Book a gay cruise

You've probably heard of male lover cruises and wondered how they differ from "traditional" cruises. Are they unseal to straight people? Is it all about partying? What about the hook-up element?

I sailed with tour operator Vacaya in February on a one-week lgbtq+ cruise departing from Fort Lauderdale and heading to the Caribbean via Star Cruises' Celebrity Reflection cruise ship. For context, I'm a white, cisgender, homosexual man in my mids. I had a lot of questions about what to expect, given this was my second cruise ever and my first one with a gay tour operator.

Here are the top things I'd yearn someone considering or planning their first gay cruise to know.

People are friendly

The first thing that struck me about the sailing was that almost everyone was smiling and eager to interact. As an Australian living in the U.S. for almost a decade, I generally detect Americans to be uncover, talkative and curious. This cruise was like that … on steroids.

I would have found it overwhelming if I weren't an extrovert, but since I'm a social butterfly, I was in heaven.

Tip: Taking the stairs between levels on