'All-Gay' Cise Helped Me Realize Thgs About My Life and I Loved It

Contents:

• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• I WENT ON A 10-DAY CISE WH 4,000 OTHER GAY MEN. I CRIED FOR DAYS AFTER END, AND I N'T WA TO GO BACK.
• ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GAY CIS
• I WENT ON MY FIRST GAY CISE — HERE'S WHAT IT WAS LIKE
• GAY CISG SPOTS
• 12 TOP GAY CIS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS 2023 AND 2024
• OUR GAY CRUISE AND TOUR CALENDAR 2023 AND 2024
• GAYFLOWER: CHROMATI CISE
• PLAC TO GAY CISE NEAR ME
• 11 THGS I LEARNED ON MY 1ST GAY CISE
• 'GAY SUMMER MP': HOW CIS CREATE SPACE FOR LGBTQ+ TRAVELERS AT SEA
• FRANCE: GAY RIVER CISE
• GAY CIS: HERE IS YOUR ULTIMATE GUI FOR 2023

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

The term – a phemism that dat back to the 1950s – was once ed to dite gay social events on daily cise le programs, whout explicly llg out members of the muny on board. As travel on the high seas ntu to bounce back om the COVID-19 panmic, gay and lbian travelers should nsir settg sail on a fun-filled cise vatn as their next planng a cise, vatners should first nsir what their ial sailg looks like.

Some cise operators (thk: Atlantis Events and La Demence) are known for their electrifyg, all-night parti, which may be perfect for gay groups of iends. Cisers should also thk about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-iendly mastream le, such as Celebry Cis or Virg Voyag, or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter wh a third-party vatn pany. Of VACAYA's all-gay charters, he says, "For one magil week, our muny gets to be the majory and live life out loud the blissful utopia VACAYA creat on a gay cise.

This le gets the stamp of approval om prev LGBTQ cisers, who praise the ships' genr-ntral bathrooms, onboard shows wh rint drag queens and diverse Voyag offers gay-specific sailgs through travel pani like Atlantis Events, but s more mastream erari still offer a welg, clive atmosphere that attracts LGBTQ cisers year-round. Atlantis EventsThe world's largt gay and lbian travel brand, Atlantis Events was found 1991 and wel more than 20, 000 travelers annually on LGBTQ vatns. For s all-gay cis, Atlantis charters megaships om popular l like Royal Caribbean Internatnal and Norwegian Cise Le, so cisers will have a fully immersive board, travelers n enjoy all the perks the megaships have to offer (thk: pools, hot tubs, sports urts and plenty of dg choic), pl special events like drag performanc, motivatnal speakers, LGBTQ movi on mand each b and high-energy circu parti across the ship.

I WENT ON A 10-DAY CISE WH 4,000 OTHER GAY MEN. I CRIED FOR DAYS AFTER END, AND I N'T WA TO GO BACK.

"As an LGBTQ ciser, you're lookg for a ship wh lots of entertament, cludg dance parti and events, " says Mars Martez, founr of Men Who Bnch, a Black gay liftyle blog. "One of the bt cise [l] for gay cisg is Atlantis, sce 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 bookgs, acrdg to the Atlantis webse. Cisers will also enjoy performanc by drag queens, gay Broadway stars and more, pl more typil river cise perks like sightseeg and lavish meals. Celebry Cis(Courty of Celebry Cis)Celebry Cis sets the scene for an excellent vatn for gay travelers, om s extravagant annual Pri parti to s daily LGBTQ programmg throughout the year.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GAY CIS

Although all erari are gay-iendly, nsir bookg a Pri Party at Sea sailg (which tak place each June) for an extra special experience.

Private travel pani like VACAYA also charter Celebry ships for all-gay voyag throughout the (Getty Imag)Specifilly marketed toward lbians and LGBTQ women, Olivia has hosted more than 350, 000 travelers by land and sea over almost five s. The popular cise le equently partners wh Atlantis Events to offer all-gay voyag throughout the year, but even the standard sailgs earn praise. Iterari typilly feature LGBTQ meetups at the begng of each cise for gay travelers to meet likemd passengers.

I WENT ON MY FIRST GAY CISE — HERE'S WHAT IT WAS LIKE

Outsi of the sailg experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly mted to support the LGBTQ muny throughout the year, and was the first cise le to earn the tle "Gay Traveler Approved" om GayTravel 2023, nsir a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-iendly statns. ]The Cise Wh La Demence(Courty of The Cise wh La Demence)Acrdg to past cisers, if you're lookg for one of the bt party scen on the open seas, nsir an all-gay cise wh La Demence.

