LGBT Cruise Youtubers

[DomoYoshi]

My husband and I stated cruising in 2019, so we’ve spent a lot of pandemic downtime watching and learning from these channels. This thread has given me some new channels to check out as well.

 

Tips for Travelers is a delight. He seems like a wealth of knowledge on many subjects. I love that he details a variety of options, from high-end formal Cunard to your Carnival/NCLs, and seems open to the experiences of all. I also dig his expedition experiences like Antarctica. 
 

Ben and David put together very well-made videos. Their original photography is extraordinary, and I enjoyed their pandemic travel videos to towns in Europe. I agree with the points people made about feeling nakedly marketed towards instead of review/information. They seem fun and I’d have cocktails with them, good for them for being successful at what they do.

 

 

[atexsix]

On 8/16/2021 at 3:19 AM, muchofamuchness said:

So I'm actually a big fan of Ben and David's videos. I actively like the boundless enthusiasm / occasional silliness, though I appreciate that's not for everyone.

 

I probably wouldn't go to them for reviews - this isn't a particular dig at them but I'm sceptical of most YouTubers because they have to stay close to the cruise lines to get the access they want. They typically aren't very critical but I suppose I've learned to read between the lines.

 

However I enjoy their cruise vlogs - they're very good at capturing the excitement of cruises and showing what they can be, particularly to people who haven't cruised before. Equally the sheer production quality of their ship tour videos is a cut above most other cruise YouTubers - and also pretty consistent, meaning that you can use them to compare the look and feel of different ships.

 

In terms of who I *trust*, it's probably Gary Bembridge. His videos aren't particularly glitzy (though I've noticed he's relaxed into his YouTube persona over time) but his tips are based on real experience and you sense that, even if he does accept press trips etc., he's not dependent on those and so doesn't come across as beholden to the cruise lines. I noticed that particularly on Twitter he's notably absent from the usual cruise YouTuber fawning whenever a cruise line announces anything. He seems to be more capable of taking a step back and analysing things critically.

I know everyone wants to grow their channel, but when youtubers get to the fawning stage that's when I bow out and look for someone else, I favor the smaller channels anyway because they almost always are more connected to their audience and can answer questions etc.  I think 5,000 followers or less is the sweet spot.

[castlebello]

On 8/6/2021 at 8:54 AM, posspet said:

"look at that David. They provide coat hangers".

 

Hilarious!  I cant not hear that now if I see them ...

[Surfguyxxx]

On 8/13/2021 at 9:21 AM, DenGNNJ said:

Tips for Travelers with Gary Bembridge is very good.  He discusses a lot of different cruise lines.

 

Just sat and watched about an hour of his videos 😬😅.  Thanks for the tip!

[DenGNNJ]

Ben & David and Gary Bembridge just covered Virgin Voyages.  I was on the fence about giving VV a try, but now I think YES.  Both channels had very good things to say about the food and service.

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, DenGNNJ said:

Ben & David and Gary Bembridge just covered Virgin Voyages.  I was on the fence about giving VV a try, but now I think YES.  Both channels had very good things to say about the food and service.

I’m with ya once they have longer cruises. We did our first week long one in a number of years and never again… just too short. 

[DenGNNJ]

26 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I’m with ya once they have longer cruises. We did our first week long one in a number of years and never again… just too short. 

I noticed that too.  Most cruises seem to be between 3-5 nights right now (perfect length for one of their target demographics, I suppose).

[Clay Clayton]

52 minutes ago, DenGNNJ said:

I noticed that too.  Most cruises seem to be between 3-5 nights right now (perfect length for one of their target demographics, I suppose).

Which I am not😢

[DenGNNJ]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Which I am not😢

To that I say, me neither - so what!!  It looks like fun can be had by all regardless if you want party-time or quiet-time.  As soon as I see an itinerary I like, I'm-a-bookin'!

[muchofamuchness]

4 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I’m with ya once they have longer cruises. We did our first week long one in a number of years and never again… just too short. 

 

So based on the initial publicity I had largely written off Virgin Voyages (far too cool for me). However having watched Gary Bembridge's content, as well as the first video from the channel 'Visit With Us' (not LGBT) I am actually starting to come round to the idea. It looks like fun and I like the dining concept. I lost interest in the Ben & David video when it started being overly complimentary, but I enjoyed the section about the room amenities!!!

