gay cruise ship 2024

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The 9 best gay cruises for 2024 (+ planning tips).

Dance parties, drag queen performances and fun destinations await on these LGBTQ voyages.

The Best Gay Cruises

A party on board The Cruise With La Demence

Courtesy of The Cruise with La Demence

Embark on an all-gay or LGBTQ-friendly cruise for excellent entertainment, food and excursions.

Whether you are looking to hop aboard a Pride Week cruise with a major line or sail away with a smaller company that specializes in LGBTQ voyages, the following cruise operators promise a fun, safe and memorable vacation.

(Note: While many of these cruise lines sail to LGBTQ-friendly ports of call, travelers should research destinations to learn more about cultures, customs and safety in each location and determine what's right for them.)

Virgin Voyages

Atlantis events, brand g vacations, celebrity cruises, royal caribbean international, the cruise with la demence, source journeys.

Travelers lounge on a gay cruise with VACAYA

Gabriel Goldberg | Courtesy of VACAYA

Founded by avid travelers Randle Roper, Patrick Gunn and John Finen, VACAYA bills itself as the first all-LGBT travel company in the full-ship charter/resort buyout sector of the travel industry to launch in more than 25 years.

"[VACAYA] was sparked by our own vacations, where we all had encountered two very different experiences," says Gunn. "The all-gay cruises were liberating, empowering and fun, but limited to a small spectrum of people. And while everyone loves a good time, there's more to a memorable vacation than just parties. Mainstream vacations offered more activities and destinations, and were accessible to a diverse set of people, but didn't always feel like a friendly, judgment-free environment."

As such, VACAYA set out to bring LGBTQ travelers from across the spectrum together in a welcoming, inclusive setting, while offering varied onboard activities and immersive itinerary options. Cruisers will enjoy traveling to ports around the world, in the Caribbean , the Galápagos, Europe , Antarctica and more. You can participate in shipwide events ranging from themed deck parties to performances by LGBTQ entertainers to rejuvenating yoga classes. Note that VACAYA's cruises are for adults only.

Previous cruisers had abundant praise for VACAYA's voyages, highlighting the company's responsiveness when booking and the kindhearted staff, as well as the genuine connections they made with other passengers on board. Many were also impressed by the events and entertainment options throughout their sailings.

In 2024, VACAYA will offer a number of voyages worldwide. The seven-night Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Apex in February will sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, with several fun-filled days at sea in addition to stops in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Antigua. In August, VACAYA has a 12-night river cruise in Northern Europe on board Advance by Transcend Cruises; this sailing includes the Amsterdam Pride event. The 11-night Antarctica expedition on Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Navigator in December 2024 is sold out, but you can join the waitlist.

The pool on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship

Courtesy of Virgin Voyages

The Virgin brand has long been known for its celebration of the LGBTQ community, and cruise line Virgin Voyages is no different. The strictly adults-only cruise operator aims to provide a unique experience, with onboard tattoo parlors, impressive live entertainment, and dining options that include more than 20 eateries and menus created by Michelin star chefs. This line gets the stamp of approval from previous LGBTQ cruisers, who praise the ships' gender-neutral bathrooms, diverse staff and onboard shows with resident drag queens.

Virgin Voyages offers gay-specific sailings through travel companies like Atlantis Events, but its more mainstream itineraries still offer a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere that attracts LGBTQ cruisers year-round. Virgin hosts a number of events during Pride Month each year, including deck parties and interactive social media campaigns.

"Each June here at Virgin Voyages, we like to go big for Pride Month with larger-than-life events … all monthlong," the cruise line says in a statement on its website. "It's an important time for us – both internally within our crew and for our sailors – to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ community; who for so long has had to continually fight for equality and the right to be seen, heard and included."

Virgin Voyages sails to a variety of LGBTQ-friendly countries, including New Zealand, Greece and Spain. In June 2024, consider a seven-night sailing aboard Scarlet Lady departing from Barcelona with stops in Marseille and Cannes in France as well as Spain's Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines for the Money

The world's largest gay and lesbian travel brand, Atlantis Events was founded in 1991 and welcomes more than 20,000 travelers annually on LGBTQ vacations. For its all-gay cruises, Atlantis charters megaships from popular lines like Royal Caribbean International , Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages in addition to smaller vessels with companies like Oceania Cruises so cruisers will have a fully immersive experience.

On board, travelers can enjoy all the perks these ships have to offer (think: pools, hot tubs, sports courts and plenty of dining choices), plus special events like drag performances, motivational speakers, LGBTQ movies on demand in each cabin and high-energy circuit parties across the ship.

"As an LGBTQ cruiser, you're looking for a ship with lots of entertainment, including dance parties and events," says Marcos Martinez, founder of Men Who Brunch, a Black gay lifestyle blog. "One of the best cruise [lines] for gay cruising is Atlantis, since you'll be able to meet hundreds of attractive men and party all day and night on the ship."

Atlantis hosts primarily gay men; women make up about 5% to 10% of bookings, according to the Atlantis website. Previous cruisers said the atmosphere on board was fun, friendly and welcoming, though some noted that the company's customer service could be better, especially when it comes to details about the cruise.

Due to the company's popularity, its three 2024 cruises are already sold out.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean

Courtesy of Brand G Vacations

Specializing in all-gay river cruises – and now luxury ocean liners – Brand g Vacations was founded in 2011 and explores destinations all over the world. Chartered river cruises typically welcome between 40 and 200 LGBTQ passengers (and their straight allies), which allows cruisers to get to know one another in a smaller setting. Guests tend to skew more mature (think: 40 and older), and the line attracts both men and women.

Onboard entertainment differs slightly from larger ocean voyages: Expect more cabaret-style entertainment than massive all-night dance parties. Cruisers will also enjoy performances by drag queens, gay Broadway stars and more, on top of typical river cruise perks like sightseeing and lavish meals. Past guests recommend choosing Brand g if you're looking for a well-planned, relaxed and luxurious experience over a busier, more party-heavy vacation.

Brand g aims to provide a nearly all-inclusive cruise experience , with Mercedes or small van airport transfers, upscale hotel stays prior to embarkation, and unlimited alcoholic beverages as well as meals included in the fare. As such, prices tend to be on the high end. Plus, cruisers can feel good about their trip knowing that Brand g donates to causes in the U.S. and around the world that assist LGBTQ refugees, AIDS organizations, LGBTQ centers and more.

In 2024, Brand g sails through unique waterways around the world, including the Amazon, the Loire, the Danube, the Mekong, and the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The line's small cruise ship charters also take guests to Iceland, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Croatia and other European destinations.

Read: The Top River Cruise Lines

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

Aerial shot of Celebrity Cruises ship Celebrity Apex at sunset

Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises sets the scene for an excellent vacation for gay travelers, from its extravagant annual Pride parties to its daily LGBTQ programming throughout the year. The mainstream line has received numerous awards for its inclusivity, receiving accolades from the Cruizie Awards, TTG Travel Awards and Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards for being one of the best cruise lines for LGBTQ passengers.

LGBTQ cruisers can start their vacations off on a high note with a special welcome party on the first night of their voyage to meet other travelers on board. After night one, there are other social events for gay cruisers to party and hang out together. Additionally, Celebrity Cruises was the first cruise line to legally marry a couple at sea in 2018, and it continues to perform same-sex marriages on its ships.

Past cruisers enjoyed their voyages with Celebrity, noting that the line was welcoming, the food was delicious, and there were plenty of areas to hang out as a group with fellow LGBTQ passengers or other companions throughout the ship.

Although all itineraries are gay-friendly, consider booking a sailing during Pride Month in June for an extra special experience. Onboard entertainment during this month includes guest entertainers, a flag raising ceremony, Celebrity's signature Pride Party at Sea and more. The Italian Riviera & France cruise will depart from Barcelona on June 8, 2024, on the new Celebrity Ascent; this 10-night Mediterranean sailing stops at ports in France, Italy and Malta. Private travel companies like VACAYA also charter Celebrity ships for all-gay voyages throughout the year.

Read: Cruise Packing List: The Top Essentials for Any Cruise

Young Lesbian Couple on Boat Trip on Summer Vacations.

Getty Images

Specifically marketed toward lesbians and LGBTQ women, Olivia has hosted more than 350,000 travelers by land and sea over five decades. Cruisers can choose between river voyages or ocean sailings to destinations around the world. On the lesbian cruises, expect a mix of nostalgic decade-themed dance parties, folk singers, writing workshops, karaoke and other activities. Cruisers can also relax poolside, spend some time in the onboard spa or take it easy in one of the ships' lounges.

Travelers who are looking to connect with others who share similar backgrounds can do so in one of Olivia's specialized programs. There are group and solo traveler meetups, as well as programs like Sisters, which is for LGBTQ women of color; Gen-O, for cruisers 40 and younger; Women in Uniform gatherings, for veterans and those currently in the armed forces; and events for OWLs (which stands for "older, wiser lesbians"). Past cruisers on Olivia's voyages report feeling a true sense of community and belonging on board, resulting in a fun, carefree trip.

In June 2024, set sail with Olivia from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Dublin on Windstar Cruises' Star Legend. Or, visit the islands of Tahiti on the line's Star Breeze in September. Other cruise itineraries include Alaska, the Greek Isles, Mexico and the Panama Canal.

Read: The Best Girls Trip Ideas

Aerial shot of Royal Caribbean International cruise ship

Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International provides a welcoming and inclusive experience for LGBTQ travelers. The popular cruise line frequently partners with Atlantis Events to offer all-gay voyages throughout the year, but even the standard sailings earn praise.

Highlights of the sailings are the ships' entertainment options (including the Tony Award-winning musical "Mamma Mia!") and attentive staff, according to past cruisers. Itineraries typically include LGBTQ meetups at the beginning of each cruise for gay travelers to meet like-minded passengers. Outside of the sailing experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly committed to supporting the LGBTQ community throughout the year, and it was the first cruise line to earn the title "Gay Traveler Approved" from GayTravel in 2016.

In 2024, consider a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-friendly destinations. "Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, [is] full of gay bars, clubs and gay beaches," says Martinez. Hop aboard Navigator of the Seas in May for a seven-night sailing round-trip from Los Angeles that stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Ensenada, Mexico. Navigator of the Seas also hosts a seven-night itinerary throughout the year that calls on Mazatlan, Mexico, as well.

Ready to plan a cruise? Find the best value sailings on GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

Courtesy of The Cruise With La Demence

According to past cruisers, if you're looking for one of the best party scenes on the open seas, consider an all-gay cruise with La Demence. Powered by a popular gay nightclub in Brussels with the same name, La Demence – French for "the madness" – primarily caters to a European crowd. Most passengers are male, though women are also welcome.

On board, passengers should expect to dance the night away at massive deck parties that last into the wee hours of the morning. The line prides itself on its top-notch DJs, impressive light setup and electric party atmosphere. Previous cruisers had high praise for the itineraries – which exclusively visit gay-friendly locations – as well as the fruity cocktails, themed nights (costumes strongly encouraged) and glamorous entertainment. Enjoy unique events like drag bingo, high heel runs and more.

La Demence sails every summer to European destinations like Greece, Italy and Malta. The 2023 cruise was chartered on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Fares include all food and nonalcoholic beverages, plus access to all parties, shows and the onboard gym.

Read: The Top Party Cruises

Source Journeys has been planning luxury vacations for LGBTQ travelers for more than 20 years. The Miami-based company, with the vision of founder and chief executive officer Craig Smith, offers small group land tours and full-charter cruises for like-minded travelers with a focus on giving back to the communities they visit. The company also supports LGBTQ organizations, such as the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign.

Past guests of their tours say their fellow travelers were as fun and interesting as the destinations. They appreciated the excellent personalized planning for the trips by Smith and his life partner, Rafael Rodriguez.

The company's cruises in 2024 include a seven-night Galápagos sailing in late September on a Relais & Chateau luxury yacht: Ecoventura's new ship, Evolve. The intimate ship accommodates just 20 passengers. Source Journeys is also offering a seven-night river cruise through Burgundy and Provence, France, in June on Avalon Waterways' Avalon Poetry II, as well as a seven-night voyage from Venice along the Dalmatian Coast. This ocean cruise scheduled in August is chartered on Star Clippers' masted sailing ship, Royal Clipper.

Frequently Asked Questions

When it comes to gay cruising, gone are the days of discreet "Friends of Dorothy" meetups. The term – a euphemism that dates back to the 1950s – was once used to indicate gay social events on daily cruise line programs, without explicitly calling out members of the community on board. It's a far cry from today's LGBTQ cruising industry, which loudly and proudly celebrates passengers from all walks of life.

According to experts, LGBTQ cruising is a market that will only continue to grow. Travelers can take their pick between cruise operators tailored specifically to queer communities and major cruise lines that offer festive Pride celebrations and inclusive onboard entertainment. As travel on the high seas continues to grow in popularity for vacationers, gay and lesbian travelers should consider setting sail on a fun-filled cruise vacation for their next trip.

When planning a cruise, vacationers should first consider what their ideal sailing looks like.

Gay-friendly vs. all-gay sailings: Cruisers should think about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-friendly mainstream line – such as Celebrity Cruises or Virgin Voyages – or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter with a third-party vacation company.

"Each and every LGBTQIAPK person has a different level of comfortability in their 'outness,' " says Patrick Gunn, co-founder and chief marketing officer of LGBTQ vacation company VACAYA. Of VACAYA's all-gay charters, he adds, "For one magical week, our community gets to be the majority and live life out loud in the blissful utopia VACAYA creates on a gay cruise. That single change from being an always-minority to a sudden majority can have a profoundly positive real-world effect on individuals."

Travel style: Some cruise operators (think: Atlantis Events and La Demence) are known for their electrifying all-night parties, which may be perfect for gay groups of friends. Meanwhile, other companies like VACAYA and Olivia look to provide a more diverse selection of activities, ranging from tea dances (LGBTQ parties that, historically, included tea service) to philanthropic service activities to immersive onshore experiences.
Ports of call: Some of the most LGBTQ- and gay-friendly destinations for cruises include: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Sydney; Barcelona, Spain; Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan; Helsinki; Quebec City; Auckland, New Zealand; Mykonos, Greece; Reykjavik, Iceland; Amsterdam; Tel Aviv, Israel; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and San Francisco. Countries that gay travelers may want to avoid include the Maldives, Jamaica, Morocco, Malaysia and Haiti, as homosexuality is illegal in these destinations.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Gwen Pratesi has been an avid cruiser since her early 20s. She has visited destinations around the globe on nearly every type of ship built, including the newest megaships, luxury yachts, expedition vessels, traditional masted sailing ships and intimate river ships on the Mekong River. Pratesi covers the travel and culinary industries for major publications, including U.S. News & World Report.

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15 Best Gay Cruises of 2024 & Destinations!

Posted on Last updated: March 23, 2024

Dive into the vibrant world of gay cruises, a sanctuary at sea where inclusivity reigns.

This guide unveils the best LGBTQ-friendly cruises, offering a blend of fun, freedom, and camaraderie.

Understanding Gay Cruises

Gay cruises offer an unparalleled experience tailored to the LGBTQ+ community, blending travel, entertainment, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

Below, we delve into what sets these cruises apart, what you can expect, and why they’ve become a cherished vacation choice for so many.

What to Expect on a Gay Cruise

Inclusive Environment: The core appeal of gay cruises is their commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space where LGBTQ+ individuals can express themselves freely and celebrate their identities without fear of judgment.
Diverse Activities: From extravagant dance parties and themed nights to insightful seminars and workshops focused on LGBTQ+ issues, the range of activities ensures there’s something for everyone.
Entertainment and Performances: Expect top-tier entertainment, including drag shows, cabaret, DJ sets, and performances by LGBTQ+ artists and allies.
Networking and Socializing: Opportunities to meet and connect with other LGBTQ+ travelers are plentiful, with social events designed to foster friendships and romantic connections.
Exclusive Tours and Excursions: Many gay cruises offer exclusive, LGBTQ+-friendly excursions at their ports of call, providing safe and enriching local experiences.

LGBTQ-Friendly Amenities and Events

Specialized Facilities: Some ships feature amenities like LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, adult-only areas, and private party venues.
Mixers and Meet-Ups: Regularly scheduled LGBTQ+ mixers allow guests to meet in a relaxed setting, ideal for solo travelers and couples looking to expand their social circle.
Health and Wellness: With a focus on holistic well-being, many cruises offer LGBTQ+-inclusive health workshops, fitness classes, and spa treatments.

How Gay Cruises Differ from Regular Cruises

Community Focus: While many mainstream cruises are LGBTQ+ friendly, gay cruises specifically target the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring every aspect of the cruise experience is designed with these travelers in mind.
Customized Itineraries: Gay cruise itineraries often include destinations known for their LGBTQ+ friendliness and vibrant local gay scenes, as well as exclusive events both on and off the ship.
Cultural and Social Relevance: Beyond entertainment, these cruises often feature speakers, activists, and performers from the LGBTQ+ community, adding a layer of cultural enrichment and social awareness to the travel experience.
Privacy and Safety: Understanding the unique concerns of LGBTQ+ travelers, gay cruises prioritize privacy and safety, with trained staff and security measures in place to ensure a secure environment.

Why Choose a Gay Cruise?

Choosing a gay cruise means opting for a vacation where you can be your authentic self in a supportive and festive environment.

Beyond the allure of exotic destinations and luxurious amenities, it’s the sense of belonging and community that truly sets these experiences apart.

Whether you’re looking to make new friends, celebrate with your partner, or simply enjoy a break from the everyday, a gay cruise offers the perfect backdrop for creating lasting memories and connections.

Major Cruise Lines Offering LGBTQ-Friendly Amenities

The cruise industry has increasingly recognized the value of catering to the LGBTQ+ community, with many lines offering specialized amenities, events, and itineraries.

Below, we highlight a few of the frontrunners in this inclusive evolution.

Atlantis Events

Specialization: Known for chartering entire ships for gay cruises, transforming them into floating LGBTQ+ resorts.
Extravagant Parties: Themed parties and international DJ sets.
Shows and Performances: Drag shows, comedy nights, and performances by LGBTQ+ artists.
Social Mixers: Events designed to help guests connect, including singles mixers and group activities.
Destinations: Offers a wide range of destinations including the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and unique itineraries like Antarctica expeditions.

RSVP Vacations

Specialization: Pioneers in gay and lesbian cruises, RSVP Vacations focuses on creating a welcoming atmosphere for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Diverse Entertainment: Live music, cabaret performances, and celebrity appearances.
Community Building: Workshops and seminars that address LGBTQ+ issues and interests.
Inclusive Activities: Sports tournaments, dance classes, and themed parties that encourage participation from everyone.
Destinations: Their itineraries include popular spots in the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaska, often coinciding with significant LGBTQ+ events.

Celebrity Cruises

LGBTQ-Friendly Policies: Celebrity Cruises has been a leader in promoting inclusivity, with legal same-sex marriages performed onboard and special events for LGBTQ+ passengers.
Rainbow Hour: Daily LGBTQ+ social gatherings.
Pride at Sea: An annual celebration with a series of events across their fleet during Pride month.
All-Inclusive Packages: Luxurious accommodations, fine dining, and Broadway-level entertainment.
Destinations: Offers global itineraries, including exclusive LGBTQ+ charters and themed cruises.

Holland America Line

LGBTQ-Friendly Initiatives: Holland America has developed programming to welcome LGBTQ+ travelers, including partnership events with LGBTQ+ organizations.
LGBTQ+ Gatherings: Regularly scheduled meet-ups for LGBTQ+ guests.
Culinary Excellence: Renowned for its dining experiences, with menus curated by world-class chefs.
Enrichment Programs: Offers workshops, lectures, and classes ranging from cooking to digital workshops, appealing to diverse interests.
Destinations: Features a broad selection of destinations, including exotic locales and traditional cruise routes, with accommodations for LGBTQ+ group travel.
Specialization: Exclusively serving lesbian travelers, Olivia charters entire ships for women-only cruises, creating a unique community atmosphere.
Women-Focused Entertainment: Concerts, comedians, and speakers from the lesbian community.
Active and Relaxation Options: From adventurous excursions to wellness and yoga sessions, catering to a range of interests.
Engagement and Activism: Opportunities to engage in LGBTQ+ activism and community-building activities.
Destinations: Diverse itineraries that span the globe, from tropical paradises to European river cruises and African safaris.
Specialization: A relative newcomer that focuses on full-ship and full-resort LGBTQ+ vacations, promoting inclusivity for all identities within the community.
Broadway Caliber Shows: High-quality entertainment options.
Unique Social Events: Theme nights, dance parties, and mixers designed to foster connections among guests.
Custom Excursions: Tailored activities and tours at each port, emphasizing local LGBTQ+ culture and history.
Destinations: Carefully curated itineraries that include both popular and off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Brand g Vacations

Specialization: Focused on river cruises and small ship cruises, Brand g Vacations provides intimate and luxurious experiences tailored for the LGBTQ+ community.
Cultural Immersion: Expert-led tours that dive deep into the history and culture of each destination, with a focus on LGBTQ+ heritage where possible.
Intimate Setting: The smaller size of river cruises facilitates a close-knit community atmosphere, making it easy to meet fellow travelers.
Exclusive Events: Private concerts, local shows, and special onboard entertainment that cater specifically to LGBTQ+ guests.
Destinations: Offers unique itineraries such as European river cruises that explore major cities and hidden gems, Asian adventures, and more.