Powered by a popular gay nightclub Bssels wh the same name, La Demence – French for "the madns" – primarily ters to a European crowd. Prev cisers had high praise for the erari – which exclively vis gay-iendly lotns – as well as the uy cktails, themed nights (stum strongly enuraged), glamouro entertament, and unique events like drag bgo and high heel Demence sails every summer to statns like Rome; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and more. Whether you jo onboard for a vatn, your honeymoon, or even your weddg, you'll see why we're the bt cise le for gay, lbian and all LGBTQ+ guts.

GAY CISG SPOTS

Hosted by gay and lbian travel veterans, Gregg Kamsky & Kelli Carpenter, the sailgs feature special programmg, such as LGBTQ+ performers, dance parti, themed events and more. IGLTA The Travel Corporatn is a proud member of The Internatnal Gay & Lbian Travel Associatn, whose missn is to provi rmatn and rourc for LGBTQ+ travelers and expand LGBTQ+ tourism globally. At the end of the fal, dis-themed dance on my 10-day "all-gay" cise, I met up wh a man I'd shared a few timate moments wh.

In 2021, I raid my savgs acunt and spent $3, 059 to book an "all-gay" cise around the dancg troupe nvced me to buy the ticket, which was for 10 days on the Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas. The special 2022 Atlantis sailg would be filled wh about 4, 000 gay people, the majory of them my life warned me to manage my expectatns.

I also received negative reactns om my gay iends — some said they uldn't thk of anythg worse than an "all-gay" cise.

12 TOP GAY CIS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS 2023 AND 2024

Others add a lghg emoji each time they msaged about , as if the choice self was ludicro or exclively beg around gay people was crgeworthy and embarrassg. I now know that, until you've been on one of the cis, you really have no ia what happens on day one, I was havg the time of my life — we'd created our own floatg universe As our ship set sail om Rome, dawned on me that I'd never been around this many gay men before.

It mands rtrat to not absorb microaggrsns, but to stead allow them to fuel my day, I mt stand firm and ph agast nventns and benchmarks of the heteronormative world that many gay men like myself choose to reject. There has never been a better time to experience your first gay cise, but we always believe ’s better to be prepared so you have an ia of what to expect. Then, remember to rearch the bt (and worst) ports and statns for gay cis to avoid beg discrimated agast or feelg unwele.

OUR GAY CRUISE AND TOUR CALENDAR 2023 AND 2024

Next, you'll want to plan your cise, and that might clu fdg the bt 2020 gay cise als out there and gay-iendly cise l and ships. Now this article, we provi gay cisg tips for first timers: how to pack, what to do and what not to do and how to stay safe durg your cise.

How to pack for a gay cise In many ways, packg for gay, lbian, or bisexual cisg is no different om packg for any other cise. However, if you’re lookg to book a chartered all-gay cise wh an operator like Atlantis’ gay cis, there are a uple special twists om a tradnal packg checklist you should keep md.

GAYFLOWER: CHROMATI CISE

Stock up on swimsus This is particularly te if you’re on a gay cise, but also appli to ladi bookg a lbian Southern Caribbean cise: pack a uple extra swimsus. From class and gam to poolsi loungg to takg a well-served break the cise ship spa, here are some thgs you n’t miss on a gay cise.

Pro-tip to make iends on a gay cise: prt out ctomized gay cise rds wh a picture of you and your ntact rmatn. Go ashore and explore Your gay cise ship may sometim feel like a floatg cy, but don’t fet about all the amazg plac you have the opportuny to vis.

PLAC TO GAY CISE NEAR ME

While some of the may seem like mon sense, we still remend you avoid dog the followg durg your gay and lbian travel. Even if you aren’t lookg for love, gay cis are great plac to meet gay men, make iends, nnect wh lears your dtry, and generally jt have fun. Tips and advice before you part While many untri like Canada and New England accept and wele the gay muny, others do not.

11 THGS I LEARNED ON MY 1ST GAY CISE

This is one of the reasons that LGBT travelers need to do some extra preparatn before embarkg, even when embarkg on a gay, lbian, or transgenr cise. If a port isn’t gay-iendly, simply stay on the ship and take advantage of the extra lounge chairs by the pool, snag a spot at trivia, bgo, or yoga, or dulge a hot stone massage. If you book an all-gay cise wh a gay cise operator like Atlantis, RSVP Vatns, or Olivia, you won’t need to worry as much about this.

Entrapment mpaigns Be aware that police some untri monor some webs, mobile apps, and meetg plac that are monly ed by the gay muny. Segregatn of gay-iendly rorts and muni Even untri that are generally hostile to LGBT folks n be home to gay-iendly enclav - om rorts to ci - where you n feel ee to explore.

