zitsky

I'm doing a Viking river cruise with about 190 other people in Europe this fall. I was just wandering if anyone wants to speculate on the possibility that my partner and I might meet other gay couples? I imagine this is more likely on the much bigger ocean cruises. We have never done anything like this. I guess I'll be happy if we can just meet some interesting people, gay or straight. (We are not swingers.)

fozziedoggie

We did a Bordeaux cruise last October, one other gay couple on board, but not very friendly ...Oh well, their loss

BTW, for future reference, RSVP Vacations (sister company to Atlantis Events) has been offering their own European river cruises:

http://www.rsvpvacations.com

zitsky

Thanks. I figure there will be plenty of other people to talk to. Always nice to meet fellow travelers.

peteropny

Don't know your age(s) but the demographics of the typical river boat cruisers are quite old (think 60+). We're now in our early 50's, but for the 3 river boat cruises we did in Europe (1st one 11 years ago) we went on gay charters (2with RSVP and 1 with Travelpride which is no longer in business).

zitsky

We are early 50's but we expect a lot of 60 plus. Only might be a problem if walking tours are really slow but it might be more enjoyable that way.

fozziedoggie

Haven't done a river cruise with RSVP, what did you think?

peteropny

The first one (Danube from Prague (actually Nuremberg) to Budapest) was to me just a charter with nothing extra from RSVP (actually the woman cruise director from the ship took t on herself to find out bars and clubs of interest for the overnight in Vienna). The shore excursions were actually charged for, typically included in river cruises. I asked a question of one of the uniformed (t shirt) escorts and they just said no idea, hey don't work there (just got a free vacation I guess). That said, overall it was a really enjoyable cruise and we still keep in touch with several of the people we met n the cruise. Also, note that this was in 2005, when RSVP was still independent.

The second one (basically Rhine - from Paris (boarded in Trier Germany) to Nuremberg) felt like they put a little more effort into it and no longer charged for shore excursions. Also, felt like they put a little more effort into it.

Actually thought about going on a third (Zurich to Amsterdam) but they wouldn't let you drop the hotel in Zurich and didn't want to pay for the Marriott).

We also went on one Atlantis (on Seabourn which is very unusual from Istanbul to Athens) and the whole cruise felt a little off to us. It was really striking that universally comments on Atlantis (from people who have cruised with them 10+ times) was quite disparaging - I guess they just have the market cornered (having bought RSVP).

I actually enjoy our usual Regent cruises better than the Atlantis Seabourn one (no way would I ever do a cruise on a ship with 2,000+ passengers). Much better organized and better value (in my opinion). We usually go with a group organized by our travel agent these days (straight older group). Usually there are 2-3 other gay couples onboard. Last fall, we played trivia (and at least placed if not won) with a couple from DC on a cruise (not hosted by our agent) from NYC to Montreal.

fozziedoggie

Good info, thanks. Our two river cruises have been with Uniworld; EVERYTHING included. It will take a lot to pry us away from them, repeat cruisers get extra discounts on future trips, cabin upgrades for free (if available), and great itineraries. And yes, definitely a shame there's no real competition against Atlantis/RSVP.

carlosdca

RSVP and Atlantis are only the reservation agents and put an additional layer of events/hosts to what the cruise line already offers.

You really have to look at what cruise line RSVP or Atlantis are chartering.
Most complaints (food, service, amenities, shore excursions, etc) can be traced back to the Cruise line not RSVP or Atlantis.

For example, sometimes Atlantis charters CARNIVAL. Sometimes they charter CELEBRITY. CARNIVAL sucks, it is dated, tacky, horrible food, etc...it is all Carnival, you can't blame Atlantis/RSVP for a tacky dated ship.
Celebrity ships are gorgeous and the service and food are usually top notch compared to Carnival, and if Atlantis/RSVP charter a Celebrity ship, you will get the same experience as the general public plus Atlantis add-ons (comedians, cabaret performers and DJs)

With RSVP or Atlantis you pay a premium of $500-$1000 over what the same cruise would cost the previous week to the general public. What you pay for is really the almost guarantee that 99% of the guests are all male homos, and also for a few extra events or parties held at the ships facilities.

So you can't really judge an "RSVP" cruise just by the brand name. You have to look at the reviews of the cruise line they are chartering. It's not always the same.

AS far as being with a bunch of all male homos for 7 days...that's a personal choice. Personally, I am fine with both all gay or just a regular straight cruise, I am not sure it is worth to pay the $500-$1000 Premium just to make sure I am in a 100% gay place.

peteropny

Agreed that the cruise line matters. But that's more for the "big" cruises (I'd never do a Carnival cruise - that's why we went on the Seabourn one (yes I know that Carnival owns Seabourn but they're opposite ends of the spectrum)). River cruise lines are more uniform but it is good to know what line it's on to get the reviews. Also, yes Atlantis / RSVP usually charges a premium over the usual fare for the cruise line but for river cruising, to us, it's worth it to be with a crowd more your age, since regular river cruises tend to attract very much older demographics.

zitsky

Does anyone have any other comments about meeting people on cruises, stories, etc?

zitsky

Fozziedoggie, how was the Bordeaux cruise. Did you do any wine tasting, either on the ship or on land? How was the experience?

fozziedoggie

It's basically a giant floating hotel; the rivers traversing the Bordeaux region aren't that long compared to the Rhone, Rhine, Danube, etc. That said, this cruise is designed around wines and chateaus, so yes, plenty of wine both on and off the boat. Our line (Uniworld) provides all-in cruising for the fare. We had premium cocktails, wine, beer available 24/7, no limit. Each night, the on-board sommelier would feature both a white and red from the region we were visiting earlier that day; all were fantastic. Several chateau visits did include formal wine tasting. There's a lot of competition for these Bordeaux cruises, so there's a price-point for everyone. We prefer to purchase the all included cruises, which is why we really like Uniworld.

davesam12

Second hand sharing. . . we have some close friends, husbands, (40's and 50's) who went on a Viking River Cruise (they did the Rhine river) this past fall. (They accompanied an older family member, who didn't want to travel alone.)

Anyway, they were nervous about it being too sedate, but ended up having a great time. They were the only same sex couple on board, from their observations, but met some "younger" straight couples and a single guy traveling with his grandmother. So, did some later night excursions into town with them, after most of the ship had tucked in for the night. They raved about the wine, food, service and daytime excursions. And felt very comfortable.

zitsky

Thanks for that report! I have my fingers crossed that it will be a good trip.