R Family Vacations

Specialization: The pioneering LGBTQ+ family travel company, evolving from focusing solely on queer families to include adult-only, small-ship sailings, creating opportunities for queer families and adults to connect and share in the joy of travel.
Broadway Caliber Shows: Featuring performances by Broadway stars and LGBTQ+ comedians.
Unique Social Events: Hosts dance parties, theater camps, and special R Family dinners to encourage bonding.
Custom Excursions: Offers exclusive group activities at destinations like Royal Caribbean’s private island, ensuring experiences are tailored to LGBTQ+ interests and family-friendly fun.
Destinations: Selects destinations with an eye towards inclusivity and family appeal, such as the Caribbean islands, focusing on ports that welcome diverse families.

Out Adventures

Specialization: Specializing in small-group tours and cruises for gay men, allies, and families, Out Adventures focuses on creating intimate and enriching travel experiences that explore the queer history and culture of their destinations.
Broadway Caliber Shows: Although more focused on cultural tours, when available, includes high-quality entertainment reflective of local traditions.
Unique Social Events: Offers excursions and activities that encourage connection among guests, such as visits to Luxor Temple and the Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
Custom Excursions: Tailors activities to highlight LGBTQ+ history and culture, such as exploring the tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum.
Destinations: Focuses on exotic, culturally rich itineraries like Egypt, ensuring a blend of adventure, history, and LGBTQ+ community engagement.
Specialization: Catering specifically to LGBTQ+ travelers, Outbound combines the enchantment of European Christmas markets with the camaraderie of queer community travel, offering a festive and friendly atmosphere.
Broadway Caliber Shows: Emphasizes cultural performances and local festivities, especially those related to the Christmas market experience.
Unique Social Events: Facilitates gatherings and excursions that immerse guests in the holiday spirit of European markets.
Custom Excursions: Activities are designed to showcase the best of each market visited, from Germany to Switzerland, with a focus on local traditions and LGBTQ+ friendly spaces.
Destinations: Selects iconic Christmas market destinations along the Rhine River, providing access to markets in Germany, France, and Switzerland, with a cozy and welcoming winter atmosphere.

Pied Piper Travel

Specialization: Known for organizing gay groups on larger, mainstream cruises, Pied Piper Travel blends the luxury of big-ship amenities with the intimacy of LGBTQ+ community events, making it ideal for those seeking both privacy and social opportunities.
Broadway Caliber Shows: Access to mainstream cruise entertainment with additional LGBTQ+-focused gatherings.
Unique Social Events: Includes a special Welcome Aboard cocktail party, private dining, and group activities to foster community among guests.
Custom Excursions: While leveraging the cruise line’s excursions, often organizes group outings to explore destinations with an LGBTQ+ angle.
Destinations: Offers a wide range of itineraries, from the Caribbean to exotic locales, focusing on destinations that provide memorable experiences for LGBTQ+ travelers.
Specialization: GaySail excels in offering unique sailing experiences, including clothing-optional and all-nude cruises, on private yachts and catamarans. It caters primarily to gay men looking for an intimate, adventurous, and liberating sea adventure.
Broadway Caliber Shows: While not featuring traditional shows, focuses on creating memorable experiences and personal connections on board.
Unique Social Events: Encourages a sense of community and freedom through its clothing-optional and nude sailing options, fostering a unique bond among guests.
Custom Excursions: Plans stops at secluded coves and picturesque destinations, allowing guests to explore the beauty of each location in a relaxed and open atmosphere.
Destinations: Chooses stunning, often secluded sailing areas like the South Pacific, focusing on destinations that offer both beauty and privacy for a truly free-spirited adventure.

Creating Inclusive Spaces at Sea

The above cruise lines and organizations lead the way in LGBTQ+ inclusivity at sea, but their efforts go beyond just hosting gay cruises.

They strive to create spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can feel valued and celebrated, not just accepted.

This means offering a range of activities, entertainments, and amenities that cater to the diverse tastes and interests within the community, as well as ensuring that staff are trained in LGBTQ+ sensitivity and inclusivity.

The Evolution of LGBTQ+ Cruising

As the demand for LGBTQ+ friendly vacations grows, so does the variety and quality of options available.

These cruise lines have set the standard for what it means to offer a truly inclusive and enjoyable travel experience for the LGBTQ+ community.

They have pioneered a range of offerings from luxury cruises to adventure travel, and from large, floating festivals to intimate river voyages.

Each line has its own unique approach to creating an inclusive environment, but all share a common goal: to provide a safe, welcoming, and thrilling experience for LGBTQ+ travelers.

Best Gay Cruise Destinations

The allure of gay cruises is not just in the onboard festivities and the inclusive atmosphere but also in the carefully selected destinations that offer rich cultural experiences, stunning landscapes, and LGBTQ+-friendly environments.

Let’s delve into some of the most popular destinations for gay cruises, highlighting the unique appeal of each.

1. Caribbean Cruises

Overview: The Caribbean is a perennial favorite for its crystal-clear waters, vibrant nightlife, and warm, welcoming cultures. Many islands are known for their gay-friendly beaches and bars, making them perfect stops for LGBTQ+ cruises.
Notable Stops: Key West, Florida, with its historic LGBTQ+ scene; San Juan, Puerto Rico, known for its lively LGBTQ+ community and events; and the Dutch Caribbean islands like Curaçao , which are celebrated for their progressive attitudes and inclusive atmosphere.

2. Mediterranean Cruises

Overview: Offering a blend of ancient history, stunning landscapes, and modern LGBTQ+ hotspots, Mediterranean cruises are ideal for travelers seeking a mix of relaxation, adventure, and cultural enrichment.
Notable Stops: Mykonos, Greece, famous for its gay beaches and nightlife; Barcelona, Spain, with its renowned LGBTQ+ district, Eixample; and Ibiza, Spain, known for its superclubs and LGBTQ+-friendly beaches.

3. Alaska Cruises

Overview: For those looking for breathtaking natural beauty and wildlife, Alaska cruises offer an unforgettable experience. While Alaska might not be known for a vibrant LGBTQ+ scene, many cruise lines host special events and excursions that cater to gay travelers.
Experiences: Glacier tours, wildlife spotting, and the majestic Northern Lights are just a few highlights, with some cruises offering LGBTQ+-specific groups and activities.

4. European River Cruises

Overview: These cruises provide an intimate setting to explore Europe’s heartland, with stops in historic cities and picturesque towns. Many operators offer LGBTQ+-exclusive cruises, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere throughout the journey.
Notable Routes: Cruises along the Danube and Rhine rivers stop in LGBTQ+-friendly cities like Amsterdam, Vienna, and Cologne, offering rich cultural experiences and vibrant gay scenes.

5. Special Event Cruises

Overview: Aligning with major LGBTQ+ events, these cruises offer the unique opportunity to celebrate global Pride festivals and other significant events with like-minded travelers.
Examples: Cruises that coincide with Sydney’s Mardi Gras, Amsterdam’s Gay Pride, or São Paulo’s LGBTQ+ Pride Parade, providing an immersive experience that combines the thrill of travel with the joy of celebration.

6. Exotic and Off-the-Beaten-Path Cruises

Overview: For the adventurous spirit, some gay cruises venture to less-traveled destinations, offering unique experiences in places like Antarctica, the Galápagos Islands, or the Arctic Circle.
Experiences: Wildlife expeditions, snorkeling in pristine waters, and exploring remote landscapes, all within an LGBTQ+-friendly setting.

Making the Most of Your Destination

Regardless of where your cruise takes you, there are several ways to maximize your experience:

Research Local LGBTQ+ Scenes: Before arriving, look into the LGBTQ+ bars, clubs, and community spaces in each port to make the most of your time ashore.
Participate in LGBTQ+-Friendly Excursions: Many cruises offer excursions designed with LGBTQ+ travelers in mind, focusing on inclusive experiences and exploring the local culture.
Connect with Locals: Engaging with the local LGBTQ+ community can provide a deeper understanding of the destination and enrich your travel experience.

Gay cruises not only provide a vibrant and fun atmosphere on board but also offer the chance to explore the world’s most beautiful and exciting destinations in an inclusive environment.

Whether you’re lounging on a beach in the Caribbean, exploring ancient ruins in the Mediterranean, or marveling at the natural wonders of Alaska, the destination-specific focus of gay cruises ensures an unforgettable journey tailored to the interests and needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Overnight and Day Cruises

For those looking for a brief escape or a taste of the cruising experience without committing to a week-long itinerary, overnight and day cruises offer the perfect solution.

These shorter voyages provide a condensed version of the traditional cruise experience, with a focus on LGBTQ+-friendly environments, amenities, and activities. Let’s explore the unique appeal of these cruises.

Overview of Short-Term Cruising Options

Convenience: Ideal for travelers with limited time, these cruises pack entertainment, relaxation, and adventure into a single day or night.
Variety: From luxury yachts to riverboats, the range of vessels and experiences caters to diverse preferences and budgets.
Accessibility: Often departing from major cities, they provide an easy getaway without the need for extensive travel planning.

Popular Destinations for Overnight and Day Cruises

Urban Escapes: Cities like New York, San Francisco, and London offer LGBTQ+-friendly day cruises that explore iconic landmarks from the water.
Natural Wonders: Locations such as the Florida Keys or the islands off the coast of Southern California provide picturesque settings for short-term cruises.
Cultural Journeys: European cities with navigable rivers, such as Paris and Amsterdam, offer cruises that blend scenic views with cultural immersion.

What to Expect

Tailored Activities: Even within the compact timeframe, guests can enjoy a variety of activities, from dance parties and live DJ sets to wine tastings and gourmet dining, all designed with the LGBTQ+ community in mind.
Intimate Settings: Smaller ships and shorter durations foster a more intimate atmosphere, making it easier to connect with fellow travelers.
Focused Themes: Many day and overnight cruises have specific themes, from Pride celebrations to film screenings and drag performances, enhancing the community vibe.

Making the Most Out of Short Cruises

Plan Ahead: With limited time onboard, it’s wise to review the cruise’s schedule in advance and prioritize activities or amenities you don’t want to miss.
Pack Light: For overnight cruises, packing light but thoughtfully can maximize your comfort and convenience, ensuring you have everything you need for a night away.
Connect and Socialize: Take advantage of the communal atmosphere to meet new people. Many travelers on these cruises are locals who can share insider tips about the LGBTQ+ scene in the area.

Why Choose an Overnight or Day Cruise?

Sampling the Experience: For those new to cruising, these shorter trips offer a glimpse into what a longer cruise might offer without the same level of commitment.
Celebratory Occasions: Perfect for celebrating special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, or Pride month in a unique and memorable way.
Community Connection: These cruises provide a space to connect with the local and visiting LGBTQ+ community, often serving as social gatherings for those seeking to meet others within a relaxed setting.

Overnight and day cruises are an excellent option for LGBTQ+ travelers looking for a quick escape or a novel way to celebrate and connect with the community.

They combine the excitement and luxury of cruising with the convenience of shorter travel times, offering a unique blend of adventure, relaxation, and socializing.

Whether you’re exploring your local waterways or enjoying a thematic voyage, these cruises create memorable experiences and foster connections within the vibrant tapestry of the LGBTQ+ community.

Planning Your Gay Cruise

Embarking on a gay cruise is an exciting venture, offering a blend of adventure, relaxation, and the opportunity to connect with the LGBTQ+ community.

Whether it’s your first time or you’re a seasoned cruiser, planning is key to ensuring a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the planning process, from choosing the right cruise to making the most of your time onboard.

Choosing the Right Cruise

Consider Your Preferences: Reflect on what you’re looking for in a cruise—whether it’s non-stop partying, cultural immersion, luxury pampering, or adventure activities. Different cruises cater to different interests and demographics within the LGBTQ+ community.
Research Cruise Lines: Look into various cruise lines and their offerings, focusing on those known for their LGBTQ+-friendly amenities, events, and itineraries.
Timing and Destination: Decide on your preferred timing and destination. Consider aligning your cruise with significant LGBTQ+ events or choosing off-peak times for a more relaxed experience.

Booking and Preparation

Early Booking Benefits: Booking early can secure you better deals and more options for cabins. Additionally, some cruises offer early bird discounts.
Understanding What’s Included: Familiarize yourself with what’s included in your cruise package (meals, entertainment, excursions) and what will be extra (alcohol, special activities).
Packing Essentials: Pack according to the destinations you’ll be visiting, the cruise’s theme nights, and any specific events. Don’t forget essentials like sunscreen, comfortable footwear, and formal wear if required.

Onboard Experience

Making Connections: Participate in onboard events and activities, especially those designed for the LGBTQ+ community, to meet fellow cruisers.
Stay Open and Flexible: While it’s good to have a plan, be open to spontaneity. Some of the best cruise experiences come from unexpected opportunities and new friendships.
Respect and Inclusivity: Remember, the LGBTQ+ community is diverse. Approach every interaction with respect and an open mind to ensure a positive experience for everyone.

At the Destination

LGBTQ+-Friendly Excursions: Choose excursions that offer unique local experiences while respecting the cultures and laws of the destinations you visit.
Safety First: Stay informed about the LGBTQ+ rights and social acceptance in each port. Always prioritize safety, especially in less LGBTQ+-friendly locations.
Explore Local LGBTQ+ Scenes: If time allows, explore the local LGBTQ+ nightlife or community spaces. It’s a great way to support local businesses and immerse yourself in the destination’s culture.

Health and Safety

Stay Informed: Be aware of health advisories and necessary vaccinations for your destinations. Also, consider travel insurance that covers medical care abroad.
Safe Practices: Cruise ships are known for their communal living spaces, so it’s essential to practice good hygiene and be mindful of your health and safety.

Community and Connections

Join Online Forums: Before your trip, join online groups or forums related to your cruise. It’s a great way to get tips, meet people, and even organize meet-ups before boarding.
Sharing Experiences: Consider sharing your room or excursions with fellow travelers to cut costs and make new friends.

Planning your gay cruise is an exhilarating process that sets the stage for an unforgettable journey.

By considering your personal preferences, engaging fully in the onboard experience, and exploring the rich cultures and LGBTQ+ communities at your destinations, you’re set for a trip filled with adventure, connection, and discovery.

Health and Safety on Gay Cruises

Ensuring the health and safety of all passengers is a top priority for gay cruises, just as it is for any travel experience.

Given the unique needs and concerns of the LGBTQ+ community, gay cruises often go the extra mile in creating a secure and welcoming environment.

Here’s what you need to know about staying healthy and safe while enjoying the voyage of a lifetime.

Health Precautions

Vaccinations and Medical Check-ups: Before embarking, check the recommended vaccinations for your destinations and ensure you’re up to date. A pre-travel medical check-up can provide peace of mind.
Onboard Medical Facilities: Familiarize yourself with the medical services available on board. Most ships are equipped with medical centers that can handle a range of health issues.
Mental Health: The excitement of a cruise can be overwhelming for some. Cruise lines often provide resources and support for travelers facing mental health challenges, ensuring a supportive environment for all.
Sexual Health: Given the social nature of cruises, some offer access to sexual health services, including information, protection, and sometimes even testing, acknowledging and respecting the needs of their passengers.

Safety Tips

Stay Informed: Attend the safety drills and briefings provided at the beginning of your cruise. Familiarize yourself with the ship’s layout, particularly the location of emergency exits and assembly stations.
Be Aware of Local Laws and Customs: When visiting international ports, it’s crucial to be aware of and respect local laws and customs, especially in countries with restrictive laws regarding LGBTQ+ rights.
Buddy System: Especially when disembarking at ports, consider exploring in groups or pairs. Not only is it safer, but it also enhances the experience.
Protect Your Belongings: Use safes for valuables and be mindful of your belongings, especially in crowded public areas or on excursions.

Understanding Your Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights on Board: Familiarize yourself with the cruise line’s policies regarding discrimination and harassment. Knowing the process for reporting any issues is essential for your comfort and safety.
Embassy Contacts: For international cruises, have the contact information for your country’s embassy or consulate in the destinations you’ll visit. They can be invaluable resources in case of legal trouble or emergencies.

Travel Insurance

Comprehensive Coverage: Opt for travel insurance that covers medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost luggage. Some policies also offer specific coverage for LGBTQ+ travelers.
COVID-19 Considerations: In the current landscape, ensure your travel insurance covers COVID-19-related issues, including quarantine costs and medical treatment.

While the primary goal of a gay cruise is to offer an unforgettable and joyous experience, the health and safety of passengers and crew remain paramount.

By taking the necessary precautions and staying informed, you can fully enjoy the freedom, camaraderie, and adventure that gay cruises provide, all while feeling secure and respected.

Community and Connection on Gay Cruises

One of the most compelling aspects of gay cruises is the profound sense of community and connection they foster among passengers.

These cruises provide a unique environment where LGBTQ+ individuals can come together to celebrate, share experiences, and form lasting bonds.

Below, we explore how gay cruises cultivate these connections and the impact they have on passengers.

Building Relationships

Social Events and Mixers: Cruise lines often organize mixers, cocktail parties, and themed nights specifically designed to encourage mingling and conversation among guests. These events are perfect opportunities to meet people from all over the world who share a common identity.
Group Activities and Excursions: Participating in group activities and shore excursions can also serve as a great way to meet fellow travelers. Whether it’s a city tour, a beach outing, or a hiking adventure, shared experiences can quickly turn into shared friendships.
Online Communities: Many cruise lines and charter companies have online forums or social media groups where passengers can connect before the cruise departs. This can be a great way to find people with similar interests or to organize meet-ups during the cruise.

Finding Support and Understanding

Inclusive Environment: On a gay cruise, passengers can find comfort in the knowledge that they are in a safe and inclusive environment. This sense of security allows guests to open up, share personal stories, and offer support to one another.
Visibility of LGBTQ+ Staff and Entertainers: Many gay cruises feature LGBTQ+ staff, entertainers, and guest speakers who share their own experiences and contribute to the sense of community onboard. Their visibility and engagement can be empowering for passengers.

Celebrating Diversity

Representation Across the Spectrum: Gay cruises are celebrated for their diversity, welcoming guests from all walks of life and across the spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities. This diversity enriches the cruise experience, allowing passengers to learn from each other and celebrate their differences.
Special Interest Groups: To cater to the diverse interests and demographics within the LGBTQ+ community, some cruises offer specialized programming for various groups, such as LGBTQ+ families, singles, elders, and those interested in specific hobbies or activities.

Creating Lasting Bonds

Shared Memories: The unique experiences and adventures shared on a gay cruise often lead to lasting friendships and connections. Many passengers leave with not just memories, but new friends who have become like family.
Post-Cruise Reunions: It’s not uncommon for groups of friends who meet on a cruise to plan future trips together, attend reunions, or visit each other in their home countries. The bonds formed on these cruises can last a lifetime.

The Impact of Community on the Cruise Experience

The community aspect of gay cruises significantly enhances the overall experience.

For many, it’s not just about the destinations visited or the amenities offered onboard, but about the people they meet and the sense of belonging they feel.

This community atmosphere can transform a simple vacation into a profound and life-changing journey.

Gay cruises stand out not only as a vacation option but as a vibrant, inclusive space where connections are made, and community is celebrated.

Whether you’re looking for friendship, support, or simply the joy of being surrounded by like-minded individuals, the community on a gay cruise provides an enriching and unforgettable experience.

These cruises are about more than just travel; they’re about finding a place where you can truly be yourself, surrounded by a community that understands and celebrates every aspect of who you are.

New! Istanbul to Athens Cruise

Pure Luxury. Awesome Destinations

We’ve crafted an incredible voyage next summer on one of the world’s most luxurious ships sailing from Istanbul to Athens to some of the most fascinating destinations in the world. Our far-reaching itinerary spans the magic of Turkey to the diversity of Cyprus. Visit the pyramids of Egypt or bask on the beaches of Mykonos. There’s never been an Atlantis cruise like this! Very limited availability for just 1200 very lucky guests.