Nonstop parti, unwarranted ments, and a lack of diversy were a few reasons why I avoid bookg a gay cise. I've always been secure about my weight, and if the marketg strategy for an LGBTQ+ cise, vatn, or tour pany don't clu me or make me feel seen — as a chubby Black gay man — I avoid . But when I was offered the opportuny to sail wh Vaya, I asked a few iends about their gay cise experienc — specifilly, about the pany's chartered sailgs and rort vatns.

'GAY SUMMER MP': HOW CIS CREATE SPACE FOR LGBTQ+ TRAVELERS AT SEA

I met several people, cludg Ken, who drove 12 hours om Chattanooga, Tennsee, to go on his first gay cise; Eric and his partner, Jason, om Taa, Washgton, who chatted about how they met, Jason's "g out" story, and his amible divorce om his ex-wife; and Osr, a passenger om L.

I disvered that a gay cise allows to be fully ourselv a rpectful environment, rng wh old iends om prev cis and cultivatg new iendships that go beyond our seven-day journey. Celebry's safety protols and Vaya's attentn to tail, transparency, and clive vibe and strategy are all reasons why I was able to enjoy my first gay cise and return home COVID-ee. (S) - An MIM Signature Collectn Cise GroupJULY 202311-Night Cise to Ireland and Iceland, July 13 to 24, 2023 Gay Group CiseJo on the Celebry Silhouette as we part Southampton, England and sail to Cork, Ireland, Kirkwall, Stland, Reykjavik, Iceland (overnight), Akureyri, Iceland, Seydisfjordur, Iceland and endg Southampton, England.

FRANCE: GAY RIVER CISE

7-Night Basel to Amsterdam Cise, July 29 to Augt 5, 2023All Gay CiseCome along wh as we cise on a private charter of the Avalon Panorama. We start our trip Basel, Swzerland and vis France, Germany and Holland culmatg Amsterdam to vis their yearly Pri, wh s signature Canal Boat Para to experience why this is tly the most extraordary Pri Celebratn the 202312-Night Transatlantic Cise to Greenland & Iceland, Augt 6 to 18, 2023 Gay Group CiseCome along wh on the Celebry Summ as we part Cape Liberty, New Jersey and sail to Halifax, Nova Stia, St. 7-Night Cise to Alaska, Augt 11 to 18, 2023 Gay Group CiseJo on the Celebry Solstice as we part Seattle and travel to Ketchikan, Alaska, Tracy Arm Fjord, June, Alaska, Skagway, Alaska, Victoria, Brish Columbia and returng to Seattle, Washgton.

SEPTEMBER 202312-Night Wtern Mederranean Cise, September 14 to 26, 2023 Gay Group CiseCome along wh on the Celebry Apex, as we part om Amsterdam, Netherlands and vis La Rochelle, France, Lisbon, Portugal (overnight), Cadiz, Spa, Cartagena, Spa, Palma Mallor, Spa, Valletta, Malta and endg Piras (Athens), Greece. OCTOBER 202310-Nights Cise to the Holy Land, October 16 to 26, 2023 Gay Group CiseJo on the Celebry Apex as we part om Piras (Athens), Greece and ntue to Haifa, Israel, Ashdod, (Jesalem), Israel (overnight), Alexandria, Egypt (overnight), Kadasi (Ephud), Turkey and endg Piras (Athens), Greece.

GAY CIS: HERE IS YOUR ULTIMATE GUI FOR 2023

12-Night Mekong River Cise to Vietnam and Cambodia, October 17 to 29, 2023 All Gay River CiseJo MIM Travel and Source Journeys as we sail on a full charter of the R/V Mekong Prcs. 14-Nights Transatlantic Cise, October 19 to November 2, 2023 Gay Group CiseCome wh on the Celebry Reflectn as we part om Barcelona, Spa, Visg Provence (Marseill), France, Palma Mallori, Spa, Cartagena, Spa, Gibraltar followed by six days at sea and arrivg Kg's Wharf, Bermuda, and after two more days arrivg Fort Lrdale, Florida. NOVEMBER 202310-Night Ain Safari and Tour, November 22 to December 2, 2023 All Gay Group TourCome along on an Ain adventure that will take to Victoria Falls, a private game rerve to see the "Big Five", Elephant, Leopard, Ln, Cape Buffalo and Rhos and many more speci.

8-Night Post Thanksgivg Cise, November 25 to December 3, 2023Gay Group CiseJo this popular cise on the Celebry Reflectn as we Leave om Fort Lrdale, Florida and vis San Juan, Puerto Ri, Charlotte Amalie, St.