What My First Gay Cruise Was Like, Worth It — Atlantis Review + Photos

I was a bit overwhelmed by the cost, since I spent $3,000 on a shared room. The price didn’t even include booze.

With over 4,000 passengers — the majority of them being queer men — this boarding on the Odyssey of the Seas was one of Europe’s biggest gay cruises.

(Source)

Within 48 hours of boarding, we had to get a negative COVID-19 test. I had an Italian breakfast while I nervously waited for my results.

I came prepared with my “business” cards, which are common on gay cruises. Many put their socials and room number on them to keep track of who they meet.

The first thing that stands out on all-gay cruises is the passengers’ cabin doors. On an ordinary cruise they’d look like this:

On an all-gay cruise, they look more like this:

A lot of passengers bought whiteboards for their doors. Some people used them to write uplifting messages.

Others used their doors to flirt or tell large groups where individual friends would be at certain times.

My own corridor left no guesses as to where my rambunctious group was from.

Of the almost 4,000 passengers aboard there were many nations represented and a lot of people I met were from the US or Australia.

I think my Aussie contingent contained one of the few lesbian couples aboard — we didn’t meet many on the ship.

Our room was spacious and cleaned daily. It had a TV, lots of outlets, and an en suite.

My cabinmate appreciated the room’s ample drawer space—he used it to store his clothes and accessories for the ship’s many themed parties.

But I guess we did find a use for the balcony.

The ship was filled with rainbow, pride-inspired decorations to celebrate the LGBTQ guests.

Even the food at the buffet was colorful.

The ship just kept impressing me. At one point, I saw a bar featuring robots that make cocktails.

The buffet and main sit-down restaurant were included in our fare. Both had plenty of options so we didn’t spend extra on food at other onboard eateries.

The pool deck was huge and there was a covered solarium at the back, along with many hot tubs.

The ship was so big that it wasn’t always easy for our big group to stick together, but we did get ready for the parties as a squad.

The parties are one of the most iconic parts of the sailing — there was a massive one basically every night and often after-parties that began around 5 am

The first party was the dog-tag tea dance, where the color of your dog tag indicated how single you were.

Each party featured internationally renowned DJs, lighting shows, and a host of different venues like the pool deck, bumper-car track, or music hall.

Passengers went all out for themed parties. There were seven in 10 days, including a white party, neon party, and titans and tiaras party.

Each party had specialized decor, bespoke lasers and lighting, and matching music and performances.

I’ve rarely witnessed an atmosphere more friendly or more fun. I went to many after-parties and missed out on some port time to recover the next morning.

Every day, the Cruise Compass newsletter was delivered to our room to tell us what other activities and events were happening on board.

Even if you didn’t go to the parties, there were tons of nighttime activities to check out. I liked the drag shows, which included full live bands.

A showgirls spectacle had dozens of costume and set changes and Ginger Rogers-rivaling moves.

There was also a full-scale production — “The Book” — that used dance, song, and interactive screens to tell a story about the works and rewards of reading fiction.