30 Years at Club Atlantis Cancun - SOLD OUT!

The Ultimate Gay Resort Week

Atlantis returns to our longest-running resort to celebrate our 30th year taking over the magnificent Club Med Cancun! We’re pulling out all the stops with a vibrant new entertainment program, enhanced party experiences, and all the fun that makes Club Atlantis a hit year after year. Come play with us on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches! Great deals from just $1669 with virtually everything included.

Two Epic New Med Cruises - SOLD OUT!

Sail Virgin’s Spectacular Resilient Lady Next Summer

Get onboard the most modern ship in the world for your choice of two awesome journeys next August! We’re sailing from Athens to Barcelona for 9 nights packed with thrills, followed by a 10-night voyage from Barcelona to London designed for exploration. It’s our biggest summer event yet, on the sensational new Virgin Resilient Lady.

All Gay Cruises

Istanbul to Athens Cruise

July 17 - 24, 2024 Oceania Riviera

Explore more than ever with our most exotic new all-gay cruise from Istanbul to Athens on the luxurious Oceania Riviera. Our non-stop adventure takes you to Egypt’s pyramids, Crete's treasures, the fascinating culture of Cyprus, and a day to play in Mykonos. It’s seven days of true sensory overload custom designed for 1200 very lucky guests, ready to be dazzled by Atlantis’ thrilling performers and Oceania’s legendary food and service.

Athens to Barcelona Cruise

August 4 - 13, 2024 Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady

SOLD OUT! Island-hop through five countries next summer with an all-new sailing from Athens to Barcelona on Virgin Voyages sensational new Resilient Lady. In nine action-packed nights you’ll explore Mykonos, Turkey, Malta, Sicily, Corsica, Capri, and Mallorca with 2700 guys from around the world. Sail the Med with the perfect mix of exotic exploration, spectacular entertainment, outrageous parties, and great friends onboard the newest and most welcoming ship in the world. Featuring eye-popping design, incredible fully-included dining, superior service and so much more. All from just $1499 -- our best deal ever to the Med!

Barcelona to London Cruise

August 13 - 23, 2024 Virgin Voyages Resilient Lady

SOLD OUT! Experience more than ever on our all-new Barcelona to London cruise aboard Virgin Voyages sensational new Resilient Lady. Journey between Europe’s gay capitals of Barcelona and London to explore the streets of Seville, Lisbon’s magical harbor, the vineyards of Bordeaux and so much more. All during the height of summer to create the perfect blend of amazing destinations, sensational entertainment, welcoming parties, and great friends. Featuring eye-popping design, incredible fully-included dining, superior service and so much more.

Halloween San Diego to Mexico Cruise

Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024 Holland America Line MS Koningsdam

Halloween sizzles in 2024 when Atlantis returns to San Diego to sail the gorgeous Koningsdam to Mexico’s best beaches including Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan. An epic week of outrageous parties, sizzling entertainment, and nonstop fun awaits our 2500 guys from around the world. It’s our easiest and friendliest cruise of the year, with amazing low fares from just $779!

All Gay Resorts

Club Atlantis Cancun

Apr 27 - May 4, 2024 Club Med Cancun

SOLD OUT! Atlantis returns to Club Med Cancun for the ultimate all-gay beach resort. Join 750 friends on our most active vacation, featuring everything from private white sand beaches to thrilling sports (try the Flying Trapeze or BootCamp) to endless entertainment. All in a completely comfortable, welcoming environment. Best of all, our all-inclusive fares include absolutely everything (even drinks!) for one low price. It’s the best value in gay vacations.

Fun in unexpected ways with friends old and new. Always smiling, sometimes silly. It's the way we play.

The best parties on land or sea, with outrageous themes and world-class productions for every musical taste.

Stellar entertainment from our community and beyond. From superstars to soon-to-be-stars.

Awesome experiences in the world's most exciting destinations.

For over 30 years, Atlantis Events has hosted iconic all-gay vacations in some of the most stunning and exotic places on the planet. What started as a “gay week on the beach with friends” has since turned into the largest gay-owned company in the world dedicated to creating unique vacations for LGBTQ travelers. Today, we host more than 20,000 guests a year, but we’re still dedicated to creating a welcoming community of passionate, like-minded people, where travelers can relax, be themselves, have fun, meet new friends, and learn new things.

Each Atlantis cruise or resort offers a carefree experience based around friendship, camaraderie, relaxation, indulgence, adventure, and pure uninhibited fun. Beautiful locations, fantastic entertainment and legendary parties set the the stage for the magic that happens when a diverse group comes together and everyone is free to be themselves.

That’s the way we play, and it’s why our guests return year after year. So what are you waiting for? Experience Atlantis for yourself.

12 top gay cruises you don’t want to miss in 2024 and 2025

All Inclusive Project_Celebrity Cruises_00012

There's never been a better time to consider a gay cruise. Itineraries include more remote destinations, and more charter companies are offering a wider variety of cruise experiences to meet the full spectrum of the LGBTQ+ community. Also, the ships chartered are almost uniformly elevated and luxurious.

No longer are gay and lesbian groups and full-ship charters relegated to older, tired vessels. Full-ship gay charters command big business for the cruise industry, and major cruise lines are responding by offering their newest and most exciting ships. Many charter companies will take over the entire ship, bringing aboard their own dance parties, entertainment, activities and hosts to tailor the vacation experience to their audience.

The magic of a gay cruise lies in the shared experience of traveling with your community. Each sailing fosters an environment where you can be yourself. You can choose whether to blend in with the crowd or stand out and be celebrated for your flair.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Bonds often form more quickly and naturally aboard a ship where you're surrounded by your people, especially on full-ship charters where large mixers kick off each sailing.

Expect welcome parties with themes that go beyond just a name tag, whether that's icebreaker games or an opportunity to dress up in a way that signifies where you're from or how you identify. You'll find more openness throughout the ship compared to a traditional non-themed cruise, especially on the pool deck, as many passengers seek out the experience to expand their social circle.

Don't miss the boat on making lifelong friends during an epic cruise vacation. Here are 12 of the best gay cruises in 2024 and 2025.

R Family Vacations' 2024 Summer Cruise

Date: July 7-13, 2024

Join R Family Vacations for a special group sailing on board Celebrity Beyond . While this is not a full-ship charter, R Family will host many exclusive group activities during the sailing, including performances by Broadway belters, an LGBTQ+ comedy show, dance parties, a theater camp and special R Family dinners.

The ship will depart from Fort Lauderdale, with stops in Perfect Day at CocoCay , Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Bimini, Bahamas.

R Family was the first LGBTQ+ family travel company and has been a leader in the LGBTQ+ family travel market for 20 years, creating the opportunity for queer families to connect and share in the joy of travel. The company has since expanded beyond family travel to include adults-only, small-ship sailings.

Rates for the company's summer cruise start at $920.79 per person, including taxes, fees and gratuities.

How to book: Visit R Family's website for pricing and availability, or call 917-522-0985 to book.

Vacaya's Europe River Cruise 2024

Date: Aug. 3-15, 2024

If you're looking for one of the best Pride celebrations in the world, Vacaya's Europe River Cruise 2024 is the place to be. The cruise begins with the ship docked in the heart of Amsterdam for two nights during its celebrated Pride festival. Catch the one-of-a-kind floating Pride parade that snakes its way through the city as you revel in the party atmosphere.

The travel company's Europe River Cruise will bring LGBTQ+ passengers to many ports in the Netherlands and Belgium on a luxury river ship, the newly revamped Advance by Transcend (the former Crystal Mahler).

The 12-night itinerary begins with two nights in Amsterdam, followed by stops in the Netherlands that include Volendam, Edam, Ultrecht, Nijmegen, Kinderdijk, Schoonhoven, Heusden, Rotterdam and Dordrecht. The journey finishes in Belgium with a stop in Ghent and an overnight in Antwerp. The itinerary finishes in time to make the quick trip down from Antwerp to Belgium for the stunning Flower Carpet Festival.

Rates for available cabins start at $6,997 per person based on double occupancy and do not include port fees, admin fees or gratuities. Fares do include open bar and unlimited internet. There are only a handful of cabins remaining for this summer sailing.

How to book: Check the latest cabin availability and book Vacaya's Europe River Cruise 2024 on Vacaya's website or by calling 718-504-0404.

Source Journeys' Treasures of Venice and Dalmatian Coast

Date: Aug. 17-24, 2024

Source Journeys has been a small-group LGBTQ+ charter company for more than 20 years, hosting a handful of small-ship charters and land-based tours each year. Source prides itself on a shipboard atmosphere of acceptance, where all feel welcome.

Of the company's upcoming trips planned, its summer 2024 Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise on Star Clippers' Royal Clipper is a highlight, as it charters the world's largest sailing ship.

The round-trip itinerary from Venice, Italy, includes a stop in Kotor, Montenegro, before hitting up the highlights of Croatia, including Dubrovnik, Zadar, Hvar, the Pakleni Islands and Rovinj.

Pricing for the seven-night cruise starts at $2,899 per person based on double occupancy. The fare does not include port fees, gratuities and pre- and post-cruise packages.

How to book: Reserve your spot on the Treasures of Venice and the Dalmatian Coast cruise via Source Journeys' website or by calling 305-672-9779.

Related: From Asheville to Prague: 11 underrated LGBTQIA+ friendly destinations to visit

Olivia's Majestic Alaska Cruise

Date: Sept. 21-28, 2024

Olivia is the most renowned and popular travel group for lesbians, having hosted more than 300 trips for 350,000-plus women. Among the many trips on the books for the next two years, Olivia will charter its first-ever large-ship Alaska cruise on Holland America 's Eurodam.

Join 2,100 women for a seven-night cruise through Alaska from Seattle. The itinerary includes visits to Juneau, Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan, Alaska, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Several renowned guests and performers will also be on board.

Rates for the remaining available cabins start from $1,499 per person based on double occupancy, not including fees and airfare.

How to book: Reserve your spot on Olivia's website or by calling 800-631-6277.

Related: 15 Alaska cruise mistakes you never want to make

Atlantis Events' Halloween San Diego to Mexico Cruise

Date: Oct. 26-Nov. 2, 2024

Atlantis is the largest gay cruise charter company. When it hosts a sailing, the company takes over some of the largest ships at sea.

If you appreciate partying 'til sunrise, don't miss the chance to sail on Holland America Line's Koningsdam this fall with Atlantis' Halloween San Diego to Mexico Cruise.

Expect a one-of-a-kind fusion of Holland America Line's classic cruising experience (think white glove service and baked Alaska dessert ) with an impressive overlay of high-tech party lights and sound gear to keep the dance parties hopping day and night.

This weeklong itinerary from Los Angeles returns after a successful 2023 cruise, sailing round-trip from San Diego with a stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on its way to an extended stay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, until 2 a.m., followed by a stop in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Make sure to pack accordingly, as this sailing spans Halloween week, and you will want to dress to impress. Every night will bring a different theme, and you can be sure many of the 2,500 guests on board will dress up.

Select cabins for the fall 2024 sailing are still available, with rates from $919 per person based on double occupancy. Prices do not include gratuities, taxes and port fees.

How to book: Pick the cabin you want for the Halloween Cruise on the Atlantis website or by calling 310-859-8800.

Related: Best Caribbean cruise tips to help you make the most of your time aboard and ashore

Out Adventures' Egypt: Nile River Cruise & Cairo

Date: Nov. 8-17, 2024; March 7-16, 2025; Nov. 7-16, 2025

Check the Great Pyramids of Giza off your bucket list, trace Egypt's queer history while exploring the tomb of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, and lose yourself in Cairo's bustling bazaars on Out Adventures' nine-night Egypt tour. The trip features three nights in a hotel in Cairo, followed by a four-night Nile River cruise and two additional nights in Cairo before flying home.

You'll sail with a small group of no more than 20 gay men (and their allies and families) with excursions that'll include visits to Luxor Temple, the Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Abu Simbel temple complex.

Out Adventures has a number of gay charter cruises, some combined with land tours, planned through 2025. The trips focus on groups no larger than 40 to enable a more tight-knit sense of community and connection. Additionally, the small size allows Out Adventures' groups to travel to more exotic, remote destinations.

There are only a few spaces left for the November 2024 sailing, with more availability for the 2025 sailings. Rates for these sailings start at $5,395 per person based on double occupancy, not including taxes, tips and fees.

How to book: Book your spot on the Nile River cruise on the Out Adventures website or by calling 866-360-1152.

Related: 4 things to consider before booking an LGBTQ cruise

GaySail's Gay Nude Cruising in Tahiti

Date: Nov. 23-30, 2024

Anchors aweigh, and off with your clothes! GaySail's nude sailings offer the rare chance to sail au naturel in the safe confines of a private, full-charter catamaran.

GaySail's upcoming Tahiti cruise will take a small group of up to 14 gay men on a journey to many of the highlights of the South Pacific, including Bora Bora, Maupiti and Moorea.

GaySail has an impressive lineup of small-ship charters scheduled, including both clothing-optional and all-nude sailings. The charter company predominantly caters to European gay men (its headquarters is based in Amsterdam), but men from all around the world are welcome to join.

Pricing for the November 2024 sailing starts at 2,495 euros (about $2,696) per person, including taxes and fees.

How to book: While the experience of sailing naked will be freeing, the experience is not free. Book your reservation on the GaySail website or email [email protected] for more details.

Outbound's Rhine River Christmas Market Cruise

Date: Dec. 14-21, 2024

The best part of a winter river cruise is docking in a port that's a few steps away from the warm glow and transfixing scents of a European Christmas market. The best part of booking that cruise with Outbound, a charter company that focuses on LGBTQ+ travelers, is going to those markets with your newfound group of queer friends.

Outbound will take passengers on the Rhine River this December on Emerald Cruises' Emerald Sun. The itinerary begins in the Netherlands and alights in ports in Germany, France and Switzerland, where guests can sample the local warm chestnuts and mulled wine.

A few cabins are still available for the 2024 cruise, with rates starting at $2,997 per person based on double occupancy. Fares do not include port fees and taxes.

How to book: Reserve your spot on the Outbound website or by calling 916-683-1000.

Vacaya's Caribbean Cruise 2025

Date: Feb. 22-March 1, 2025

Now in its sixth year of large-scale charter cruises and full resort buyouts, Vacaya is changing its annual winter Caribbean itinerary in 2025. Instead of sailing round-trip from southeast Florida, this year's island getaway will depart from New Orleans. The travel operator will be chartering Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a sailing taking place the week prior to Mardi Gras (scheduled for March 4, 2025).

The ship will depart from New Orleans and stop in Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; and Yucatan (Progreso), Mexico, with three days at sea.

Vacaya is the first and only large-scale travel group to openly and outwardly welcome the entire LGBTQIAPK (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, polygamous/polyamorous and kink) community and its allies.

The vibe on board is friendly and easygoing, the entertainment is Broadway-caliber and the nightly parties are more about gay anthems than house beats. The company also features an opportunity to give back on each trip with its ReachOut program, where passengers can volunteer with a local project while in port.

Fares for available cabins on the upcoming Caribbean cruise start at $1,147 per person based on double occupancy, not including port taxes, fees and gratuities.

How to book: Get up-to-the-minute availability on the cabins and their locations for the Caribbean Cruise 2025 on Vacaya's website or by calling 718-504-0404.

Related: 11 things I learned on my 1st gay cruise

Pied Piper Travel's Post-Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise

Date: Nov. 30-Dec. 7, 2024

Pied Piper's small gay groups on large-scale ships have sailed on hundreds of cruises since its inception in 1990. With more than 20 group sailings currently scheduled through February 2025, Pied Piper's globe-trotting trips span an impressive variety of destinations and themes, including trips to Alaska, New Zealand and Rio de Janeiro during Carnival.

Of the many cruises scheduled, the company's upcoming 22nd annual post-Thanksgiving cruise on Celebrity Apex is the company's most popular itinerary. Sail on Celebrity Cruises' Edge Class ship as it departs from Fort Lauderdale with stops in Basseterre, St. Kitts; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Sailing with the Pied Piper group includes a special Welcome Aboard cocktail party, private dining tables, an onboard Pied Piper host and invitations to special events and activities. The base rate for cabins available on this cruise is $1,095 per person based on double occupancy, not including taxes, gratuities and additional port fees.

How to book: For more details about Pied Piper Travel's Post-Thanksgiving Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Apex, visit Pied Piper Travel's website . Book your reservation by calling 800-874-7312.

Related: Tipping on a cruise ship: Everything you need to know

Brand g Vacations' 2025 Amazon Cruise and Machu Picchu Discovery

Date: March 30-April 11, 2025

Join a small group of 40 other LGBTQ+ travelers for Brand g's four-night cruise on the Amazon River on Delfin III, an all-suite ship owned and operated by Delfin Amazon Cruises. The cruise is part of a 13-day luxury vacation package that will capture many highlights of Peru, most notably with a glass-domed train journey to Machu Picchu.

Brand g is known for its intimate, small-ship charters with a focus on all-inclusive luxury. The tour is priced based on the cruise cabin you select and still has availability in the base rate suites. Trip fares start at $7,699 per person based on double occupancy, not including taxes, tips and fees.

How to book: You can reserve a cabin for this cruise on the Brand g website or by calling 952-405-9309.

Related: 21 tips and tricks that will make your 1st cruise go smoothly

Brand g's 2025 Norway, Greenland and Iceland cruise

Date: July 31-Aug. 9, 2025

Brand g continues to expand its full-ship charters for LGBTQ+ travelers and their straight allies with its 2025 Norway, Greenland and Iceland cruise. The travel operator will charter Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Voyager, a luxury expedition ship, as it sails the Arctic waters in the temperate summer months.

The all-inclusive trip includes nearly everything but the guarantee you'll spot a polar bear. You will, however, witness vast and diverse bird colonies on Clavering Island, Greenland.

The nine-night itinerary starts at the top of the world in Longyearbyen in Norway's Svalbard archipelago. Guests will visit additional Svalbard ports including Ny-Alesund and Gashamna, before crossing to Greenland, stopping in Wollaston Foreland/Clavering Island, sailing the Kaiser Franz Josef Fjord, and visiting Ittoqqortoormiit and Hurry Inlet, Scoresbysund. The journey ends in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Fares for available cabins on the upcoming Norway, Greenland and Iceland cruise start at $7,999 per person based on double occupancy, not including port taxes, fees and gratuities.

How to book: Check the latest cabin availability and book Brand g's 2025 Norway, Greenland and Iceland on Brand g's website or by calling 952-405-9309.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
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The 9 Best Gay Cruises for 2024 (+ Planning Tips)

W hether you are looking to hop aboard a Pride Week cruise with a major line or sail away with a smaller company that specializes in LGBTQ voyages, the following cruise operators promise a fun, safe and memorable vacation.

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Virgin Voyages

Read: The Best Cruise Lines for the Money

Atlantis Events

Due to the company's popularity, its three 2024 cruises are already sold out.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean

Brand g Vacations

Read: The Top River Cruise Lines

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Celebrity Cruises

Read: Cruise Packing List: The Top Essentials for Any Cruise

Read: The Best Girls Trip Ideas

Royal Caribbean International

Ready to plan a cruise? Find the best value sailings on GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

The Cruise With La Demence

Read: The Top Party Cruises

Source Journeys

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Sep 10, 2023

Why 2024 is the Perfect Year for a Gay Cruise

As the world continues to evolve, so does the realm of travel. The LGBTQ community, in particular, has witnessed a surge in specialized travel experiences tailored to their unique needs and desires. Amidst this wave of change, 2024 stands out as a landmark year for gay cruises. Here's why.

The Evolution of Gay Cruises

Over the years, gay cruises have transformed from being just another travel option to becoming a statement of pride, unity, and celebration. These cruises have evolved into immersive experiences, offering not just travel but also a sense of community and belonging.

The Allure of Big Cruise Ships: La Demence and Atlantis

Names like La Demence and Atlantis often come to mind when discussing gay cruises. These industry giants have set the gold standard for large-scale LGBTQ cruises.

Scale and Grandeur: Their massive ships, often accommodating thousands, offer a plethora of amenities, from expansive pools and theaters to diverse dining venues and nightclubs.

Diverse Entertainment: Renowned DJs,

spectacular drag shows, themed parties, and

even celebrity appearances ensure every night is a celebration.

Global Community: The large guest capacity

means mingling with people from various countries and backgrounds, creating a melting pot of cultures united by the spirit of celebration and acceptance.

Boutique Smaller Size Cruises

For those seeking a more tailored and intimate cruising experience, boutique cruises are the answer:

Personalized Experience: The focus is on individualized service, often with crew members knowing guests by name.

Unique Destinations: Smaller ships access ports larger ones can't, leading to more secluded beaches and off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Community Feel: The reduced guest count fosters a close-knit vibe, making deeper connections possible.

