I'm going on a cruise

[kaboom35]

Question:

 

I've never been on a cruise before so I have a question.

 

This is is not a gay cruise. Just a normal Carnival Cruise so not sure if there is a way to find other gay guys on the boat who may be open to fun. I was wondering if I would have access to grindr or scruff and if it even works on a cruise. Just curious. I doubt very much an escort will be available for an outcall in the middle of the ocean. haha

[Kevin Slater]

Wifi is dicey and expensive on a cruise, so I wouldn't count of Grindr. Most cruise lines slip a paper itinerary of the day's events under your door each morning, and usual there's a LGBT meet and greet at one of the ship's bars listed. (Tip: keep your expectations low.)

 

That being said, when you dock at a port, some local business will offer Wifi, and I was able to use that to arrange a later meeting with a scrumptious little shipmate.

 

Kevin Slater

[LookingAround]

You’ll have WiFi onboard if you pay for it. It is reliable overall. You can go on Grindr and find other boys on the boat.

[kaboom35]

Wifi is dicey and expensive on a cruise, so I wouldn't count of Grindr. Most cruise lines slip a paper itinerary of the day's events under your door each morning, and usual there's a LGBT meet and greet at one of the ship's bars listed. (Tip: keep your expectations low.)

 

That being said, when you dock at a port, some local business will offer Wifi, and I was able to use that to arrange a later meeting with a scrumptious little shipmate.

 

Kevin Slater

 

The WiFi is $10 bucks a day so not so bad. Just wasn't sure if I will be able to access grindr/scruff due to the policy of the cruise network not to be on adult sites? I assumed that would just mean websites, not apps.

 

I'll check to see if there is a LGBT Meet & Greet on this cruise.

[+ purplekow]

You’ll have WiFi onboard if you pay for it. It is reliable overall. You can go on Grindr and find other boys on the boat.

What if he is looking for men?

[Guest]

Question:

 

I've never been on a cruise before so I have a question.

 

This is is not a gay cruise. Just a normal Carnival Cruise so not sure if there is a way to find other gay guys on the boat who may be open to fun. I was wondering if I would have access to grindr or scruff and if it even works on a cruise. Just curious. I doubt very much an escort will be available for an outcall in the middle of the ocean. haha

 

I don't know about Carnival, but on cruise lines I've been on, there are usually announcements in the daily flyer about meetings for special groups (gay, alcoholic, etc.).

[bigvalboy]

My 3 cents...@Kevin Slater is correct. Keep expectations low, and don't count on group gatherings from specials groups. On my last cruise, the daily flyer for the LGBT meet up in the library said, 5pm meeting with "Friends of Dorothy" (I thought that was cute)

At any rate, the crew is strictly prohibited from fraternizing with the passengers, and interacting with other passengers in close quarters like a ship could be problematic, not impossible, but unlikely.

 

Also...depending on where you are cruising to, I would be careful spending too much time trying to hook up on shore. In many ports-of-call it is necessary to keep your wits about you and your guard up. As a tourist, you are a natural target.

 

Since this is your first cruise, I would just go to enjoy yourself and to take in the whole experience of cruising. Go to see the sights and leave it at that.

 

Good Luck...

Edited March 10, 2018 by bigvalboy

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

I took a carnival cruise two years ago. I tried to stop by the LGBT gathering may days. While I enjoyed myself, it was just meeting folks and learning what they had done that day and what they were doing the next day.

[+ saminseattle]

I’ve been on a couple of cruises, though it’s been awhile and maybe things have improved. But my experience in both cases was that phone and Internet service while as sea were completely impractical/expensive/impossible. On a gay cruise, I saw people put up magnetic white boards on their doors (which are metal) and resort to writing messages to communicate with each other (like “Hey Jeff, sorry I missed you…let’s meet in the bar lounge on deck 3 at 8,” and so on). It was like going back to the dark ages (i.e., the Regan/Bush era) before cell phones. Still, it’s kindof nice to walk around and not be surrounded by zombies staring at phones all the time.

