018. Every ship where it's in/near the library the thing is mostly useless, unless you're trying to organize a card game. That'll have to be fixed somehow. 🙂

 

Vintages doesn't even have close to a full bar. It's set up for wine and afterthoughts. I'm not sure how they justify Vintages taking up the space it does, for as often as it's empty. If you expect people to hang out and wait for a group of strangers to gather it's ever so helpful for it to be a place where you're not just sitting someplace staring at a wall. I just haven't ever found Vintages to be conducive a place to pull strangers together, get them out of their shell and start conversations. Quite the opposite of most every other public bar on the ship.

 

You're right about needing something for folks to notice and attract attention at gatherings at least initially. 

 

 

 

Sailed the Anthem in May and we had a decent LGBTQ+ meetup nightly in Vintages. I do think part of the reason they designate this bar as the LGBTQ+ spot is just that, it is not generally busy. By chance you do have a large group, it's easy to get seating and chat. We didn't have a problem with ordering wine or a vodka soda there and didn't require any other drinks, so I didn't mind that it wasn't "full service." 

 

I'm not sure where you sailed Vision from, but I can tell you, the demographic of a ship sailing from the Northeast like NYC and NJ is totally different than anywhere else. A bunch of people from the suburbs of various states...not surprised by your experience. In the end, it does boil down to luck of the draw, with a little bit due to embarkation port, destination and length of cruise. 

[Tom.Kitten]

It seems that on most of my cruises, the LGBT meets were usually in the loudest martini bar at the busiest hour, and even if there was anyone else there to meet and greet I couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear me.  

 

The only cruise I was on where the meet was really successful was on the Grand Princess, where the meets were held in a quiet lounge, and the ship's wonderful on-board naturalist (Tess) was the unofficial hostess. She set up a little vase containing a rainbow flag on the cocktail table, so it was easy to identify who and where to gather. On that cruise we had a core group of about a dozen people who showed up and socialized every evening, and another 15-20 folks who would drop by for some of them.  

[jaycruises]

On the March 3rd, 2019 sailing of the Anthem.  My first time on this ship so lots to learn and explore.  Was on the Grandeur and the meeting were at 11 pm and too late for most people.  And in a loud area of a bar as I recall.  Hopefully will be earlier and in a quiet place on the Anthem.  Understand that the use of things like steam room are paid and not free like on the Grandeur. So I will see what happens.  At least the 12 days includes six ports, not five like on the Grandeur due to the long trip down the bay.

[SakeDad]

Has anyone approached the CD (usually in charge of what goes in daily papers) to ask about having them moved? I sail Spectrum Dubai-Singapore May 4...we shall see.

[JMP0629]

I'm going on my first solo cruise in February 2020. It will be on the Anthem (my first RCCL cruise as well). I'm hoping for a meet and greet on the first day at least!