Curated Activities: Specialized workshops, local cultural immersions, and exclusive events are tailored to guests' interests.

Exotic Destinations of 2024

The 2024 itinerary promises to whisk travelers away to some of the world's most exotic locales. From the pristine beaches of Seychelles and the overwater bungalows of the Maldives to the vibrant culture and stunning landscapes of Thailand, each destination offers an unparalleled experience. Dive Out Loud ensures that every

location not only showcases nature's beauty but also resonates with the spirit of inclusivity and celebration that defines the LGBTQ community.

Safety and Inclusivity in 2024

With the world becoming more accepting, 2024 promises a safer and more inclusive environment for LGBTQ travelers. Dive Out Loud ensures that every aspect of the cruise, from staff training to guest policies, prioritizes the safety and comfort of its guests.

The Dive Out Loud Difference

At Dive Out Loud, travel is more than just a journey; it's an experience. Our 2024 gay cruises and liveaboards is a testament to our commitment to offering the LGBTQ community a space where they can be themselves, make lasting memories, and celebrate love in all its forms. 2024 isn't just another year. It's a symbol of progress and the limitless possibilities ahead. If you've ever dreamt of embarking on a journey that's more than just a trip, now's the time. Join us on our 2024 gay travels and be a part of this beautiful journey.

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Gay Cruises: Here Is Your Ultimate Guide for 2024

Are you a gay traveler ready to live your best life on the seas? Whether you're looking for a fun and relaxed vacation or an adrenaline-pumping adventure, gay cruises are the perfect options.

When it comes to gay cruise ships, there's no better way to explore the world than with your LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

These cruises will get your heart pumping from deck parties to late-night revelry! The trip may seem like an enjoyable experience, but planning a trip can be time-consuming and frustrating. Whether or not it will be your first time on a gay cruise, this guide will help guide you ongoing on a gay cruise.

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post, which means we may earn a small commission if you click the link and proceed with a purchase, at no cost to you . We truly only recommend hotels, products, and services we personally use. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Choose the Best Gay Cruises

When choosing a gay or lesbian-friendly cruise, these factors will all play a role in ensuring that you have a memorable and enjoyable vacation .

Price : Cruise prices depend on where you fly from (like if you live on the east coast and fly from an east coast USA cruise port , or live in the United States and need to fly to Europe for a European cruise), where you are sailing to, and the type of room you'll have. A luxury cruise may be well over $4,000 or you may get a deal for as low as $400.
Size of the vessel: Ships like Atlantis fit at least 5,000 people or Pride of America, while a ship like Celebrity Apex accommodates under 3,000 people.
Vibe and atmosphere : When choosing amongst friendly gay cruises options, it is essential to consider the type of atmosphere that you want. Each ship has its unique personality, so select one that best suits your needs. For instance, Atlantis would be the best option if you enjoy circuit parties. If you're looking for a much calmer experience, you can choose a ship like Pride of America with Norwegian Cruise Line.

By choosing a gay and lesbian cruise ship, you can be sure that you will have an enjoyable and hassle-free vacation. These ships offer everything you need to relax and have fun, so book your trip today!

Some of the top gay-friendly cruises travel coordination companies include Atlantis Events, Olivia Cruises, and RSVP Vacations. All three companies offer cruises to destinations worldwide, including the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. They each have their unique style and atmosphere, so it is essential to research before deciding.

No matter which cruise line you choose, you can be sure that you will experience a relaxing and fun-filled holiday. The ships are packed with activities, and the destinations are some of the most beautiful in the world. So, if you're looking for a vacation that caters to your specific needs, be sure to check out the many gay-friendly cruise options available today.

Popular Cruise Ships and Cruise Companies that Cater to a Gay Audience

C elebrity cruises.

This cruise line caters to the LGBT community and offers a wide range of facilities and activities that cater to their needs.

There are several restaurants, bars, and nightclubs onboard and a spa and fitness center. The Equality Ship hosts several special events and occasions throughout the year.

Celebrity Cruises was the first ship to host same-sex marriage. The vessel is also known for its annual Pride party, which will bring together LGBTQ persons of all generations, including old and young.

Based on reviews, Celebrity Cruises is a memorable experience that has fantastic exclusive amenities and ship areas as part of The Retreat , their ship-within-a-ship cruise concept. It has received different awards, including Best Onboard LGBTQ Gatherings and Best Cruise Line for LGBTQ+ Passengers.

Brand g Vacation with Atlas Ocean Voyages

Brand g Vacations has partnered with Atlas Ocean Voyages for the second year in a row. In August 2023, they teamed up to organize a gay cruise on World Navigator. From August 14 to 23, 2024, the cruise line's new ship, World Traveller, will host a gay cruise from Venice to Malta.

The luxury ship fit for upscale adventure is a fantastic way to cruise the Mediterranean with your peers and new friends.

Atlantis ship is the world's largest gay and lesbian cruise ship; the ship fits around 5,000 people.

There are multiple pools, bars, a casino, a spa, and various dining options. The ship also hosts several special events and circuit parties, including the White Party and Disco Tea Dance, explicitly geared towards the gay and lesbian community. Some of the most popular events are the White Party, in which partygoers dress up with angel wings and white jocks, and Dog Tag T-Dance, in which men dress in camouflage.

One thing to keep in mind is that Atlantis is not kid-friendly. There is a lot of sexual activity that happens on Atlantis. You would find guys “getting it on” out in public by the pool and on the dock. There are even videos of Twitter showing these activities. If you're conservative and want a calm vacation experience, Atlantis may not be the right cruise for you. But if you enjoy the circuit party scene and don't mind seeing men hooking up in public, Atlantis could be a good vacation option.

The price of Atlantis starts at about $900. Atlantis may not be your choice if you don't like big crowds. As mentioned earlier, the ship gets full. Parties happen all day long, so if you enjoy partying non-stop, you will enjoy Atlantis. Tickets sell out early, so make your purchase way in advance if you decide to go.

Vacay is a cruise ship built exclusively for the LGBTQ community. There is plenty of LGBTQ programming and entertainment on the boat, like drag performances and circuit parties. Once they get off the ship passengers, they can visit gay-friendly locations like Puerto Vallarta (considered the “San Francisco of Mexico”) and Costa Rica.

Vacay is an adult-only ship so that you can have fun without any inhibitions. The ship encourages an amicable atmosphere, as noted on its website. There are plenty of single men who go on Vacay so you can mix and mingle with them. There is even an online Vacaya Facebook community where singles can look for roommates.

If you're a gay traveler, consider going on Vacaya. Based on trip reviews by LGBTQ travelers, Vacay is one of the most welcoming environments for the LGBTQ community. The price can go anywhere from $900 up to $14,000.

RSVP Vacations' Liberty of the Seas

His ship is also quite large, and it offers a similar range of amenities as the Allure of the Seas. It is popular among gay and lesbian cruisers for its lively atmosphere and a plethora of activities. RSVP has been around since 1986 and travels to many different destinations, including the Caribbean and Alaska.

The Cruise is a large ship that is based in Europe. It fits about 3,600 passengers.

There are impressive parts of the ship, like a glass floor walkway that lets you see the ocean, a pool with colored lights, and gyms that give you a sea view. If you're based in the US and want to travel overseas, consider going on The Cruise.

For the past two years, it has sailed the Ionean Sea during July. As a European traveler, you only need a photo ID, but if you're traveling from the US, you need to travel with a passport .

Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America

This American-themed ship is one of the most popular choices for gay and lesbian cruises. It offers multiple pools, a spa, restaurants, and many other activities.

What Should You Budget for Gay Cruise?

Cruises can be fun vacation options but can be pricey. Here are a few things to consider:

Airfare: The cost of a roundtrip flight depends on where you are flying from and when you book your trip. For example, if you're flying from NYC to Port Miami , in Florida, you can pay anywhere from $120-$320 roundtrip. But if you're flying cross country, you will be spending a lot more on your flight. A suggestion is to use a site like Orbitz or Priceline rather than airline websites so you can get better discounts.
Island excursions : There are many activities and things to do on a ship. Once a cruise ship lands on an island or at its destination, you have other things to do like scuba diving, snorkeling , or jet skiing. Excursions can cost as much as $40 to $300 per person per day. Travelers should sign up for an excursion because they'll have the opportunity to explore different cultures and groups of people. Years ago, I sailed on Carnival and one of the stops was in the Bahamas. I was initially scared to scuba dive, but I overcame my fear and did it. I enjoyed myself and met some very friendly locales.
Drinks : Drink spending can quickly add up. If you want to be sure of the price of your drinks consumption (alcohol or alcohol-free) sign up for a drinks package before or at the start of your cruise. The price for a non-alcoholic beverage can range from $2 to $8 or more, depending on the drink. Beer can be about $8, wine $10 and up, and cocktails $11 or more. If you haven't paid for a drinks package and you want to be mindful of your spending on beverages, simply go into your cruise app to see your current charges if you're on an ocean cruise, or ask the front desk or guest services to see your current bill if you're on a river cruise. In some instances, like with an Emerald Cruises trip, you can view your current bill on your stateroom television at any time.
Gratuities: It's classy leave to leave a tip for housekeeping or your stateroom attendant. You can either leave a 15%-18% tip for room staff every day or in one lump sum at the end of your trip. Often, gratuities are included in your cruise bookings (but not always).

How to Pack for Your Cruise

There are all sorts of activities and events on a gay cruise. You can go to the pool, gym, spa, bar, and many other parts of a cruise ship. And so, you have the opportunity to dress up or dress down.

You can pack blazers, collared shirts, and shoes for formal dinners on the ship. For dress-down occasions, it's recommended to bring jeans, t-shirts, and accessories. Also, bring swimsuits if you want to go in the pools or hot tubs onboard or during excursions, depending on the itinerary.

What Not to Do on Gay Cruises

There are strict rules and guidelines on a cruise ship that people must follow. If you disobey them, you can get kicked off the boat. To avoid problems, here are things to consider:

Don't bring any drugs. This may sound like common sense, but it happens more than you think. Drug use I commonly used for recreational purposes at circuit parties which occurs on many gat cruises. If you use marijuana for medicinal purposes, contact your cruise line beforehand and see their guidelines on drug possession.
Watch your alcohol intake. Studies show that people drink alcohol to lower their inhibitions. The problem is that alcohol impairs your judgment and can make you do things that will you or another person. For this reason, it's advised to drink in moderation.
Keep your hands to yourself. Be mindful of how you approach and interact with others. Don't let alcohol or anything else incite you to pursue someone that doesn't show any interest in you. I've seen so many incidents in social gatherings where a person tough another permission without permission. Don't be that person.

Why Choose Gay Cruises?

There are still places where homosexuality is not acceptable in these changing times. In countries like Jamaica, Egypt, and Iraq, it's illegal to be gay. People are still being harassed and even killed for being gay. Gay cruises allow you to be in a safe space where you can laugh, dance and connect with other LGBTQ+ persons.

You'll be able to experience gay-friendly locations overseas that you may not have the opportunity to do on a regular cruise.

So get your best costumes and outfits and plan to have an unforgettable sea travel experience.

Ready to Book Your Cruise or INquire?

Use our preferred travel advisors, bolds travel, because….

They take away the hassle of travel planning : time spent on the phone with the cruise line could be time you spend doing other things.
You don't pay them a dime : their service is free (this is because they get paid by the cruise line or destination).
Their experience: They have decades of experience and attention to detail.

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The 9 Best Gay Cruises for 2024 (+ Planning Tips)

U.S. News & World Report

October 16, 2023, 8:00 PM

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“[VACAYA] was sparked by our own vacations, where we all had encountered two very different experiences,” says Gunn. “The all-gay cruises were liberating, empowering and fun, but limited to a small spectrum of people. And while everyone loves a good time, there’s more to a memorable vacation than just parties. Mainstream vacations offered more activities and destinations, and were accessible to a diverse set of people, but didn’t always feel like a friendly, judgment-free environment.”

Previous cruisers had abundant praise for VACAYA’s voyages, highlighting the company’s responsiveness when booking and the kindhearted staff, as well as the genuine connections they made with other passengers on board. Many were also impressed by the events and entertainment options throughout their sailings.

In 2024, VACAYA will offer a number of voyages worldwide. The seven-night Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Apex in February will sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, with several fun-filled days at sea in addition to stops in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Antigua. In August, VACAYA has a 12-night river cruise in Northern Europe on board Advance by Transcend Cruises; this sailing includes the Amsterdam Pride event. The 11-night Antarctica expedition on Atlas Ocean Voyages’ World Navigator in December 2024 is sold out, but you can join the waitlist.

Virgin Voyages

The Virgin brand has long been known for its celebration of the LGBTQ community, and cruise line Virgin Voyages is no different. The strictly adults-only cruise operator aims to provide a unique experience, with onboard tattoo parlors, impressive live entertainment, and dining options that include more than 20 eateries and menus created by Michelin star chefs. This line gets the stamp of approval from previous LGBTQ cruisers, who praise the ships’ gender-neutral bathrooms, diverse staff and onboard shows with resident drag queens.

“Each June here at Virgin Voyages, we like to go big for Pride Month with larger-than-life events … all monthlong,” the cruise line says in a statement on its website. “It’s an important time for us — both internally within our crew and for our sailors — to honor and celebrate the LGBTQ community; who for so long has had to continually fight for equality and the right to be seen, heard and included.”

Read: The Best Cruise Lines for the Money

Atlantis Events

The world’s largest gay and lesbian travel brand, Atlantis Events was founded in 1991 and welcomes more than 20,000 travelers annually on LGBTQ vacations. For its all-gay cruises, Atlantis charters megaships from popular lines like Royal Caribbean International , Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages in addition to smaller vessels with companies like Oceania Cruises so cruisers will have a fully immersive experience.

“As an LGBTQ cruiser, you’re looking for a ship with lots of entertainment, including dance parties and events,” says Marcos Martinez, founder of Men Who Brunch, a Black gay lifestyle blog. “One of the best cruise [lines] for gay cruising is Atlantis, since you’ll be able to meet hundreds of attractive men and party all day and night on the ship.”

Atlantis hosts primarily gay men; women make up about 5% to 10% of bookings, according to the Atlantis website. Previous cruisers said the atmosphere on board was fun, friendly and welcoming, though some noted that the company’s customer service could be better, especially when it comes to details about the cruise.

Due to the company’s popularity, its three 2024 cruises are already sold out.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean

Brand g Vacations

Specializing in all-gay river cruises — and now luxury ocean liners — Brand g Vacations was founded in 2011 and explores destinations all over the world. Chartered river cruises typically welcome between 40 and 200 LGBTQ passengers (and their straight allies), which allows cruisers to get to know one another in a smaller setting. Guests tend to skew more mature (think: 40 and older), and the line attracts both men and women.

Onboard entertainment differs slightly from larger ocean voyages: Expect more cabaret-style entertainment than massive all-night dance parties. Cruisers will also enjoy performances by drag queens, gay Broadway stars and more, on top of typical river cruise perks like sightseeing and lavish meals. Past guests recommend choosing Brand g if you’re looking for a well-planned, relaxed and luxurious experience over a busier, more party-heavy vacation.

In 2024, Brand g sails through unique waterways around the world, including the Amazon, the Loire, the Danube, the Mekong, and the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest. The line’s small cruise ship charters also take guests to Iceland, Spain, Morocco, Italy, Croatia and other European destinations.

Read: The Top River Cruise Lines

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises sets the scene for an excellent vacation for gay travelers, from its extravagant annual Pride parties to its daily LGBTQ programming throughout the year. The mainstream line has received numerous awards for its inclusivity, receiving accolades from the Cruizie Awards, TTG Travel Awards and Travel Weekly’s Magellan Awards for being one of the best cruise lines for LGBTQ passengers.

Although all itineraries are gay-friendly, consider booking a sailing during Pride Month in June for an extra special experience. Onboard entertainment during this month includes guest entertainers, a flag raising ceremony, Celebrity’s signature Pride Party at Sea and more. The Italian Riviera & France cruise will depart from Barcelona on June 8, 2024, on the new Celebrity Ascent; this 10-night Mediterranean sailing stops at ports in France, Italy and Malta. Private travel companies like VACAYA also charter Celebrity ships for all-gay voyages throughout the year.

Read: The Top Pride Parades and Celebrations in the U.S.

Travelers who are looking to connect with others who share similar backgrounds can do so in one of Olivia’s specialized programs. There are group and solo traveler meetups, as well as programs like Sisters, which is for LGBTQ women of color; Gen-O, for cruisers 40 and younger; Women in Uniform gatherings, for veterans and those currently in the armed forces; and events for OWLs (which stands for “older, wiser lesbians”). Past cruisers on Olivia’s voyages report feeling a true sense of community and belonging on board, resulting in a fun, carefree trip.

In June 2024, set sail with Olivia from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Dublin on Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend. Or, visit the islands of Tahiti on the line’s Star Breeze in September. Other cruise itineraries include Alaska, the Greek Isles, Mexico and the Panama Canal.

Read: The Best Girls Trip Ideas

Royal Caribbean International

Highlights of the sailings are the ships’ entertainment options (including the Tony Award-winning musical “Mamma Mia!”) and attentive staff, according to past cruisers. Itineraries typically include LGBTQ meetups at the beginning of each cruise for gay travelers to meet like-minded passengers. Outside of the sailing experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly committed to supporting the LGBTQ community throughout the year, and it was the first cruise line to earn the title “Gay Traveler Approved” from GayTravel in 2016.

In 2024, consider a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-friendly destinations. “Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, [is] full of gay bars, clubs and gay beaches,” says Martinez. Hop aboard Navigator of the Seas in May for a seven-night sailing round-trip from Los Angeles that stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Ensenada, Mexico. Navigator of the Seas also hosts a seven-night itinerary throughout the year that calls on Mazatlan, Mexico, as well.

Ready to plan a cruise? Find the best value sailings on GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

The Cruise With La Demence

According to past cruisers, if you’re looking for one of the best party scenes on the open seas, consider an all-gay cruise with La Demence. Powered by a popular gay nightclub in Brussels with the same name, La Demence — French for “the madness” — primarily caters to a European crowd. Most passengers are male, though women are also welcome.

On board, passengers should expect to dance the night away at massive deck parties that last into the wee hours of the morning. The line prides itself on its top-notch DJs, impressive light setup and electric party atmosphere. Previous cruisers had high praise for the itineraries — which exclusively visit gay-friendly locations — as well as the fruity cocktails, themed nights (costumes strongly encouraged) and glamorous entertainment. Enjoy unique events like drag bingo, high heel runs and more.

La Demence sails every summer to European destinations like Greece, Italy and Malta. The 2023 cruise was chartered on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. Fares include all food and nonalcoholic beverages, plus access to all parties, shows and the onboard gym.

Read: The Top Party Cruises

Source Journeys

The company’s cruises in 2024 include a seven-night Galápagos sailing in late September on a Relais & Chateau luxury yacht: Ecoventura’s new ship, Evolve. The intimate ship accommodates just 20 passengers. Source Journeys is also offering a seven-night river cruise through Burgundy and Provence, France, in June on Avalon Waterways’ Avalon Poetry II, as well as a seven-night voyage from Venice along the Dalmatian Coast. This ocean cruise scheduled in August is chartered on Star Clippers’ masted sailing ship, Royal Clipper.

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At Celebrity Cruises, we value diversity among all our guests and crew, and we strive to create an inclusive environment for everyone. Whether you are joining us onboard for a vacation, your honeymoon, or even your wedding, we are proud to be the best cruise line for gay, lesbian, and all LGBTQ+ guests.

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8 LGBTQ+ Cruises to Book for Incredible Itineraries and Inclusive Fun

These cruises for LGBTQ+ travelers offer inclusive experiences on itineraries around the world.

Courtesy of Atlantis Events

Cruising is back, and as passengers set sail once again, there’s no shortage of LGBTQ+-friendly cruise lines and dedicated itineraries to embark upon. Whether you’re hoping to discover centuries-old gems across Europe’s rivers , bask in the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness , or just party the night away with a vodka soda in hand and “Into You” by Ariana Grande blasting overhead, these cruise lines and tour operators offer something for every LGBTQ+ traveler.

Brand G Vacations

Courtesy of Brand G Vacations

Specializing in curated experiences for LGBTQ+ community members since 2011, Brand G Vacations has found particular success within the realm of small-scale cruises, offering voyages on the high seas and the Earth’s most iconic rivers. With trips across spectacular rivers like the Douro , Ganges , and Amazon , each Brand G excursion provides ample opportunities for forging new friendships thanks to their low passenger count. As an added bonus, philanthropy is a central tenet of the company, with each year bringing a new partnership with a charity committed to addressing issues within the LGBTQ+ community.