[kaboom35]

My 3 cents...@Kevin Slater is correct. Keep expectations low, and don't count on group gatherings for specials groups. Playing with the crew is strictly prohibited, and interacting with other passengers in close quarters like a ship could be problematic, not impossible, but unlikely.

 

Also...depending on where you are cruising to, I would be careful spending too much time trying to hook up on shore. In many ports-of-call it is necessary to keep your wits about you and your guard up. As a tourist, you are a natural target.

 

Since this is your first cruise, I would just go to enjoy yourself and to take in the whole experience of cruising. Go to see the sights and leave it at that.

 

Good Luck...

 

Thanks I appreciate it. Yea I will not aggressively be looking for anything. It’s one of those things if it happens it happens. If not, I’ll still enjoy the cruise.

[EZEtoGRU]

As others have mentioned, most cruise lines have an LGBT meet up every evening. Personally, I did not find those get-togethers very useful. Some are very well attended and others only have a couple of people there. There is also a "solo travelers" get together group each evening. I like that better than the LGBT meet-up. Just be sure to make it clear early on to the women in attendance that you are gay or, at least, not available. It is my experience that single women on cruises are extremely aggressive in trying to find boyfriend/husband possibilities. They have a laser beam focus on any single man that is on board.

 

Overall, I find the best place to meet fun people on-board is at the piano-bar or the casino-bar in the evenings.

 

One place for possible "cruising" on board is in the ship's sauna and steam room. I was on one transatlantic cruise a few years ago and the men's locker room/steam room/sauna/whirlpool area might as well have been a gay bath house. This cruise had an unusually large amount of gay men onboard and they pretty much took over this area in the evenings. On that ship, the steam/sauna/whirlpool area were not co-ed so there was lots of nudity and a fair amount of hanky-panky going on. Frankly I found it to be over-the-top. YMMV depending on the set-up on the ship you will be on.

 

Have a great cruise!!

[LookingAround]

I’ve been on a couple of cruises, though it’s been awhile and maybe things have improved. But my experience in both cases was that phone and Internet service while as sea were completely impractical/expensive/impossible.

Have been on 31 cruises. Yes things have improved. Internet is now reliable and affordable.

[MikeyGMin]

Have been on 31 cruises.

Wow. What is the allure for you? My family likes to do cruises for reunions and I always dread them. I cannot stand the emphasis on gorging oneself that seems to be the priority for most passengers. I also feel the ports of call are so short and orchestrated that you don't really get a feel for the place. I have technically been to every major port of call in the Caribbean, but don't feel like I've really seen a single island. I think you must have to enjoy the ship day activities in order to enjoy yourself on a cruise.

[LookingAround]

Wow. What is the allure for you? My family likes to do cruises for reunions and I always dread them. I cannot stand the emphasis on gorging oneself that seems to be the priority for most passengers. I also feel the ports of call are so short and orchestrated that you don't really get a feel for the place. I have technically been to every major port of call in the Caribbean, but don't feel like I've really seen a single island. I think you must have to enjoy the ship day activities in order to enjoy yourself on a cruise.

Small luxury ships — 200 to 300 passengers. No gorging. The world is a big place to see.

[MikeyGMin]

Small luxury ships — 200 to 300 passengers. No gorging. The world is a big place to see.

Ahhhh...now that makes sense.

[+ jeezopete]

Very interested in a solo cruise. Have never taken a cruise before, so would love recommendations from those of you who have (for cruise lines, ports, and solo travel tips). I'd be leaving from FL if that helps with suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[+ bashful]

I also feel the ports of call are so short and orchestrated that you don't really get a feel for the place.

 

Depending on where you dock, going off on you own is better. Once was on a cruise that docked at St. George's, Bermuda. We were late arriving, so it was a very short visit. Our original plan was to rent mopeds and look around. However, it was a cold, gray, drizzly day, so when we got off the ship we started to walk around, and found a cab driver that offered to show us around. He gave us a nice scenic tour as he took us over to Hamilton. Told us some history, showed us a pink sand beach. He was very proud of his home. Spent some time in Hamilton, looking around, having lunch on a balcony (sun was shinning there), and met the cab driver at a designated time to take us back to the ship. Tipped him well.

Edited March 14, 2018 by bashful