GLBT Travelers - 2012 Allure of the Seas (all aboard!)

After a fantastic 2011 review by ebayj http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/glbt-travelers/1208725-atlantis-events-2011-20th-anniversary-allure-seas.html#post16676690

was wondering if anyone else is onboard for the 2012 cruise. There are four of us going in our group, but a lot of others are choosing other Atlantis Cruises instead.

I'm not but it sounds like a lot of fun and I have heard nothing but good things about Atlantis.

I wanted to do the spain cruise this summer but had a big project going on and couldn't do it.

I really want to do the Atlantis Club Med week in 2012.

I cringed when I think of the Atlantis cruise. Constant nickle and diming, and blatant lies to the passengers, I wouldn't do another one. Overall, it (Med Cruise) was a nice tour, but Atlantis seemed to have too many shady practices.

I disagree about Atlantis being shady. I have done three cruises with them (Med 2x and Baltics once) and always have a great time. You can't beat Atlantis for entertainment and a great time even if there is some mark-up from the straight sailings. In my opinion, the premium is worth it.

Im doing the Caribbean cruise in March. Anyone else on that run?

I disagree about Atlantis being shady. I have done three cruises with them (Med 2x and Baltics once) and always have a great time. You can't beat Atlantis for entertainment and a great time even if there is some mark-up from the straight sailings. In my opinion, the premium is worth it.

Im doing the Caribbean cruise in March. Anyone else on that run?

I agree it is worth paying a premium for an all gay cruise to me as well, as opposed to having a bunch of families, etc.

I wish I could do the caribbean cruise. Hoping to do Club Med in 2012 with Atlantis. I realize there is a markup but it's worth it for me.

I agree it is worth paying a premium for an all gay cruise to me as well, as opposed to having a bunch of families, etc.

I wish I could do the caribbean cruise. Hoping to do Club Med in 2012 with Atlantis. I realize there is a markup but it's worth it for me.

I don't mind paying a premium, but Atlantis seemed to hide everything then try to trick you into paying extra. Just didn't make sense to me, but it seems like they want to play the "bait and switch" game. Ridiculous, in my opinion, when I would think that a vast majority would be willing to pay...as long as they were up-front. I'm OK if things are spelled out ahead of time, but when you try to use scare tactics to make a quick buck, it just turns me off.

I agree it is worth paying a premium for an all gay cruise to me as well, as opposed to having a bunch of families, etc.

We've done many Atlantis cruises and one RSVP cruise, loved them all. But this February, for a change, we're booked on a Pied Piper group charter (yup, there will be 'families', in addition to 'family', on board). I'm very curious to compare the two. I will say the Pied Piper prices are amazing compared to what Atlantis goes for, it will be interesting to see how different the experience is for us (who don't do circuit dances, much prefer piano bars and nice conversation).

I don't mind paying a premium, but Atlantis seemed to hide everything then try to trick you into paying extra. Just didn't make sense to me, but it seems like they want to play the "bait and switch" game. Ridiculous, in my opinion, when I would think that a vast majority would be willing to pay...as long as they were up-front. I'm OK if things are spelled out ahead of time, but when you try to use scare tactics to make a quick buck, it just turns me off.
Could you please be specific?

My problem with the two major gay cruise outfits is their inability to cater to an audience that still finds acts like Miss Richfield entertaining. The new generation of gay men- and yes, we do have money to spend- don't seem to react well to out-and-out camp, silly dress up parties and done-already entertainment options. My experiences on Atlantis/RSVP (10+ cruises) have been congenial, but not something I'd really rave about.

Frankly, Rosie's cruises are better in terms of quality and star power. I'd rather pay her premium to see an act like Lilias White, Linda Eder or any number of great Broadway stars than what Atlantis is selling. My idea of fun isn't crammed in and sweating it out with 5k of my closest friends at yet another Atlantis White Party. No thanks.

If Atlantis wants to survive and remain current within the industry, they need to stop catering to an aging crowd. The circuit party scene is dead. Let's keep it that way.




BN

I cringed when I think of the Atlantis cruise. Constant nickle and diming, and blatant lies to the passengers, I wouldn't do another one. Overall, it (Med Cruise) was a nice tour, but Atlantis seemed to have too many shady practices.

Can you give some examples from your experience? I have not found that to be the case on any of my cruises. I have my complaints about Atlantis, but I generally have gotten what I paid for.

I would also appreciate some information about the shady practices. I have also cruised on Atlantis multiple times and never had any issues with extra fees, etc.

I would also appreciate some information about the shady practices. I have also cruised on Atlantis multiple times and never had any issues with extra fees, etc.