Gabriel Goldberg/VACAYA

A recent addition to the cruise industry, Vacaya caters specifically to LGBTQIAPK+ patrons, with cruises ranging from classic tropical island routes to truly far-flung options. In terms of classic cruise experiences, guests can find spacious suites, vibrant nightlife, and 29 drinking and dining venues aboard the Celebrity Apex on Vacaya’s annual Caribbean cruise taking place in February 2024 — but for the adventurous soul, there’s no beating one of their smaller options. Though itineraries span from the Adriatic Sea to the heart of Polynesia , each cruise offers the perfect blend of relaxing amenities and bustling nightlife to keep you occupied between ports.

Courtesy of Olivia Travel

The gay cruise industry is largely geared toward men, but Olivia is the industry’s reigning champion for LGBTQ+ women. The company hosts a plethora of river and open-water cruises all across the globe, with lesbian and queer woman-focused excursions to Alaska , Egypt and Jordan , and Greece on the roster for 2024. Amenities ranging from meals to self-service laundry to alcoholic beverages are all included as part of your purchase, and for those wishing to keep the party going after testing their sea legs, Olivia also offers land-based tours, with a wealth of relaxing resort stays available to book.

Atlantis Events

With beloved celebrity entertainers and dazzling dance parties on the regular, Atlantis is one of the cruise industry’s top contenders for a fun-filled, LBGTQ+-centered getaway on the high seas. For the most social of butterflies, this fall’s Italy, France, and Ibiza cruise is set to shatter records for the largest gay cruise to set sail across Europe, uniting more than 4,000 passengers on the massive Odyssey of the Seas . For a smaller-scale (but still grandiose) experience, Atlantis is putting some of Southeast Asia’s most dazzling cities on full display this November, offering a nine-night cruise along Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok.

Celebrity Cruises

Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

One of the most dedicated queer allies in the water tourism world, Celebrity Cruises has gone to great lengths to partner with LGBTQ+ impact groups and promote inclusivity in the workplace, and the cruise line even offers same-sex weddings on board, officiated by the cruise captain. Though queer passengers are certain to feel welcome aboard any voyage, the company has been hosting the iconic Pride Party at Sea since 2018, imbuing cruises across the globe with an added dose of LGBTQ+-curated programs and parties throughout the month of June.

The Cruise by La Demence

Courtesy of The Cruise

While La Demence has been one of Belgium’s most coveted queer events for decades, the festivities are taking on an aquatic spin on The Cruise , a week-long journey scheduled for July 2023. Kicking off with the Italian city of Ravenna, this week-long excursion highlights fascinating destinations across the Mediterranean, with Sarandë, Malta, and Catania all gracing the itinerary — but of course, the most incredible festivities take place far beyond the shore. Equipped with dazzling amenities like an on-ship spa, a dedicated nudist deck, and a star-studded cast of entertainers, the Explorer of the Seas is a one-way ticket to a memorable jaunt across Europe’s stunning southern coast.

Source Journeys

Courtesy of Source Journeys

Source Journeys has mastered the art of cruising, providing LGBTQ+ travelers with a treasure trove of carefully curated luxury cruises. For wildlife lovers, September brings the opportunity to spot sea lions, turtles, and marine iguanas on a voyage to Ecuador’s iconic Galapagos Islands , with the Relais & Chateaux-aligned Evolve yacht serving as a particularly relaxing abode for the trip, while October’s Vietnam and Cambodia cruise highlights the rich beauty of the Mekong from urban and natural perspectives.

Uniworld River Cruises

Courtesy of Uniworld River Cruises

When it comes to low-effort/high-yield travel, river cruises are hard to top. They offer an opportunity to visit a vast array of storied cities, neatly bundled into one itinerary — and in terms of uniquely LGBTQ+ experiences, Uniworld has a few special journeys in store. During an Out on the Rivers cruise, guests can attend a wide array of curated events and performances, with R Family Vacations founders Gregg Kaminsky and Kelli Carpenter taking charge of the journey. While the France-focused Brilliant Bordeaux cruise is set to depart next month, be sure to mark your calendars for April 2024’s Holland and Belgium at Tulip Time , a trip that highlights some of Western Europe’s pioneers for LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

Limited Availability Book Now

Welcome to VACAYA, a vibrant and inclusive travel community, where every journey is a celebration of diversity, love, and freedom to explore the world authentically as your true self.

If you need assistance, we’re just an email or phone call away. Our V Team vacation planners can be reached via phone at +1.718.504.0404 or through SMS chat here on our website Mon-Fri 10am-4pm ET. Outside of those hours, feel free to send us an email at [email protected] .

Remember… even when our offices are closed, you can book online 24×7 by clicking any of the big pink BOOK NOW buttons for your desired trip. Then, simply follow the prompts. If you already know which trip you’d like to book, start HERE . Over 99% of our guests book using our online reservations system. You’ve got this!

Choose Your Experience

BIG-SHIP CRUISES

Each Ship Is Ours. All Ours.

All-Inclusive Redefined.

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Vacaya is the first large-scale adults-only vacation company on earth built for the entire lgbtqiapk community and their straight ally friends.

VACAYA – Gay & LGBT+ Cruises & Resort Vacations Reimagined

VACAYA completely reinvents the all-gay cruise and all-inclusive gay resort concepts by opening up the experience to lesbians, bisexuals, trans persons, queer men/women, those questioning their sexuality, intersex, asexual, pansexual, and polyamorous individuals, as well as gay men who’ve enjoyed the typical gay cruise experience. VACAYA is the only large-scale adults-only vacation company on earth built for the entire LGBTQIAPK community and their straight ally friends. VACAYA offers fun easy vacations with customized itineraries, personalized service, tailored entertainment, welcoming activities, friendly parties, and transformative moments. Shared experiences with like-minded LGBT+ adults and friends give us a new perspective on the world and remind us how lucky we are to be alive. VACAYA charters the entire ship or resort so we have the freedom to express our individuality, make personal connections, celebrate life, rev up, or simply relax… together. Our mission is to fulfill the vacation dreams of all adults who believe “love is love” while giving back to the community and immersing our guests in the cultures and places we visit around the world.

All-Inclusive Resorts – Staying at a VACAYA Oasis all-inclusive resort delivers a truly relaxing and exhilarating vacation because nearly everything is included for one incredible price. Our resorts offer scores of daytime activities, exclusive nightly entertainment, gourmet restaurants, exquisite turquoise waters, and sun-soaked beaches. But that’s only the beginning. These are places where we come together and feel part of a bigger family. With so much included, all that’s left to do is have fun and enjoy the value! Occasionally, we’ll offer something altogether different with VACAYA Oasis and we’ll be sure to list all that’s included/not included on the trip’s VALUE page.

LGBT+ Cruises – Life on the open water is about savoring the good times, finding beauty in the details, appreciating friends, and discovering new ones. Sailing the seven seas is about leaving the ordinary behind. It’s the moments we spend connecting, laughing, and living life to the fullest. Its possibilities are endless and exciting. Sensual. Life changing. These experiences connect us to each other. They open our minds and unify our rhythm.

This is the spirit of VACAYA. open sea. open mind.

THE MOST INCLUSIVE VACATION COMPANY ON THE PLANET!

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Daddy Cruise ®

Helping guys of all ages enjoy vacations—together, you're welcome here.

You're probably not the 20-year-old with the ripped body that you see pictured on other gay cruise sites. You're more of an average guy, who's wondering if taking a cruise would be a good way to spend his vacation. Maybe you've been on other ships—or maybe it's your first time. You know what you don't want: a floating bathhouse, a large cruise ship with nothing but gay men, and to feel lost or left out—especially if you're not that outgoing.

You've Come to the Right Place

Here's why:, you get to travel with a bunch of friends.

Separated at birth?

We gather an active, energetic group of 20-to-100+ people: all ages and races, including Daddys, boys, and others. Bring your family and friends—gay or straight—and meet other good guys.

You get to make a difference

Assembling toiletry kits in Long Beach

Each cruise includes an optional day of service to a local group in need, such as participating in a food drive for a local LGBTQ center. You can have a transformative experience—as well as an enjoyable vacation!

You'll See It the First Time We Talk

Surprise! We found the bar!

That's right: you speak with one of us —not someone in a call center who can't wait to get you off the phone! We'll take all the time you need to get your questions answered, so you can make a good decision.

You get to know people even before the ship leaves

San Juan, PR—dining at the birthplace of the Piña Colada

There's a private Facebook page so you can meet others in advance. We'll also gather for pre-cruise virtual events, where you'll discover more about the excursions you may take, get your questions answered, and start interacting with your new friends.

You get your own personal host

Read us a bedtime story, Daddy!

We personally host your vacation! We're there to look out for you, make sure you have a good time, and feel included throughout the trip. We organize and lead lots of ways for you to get to know your fellow passengers. There's a meet-and-greet activity on the first day, dinner at our own tables throughout the cruise, and private excursions exclusively for our group. We'll also respect your need to have time alone.

You'll Love the Value

Cruising is FUN!

We don't take over an entire ship for an all-gay cruise and make you pay a premium price. Instead, we create our community on a regularly-scheduled cruise, which also gives you the choice of meeting a diverse group of travelers. In addition, we reserve cabins years in advance so we can still offer reasonable rates—even when prices go up later.

You Can Be Solo Without Being Alone!

Singles enjoying their new friends onboard

Our cruises aren't just for couples: we have lots of singles! Don't worry about sitting next to an empty chair at dinner. Or paying full fare for a double-occupancy cabin. Explore all the ways you'll feel welcome in our group, including our Roommate Match Program .

Why Singles Love Our Cruises

We care that you have a good time! That’s why you'll never feel awkward as a solo traveler.

You can join our private Facebook page to meet other cruisers in advance
You're invited to our exclusive excursions, events and parties to mingle with other fun-loving singles and couples
Your personal host introduces you to other members of our group, and regularly checks in to help you feel included (while respecting your privacy)

Three Ways We Serve Financially Savvy Solo Cruisers

With most cruises designed for "double-occupancy," this can seem an unnecessarily pricey way for a single to travel. Not so with us!

The first way we combat this is with our First Fares Strategy . We buy blocks of rooms when the sailing is first announced and fares are at their lowest. That way, you're guaranteed accommodations at prices that are significantly lower than the going rates later.

The second way is through our Roommate Match Program —which also adds a dash of fun!

We chat with you in advance to learn your preferences, on things like the hours you keep (early bird or night owl), smoking, snoring, etc. Then we find a compatible person to share a cabin with you.
Our success rate is high, and most roommates soon feel like old friends. But if things don't work out, we'll make them right immediately, so everyone is comfortable.
The fee for this program is $150. Most singles treat this as insurance. Even if you aren't matched with a roommate and end up with your own cabin, you're covered—you'll never pay the single supplement!

We'll Take Care of You

There's only one way you'll know if cruising with us is right for you: contact Brian at 614-799-1390 or [email protected] .

"Every day I talk with singles, or couples who want to invite a single friend—gay or straight—to join them," Brian says. "My goal is for you to feel confident that this is the right place for you, and get the fun started!"

Meet your Daddy Cruise® crewmembers

Brian cole miller.

Patrick Brown

Ron Dickerson

Pack Your Bags! Here's Where You're Headed Next!

Make an impact while you cruise, enjoying a day of giving back.

Sometimes you want more than just a vacation: you want a fulfilling experience. That's why we include one optional "day of service" on our journeys.

Maybe it's delivering mattresses to hurricane survivors in Belize
Or having a shipboard quilting bee to create "tie together" (no-sewing) blankets for homeless teens in Baltimore
Or packing comfort bags with needed toiletries for poor members of the LBGTQ community in Long Beach.

Delivering mattresses to hurricane survivors in Belize

You take a day to make a difference for people who need care and hope—and are so grateful to receive it. Guys tell us this often is the highlight of their trip! Getting to see the "real people and culture" beyond the glitz of a port. Forming stronger bonds by working with—and enjoying—your cruise-mates on a deeper level.

This is offered as a choice, like any other excursion. There's no judgment if you do something else that day. Some guys prefer to make an online donation to the cause, which also is important, and we make it easy.

Ask us about the day of service planned for your vacation. If you join us, you may come back feeling lucky and transformed!

Oh, the places we've been, photos from our past trips, daddy cruise® 2015.

Daddy Cruise® 2016

Singles & Solos Cruise 2017

Daddy Cruise® California 2017

Daddy Cruise® Alaska 2018

Daddy Cruise® Japan 2019

Daddy cruise® cuba caribbean 2019.

Daddy Cruise® Danube River 2019

Daddy Cruise® Rhine River 2021

Daddy Cruise® Western Caribbean 2021

Singles & Solos Cruise 2022

Daddy cruise® hawaii 2022.

Testimonials

You're hardly our first.

Read what those who have sailed with Daddy have to say about us

"This was my first cruise, but I had no concerns. I felt comfortable with the gay men in Brian's group, and all the straight people were super nice."

More from Chino in Arizona

"I liked doing cruises alone—until now. I can't wait to meet the group on Brian's next cruise."

More from Dickey in Florida

"Brian made both of us feel comfortable, from the first time we spoke. And all through the cruise, he treated us like friends and family—not just a number."

More from Don & Michael in Oregon

"This was my first gay cruise. I've already signed up for my next one. Why go by yourself when you can meet a group of new friends and have a great time?"

More from Jorge in Florida

"Go with an open mind. It doesn't matter when you were born. You can still find the joy and excitement of a gay cruise."

More from Josh in New York

"Don't be afraid that you won't connect or fit in. You'll find others you like on your own—or Brian will help you meet them."

More from Mark & Joel in California

Daddy's mail list, join our community to receive daddy cruise® updates.

The updates will be infrequent (1-2 per month), and we will never share your email address with anyone

A Final Word

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

Caribbean Cruise with VACAYA!

February 17-24, 2024.

VACAYA & CELEBRITY: Pushing Modern Travel to Bold New Heights

Booking now open.

Discover the magic of the Caribbean on this custom-built itinerary that includes one of the hottest gay cities, San Juan, Puerto Rico and two of the world’s most magical islands in Saint Croix and Antigua .

With 3 tantalizing days at sea, you’ll quickly realize that while ports are fun, our days (and nights) at sea are the place to be for the most creative party themes and dazzling lights, sound, and lasers that’ll keep you dancing til’ dawn.

NEW! CELEBRITY APEX • 2,900 LGBT+ FRIENDS FROM EVERYWHERE STUNNING BEACHES + NONSTOP FUN + 7 MAGICAL NIGHTS

One very good thing is not changing. We’re continuing our myth-busting, game-changing, value-added benefit just for VACAYA cruisers… the sale of UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGES !

VACAYA is making a quantum leap up in the quality of ships they’ll be sailing for their annual big-ship Caribbean Cruise – taking you to the edge of what’s possible and then beyond!

Apex rewrites the playbook. The V Team is thoughtfully reinventing the VACAYA experience from the ground up to match this stunning ship’s innovative design.

From fresh new ways to dine to its immersive play spaces, Apex with VACAYA will unfold surprisingly and with all-new moments of wonder and awe. While you’ll certainly recognize a few common threads that tie all Celebrity ships together (like Café al Bacio, Blu, and Luminae), get ready to be wowed by premium touches from stem to stern!

DAY 1 – SAT, FEB 17, 2024 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA | DEPART: 3:30PM

DAY 2 – SUN, FEB 18, 2024 A DAY OF SHENANIGANS AT SEA

DAY 3 – MON, FEB 19, 2024 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – 4PM-MIDNIGHT

DAY 4 – TUE, FEB 20, 2024 FREDERIKSTED, SAINT CROIX – 8AM-6PM

DAY 5 – WED, FEB 21, 2024 ST. JOHN’S, ANTIGUA – 8AM-5PM

DAY 6 – THU, FEB 22, 2024 A WILD DAY & NIGHT ON THE HIGH SEAS

DAY 7 – FRI, FEB 23, 2024 FUN-FILLED & RELAXING DAY AT SEA

DAY 8 – SAT, FEB 24, 2024 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – 7AM

One Apex Feature, the Magic Carpet

It’s amazing what’s included:.

7 Nights aboard the cutting-edge Celebrity Apex
Meals with flavors from around the world*
24×7 Stateroom Service, Reception Desk & Room Service**
World-Class Fitness Center
All-Star VACAYA Entertainment
Endless Celebrity and VACAYA social activities
Warm, friendly parties with music you love and can even sing along to
Party themes 120 days out
Celebrity Booking Numbers 45 days out
Abundant, clear, and timely communication via email and on the trip’s GET READY page
VACAYA ReachOUT Philanthropic Service Opportunities

*Some of the specialty dining venues have an additional cost but they’re worth every penny. **Room service is mostly complimentary, but there’s a nominal delivery fee from 11pm-6am.

Our annual Caribbean Cruise is one of the best values around. So much is packed in that you’ll have infinite options to connect with others. Every show. Every party. Every signature VACAYA activity onboard is included in your fare.

INTERIOR STATEROOMS

FROM $1497 USD PP

OCEANVIEW STATEROOMS

FROM $1697 USD PP

VERANDA STATEROOMS

FROM $1997 USD PP

INFINITE VERANDA STATEROOMS

FROM $2297 USD PP

FROM $3897 USD PP

Yes, are you ready? When making your reservation please make sure you add BearCruise in the travel agent box

When you book with BearCruise, you get all the BearCruise Extras: nightly cocktails, group dining, private shore excursions and events!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

A QUANTUM LEAP UP IN SHIP QUALITY

MODERN LUXURY STEM TO STERN

ALL NEW SUITES & MORE OF THEM

WELCOMING PARTIES

IMMERSIVE PLAY SPACES

UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGES AVAILABLE

2,900 LGBT+ FRIENDS!

BearCruise.com The most trusted name in gay travel. Toll-Free: 1.866.541.2187 Tel: 513.541.2187 Fax: 513.542.0981 E-mail

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Bearcruise.com the most trusted name in gay travel., when you book through dan howell travel/bearcruise.com one call or email does it all, we assist you and arrange all the services you need, including airfare, or discounted business air, transfers, travel insurance, and any additional travel planning needed., pin it on pinterest.

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Book My Cruise 2024

Western Mediterranean Gay Group Cruise 2024

12 nights from/to Lisbon (Cascais), Portugal

July 08 – 18, 2024 MSC Cruises Orchestra

Spend your days marveling at breathtaking art, savoring delectable cuisine, and visiting historic landmarks on MSC gay group cruise to the Western Mediterranean. Our exciting itinerary throughout the region give you the opportunity to travel to some of the most stunning destinations in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France.

Enjoy History, Culture, and Romance Around Every Bend. Whether you love art, history, natural wonders, fine cuisine, or all of the above, a Mediterranean cruise lets you experience something amazing at every stop. In Portugal, experience the spectacular medieval architecture in Lisbon and taste a variety of Port wines. From the sun-soaked playgrounds of the French Riviera to the iconic architecture of Spain, our Europe gay cruise vacation offers something special for every discerning world traveler.

Visit the Royal Alcázar Palace in Seville, and marvel at the intricate facade of this stunning 12th-century monument. While in Lisbon, stop by the famous Belém Tower or the gorgeous 16th-century Jeronimos Monastery, one of Portugals most iconic buildings.

MSC Orchestra - Every element combined to perfection

If relaxation is your goal, theres ample deck space to unwind in the sun or in the superb Body and Mind Spa, with pampering Turkish baths, saunas and a myriad of magical massages.

Active types have a Sports Centre with Gym, 5 stunning pools and even a jogging track that lets you keep a constant pace, undisturbed out in the fresh sea breeze.

MSC Orchestra also takes you on an exciting culinary journey, ranging from the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant with authentic Dim Sum specialties to the Four Seasons gourmet Italian dining experience and La Piazzetta, where you can discover the finest pizza outside Naples.

The designer venues on this ecological ship make every moment a special occasion, whether dancing to the live music in the leopard-style Savannah Bar, tempting lady luck in the Palm Beach Casino or catching a spectacular show in the equally spectacular Covent Garden Theatre.

This ship also boasts a variety of bars and lounges, including: the Savannah Bar where you can hear live music; the poolside Barracuda Bar; cigar haven La Cubana Cigar Room; and La Cantinella Wine Bar for all your wine tasting needs.

Entertainment Every moment you spend aboard MSC Orchestra is rich with possibility. The daytime hours offer a varied programme of activities, from arts & craft classes and dance lessons to sports tournaments. When evening comes, all kinds of fun awaits you in the ships theatre, its casino, its disco and bars.

Covent Garden The state of the art Covent Garden Theatre spans decks 6 and 7, with seating for 1240 guests, is home to MSC Orchestras shows ranging from singers and jugglers to shadow puppeteers and acrobatic gymnastics.

