May 24, 2015
Summer Gay Cruises Leaving Florida
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 3 MIN.
Gay cruises are very popular in Florida, and many of them leave the ports of Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Port Canaveral every month. Summertime is also a very happening time for gay locals to take their cruises, and each cruise detailed below has a dedicated gay group and gay-only functions and mixers aboard ship. Check out an itinerary below; you might find something you like!
NORWEGIAN SKY
The Norwegian Sky is one of the most popular cruise ships in the world, and it's a favorite for gay cruisers, with thousands sailing on this specific ship each year. There are two different cruises with gay groups departing the port of Miami this summer, and both are perfect for a week-long getaway.
The first is the four-day Bahamas cruise, which starts at just $299 per person. Enjoy Pride with other guests as you set sail on Monday, June 29, stopping in Grand Bahama, Nassau, and Norwegian's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, before returning to Miami on Friday, July 3.
For people who must take a smaller vacation, catch the Norwegian Sky the weekend before. It will leave the Port of Miami on Friday, June 26, stopping in Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay, and it will return to port in Miami on Monday, June 29. Prices for this modified cruise start at $249 per person. To book your Norwegian Sky experience, call (866) 234-7350.
CARNIVAL CONQUEST
Carnival Cruise Lines have been at the forefront of gay vacationing for two decades, and this summer there are three different options for people wanting to explore the Caribbean from the Port of Fort Lauderdale. All of these trips set sail on the luxurious Carnival Conquest.
The first cruise sets sail on Saturday, June 13 and is an eight-day journey through the Eastern Caribbean. After boarding in Fort Lauderdale, the cruise takes vacationers to exotic ports of call such as St. Maarten; St. Kitts; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos. The trip returns to Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, June 21. Prices start at $749 per person; that's less than $100 per night!
If you want a trip to the Southern Caribbean, you'll want to take this next journey, which departs later in the day on Sunday, June 21. This cruise also stops in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Other ports of call include La Romana in the beautiful Dominican Republic, as well as two of the "ABC Islands," Curacao and Aruba, before returning to Fort Lauderdale on Monday, June 29. This trip starts at $799 per person.
The final Carnival Conquest trip of the season brings us to the Western Caribbean. Bring all your friends for this fun trip that is sure to be spicier than any work week! The ship sets sail from Fort Lauderdale on Monday, June 29, and will take you to Ocho Rios in Jamaica and Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. You will be docked back in Fort Lauderdale just in time to enjoy Fourth of July fireworks on the beach. This trip starts at $549 per person. To book this trip or one of the other two described, call (800) 764-7419.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN FREEDOM OF THE SEAS
If you live in Central Florida, there are cruises geared toward our community that sail from Port Canaveral. The most popular ship that sails to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral is the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. It has gotten rave reviews for its open design and spacious floor plans, and its restaurants, wine bars and nightclubs will have everyone partying on the open seas.
During the summer there are two cruise options, one that visits the western Caribbean and one that visits the eastern Caribbean. Sail with pride in late June from Port Canaveral and visit Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. That cruise sets sail on June 21 (as well as July 5 and 19) and lasts for seven nights. Prices start at $967 per person.
The second option takes cruisers on a seven-night cruise of the eastern Caribbean, leaving Port Canaveral on June 28. The first stop is Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay. From there, you'll get to experience St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch-influenced Sint Maarten. After another day at sea, the ship docks back in Central Florida on July 5. This trip starts at $871 per person.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
