First Time Cruiser.....HELP!!

[BamaDude]

I'm taking a Southern Carribean cruise in December (Carnival Destiny) and was wondering if there were any gay bars or gay friendly bars in the following ports of call: St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, or Aruba?

 

Any advice regarding nightlife (on ship or off), excursions, or other activities would really be appreciated. I've been reading alot about the independent tours and have been thinking about making a reservation before I leave. My only hesitation is that if I book in advance, I've locked in my schedule. If I meet some people on ship, I may want to do something with them instead. Any advice???

 

I will be traveling alone and don't really want to be sitting around alone. I've never taken a cruise before so I'm not sure what to expect. Thanks in advance!!

[southieguys]

You can check out http://www.outandabout.com. They sell gay travel guides and they have a caribbean guide. Don't know what's in it, but I did use one of their guides for Paris and really liked it.

 

Partner and I have been to St. Thomas, Dominica, and Barbados. Nothing really in the way of gay bars or businesses. Perhaps in St. Thomas (do a google search?). Not in Dominica or Barbados. You'll probably be too busy in Dominica and Barbados to even look for gay places. Dominica is beautiful and there are a lot of activities, both shore excursions and independent travel. On Barbados we headed right for one of the beaches and had a great time; no one (either from the ship or local) gave us any trouble.

 

Remember, you're on vacation, all the other passengers are on vacation, the crew's job is to make you happy, and locals on the islands want your business (they don't really care isf you like girls or boys as long as you pay cash).

 

As for pre-booking excursions, on our first cruise (Carnival Triumph - Western Carib.) I prebooked two because they were things we wanted to do anyway (Tulum ruins; Dunns Falls). At other ports we just went around with friends we'd met on the ship.

 

On our second cruise (NCL Sky - South. Carib) we didn't prebook any shore excursions. We waited until on the ship and booked the day before each port stop. This way we kept our options open to hang out with new friends and go in groups in port. Only one shore excursion was already sold out, so we did it on our own. We had five port stops, so one out of five isn't bad.

 

One tip we've learned - and this might be really good for you travelling solo - is to meet some of the crew. Check the ship's paper to find out who the entertainers are, check out some of the shows to see who the dancers/entertainers are, meet your cruise director (if male, good chance he's gay) and be friendly with the purser's desk. I asked an assistant purser where the crew or entertainers hang out in port and we ended up hanging out with several gay crew/entertainers in San Juan and friends of ours went hot-tubbing with gay crew members somewhere in Cozumel (while I was off looking at the ruins). Most important, be friendly and approachable (but not desperate!) and you'll have a great time.

[BamaDude]

Soutieguys -

 

Thanks for the tips and great advice! I'm really looking forward to a relaxing and much needed vacation!!

[southieguys]

Hey,

 

I was searching on google and found that there is a gay nude beach in St. Thomas. My search was gay+beach+st+thomas. The beach is Little Magens Bay which, duh, is next to Magens Bay Beach. Try the google search and see what you find.

[dbrady]

when are you going.I will be on the Destiny Dec 5? will you be there ?

[BamaDude]

I'm sailing on the Destiny December 19th.