The Shaker Lounge The Shaker Lounge is located on deck 7 of the Orchestra and has its own bar and dance floor along with seating for 330 guests. It is a large cabaret style lounge with live shows and bands for guests' entertainment.

The Savannah Bar The Savannah Bar is the ship's second show lounge served by its own bar and dance floor. It is situated on deck 6 with seating for 477 guests. Entertainment and activities range from bingo, seminars, Italian lessons and salsa dance classes to audience participation game shows, karaoke and international dance music.

L'Ibiscus LIbiscus is the upper main dining room, open for dinner only with fixed formal seating at 6.15pm and 8.30pm (subject to change depending on the ships itinerary). It seats 714 guests and is located on deck 6 of the ship.

Villa Borghese Villa Borghese is the ship's lower main dining room located on deck 5 and accommodating 720 guests. The restaurant opens for breakfast and lunch (both of which are open seating) and fixed seating dinner where guests are allocated fixed either early or late seating (either 6.15pm or 8.30pm approximately and subject to change depending upon whether the cruise is in America or Europe) at set tables each night for the duration of the cruise.

4 Seasons 4 Seasons is Orchestras à la carte restaurant situated aft of deck 13 offering panoramic sea views with seating for 250 guests. Open for dinner only and with reservations recommended, the Italian inspired menu provides guests with a wide range of pasta, seafood and steak dishes.

Shanghai (Asian, Chinese, Thai, Indian) Shanghai on deck 7 is a small intimate speciality à la carte restaurant seating 68 guests and serving a range of dishes from Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese delicacies.

La Cantinella La Cantinella is Orchestras Wine Tasting Bar with tapas and live music and can be found on deck 7 of the ship with seating for 120 guests. Each day special wine tastings are accompanied by different bites of food, such as fried polenta with cream cheese, bruschetta and other specialties as guests are guided through the wine selection by experienced sommeliers.

Zaffiro Bar Zaffiro Bar on deck 6 outside the ship's upper level main dining room is a second pre-dinner cocktail lounge also accommodating up to 45 guests and with live music for entertainment.

Aurea SPA The 1160 square meter MSC Aurea Spa can be found on deck 13 of the ship and opens from 8.00am to 8.00pm. Within the spa complex are three whirlpool baths, saunas, Turkish baths, a beauty parlour with hairdresser and beautician, solarium relaxation area, thalassotherapy baths, gym and bar and a number of treatment rooms. Treatments on offer range from massages with lava stones and facial treatments to Balinese massages, Aromatherapy and chromotheryapy.

Jacuzzi MSC Orchestra has a total of 7 whirlpool baths on board. Each pool on deck 13 has two whirlpools whilst the thermal suite within the spa on deck 13 has a further three whirlpools (charges apply for the use of the thermal suite).

More From Forbes

You won’t believe these 10 incredible cruise ship features for 2024.

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There’s a clear trend in cruise ship design that “bigger is better”, with ships like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas setting new passenger records and redefining the idea of a cruise vacation.

Major cruise lines are also competing with each other by introducing innovative activities and features to the high seas.

From racing around multi-level karting courses to taking your pick of the latest blockbusters inside multiscreen movie theaters, these are some of the most impressive activities available on cruise ships right now.

Karting on ships has been around for a while, but the latest ‘Prima class’ of cruise ships introduced by Norwegian Cruise Line takes things up a notch.

Go-karting track on the Norwegian Prima cruise ship.

The track on the Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva now spans three levels, offering guests a longer, more intense karting experience than on the line’s older ships.

Described as “a perfect way to spend a day at sea” by CN Traveler’s Meena Thiruvengadam , the 1,400-foot track hosts various competitions throughout a cruise, with a podium to reward winners and a fastest lap scoreboard continually updated.

The activity isn’t included in the cruise fare. Typically, $15 buys you entry into a race. For additional fees, it’s possible to rent the track for yourself in order to drive faster, or even buy a pass for unlimited use of the track.

NYT ‘Strands’ Hints, Spangram And Answers For Friday, April 12th

Juiced o j simpson once had a hidden camera prank show and made stabbing jokes on it, aaron lewis hits a new career low with his new album, robot bartenders.

Royal Caribbean's ‘Quantum class’ and some of its ‘Oasis class’ ships feature robotic bartenders. These robots mix themed drinks like the signature Bionic Tea.

While an innovative feature and a fun experience as a one-off, the bars aren't necessarily somewhere you’ll want to hang around for hours.

Moving Bars

Found on Royal Caribbean’s biggest cruise ships, the Rising Tide Bar provides guests the opportunity to enjoy their preferred drinks while moving vertically between the ship's decks.

Magic Carpet is an orange glass-sheltered platform suspended from the starboard side of the cruise ... [+] ship Celebrity Edge.

But moving bars aren't restricted to inside a cruise ship. Each of Celebrity’s newest ‘Edge class’ vessels are equipped with the Magic Carpet .

This orange exterior apparatus can move up and down the starboard side of the ship, serving various functions throughout the cruise. It’s used as a tender platform, but most notably it turns into an open-air dining venue and bar, accompanied by spectacular views and an ocean breeze.

Zip lines on cruise ships offer an exhilarating adventure on board, allowing passengers to soar across the deck and take in stunning ocean views, if they can keep their eyes open!

Found mainly on modern, larger vessels, these attractions can stretch over 600 feet in length. Although not widespread, Royal Caribbean's ‘Oasis class’ ships, together with some ships from MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line feature zip lines.

Rollercoasters

Another option to feel the sea breeze while enjoying an exhilarating experience can be found on Carnival’s ‘Bolt’, the world’s first rollercoaster at sea.

Three ships operated by Carnival Cruise Line feature a rollercoaster known as 'Bolt'.

Capable of reaching speeds of up to 40 mph, the attraction is available on Carnival’s Mardi Gras , Celebration and Jubilee ships.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Disney Cruise Line also features theme park style attractions on some of its ships. Guests in the two-person rafts on the serpentine water coaster ‘Aqua Duck’ reach speeds of up to 14 mph.

Planetariums

A facility designed to simulate the night sky for educational and entertainment purposes, a planetarium is an immersive environment that allows people to explore the universe from the comfort of their seats.

While lacking the adrenaline-fueled fun of zip-lines or karting, planetariums are nevertheless an exciting feature on a handful of cruise ships. Cunard’s ocean liner Queen Mary 2 and Viking Orion are among the few ships with this intriguing feature.

Multiscreen Cinemas

Princess Cruises was the first cruise line to introduce giant outdoor movie screens, but other lines are now pushing hard into the world of the silver screen.

The foyer of the multiscreen cinema onboard P&O cruise ship 'Arvia'.

Carnival was the first—and still only—cruise line to offer a full IMAX experience at sea. If choice matters more, P&O Arvia features a three-screen cinema showing multiple different pictures throughout the day.

Skydiving Simulators

The ‘Quantum class’ ships in Royal Carribean's fleet feature Ripcord by iFLY , a skydiving simulator that offers guests the opportunity to experience the thrill of skydiving including the feel of weightlessness in a safe environment.

Although a pricey activity, the cruise line does usually release a limited number of complimentary spaces, allowing everyone the chance to try it out if you’re flexible on time.

Surfing Simulators

On a Royal Caribbean cruise, adventure-seekers can surf the waves without setting foot off the ship.

The FlowRider surfing simulator is a signature feature of Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Whether you're just starting out or you've surfed before, you can dive into the fun with either boogie boarding or standup surfing on one of the 19 FlowRider surf simulators spread across the fleet.

Arcades on cruise ships are nothing new, but in recent years new virtual reality technology has transformed these spaces into immersive VR arcades, elevating the gaming experience to a new level.

These cutting-edge attractions blend the nostalgic charm of traditional arcades with the thrilling experiences of virtual reality. However, be aware that the experiences might trigger seasickness in susceptible cruisers.

Unlimited passes for Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Galaxy Pavilion provide good value for teenagers and big kids alike.

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Frugal Traveler

Standby Cruising: A New Option for Bargain Seekers

Are you a flexible traveler? Holland America’s standby cruises may be for you. The cost: $49 a day, excluding fees, taxes and extras. The catch: It might be a hair-raising, last-minute scramble.

A large cruise ship is situated in the middle of a calm, peaceful bay, surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

By Elaine Glusac

Elaine Glusac is the Frugal Traveler columnist, focusing on budget-friendly tips and journeys.

In February, Barb McGowan took a seven-day cruise on Holland America Line, visiting the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the Dominican Republic for just $343, or $49 a day, excluding taxes, port fees and extras. By comparison, Holland America currently lists a seven-day Caribbean itinerary in October from about $700.

The catch: She had just 48 hours’ notice.

Ms. McGown, a 64-year-old from Naples, Fla., who runs a restaurant franchise, took one of the line’s new standby cruises , which are aimed at travelers who live near departure ports and intended to fill ship vacancies.

“I look for deals, and this was an especially good experience,” Ms. McGowan said, praising the food and entertainment. “I was impressed enough to put down a deposit on a future cruise.”

A way to keep ships full

Holland America introduced its standby program last August to maximize ship occupancy, knowing that cancellations are inevitable. So far, the rest of the cruise industry has not followed its lead.

“If cancellations are within a week or two of sailing, it’s difficult to resell that space in the open market,” said Dan Rough, the vice president of revenue management at Holland America.

In the same way that airlines oversell seats, cruise lines may compensate for cancellations by overselling staterooms. Filling in with standbys, however, reduces Holland America’s reliance on overselling, which runs the risk of bumping passengers to distant departures or potentially offering generous cash incentives to coax volunteers to cancel.

Though the company does not heavily promote the new practice, it has attracted a following among the thrifty by dangling a bargain rate — $49 a person, whether sharing a cabin or traveling solo, before taxes and fees — on a web page that lists available departure dates to attract flexible travelers. Standbys should expect an inside cabin, according to the company, though ocean-view and veranda cabins have been assigned. (The company declined to say how many standby cabins it has offered.)

“Forty-nine dollars per person, per day is pretty exceptional,” said Colleen McDaniel, the editor of CruiseCritic.com , a website that reviews cruises, noting that the price covers all meals and entertainment. “You can’t find a cheaper rate at a land resort for what’s included.” (In 2023, the average nightly rate for a hotel room in the United States was nearly $156, according to STR, a data analytics firm that monitors the hospitality industry.)

To participate, travelers choose an itinerary from the standby list on the website — current embarkation ports include Boston; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Montreal; Quebec City; San Diego; Seattle; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Whittier, Alaska — and pay for the trip in advance by calling Holland America or booking through a travel adviser.

There are no refunds for standby cruisers who want to back out. However, if the gamble fails to pay off, and the cruise line cannot offer a cabin to someone on the standby list, it issues a refund.

The company says standby offerings are added on a rolling basis and usually lists itineraries within two to three months of departure. Current offerings include seven-day sailings in Alaska’s Inside Passage from April through September and seven-to-11-day trips cruising the coast of New England and Canada’s Maritime Provinces between May and October.

Proximity is a bonus

Standby cruisers don’t learn of their acceptance or denial until a week to two days before departure, complicating transportation arrangements.

“Last-minute airfare could offset the savings on a cruise,” wrote Crystal Seaton, the owner of Road to Relaxation Travel , a travel agency based in Raleigh, N.C., in an email. Though she has not booked a client on a standby sailing yet, she surmised that it is intended for travelers who can drive to a port.

“We were lucky; we found out Tuesday we were going on a Friday 3 p.m. sailing,” said Sheila Valloney, 66, of Clermont, Fla., who with her husband spent nine days aboard a Holland America ship in the southern Caribbean in February by going standby.

Before being cleared, she reserved a parking spot near the ship dock in Fort Lauderdale, which would have set her back about $6 if she canceled. She also kept their vacation clothes ready to go at the last minute for the three-and-a-half-hour drive to port.

Booking a refundable airline ticket — or at least one that guarantees a credit in loyalty points or cash in the event of cancellation — is one way travelers who must fly can take advantage of the deal.

For her standby sailing, Ms. McGowan drove 90 minutes from her home to the ship in Fort Lauderdale. But her travel companion was coming from Indiana, so when she joined the standby list a few months before the departure date, she booked her friend a Southwest Airlines flight using frequent flier points that would be refunded if the last-minute cruise didn’t come through.

Avoiding extra charges

Once on board, charges for extras like cabin upgrades, Wi-Fi, alcohol and shore excursions can inflate the bill, though the thriftiest travelers try to avoid them.

Ms. McGowan sprang for the $17.50-a-day charge for an upgraded drink package (basic nonalcoholic drinks are included in the cruise) and took one shore excursion, focused on coffee growing, which she deemed a good value at $89.

On their Caribbean cruise, the Valloneys asked around for recommendations for good beaches, where they went to relax on port days, and waited until they were on land to check emails, in order to avoid paying for Wi-Fi on the ship.

“We didn’t miss it at all,” Ms. Valloney said. “For beverages, we would wait until happy hour, when it was buy one, get one free.”

Will other companies follow suit?

To date, no other cruise lines have adopted standby programs.

Princess Cruises said it did not plan to offer cabins on a standby basis, but noted that it already offers last-minute deals , which tend to run about $50 to $60 per passenger per day. For example, a seven-day Alaska sailing from Vancouver to Anchorage departing on May 8 is listed at $399 a person in a double-occupancy cabin.

Several other major cruise lines did not respond to inquiries about potentially adopting standby programs, though operators like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also offer last-minute deals on their websites.

“We would be surprised to see many mainstream cruise lines begin to adopt a similar model” to the standby system, wrote Kimberly Coyne, the head of sales and content strategy for Cruiseline.com , a cruise review site, in an email. She said the standby fares might be financially unsustainable for cruise lines and cited the potential that travelers might become too accustomed to late-booking deals.

More ways to save

With the recent surge in cruise bookings, companies are discounting less, said Ms. McDaniel of CruiseCritic.com.

She identified more reliable ways to get a deal compared with going standby, such as booking during “ wave season ,” a sales period that generally runs January through March, or taking a repositioning cruise, in which a ship relocates from one region to another seasonally. A repositioning itinerary might sail in the fall from Alaska to the Caribbean via the Panama Canal.

“It’s not unusual to see a repositioning cruise at less than $75 per night,” Ms. McDaniel, said, noting that other expenses such as an airline itinerary into one city and returning from another may cost more than a standard round-trip ticket.

Repositioning cruises tend to stop at fewer ports and add more shipboard enrichment programs, such as lectures and activities like cake decorating classes and craft spirits tastings.

“For a lot of people the ship is the destination and this is the perfect activity for people who like to be on the ship,” she said.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Come Sail Away

Love them or hate them, cruises can provide a unique perspective on travel..

Cruise Ship Surprises: Here are five unexpected features on ships , some of which you hopefully won’t discover on your own.

Icon of the Seas: Our reporter joined thousands of passengers on the inaugural sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas . The most surprising thing she found? Some actual peace and quiet .

Th ree-Year Cruise, Unraveled: The Life at Sea cruise was supposed to be the ultimate bucket-list experience : 382 port calls over 1,095 days. Here’s why those who signed up are seeking fraud charges instead.

TikTok’s Favorite New ‘Reality Show’: People on social media have turned the unwitting passengers of a nine-month world cruise into “cast members” overnight.

Dipping Their Toes: Younger generations of travelers are venturing onto ships for the first time . Many are saving money.

Cult Cruisers: These devoted cruise fanatics, most of them retirees, have one main goal: to almost never touch dry land .

photo of Icon of the Seas, taken on a long railed path approaching the stern of the ship, with people walking along dock

Crying Myself to Sleep on the Biggest Cruise Ship Ever

Seven agonizing nights aboard the Icon of the Seas

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Updated at 2:44 p.m. ET on April 6, 2024.

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MY FIRST GLIMPSE of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, from the window of an approaching Miami cab, brings on a feeling of vertigo, nausea, amazement, and distress. I shut my eyes in defense, as my brain tells my optic nerve to try again.

The ship makes no sense, vertically or horizontally. It makes no sense on sea, or on land, or in outer space. It looks like a hodgepodge of domes and minarets, tubes and canopies, like Istanbul had it been designed by idiots. Vibrant, oversignifying colors are stacked upon other such colors, decks perched over still more decks; the only comfort is a row of lifeboats ringing its perimeter. There is no imposed order, no cogent thought, and, for those who do not harbor a totalitarian sense of gigantomania, no visual mercy. This is the biggest cruise ship ever built, and I have been tasked with witnessing its inaugural voyage.

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“Author embarks on their first cruise-ship voyage” has been a staple of American essay writing for almost three decades, beginning with David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again,” which was first published in 1996 under the title “Shipping Out.” Since then, many admirable writers have widened and diversified the genre. Usually the essayist commissioned to take to the sea is in their first or second flush of youth and is ready to sharpen their wit against the hull of the offending vessel. I am 51, old and tired, having seen much of the world as a former travel journalist, and mostly what I do in both life and prose is shrug while muttering to my imaginary dachshund, “This too shall pass.” But the Icon of the Seas will not countenance a shrug. The Icon of the Seas is the Linda Loman of cruise ships, exclaiming that attention must be paid. And here I am in late January with my one piece of luggage and useless gray winter jacket and passport, zipping through the Port of Miami en route to the gangway that will separate me from the bulk of North America for more than seven days, ready to pay it in full.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass. The nose of the ship, responsible for separating the waves before it, is also called a bow, and is marked for passengers as the FWD , or forward. The part of the contemporary sailing vessel where the malls are clustered is called the midship. I trust that you have enjoyed this nautical lesson.

I ascend via elevator to my suite on Deck 11. This is where I encounter my first terrible surprise. My suite windows and balcony do not face the ocean. Instead, they look out onto another shopping mall. This mall is the one that’s called Central Park, perhaps in homage to the Olmsted-designed bit of greenery in the middle of my hometown. Although on land I would be delighted to own a suite with Central Park views, here I am deeply depressed. To sail on a ship and not wake up to a vast blue carpet of ocean? Unthinkable.

Allow me a brief preamble here. The story you are reading was commissioned at a moment when most staterooms on the Icon were sold out. In fact, so enthralled by the prospect of this voyage were hard-core mariners that the ship’s entire inventory of guest rooms (the Icon can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, but its inaugural journey was reduced to 5,000 or so for a less crowded experience) was almost immediately sold out. Hence, this publication was faced with the shocking prospect of paying nearly $19,000 to procure for this solitary passenger an entire suite—not including drinking expenses—all for the privilege of bringing you this article. But the suite in question doesn’t even have a view of the ocean! I sit down hard on my soft bed. Nineteen thousand dollars for this .

selfie photo of man with glasses, in background is swim-up bar with two women facing away

The viewless suite does have its pluses. In addition to all the Malin+Goetz products in my dual bathrooms, I am granted use of a dedicated Suite Deck lounge; access to Coastal Kitchen, a superior restaurant for Suites passengers; complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream (“the fastest Internet at Sea”) “for one device per person for the whole cruise duration”; a pair of bathrobes (one of which comes prestained with what looks like a large expectoration by the greenest lizard on Earth); and use of the Grove Suite Sun, an area on Decks 18 and 19 with food and deck chairs reserved exclusively for Suite passengers. I also get reserved seating for a performance of The Wizard of Oz , an ice-skating tribute to the periodic table, and similar provocations. The very color of my Suite Sky SeaPass Card, an oceanic blue as opposed to the cloying royal purple of the standard non-Suite passenger, will soon provoke envy and admiration. But as high as my status may be, there are those on board who have much higher status still, and I will soon learn to bow before them.

In preparation for sailing, I have “priced in,” as they say on Wall Street, the possibility that I may come from a somewhat different monde than many of the other cruisers. Without falling into stereotypes or preconceptions, I prepare myself for a friendly outspokenness on the part of my fellow seafarers that may not comply with modern DEI standards. I believe in meeting people halfway, and so the day before flying down to Miami, I visited what remains of Little Italy to purchase a popular T-shirt that reads DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL across the breast in the colors of the Italian flag. My wife recommended that I bring one of my many T-shirts featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, as all Americans love the beagle and his friends. But I naively thought that my meatball T-shirt would be more suitable for conversation-starting. “Oh, and who is your ‘daddy’?” some might ask upon seeing it. “And how long have you been his ‘little meatball’?” And so on.

I put on my meatball T-shirt and head for one of the dining rooms to get a late lunch. In the elevator, I stick out my chest for all to read the funny legend upon it, but soon I realize that despite its burnished tricolor letters, no one takes note. More to the point, no one takes note of me. Despite my attempts at bridge building, the very sight of me (small, ethnic, without a cap bearing the name of a football team) elicits no reaction from other passengers. Most often, they will small-talk over me as if I don’t exist. This brings to mind the travails of David Foster Wallace , who felt so ostracized by his fellow passengers that he retreated to his cabin for much of his voyage. And Wallace was raised primarily in the Midwest and was a much larger, more American-looking meatball than I am. If he couldn’t talk to these people, how will I? What if I leave this ship without making any friends at all, despite my T-shirt? I am a social creature, and the prospect of seven days alone and apart is saddening. Wallace’s stateroom, at least, had a view of the ocean, a kind of cheap eternity.