 

However, I think I'd prefer a shorter itinerary - I think that a different restaurant every night and the very lively atmosphere would probably be a bit wearing after much more than a week. I could totally imagine four or five days on this out of Miami, and hopefully the pricing should discourage the booze cruise crowd.

 

The looks of the ship haven't grown on me, mind...

[CruiserLucas]

I like Ben & David - as others have said for the quality of videography and breadth of their exploration on the ships. They are a bit campy, and I tend to only watch a chunk at a time of their long reviews, because they are just that: long. My partner actually didn't catch on for some reason for a while that Been and David were together when we first started watching their videos. 🤣

 

Tips for Travelers is really good for some down to business reviews and tips. Once in a while I find a few of his tips repetitive in some videos if you have watched quite a few of his other tips videos already. But it's also consistency so if you jump into watching his channel as a novice, you'll still get some of those tips right off the bat. He doesn't initially come across as having LGBT-centered tips, but he will once in a while mention his partner and his preferences in cruises. 

 

JJ Cruise has also been one we have started watching recently.

[karmamule]

We fell in love with Ben & David after watching a series of MSC videos they did and hearing Ben try and fail to say "Swarovski staircase" correctly. He butchered it differently every time. But, they don't take themselves TOO seriously and are the first to make fun of themselves. Yes, they tend towards the uncritical but are a great choice when we want something upbeat.

 

And, like just about everyone else posting here we are amazed at Gary's encyclopedic knowledge and thorough Tips for Travelers channel. He's been more forthcoming about having an LGBT perspective the last couple years but only as yet another point of information for those who care.

 

We recently discovered Travel Blog Jamie and like his videos. At times he maybe tries a little too hard to be witty, but he's now one of our 'regulars' we're subscribed to.

 

Side note: Videos by Ben and David, Jamie, and Gary convinced us to give Virgin Voyages a try too, and we just booked their 11 day transatlantic in 2023 from San Juan to Lisbon.

[Clay Clayton]

15 hours ago, karmamule said:

Side note: Videos by Ben and David, Jamie, and Gary convinced us to give Virgin Voyages a try too, and we just booked their 11 day transatlantic in 2023 from San Juan to Lisbon.

Will that be your first Virgin cruise? I looked to get more information on Virgin’s transatlantics but while I can see the basic itinerary I can get any detailed info (pricing, actual dates, etc) to show up on their website. Maybe all the Crossings are sold out. Mind telling me the cost?  

Edited September 28, 2021 by Clay Clayton

[karmamule]

17 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Will that be your first Virgin cruise? I looked to get more information on Virgin’s transatlantics but while I can see the basic itinerary I can get any detailed info (pricing, actual dates, etc) to show up on their website. Maybe all the Crossings are sold out. Mind telling me the cost?  

 

Yes this is our first cruise on Virgin and our first transatlantic so new to us in several different ways. I did book through their site and saw room types/prices/etc.. for this and the other transatlantic sailing. We decided to go wild and booked the Posh Suite at 11k total. (Though that's the "list" price. After discounts it came to 9k actual end cost.) That does include essentially unlimited drinks plus constantly-restocked in room bar. We plan to drink a fair amount so that will offset some of the splurge.

 

We used this link: Book a Cruise | Virgin Voyages

 

By default their filters limit to the next few months, so be sure to change that date filter to 2022 or 2023. For example if you pick April 2023 you'll see the cruise we booked and can browse various room prices from there:

 

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by karmamule

[Clay Clayton]

15 minutes ago, karmamule said:

 

Yes this is our first cruise on Virgin and our first transatlantic so new to us in several different ways. I did book through their site and saw room types/prices/etc.. for this and the other transatlantic sailing. We decided to go wild and booked the Posh Suite at 11k total. (Though that's the "list" price. After discounts it came to 9k actual end cost.) That does include essentially unlimited drinks plus constantly-restocked in room bar. We plan to drink a fair amount so that will offset some of the splurge.