We did the Med Cruise a couple years ago. Overall it was pretty good, but some things annoyed the hell out of me. It seemed that Atlantis was constantly trying to nickle and dime you for everything. The most egregious was when the cruise was over...they kept trying to force you into buying a transfer from the Ship Yard to Central Rome for some obscene amount (I think it was close to $100 pp). They kept telling (overhead announcemtn, announcements at dinners and shows, messages left in your room...) the passengers that there was no other way to get to Rome, that once you got off the boat there was no other transportation, you could not walk through the shipyard (since it's private property) and the train station was too far away anyway and would likely be closed.

We didn't take the bait and decided to take our chances. Getting off the boat, there were free shuttles/coaches waiting to take you to the shipyard's entrance. From there, it was less than a half-mile walk to the train station. It was easy to purchase tickets at the self-serve kiosks and trains to the city came frequently. All for the fraction of the price (I think it was $9 or maybe 9 euro) of Atlantis.

What really bothered me was that Atlantis outright LIED trying to use scare tactics to make more money. Kinda soured me a bit.

As for the actual cruise...it was packed with guys and pretty damn fun. Lotta sex (if that's your thing), good choice of food, mostly good entertainment. I wish they had some overnight port stops though so you can sample the local nightlife.

I will agree that the port transfers are usually severely marked up, but I think this is the cruise line's doing, not necessarily Atlantis. They do the same thing on "normal" sailings, and most unseasoned travelers (or those who don't want to deal with the hassle) will take the bait.

You can also have similar issues with port excursions, where the ship marks up (usually substantially) the cost of a tour you could have arranged yourself. Again, this is one of the cruise line's ways of making money, and is purely optional. If you do your research, you can usually do the same thing for the same or less. On an Atlantis cruise, I usually stick with their tours, mostly because it is fun to do the tour with other gays.

I would love to take one of these cruises one day. I really need to investigate it though. May not be my cup of tea. They don't have a lot of urban offerings.

Also interested to hear about the nickle and diming practices...

Have heard they charge a fee ~$60 for unlimited water or unlimited soda; overpriced alcohol; premium restaurants (ie: not included in price of cruise) - but not sure if that's any different than non-Atlantis cruises.

Also interested to hear about the nickle and diming practices...

Have heard they charge a fee ~$60 for unlimited water or unlimited soda; overpriced alcohol; premium restaurants (ie: not included in price of cruise) - but not sure if that's any different than non-Atlantis cruises.

This is the same on all sailings. The cruise lines are under pressure to come up with more ways to make money, and this seems to be the trend, I'm afraid. I just drink the free juices and coffee in the dining rooms and cafes. Alcohol is another story, I'm afraid. I find drinks to be a little cheaper than on land (roughly $7 for a vodka tonic or $5 for a beer). That's where all my money goes on these things.

They kept telling (overhead announcemtn, announcements at dinners and shows, messages left in your room...) the passengers that there was no other way to get to Rome <snip> What really bothered me was that Atlantis outright LIED trying to use scare tactics to make more money. Kinda soured me a bit.That's one example and very likely not specific to Atlantis. Any other shady practices you care to share or shall we just assume your commentary is no longer valid?

That's one example and very likely not specific to Atlantis. Any other shady practices you care to share or shall we just assume your commentary is no longer valid?

I think my comment is very valid. While you're suggesting it is the practice of the Cruise Line, it's still shady that the Atlantis cruisemaster/host was the one making these announcements. On our cruise, we had 2 cruisemasters: 1 from Royal Carribean and the other from Atlantis. If it was a RC policy, then it would have been easy for Atlantis to step aside from the lies, but instead, they took center stage. I'm glad that we, along with alot of other passengers, didn't listen to the Atlantis rep when he said "TRUST ME".

Fair enough, at best they're complicit, at worst they're responsible. But anyone who did their homework should have known the reality of the situation (and probably should have called them out on it to their faces!).

Your assessment still seems disproportionate to the (one) offense as you describe it, but that's just IMHO.

what really annoys me, is that during our week the so called port/charges and taxes are marked up with around 130 usd per person.

Instead of being 200 usd per person for same room category, during our cruise they charge us 330 usd in port charges and taxes on the already marked up price of the room itself.

Dont get me wrong, week is really great, so of course room rate should be marked up to pay for all that, but why the mark up on port charges and taxes ??

(Anyway, the so called port charges really are not reflecting the actual charges in any ports, it is simply a mainly added "profit"for the cruise line. Thats why no cruise line will actually give a break down of these so called charges...."