Worse awaits me in the dining room. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos ,” he seems to be saying. I push back politely and he repeats himself. Pendejos ? Piranhas? There’s some kind of P-word to which I am not attuned. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs. “It is only pendejo dining today, sir.” “But I have a suite!” I say, already starting to catch on to the ship’s class system. He examines my card again. “But you are not a pendejo ,” he confirms. I am wearing a DADDY’S LITTLE MEATBALL T-shirt, I want to say to him. I am the essence of pendejo .

Eventually, I give up and head to the plebeian buffet on Deck 15, which has an aquatic-styled name I have now forgotten. Before gaining entry to this endless cornucopia of reheated food, one passes a washing station of many sinks and soap dispensers, and perhaps the most intriguing character on the entire ship. He is Mr. Washy Washy—or, according to his name tag, Nielbert of the Philippines—and he is dressed as a taco (on other occasions, I’ll see him dressed as a burger). Mr. Washy Washy performs an eponymous song in spirited, indeed flamboyant English: “Washy, washy, wash your hands, WASHY WASHY!” The dangers of norovirus and COVID on a cruise ship this size (a giant fellow ship was stricken with the former right after my voyage) makes Mr. Washy Washy an essential member of the crew. The problem lies with the food at the end of Washy’s rainbow. The buffet is groaning with what sounds like sophisticated dishes—marinated octopus, boiled egg with anchovy, chorizo, lobster claws—but every animal tastes tragically the same, as if there was only one creature available at the market, a “cruisipus” bred specifically for Royal Caribbean dining. The “vegetables” are no better. I pick up a tomato slice and look right through it. It tastes like cellophane. I sit alone, apart from the couples and parents with gaggles of children, as “We Are Family” echoes across the buffet space.

I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks. After the sun sets, in the far, dark distance, another circus-lit cruise ship ruptures the waves before us. We glance at it with pity, because it is by definition a smaller ship than our own. I am on Deck 15, outside the buffet and overlooking a bunch of pools (the Icon has seven of them), drinking a frilly drink that I got from one of the bars (the Icon has 15 of them), still too shy to speak to anyone, despite Sister Sledge’s assertion that all on the ship are somehow related.

Kim Brooks: On failing the family vacation

The ship’s passage away from Ron DeSantis’s Florida provides no frisson, no sense of developing “sea legs,” as the ship is too large to register the presence of waves unless a mighty wind adds significant chop. It is time for me to register the presence of the 5,000 passengers around me, even if they refuse to register mine. My fellow travelers have prepared for this trip with personally decorated T-shirts celebrating the importance of this voyage. The simplest ones say ICON INAUGURAL ’24 on the back and the family name on the front. Others attest to an over-the-top love of cruise ships: WARNING! MAY START TALKING ABOUT CRUISING . Still others are artisanally designed and celebrate lifetimes spent married while cruising (on ships, of course). A couple possibly in their 90s are wearing shirts whose backs feature a drawing of a cruise liner, two flamingos with ostensibly male and female characteristics, and the legend “ HUSBAND AND WIFE Cruising Partners FOR LIFE WE MAY NOT HAVE IT All Together BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL .” (The words not in all caps have been written in cursive.) A real journalist or a more intrepid conversationalist would have gone up to the couple and asked them to explain the longevity of their marriage vis-à-vis their love of cruising. But instead I head to my mall suite, take off my meatball T-shirt, and allow the first tears of the cruise to roll down my cheeks slowly enough that I briefly fall asleep amid the moisture and salt.

photo of elaborate twisting multicolored waterslides with long stairwell to platform

I WAKE UP with a hangover. Oh God. Right. I cannot believe all of that happened last night. A name floats into my cobwebbed, nauseated brain: “Ayn Rand.” Jesus Christ.

I breakfast alone at the Coastal Kitchen. The coffee tastes fine and the eggs came out of a bird. The ship rolls slightly this morning; I can feel it in my thighs and my schlong, the parts of me that are most receptive to danger.

I had a dangerous conversation last night. After the sun set and we were at least 50 miles from shore (most modern cruise ships sail at about 23 miles an hour), I lay in bed softly hiccupping, my arms stretched out exactly like Jesus on the cross, the sound of the distant waves missing from my mall-facing suite, replaced by the hum of air-conditioning and children shouting in Spanish through the vents of my two bathrooms. I decided this passivity was unacceptable. As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly.

I sat at the bar for a martini and two Negronis. An old man with thick, hairy forearms drank next to me, very silent and Hemingwaylike, while a dreadlocked piano player tinkled out a series of excellent Elton John covers. To my right, a young white couple—he in floral shorts, she in a light, summery miniskirt with a fearsome diamond ring, neither of them in football regalia—chatted with an elderly couple. Do it , I commanded myself. Open your mouth. Speak! Speak without being spoken to. Initiate. A sentence fragment caught my ear from the young woman, “Cherry Hill.” This is a suburb of Philadelphia in New Jersey, and I had once been there for a reading at a synagogue. “Excuse me,” I said gently to her. “Did you just mention Cherry Hill? It’s a lovely place.”

As it turned out, the couple now lived in Fort Lauderdale (the number of Floridians on the cruise surprised me, given that Southern Florida is itself a kind of cruise ship, albeit one slowly sinking), but soon they were talking with me exclusively—the man potbellied, with a chin like a hard-boiled egg; the woman as svelte as if she were one of the many Ukrainian members of the crew—the elderly couple next to them forgotten. This felt as groundbreaking as the first time I dared to address an American in his native tongue, as a child on a bus in Queens (“On my foot you are standing, Mister”).

“I don’t want to talk politics,” the man said. “But they’re going to eighty-six Biden and put Michelle in.”

I considered the contradictions of his opening conversational gambit, but decided to play along. “People like Michelle,” I said, testing the waters. The husband sneered, but the wife charitably put forward that the former first lady was “more personable” than Joe Biden. “They’re gonna eighty-six Biden,” the husband repeated. “He can’t put a sentence together.”

After I mentioned that I was a writer—though I presented myself as a writer of teleplays instead of novels and articles such as this one—the husband told me his favorite writer was Ayn Rand. “Ayn Rand, she came here with nothing,” the husband said. “I work with a lot of Cubans, so …” I wondered if I should mention what I usually do to ingratiate myself with Republicans or libertarians: the fact that my finances improved after pass-through corporations were taxed differently under Donald Trump. Instead, I ordered another drink and the couple did the same, and I told him that Rand and I were born in the same city, St. Petersburg/Leningrad, and that my family also came here with nothing. Now the bonding and drinking began in earnest, and several more rounds appeared. Until it all fell apart.

Read: Gary Shteyngart on watching Russian television for five days straight

My new friend, whom I will refer to as Ayn, called out to a buddy of his across the bar, and suddenly a young couple, both covered in tattoos, appeared next to us. “He fucking punked me,” Ayn’s frat-boy-like friend called out as he put his arm around Ayn, while his sizable partner sizzled up to Mrs. Rand. Both of them had a look I have never seen on land—their eyes projecting absence and enmity in equal measure. In the ’90s, I drank with Russian soldiers fresh from Chechnya and wandered the streets of wartime Zagreb, but I have never seen such undisguised hostility toward both me and perhaps the universe at large. I was briefly introduced to this psychopathic pair, but neither of them wanted to have anything to do with me, and the tattooed woman would not even reveal her Christian name to me (she pretended to have the same first name as Mrs. Rand). To impress his tattooed friends, Ayn made fun of the fact that as a television writer, I’d worked on the series Succession (which, it would turn out, practically nobody on the ship had watched), instead of the far more palatable, in his eyes, zombie drama of last year. And then my new friends drifted away from me into an angry private conversation—“He punked me!”—as I ordered another drink for myself, scared of the dead-eyed arrivals whose gaze never registered in the dim wattage of the Schooner Bar, whose terrifying voices and hollow laughs grated like unoiled gears against the crooning of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

But today is a new day for me and my hangover. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods . There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show. Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself. Thrill Island refers to the collection of tubes that clutter the ass of the ship and offer passengers six waterslides and a surfing simulation. There’s the Hideaway, an adult zone that plays music from a vomit-slathered, Brit-filled Alicante nightclub circa 1996 and proves a big favorite with groups of young Latin American customers. And, most hurtfully, there’s the Suite Neighborhood.

2 photos: a ship's foamy white wake stretches to the horizon; a man at reailing with water and two large ships docked behind

I say hurtfully because as a Suite passenger I should be here, though my particular suite is far from the others. Whereas I am stuck amid the riffraff of Deck 11, this section is on the highborn Decks 16 and 17, and in passing, I peek into the spacious, tall-ceilinged staterooms from the hallway, dazzled by the glint of the waves and sun. For $75,000, one multifloor suite even comes with its own slide between floors, so that a family may enjoy this particular terror in private. There is a quiet splendor to the Suite Neighborhood. I see fewer stickers and signs and drawings than in my own neighborhood—for example, MIKE AND DIANA PROUDLY SERVED U.S. MARINE CORPS RETIRED . No one here needs to announce their branch of service or rank; they are simply Suites, and this is where they belong. Once again, despite my hard work and perseverance, I have been disallowed from the true American elite. Once again, I am “Not our class, dear.” I am reminded of watching The Love Boat on my grandmother’s Zenith, which either was given to her or we found in the trash (I get our many malfunctioning Zeniths confused) and whose tube got so hot, I would put little chunks of government cheese on a thin tissue atop it to give our welfare treat a pleasant, Reagan-era gooeyness. I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. If only I had remained a child.

I walk around the outdoor decks looking for company. There is a middle-aged African American couple who always seem to be asleep in each other’s arms, probably exhausted from the late capitalism they regularly encounter on land. There is far more diversity on this ship than I expected. Many couples are a testament to Loving v. Virginia , and there is a large group of folks whose T-shirts read MELANIN AT SEA / IT’S THE MELANIN FOR ME . I smile when I see them, but then some young kids from the group makes Mr. Washy Washy do a cruel, caricatured “Burger Dance” (today he is in his burger getup), and I think, Well, so much for intersectionality .

At the infinity pool on Deck 17, I spot some elderly women who could be ethnic and from my part of the world, and so I jump in. I am proved correct! Many of them seem to be originally from Queens (“Corona was still great when it was all Italian”), though they are now spread across the tristate area. We bond over the way “Ron-kon-koma” sounds when announced in Penn Station.

“Everyone is here for a different reason,” one of them tells me. She and her ex-husband last sailed together four years ago to prove to themselves that their marriage was truly over. Her 15-year-old son lost his virginity to “an Irish young lady” while their ship was moored in Ravenna, Italy. The gaggle of old-timers competes to tell me their favorite cruising stories and tips. “A guy proposed in Central Park a couple of years ago”—many Royal Caribbean ships apparently have this ridiculous communal area—“and she ran away screaming!” “If you’re diamond-class, you get four drinks for free.” “A different kind of passenger sails out of Bayonne.” (This, perhaps, is racially coded.) “Sometimes, if you tip the bartender $5, your next drink will be free.”

“Everyone’s here for a different reason,” the woman whose marriage ended on a cruise tells me again. “Some people are here for bad reasons—the drinkers and the gamblers. Some people are here for medical reasons.” I have seen more than a few oxygen tanks and at least one woman clearly undergoing very serious chemo. Some T-shirts celebrate good news about a cancer diagnosis. This might be someone’s last cruise or week on Earth. For these women, who have spent months, if not years, at sea, cruising is a ritual as well as a life cycle: first love, last love, marriage, divorce, death.

Read: The last place on Earth any tourist should go

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before. The tattooed apparitions pass me without a glance. She is singing something violent about “Stuttering Stanley” (a character in a popular horror movie, as I discover with my complimentary VOOM SM Surf & Stream Internet at Sea) and he’s loudly shouting about “all the money I’ve lost,” presumably at the casino in the bowels of the ship.

So these bent psychos out of a Cormac McCarthy novel are angrily inhabiting my deck. As I mewl myself to sleep, I envision a limited series for HBO or some other streamer, a kind of low-rent White Lotus , where several aggressive couples conspire to throw a shy intellectual interloper overboard. I type the scenario into my phone. As I fall asleep, I think of what the woman who recently divorced her husband and whose son became a man through the good offices of the Irish Republic told me while I was hoisting myself out of the infinity pool. “I’m here because I’m an explorer. I’m here because I’m trying something new.” What if I allowed myself to believe in her fantasy?

2 photos: 2 slices of pizza on plate; man in "Daddy's Little Meatball" shirt and shorts standing in outdoor dining area with ship's exhaust stacks in background

“YOU REALLY STARTED AT THE TOP,” they tell me. I’m at the Coastal Kitchen for my eggs and corned-beef hash, and the maître d’ has slotted me in between two couples. Fueled by coffee or perhaps intrigued by my relative youth, they strike up a conversation with me. As always, people are shocked that this is my first cruise. They contrast the Icon favorably with all the preceding liners in the Royal Caribbean fleet, usually commenting on the efficiency of the elevators that hurl us from deck to deck (as in many large corporate buildings, the elevators ask you to choose a floor and then direct you to one of many lifts). The couple to my right, from Palo Alto—he refers to his “porn mustache” and calls his wife “my cougar” because she is two years older—tell me they are “Pandemic Pinnacles.”

This is the day that my eyes will be opened. Pinnacles , it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems. Mrs. Palo Alto takes out a golden badge that I have seen affixed over many a breast, which reads CROWN AND ANCHOR SOCIETY along with her name. This is the coveted badge of the Pinnacle. “You should hear all the whining in Guest Services,” her husband tells me. Apparently, the Pinnacles who are not also Suites like us are all trying to use their status to get into Coastal Kitchen, our elite restaurant. Even a Pinnacle needs to be a Suite to access this level of corned-beef hash.

“We’re just baby Pinnacles,” Mrs. Palo Alto tells me, describing a kind of internal class struggle among the Pinnacle elite for ever higher status.

And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise. He wasn’t saying “ pendejo .” He was saying “Pinnacle.” The dining room was for Pinnacles only, all those older people rolling in like the tide on their motorized scooters.

And now I understand something else: This whole thing is a cult. And like most cults, it can’t help but mirror the endless American fight for status. Like Keith Raniere’s NXIVM, where different-colored sashes were given out to connote rank among Raniere’s branded acolytes, this is an endless competition among Pinnacles, Suites, Diamond-Plusers, and facing-the-mall, no-balcony purple SeaPass Card peasants, not to mention the many distinctions within each category. The more you cruise, the higher your status. No wonder a section of the Royal Promenade is devoted to getting passengers to book their next cruise during the one they should be enjoying now. No wonder desperate Royal Caribbean offers (“FINAL HOURS”) crowded my email account weeks before I set sail. No wonder the ship’s jewelry store, the Royal Bling, is selling a $100,000 golden chalice that will entitle its owner to drink free on Royal Caribbean cruises for life. (One passenger was already gaming out whether her 28-year-old son was young enough to “just about earn out” on the chalice or if that ship had sailed.) No wonder this ship was sold out months before departure , and we had to pay $19,000 for a horrid suite away from the Suite Neighborhood. No wonder the most mythical hero of Royal Caribbean lore is someone named Super Mario, who has cruised so often, he now has his own working desk on many ships. This whole experience is part cult, part nautical pyramid scheme.

From the June 2014 issue: Ship of wonks

“The toilets are amazing,” the Palo Altos are telling me. “One flush and you’re done.” “They don’t understand how energy-efficient these ships are,” the husband of the other couple is telling me. “They got the LNG”—liquefied natural gas, which is supposed to make the Icon a boon to the environment (a concept widely disputed and sometimes ridiculed by environmentalists).

But I’m thinking along a different line of attack as I spear my last pallid slice of melon. For my streaming limited series, a Pinnacle would have to get killed by either an outright peasant or a Suite without an ocean view. I tell my breakfast companions my idea.

“Oh, for sure a Pinnacle would have to be killed,” Mr. Palo Alto, the Pandemic Pinnacle, says, touching his porn mustache thoughtfully as his wife nods.

“THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S your time, buddy!” Hubert, my fun-loving Panamanian cabin attendant, shouts as I step out of my suite in a robe. “Take it easy, buddy!”

I have come up with a new dressing strategy. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. The response among my fellow cruisers has been ecstatic. “Look at you in the robe!” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. “You’re living the cruise life! You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company .

In my white robe, I am a stately presence, a refugee from a better limited series, a one-man crossover episode. (Only Suites are granted these robes to begin with.) Today, I will try many of the activities these ships have on offer to provide their clientele with a sense of never-ceasing motion. Because I am already at Thrill Island, I decide to climb the staircase to what looks like a mast on an old-fashioned ship (terrified, because I am afraid of heights) to try a ride called “Storm Chasers,” which is part of the “Category 6” water park, named in honor of one of the storms that may someday do away with the Port of Miami entirely. Storm Chasers consists of falling from the “mast” down a long, twisting neon tube filled with water, like being the camera inside your own colonoscopy, as you hold on to the handles of a mat, hoping not to die. The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. It both knocks my breath out and makes me sad.

In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air. I saw something very similar in the back rooms of the famed Berghain club in early-aughts Berlin. Soon another harnessed man is gyrating next to the first. Ja , I think to myself, I know how this ends. Now will come the fisting , natürlich . But the show soon devolves into the usual Marvel-film-grade nonsense, with too much light and sound signifying nichts . If any fisting is happening, it is probably in the Suite Neighborhood, inside a cabin marked with an upside-down pineapple, which I understand means a couple are ready to swing, and I will see none of it.

I go to the ice show, which is a kind of homage—if that’s possible—to the periodic table, done with the style and pomp and masterful precision that would please the likes of Kim Jong Un, if only he could afford Royal Caribbean talent. At one point, the dancers skate to the theme song of Succession . “See that!” I want to say to my fellow Suites—at “cultural” events, we have a special section reserved for us away from the commoners—“ Succession ! It’s even better than the zombie show! Open your minds!”

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. “I am so fired tonight,” he says. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. “Anyone here from Fort Leonard Wood?” another comedian asks. Half the crowd seems to cheer. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military.

As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers , I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine .

photo of sheltered sandy beach with palms, umbrellas, and chairs with two large docked cruise ships in background

A shocking sight greets me beyond the pools of Deck 17 as I saunter over to the Coastal Kitchen for my morning intake of slightly sour Americanos. A tiny city beneath a series of perfectly pressed green mountains. Land! We have docked for a brief respite in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. I wolf down my egg scramble to be one of the first passengers off the ship. Once past the gangway, I barely refrain from kissing the ground. I rush into the sights and sounds of this scruffy island city, sampling incredible conch curry and buckets of non-Starbucks coffee. How wonderful it is to be where God intended humans to be: on land. After all, I am neither a fish nor a mall rat. This is my natural environment. Basseterre may not be Havana, but there are signs of human ingenuity and desire everywhere you look. The Black Table Grill Has been Relocated to Soho Village, Market Street, Directly Behind of, Gary’s Fruits and Flower Shop. Signed. THE PORK MAN reads a sign stuck to a wall. Now, that is how you write a sign. A real sign, not the come-ons for overpriced Rolexes that blink across the screens of the Royal Promenade.

“Hey, tie your shoestring!” a pair of laughing ladies shout to me across the street.

“Thank you!” I shout back. Shoestring! “Thank you very much.”

A man in Independence Square Park comes by and asks if I want to play with his monkey. I haven’t heard that pickup line since the Penn Station of the 1980s. But then he pulls a real monkey out of a bag. The monkey is wearing a diaper and looks insane. Wonderful , I think, just wonderful! There is so much life here. I email my editor asking if I can remain on St. Kitts and allow the Icon to sail off into the horizon without me. I have even priced a flight home at less than $300, and I have enough material from the first four days on the cruise to write the entire story. “It would be funny …” my editor replies. “Now get on the boat.”

As I slink back to the ship after my brief jailbreak, the locals stand under umbrellas to gaze at and photograph the boat that towers over their small capital city. The limousines of the prime minister and his lackeys are parked beside the gangway. St. Kitts, I’ve been told, is one of the few islands that would allow a ship of this size to dock.

“We hear about all the waterslides,” a sweet young server in one of the cafés told me. “We wish we could go on the ship, but we have to work.”

“I want to stay on your island,” I replied. “I love it here.”

But she didn’t understand how I could possibly mean that.