 

We used this link: Book a Cruise | Virgin Voyages

 

By default their filters limit to the next few months, so be sure to change that date filter to 2022 or 2023. For example if you pick April 2023 you'll see the cruise we booked and can browse various room prices from there:

 

 

 

Thanks! I thought I had done that but must have been wrong.  Need to do some more research about them. Worried we will be the oldest onboard rather than among the youngest like we have become used to on Viking.  LOL

[karmamule]

7 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Thanks! I thought I had done that but must have been wrong.  Need to do some more research about them. Worried we will be the oldest onboard rather than among the youngest like we have become used to on Viking.  LOL

 

Gary Bembridge / Tips for Travelers addressed the 'age question' and came away very happy that, as an older cruiser, he had lots of fun on Virgin and didn't feel at all out-of-place. That was one of the videos that convinced us to book:

 

 

[Clay Clayton]

6 minutes ago, karmamule said:

 

Gary Bembridge / Tips for Travelers addressed the 'age question' and came away very happy that, as an older cruiser, he had lots of fun on Virgin and didn't feel at all out-of-place. That was one of the videos that convinced us to book:

 

 

Yes I saw that.  

[ClipperinSFO]

Huge fan or Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travelers.  He is kind of my go to for "cruise porn" (as I call it), and he is extremely knowledgable across a broad section of lines and ships.  Happily, in recent months he has become a little less coy about being gay and now frequently mentions his partner Mark, and what lines are good for LGBTQ travelers.  I also appreciate that like me, he is a big Cunard fan.

 

Watching his videos and live streams really helped me get through the shut down and the multiple cancellations!  

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, ClipperinSFO said:

Watching his videos and live streams really helped me get through the shut down and the multiple cancellations!  

Yes but it’s driving me crazy now that he is on a cruise every other week it seems.  He and Mark just boarded Seaborne for a Greek isles cruise.  Why oh why didn’t I buy that GoPro a few years back. Maybe I would be cruising all the time too! 😂

[ClipperinSFO]

On 10/3/2021 at 1:04 PM, Clay Clayton said:

Yes but it’s driving me crazy now that he is on a cruise every other week it seems.  He and Mark just boarded Seaborne for a Greek isles cruise.  Why oh why didn’t I buy that GoPro a few years back. Maybe I would be cruising all the time too! 😂

 

Wait, Mark is going on a line *other* than Cunard???   Can't wait to hear about that!

[posspet]

Some new guys on the block. Travel Blog Jamie - YouTube

[misterkevin]

Ben and David and Gary Bembridge's Tips for Travelers are the most professionally produced YouTube cruise lgbt+ centric vloggers I have found. There are plenty of other lgbt+ cruise vloggers, but none post consistently or are as well-produced. If I'm missing any, please let me know.

 

One issue I have with Ben and David lately is that their videos tend to be 30-45 minutes long. I prefer something more concise between 5 and 15 minutes. That, and I don't really like to watch people eat with a blow-by-blow description of each item on their plate from the buffet.

 

I asked Gary Bembridge on a live Q&A on how he afforded all of the cruises, if he got any discounts or offers, and how he stayed so neutral. He said that has historically refused press junket cruises and free offers to cruise. He retired early from a corporate job and now self funds his entire cruise budget from YouTube related and personal income. He won a long loyal follower with that answer.

 

[DougandEric]

I watch both Ben and David and Gary Bembridge.  Ben and David seem pretty upfront these days about when they are paying vs taking a free cruise.  But, the cute quips about the food and the gushing is a bit much sometimes.  They are pretty upfront about not liking MSC but didn't commit to not sailing with them in the future.  Gary has good information but he reuses material across videos quite a lot, not that it doesn't fit but you end up seeing the same thing over and over.  I will never watch another live stream - way to chaotic with him trying to greet people coming on and never completing a sentence or thought. 

 

CruiseTipsTV is pretty good but not gay specifically.  Sherri is just a bit too enthusiastic and very pro Carnival and RCCL which I usually don't sail.  Also more family oriented which doesn't fit with me but the information is good.

 

[fshepinc]

Like the rest of you, I've watched a lot of Ben and David and Gary Bembridge videos. Both have a lot to recommend them, but they go on so many cruises that I think they have lost touch with reality -at least with reality for people like me, who only get to cruise once a year (if that). Tips about which suites are better and which private retreats offer more don't help me at all. I want to know who is offering deals for single travelers, and who is providing a more gay-friendly onboard experience. Maybe an in-depth analysis of how to choose an internet plan? I'd like to see a YouTuber differentiate their videos for newbies, budget travelers, and other points of view. 

[posspet]

I've started watching the Cruise Monkeys. Cruise Monkeys - YouTube They are very realistic and have a nice view of cruising.