Young people at FOD meetings?

[infinitysunset]

Hi everyone,

 

I realize this is a bit of an odd question, but I'm curious. Do young people ever show up to the FOD gatherings onboard, and if so, is it kind of weird/are they welcome? I'm pretty young (17, though I'm not gay), but many of my friends (including two ex-boyfriends - yes, we're friends too) are gay and I enjoy going to community events and meetups with them. I don't imagine a FOD gathering to be any different than another community event at home, but I could be wrong. As a side note, I've been cruising since I was a little kid, and I promise I'm not one of those "darn teenagers" - at least, I like to think so :p

 

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Chelsea

[Ron n Jon]

Hi everyone,

 

I realize this is a bit of an odd question, but I'm curious. Do young people ever show up to the FOD gatherings onboard, and if so, is it kind of weird/are they welcome?

 

We have rarely seen teenagers at any FOD gathering but that is not to say that such is not the case on other ships and voyages.

 

Although we sure they are most welcomed, two things come to mind as to why they may choose not to attend, a) the designated areas for FOD's are usually the bars where alcohol service (age) might be a problem and b) the average age of the attendees of any FOD we have attended might make for too a wide gap in areas of conversation.

[etoile]

The bars are indeed the usual locations for FOD meetings. However, that doesn't mean you can't ask the Cruise Director to hold it elsewhere! There are usually lounges that border the bars but are not part of them.

 

I've never seen a teenager at an FOD meeting, the youngest is usually mid-20s, and sometimes I'm the youngest! (I'm 27 but have been cruising since I was 23 - my partner is 40.) But there's absolutely no reason why a mature teenager with an interest in adult conversation couldn't attend.

[Girlfiend]

On our last cruise, no one--young or old--showed up for the FOD meeting except for us! We hung out out the bar for a while and waited, then got on with our evening.

 

Everybody on the ship was either straight or "post-gay", I guess! :rolleyes:

[lukep10]

I say go! My experiance has been that the more people around the more likely others will show up, our last cruise in May ended up having to move to the piano bar for the FOD meetings because as more people showed up, more were less afraid to be there. Our little gatherings had an age range of 19 to late 60's and over 40 people!

[etoile]

On our last cruise, no one--young or old--showed up for the FOD meeting except for us! We hung out out the bar for a while and waited, then got on with our evening.

 

Everybody on the ship was either straight or "post-gay", I guess! :rolleyes:

We've had that problem too. :(

[wisebear]

Chelsea, I'm so relieved to see that your question is about young ADULTS at FOD meetings. From your post headline my first thought was that someone wanted to bring their little kids along - not cool, in my opinion.

 

But you'd absolutely have been welcome at any FOD gathering I've ever attended. Sometimes we've been the only attendees, and any friendly conversation would have been welcome. But when there's a crowd, the more the merrier, as long as everyone's gay-friendly. My only advice would be to speak up early, and let people know that you are there intentionally.

[Drew B]

Chelsea, I'm so relieved to see that your question is about young ADULTS at FOD meetings. From your post headline my first thought was that someone wanted to bring their little kids along - not cool, in my opinion.

 

With all due respect, may I ask WHY? I brought my 4 & 6-year-old nieces to a gay pride parade this year, and it was wonderful for all involved. It's never too young for people to start learning about diversity and tolerance, as far as I'm concerned...

[infinitysunset]

Thank you everyone for all of your kind replies to my question. I admit, I was a little nervous about asking this question because sometimes CCers aren't the fondest of kids/teens in general. I also was a little worried about seeming like I wanted to intrude on adult conversation where I might not be wanted :o While I do enjoy adult conversation (my dad always says I am 17 going on 40, lol!), I would hate to intrude if others felt uncomfortable.

 

I'm glad I asked, though - the more you ask, the more you know! I think I will look into the FOD meeting on my next cruise, hopefully I will meet some people as nice and welcoming as you all. :)

 

Chelsea

[vulcan500]

Glad this question has been asked. I'm waaaay past 17 (a "lady of a certain age") but frankly, my DH can be dull and prefer crossword puzzles in the cabin to much socializing...I have searched for FOD for friends to dance with, share a cocktail with; just someone fun to talk to and hope it wasn't seen as intrusive.