“WASHY, WASHY, so you don’t get stinky, stinky!” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness. I heard a southern couple skip the buffet entirely out of fear of Mr. Washy Washy.

Meanwhile, I have found a new watering hole for myself, the Swim & Tonic, the biggest swim-up bar on any cruise ship in the world. Drinking next to full-size, nearly naked Americans takes away one’s own self-consciousness. The men have curvaceous mom bodies. The women are equally un-shy about their sprawling physiques.

Today I’ve befriended a bald man with many children who tells me that all of the little trinkets that Royal Caribbean has left us in our staterooms and suites are worth a fortune on eBay. “Eighty dollars for the water bottle, 60 for the lanyard,” the man says. “This is a cult.”

“Tell me about it,” I say. There is, however, a clientele for whom this cruise makes perfect sense. For a large middle-class family (he works in “supply chains”), seven days in a lower-tier cabin—which starts at $1,800 a person—allow the parents to drop off their children in Surfside, where I imagine many young Filipina crew members will take care of them, while the parents are free to get drunk at a swim-up bar and maybe even get intimate in their cabin. Cruise ships have become, for a certain kind of hardworking family, a form of subsidized child care.

There is another man I would like to befriend at the Swim & Tonic, a tall, bald fellow who is perpetually inebriated and who wears a necklace studded with little rubber duckies in sunglasses, which, I am told, is a sort of secret handshake for cruise aficionados. Tomorrow, I will spend more time with him, but first the ship docks at St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie, the capital, is more charming in name than in presence, but I still all but jump off the ship to score a juicy oxtail and plantains at the well-known Petite Pump Room, overlooking the harbor. From one of the highest points in the small city, the Icon of the Seas appears bigger than the surrounding hills.

I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen. As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. “Redneck,” he hisses.

“No,” I want to tell him, as I bring a hand up to my red neck, “that’s not who I am at all. On my island, Mannahatta, as Whitman would have it, I am an interesting person living within an engaging artistic milieu. I do not wish to use the Caribbean as a dumping ground for the cruise-ship industry. I love the work of Derek Walcott. You don’t understand. I am not a redneck. And if I am, they did this to me.” They meaning Royal Caribbean? Its passengers? The Rands?

“They did this to me!”

Back on the Icon, some older matrons are muttering about a run-in with passengers from the Celebrity cruise ship docked next to us, the Celebrity Apex. Although Celebrity Cruises is also owned by Royal Caribbean, I am made to understand that there is a deep fratricidal beef between passengers of the two lines. “We met a woman from the Apex,” one matron says, “and she says it was a small ship and there was nothing to do. Her face was as tight as a 19-year-old’s, she had so much surgery.” With those words, and beneath a cloudy sky, humidity shrouding our weathered faces and red necks, we set sail once again, hopefully in the direction of home.

photo from inside of spacious geodesic-style glass dome facing ocean, with stairwells and seating areas

THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They know how to work the elevators. They know the Washy Washy song by heart. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship.

The passengers have shed their INAUGURAL CRUISE T-shirts and are now starting to evince political opinions. There are caps pledging to make America great again and T-shirts that celebrate words sometimes attributed to Patrick Henry: “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people; it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” With their preponderance of FAMILY FLAG FAITH FRIENDS FIREARMS T-shirts, the tables by the crepe station sometimes resemble the Capitol Rotunda on January 6. The Real Anthony Fauci , by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears to be a popular form of literature, especially among young men with very complicated versions of the American flag on their T-shirts. Other opinions blend the personal and the political. “Someone needs to kill Washy guy, right?” a well-dressed man in the elevator tells me, his gray eyes radiating nothing. “Just beat him to death. Am I right?” I overhear the male member of a young couple whisper, “There goes that freak” as I saunter by in my white spa robe, and I decide to retire it for the rest of the cruise.

I visit the Royal Bling to see up close the $100,000 golden chalice that entitles you to free drinks on Royal Caribbean forever. The pleasant Serbian saleslady explains that the chalice is actually gold-plated and covered in white zirconia instead of diamonds, as it would otherwise cost $1 million. “If you already have everything,” she explains, “this is one more thing you can get.”

I believe that anyone who works for Royal Caribbean should be entitled to immediate American citizenship. They already speak English better than most of the passengers and, per the Serbian lady’s sales pitch above, better understand what America is as well. Crew members like my Panamanian cabin attendant seem to work 24 hours a day. A waiter from New Delhi tells me that his contract is six months and three weeks long. After a cruise ends, he says, “in a few hours, we start again for the next cruise.” At the end of the half a year at sea, he is allowed a two-to-three-month stay at home with his family. As of 2019, the median income for crew members was somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000, according to a major business publication. Royal Caribbean would not share the current median salary for its crew members, but I am certain that it amounts to a fraction of the cost of a Royal Bling gold-plated, zirconia-studded chalice.

And because most of the Icon’s hyper-sanitized spaces are just a frittata away from being a Delta lounge, one forgets that there are actual sailors on this ship, charged with the herculean task of docking it in port. “Having driven 100,000-ton aircraft carriers throughout my career,” retired Admiral James G. Stavridis, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, writes to me, “I’m not sure I would even know where to begin with trying to control a sea monster like this one nearly three times the size.” (I first met Stavridis while touring Army bases in Germany more than a decade ago.)

Today, I decide to head to the hot tub near Swim & Tonic, where some of the ship’s drunkest reprobates seem to gather (the other tubs are filled with families and couples). The talk here, like everywhere else on the ship, concerns football, a sport about which I know nothing. It is apparent that four teams have recently competed in some kind of finals for the year, and that two of them will now face off in the championship. Often when people on the Icon speak, I will try to repeat the last thing they said with a laugh or a nod of disbelief. “Yes, 20-yard line! Ha!” “Oh my God, of course, scrimmage.”

Soon we are joined in the hot tub by the late-middle-age drunk guy with the duck necklace. He is wearing a bucket hat with the legend HAWKEYES , which, I soon gather, is yet another football team. “All right, who turned me in?” Duck Necklace says as he plops into the tub beside us. “I get a call in the morning,” he says. “It’s security. Can you come down to the dining room by 10 a.m.? You need to stay away from the members of this religious family.” Apparently, the gregarious Duck Necklace had photobombed the wrong people. There are several families who present as evangelical Christians or practicing Muslims on the ship. One man, evidently, was not happy that Duck Necklace had made contact with his relatives. “It’s because of religious stuff; he was offended. I put my arm around 20 people a day.”

Everyone laughs. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast.

Another hot-tub denizen suggests that he should have asked for fentanyl. After a few more drinks, Duck Necklace begins to muse about what it would be like to fall off the ship. “I’m 62 and I’m ready to go,” he says. “I just don’t want a shark to eat me. I’m a huge God guy. I’m a Bible guy. There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes.

“I never get off the ship when we dock,” he says. He tells us he lost $6,000 in the casino the other day. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community.

photo of author smiling and holding soft-serve ice-cream cone with outdoor seating area in background

THE OCEAN IS TEEMING with fascinating life, but on the surface it has little to teach us. The waves come and go. The horizon remains ever far away.

I am constantly told by my fellow passengers that “everybody here has a story.” Yes, I want to reply, but everybody everywhere has a story. You, the reader of this essay, have a story, and yet you’re not inclined to jump on a cruise ship and, like Duck Necklace, tell your story to others at great pitch and volume. Maybe what they’re saying is that everybody on this ship wants to have a bigger, more coherent, more interesting story than the one they’ve been given. Maybe that’s why there’s so much signage on the doors around me attesting to marriages spent on the sea. Maybe that’s why the Royal Caribbean newsletter slipped under my door tells me that “this isn’t a vacation day spent—it’s bragging rights earned.” Maybe that’s why I’m so lonely.

Today is a big day for Icon passengers. Today the ship docks at Royal Caribbean’s own Bahamian island, the Perfect Day at CocoCay. (This appears to be the actual name of the island.) A comedian at the nightclub opined on what his perfect day at CocoCay would look like—receiving oral sex while learning that his ex-wife had been killed in a car crash (big laughter). But the reality of the island is far less humorous than that.

One of the ethnic tristate ladies in the infinity pool told me that she loved CocoCay because it had exactly the same things that could be found on the ship itself. This proves to be correct. It is like the Icon, but with sand. The same tired burgers, the same colorful tubes conveying children and water from Point A to B. The same swim-up bar at its Hideaway ($140 for admittance, no children allowed; Royal Caribbean must be printing money off its clientele). “There was almost a fight at The Wizard of Oz ,” I overhear an elderly woman tell her companion on a chaise lounge. Apparently one of the passengers began recording Royal Caribbean’s intellectual property and “three guys came after him.”

I walk down a pathway to the center of the island, where a sign reads DO NOT ENTER: YOU HAVE REACHED THE BOUNDARY OF ADVENTURE . I hear an animal scampering in the bushes. A Royal Caribbean worker in an enormous golf cart soon chases me down and takes me back to the Hideaway, where I run into Mrs. Rand in a bikini. She becomes livid telling me about an altercation she had the other day with a woman over a towel and a deck chair. We Suites have special towel privileges; we do not have to hand over our SeaPass Card to score a towel. But the Rands are not Suites. “People are so entitled here,” Mrs. Rand says. “It’s like the airport with all its classes.” “You see,” I want to say, “this is where your husband’s love of Ayn Rand runs into the cruelties and arbitrary indignities of unbridled capitalism.” Instead we make plans to meet for a final drink in the Schooner Bar tonight (the Rands will stand me up).

Back on the ship, I try to do laps, but the pool (the largest on any cruise ship, naturally) is fully trashed with the detritus of American life: candy wrappers, a slowly dissolving tortilla chip, napkins. I take an extra-long shower in my suite, then walk around the perimeter of the ship on a kind of exercise track, past all the alluring lifeboats in their yellow-and-white livery. Maybe there is a dystopian angle to the HBO series that I will surely end up pitching, one with shades of WALL-E or Snowpiercer . In a collapsed world, a Royal Caribbean–like cruise liner sails from port to port, collecting new shipmates and supplies in exchange for the precious energy it has on board. (The actual Icon features a new technology that converts passengers’ poop into enough energy to power the waterslides . In the series, this shitty technology would be greatly expanded.) A very young woman (18? 19?), smart and lonely, who has only known life on the ship, walks along the same track as I do now, contemplating jumping off into the surf left by its wake. I picture reusing Duck Necklace’s words in the opening shot of the pilot. The girl is walking around the track, her eyes on the horizon; maybe she’s highborn—a Suite—and we hear the voice-over: “I’m 19 and I’m ready to go. I just don’t want a shark to eat me.”

Before the cruise is finished, I talk to Mr. Washy Washy, or Nielbert of the Philippines. He is a sweet, gentle man, and I thank him for the earworm of a song he has given me and for keeping us safe from the dreaded norovirus. “This is very important to me, getting people to wash their hands,” he tells me in his burger getup. He has dreams, as an artist and a performer, but they are limited in scope. One day he wants to dress up as a piece of bacon for the morning shift.

THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE TITANIC (the Icon of the Seas is five times as large as that doomed vessel) at least offered its passengers an exciting ending to their cruise, but when I wake up on the eighth day, all I see are the gray ghosts that populate Miami’s condo skyline. Throughout my voyage, my writer friends wrote in to commiserate with me. Sloane Crosley, who once covered a three-day spa mini-cruise for Vogue , tells me she felt “so very alone … I found it very untethering.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes in an Instagram comment: “When Gary is done I think it’s time this genre was taken out back and shot.” And he is right. To badly paraphrase Adorno: After this, no more cruise stories. It is unfair to put a thinking person on a cruise ship. Writers typically have difficult childhoods, and it is cruel to remind them of the inherent loneliness that drove them to writing in the first place. It is also unseemly to write about the kind of people who go on cruises. Our country does not provide the education and upbringing that allow its citizens an interior life. For the creative class to point fingers at the large, breasty gentlemen adrift in tortilla-chip-laden pools of water is to gather a sour harvest of low-hanging fruit.

A day or two before I got off the ship, I decided to make use of my balcony, which I had avoided because I thought the view would only depress me further. What I found shocked me. My suite did not look out on Central Park after all. This entire time, I had been living in the ship’s Disneyland, Surfside, the neighborhood full of screaming toddlers consuming milkshakes and candy. And as I leaned out over my balcony, I beheld a slight vista of the sea and surf that I thought I had been missing. It had been there all along. The sea was frothy and infinite and blue-green beneath the span of a seagull’s wing. And though it had been trod hard by the world’s largest cruise ship, it remained.

This article appears in the May 2024 print edition with the headline “A Meatball at Sea.” When you buy a book using a link on this page, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.

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Father of florida cruise passenger, 20, who jumped off royal caribbean ship after argument believes his son is still alive: report.

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The father of the 20-year-old passenger who jumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last Thursday in a reportedly drunken, impulsive leap believes his son is still alive nearly a week later.

Francel Parker, dad of missing Levion Parker, told the Daily Sun that he believes his child — whom he called a master diver — is still alive in the waters off the Bahamas.

“As soon as he went off the side, I prayed over him. I was confident the prayers I said over my son were heard. I stand on the word of God. I believe he is alive,” Francel Parker said to the local Florida paper Wednesday.

Levion Parker was ID'd as the 20 year old who jumped to his death from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

The US Coast Guard called off its search for the North Port man a day earlier.

The younger Parker allegedly jumped off the 18-story Liberty of the Seas around 4 a.m. in front of his helpless dad and younger brother after getting into an argument with his father, witnesses previously told The Post.

But Francel, who runs an AC business in Port Charlotte, told the local newspaper that he wasn’t arguing with Levion and that his son wasn’t trying to take his own life.

He said Levion is a skilled diver who works on a commercial fishing boat, and he is demanding to know how his underage son was given alcohol on the four-day cruise to Cuba and the Bahamas’ Grand Inagua Island.

“We don’t drink,” Francel said. “I’d like to know how my son was served so much alcohol.”

Levion Parker is shown pictured with his family.

Another passenger onboard the cruise who witnessed Levion’s heart-stopping jump said Francel was “fussing at him for being drunk.”

Bryan Sims told The Post that he was hanging out with Levion and his 18-year-old brother, Seth, in the hotel tub of the ship in the early hours of April 4 before they went their separate ways.

After Sims had used the restroom and dried off, he bumped into the brothers and their father near the elevators.

Levion Parker's dad claims his son is still alive, adding that he's a skilled diver who works on a commercial fishing boat.

“As we were walking from the hot tub back to the elevators, his dad and brother were walking towards us. His dad was fussing at him for being drunk, I guess,” Sims said of the moment before Parker jumped.

“When we got to them, he said to his dad, ‘I’ll fix this right now.’ And he jumped out the window in front of us all,” Sims said, calling what he witnessed “surreal.”

Another cruise guest described the frantic chaos that followed.

“There was a lot of yelling, and the crew was alerted immediately,” Deborah Morrison told The Post.

A witness claimed to have saw the father become growingly upset about Levion being too drunk while on the cruise.

“His family was horrified. Just beside themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’re going through.”

Francel told the Daily Sun that he threw six life rings off the ship in hopes of saving his son before the massive vessel was able to come to a stop about 20 minutes later.

Royal Caribbean said it “immediately” launched search boats to look for the 20-year-old and alerted the Coast Guard, which later took over the search.

Royal Caribbean said it called for search boats to look for Levion Parker alerted the Coast Guard.

At least 406 people on major cruise lines and ferries have gone overboard between 2000 and 2024, according to data collected by retired professor and cruise industry researcher Ross Klein.

Death rates among overboard passengers and crew members vary significantly among cruise lines, but even the safest cruise companies were only able to rescue about 40% of people who fall or jump off the ship, Klein told the Washington Post in July.

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20-year-old man missing after jumping off a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, report says

A 20-year-old man on holiday with his family went overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise.
The man, who's been missing since early Thursday morning, may have jumped, a report said.
The US Coast Guard has launched a search operation.

A 20-year-old man who was vacationing with his family on a cruise may have jumped overboard, The New York Post reported.

Royal Caribbean confirmed that a passenger, whose identity has not been revealed, went overboard near The Bahamas at about 4 a.m. on Thursday and has been missing since then.

The US Coast Guard launched a search for the passenger on Thursday.

A Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Business Insider that the cruise line's "Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time."

Bryan Sims, a fellow cruise passenger, told The New York Post that he'd hung out with the passenger in the hot tub until 3:30 a.m. Sims said the man appeared to be "pretty drunk."

Sims told the Post that after leaving the hot tub, they encountered the passenger's father while approaching the elevators.

"His dad was fussing at him for being drunk," Sims said.

Watch: Sub taking tourists to see the Titanic goes missing

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Eight passengers stranded on African island after Norwegian cruise ship left without them

A dream cruise vacation has turned into a nightmare for eight passengers left stranded on the African island of São Tomé and Príncipe after their ship left without them because they were late to return from a private tour.

The tourists — six from the U.S. and two from Australia — were aboard the Norwegian Dawn, a Norwegian cruise line ship , which departed from Cape Town, South Africa, on March 20 for a 21-day voyage up the coast of Africa set to end in Barcelona, Spain, on April 10.

But on Wednesday, the group of eight tourists was late to return to the ship by more than an hour for the all-aboard time of 3 p.m. from a private excursion on the island, which was not organized by the cruise line.

Jay and Jill Campbell of South Carolina were part of the group that was left behind.

They said that their tour’s operator notified the cruise captain that they were going to be late to rejoin the ship and that the local Coast Guard tried to get them on the vessel but that they weren’t allowed to board.

As a result, the couple and the rest of the group have been stranded for days on the island off Nigeria, grappling with language, currency issues and complicated travel to catch up with the ship.

“The lovely people of São Tomé were very gracious, very hospitable. They had reached out as much as they could to help us find hotels,” Jay Campbell said on NBC's "TODAY" show Tuesday morning.

“We were able to get to a tour agency there to arrange flights to the next port of call. ... Very difficult process — you’re dealing with multiple languages, language barriers, you’re dealing with different currencies ... finding someone that even has dollars ... trying to get an agent to understand where we need to get to.

"It’s one of those ‘You can’t get there from here,’" he added.

A Norwegian spokesperson called the incident a “very unfortunate situation” and said, “Guests are responsible for ensuring they return to the ship at the published time.”

The cruise line said that after the guests failed to return, their passports were delivered to local port agents, in line with protocol. The company said it was working with local authorities to understand “the requirements and visas needed for the guests to reboard the ship at the next available port of call.”

On Monday, the guests had made arrangements to rejoin the ship in Banjul, Gambia, but the ship was unable to safely dock there because of “adverse weather conditions” and “tidal restrictions,” Norwegian said. The guests were then contacted and provided with information to rejoin the ship at Dakar, Senegal, on Tuesday.

Jill Campbell said they traveled through seven countries in 48 hours to arrive in Senegal on Monday night.

But the couple was reconsidering whether they even wanted to return to the cruise.

"We are considering whether or not we are going to board the ship. It is in dock here in Senegal," she said. "We believe there was a basic duty of care that they had forgotten about, so it does concern us."

"After what we witnessed, we truly believe that although there’s a set of rules or policies that the ship may have followed, they followed those rules too rigidly. I believe that they really forgot that they are people working in the hospitality industry and really the safety and well-being of the customers should be their first priority," she added.

Ultimately, the eight passengers did rejoin the cruise before 8:30 a.m. ET Tuesday in Dakar, Senegal, Norwegian told NBC News in an e-mail Tuesday evening, after this story originally published.

Norwegian said the passengers were responsible for making their own travel arrangements to rejoin the ship.

"Despite the series of unfortunate events outside of our control, we will be reimbursing these eight guests for their travel costs from Banjur, Gambia to Dakar, Senegal," a cruise line spokesperson said in a statement. "We remain in communication with the guests and are providing additional information as it becomes available."

A silver lining of the catastrophe was that the Campbells were able to connect with another Norwegian Dawn passenger — Julia Lenkoff, 80 — who was also left on the island, but for a medical reason.

Lenkoff was on a different day tour Wednesday. She had "medically disembarked" from the cruise to seek local treatment on that day, Norwegian said.

Norwegian said that its care team tried to call Lenkoff several times and was unable to reach her and that it worked with its port agent in São Tomé and Príncipe for updates on her health.

The Campbells met Lenkoff and were able to put her in contact with her family in California, who flew her home — a move Lenkoff's daughter said "saved her life."

"She's a world traveler. She travels all the time. So this was going to be one of her bucket list trips, because she's been to 120 countries so far, and she wanted to get to 130," her daughter, Lana Lenkoff Geis, said in an interview that aired Tuesday on "TODAY."

Norwegian said Lenkoff was escorted on a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, then put in the care of airport staff members to continue her journey back to the U.S., where she has safely returned.

Breaking News Reporter

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