What to Pack for a Gay Cruise?

We thought that packing for a gay cruise is like packing for any other cruise, however, we were wrong.

Our first cruise experience was with Celebrity Cruises and although this was not a ‘gay cruise’,  it was very gay friendly and you can read more about it here. We loved the experience and as a result booked ourselves on to an Atlantis gay cruise to the Caribbean for the following year!

However, for our first Atlantis gay cruise our packing list was significantly different.

Having talked to many avid Atlantis gay cruisers, there are many items to pack that we had never thought about in the slightest!

We have put together our list ‘What to pack for a gay cruise’ below including what to wear for the themed parties, the daytime, evening and all the extra bits to pack. See if you agree:

What to wear on a Gay Cruise?

One of the things we love most about gay cruises is that they create a safe environment where you can truly be yourself.

Wear as little or as much as you want, experiment without judgement and feel comfortable and confident. We will start we the most exciting and most talked about part, the themed parties:

The Themed Parties (Updated for January 2022)

We get very excited for the these!

Completely unique to gay cruises are the themed parties. There is no pressure to join in, but some of the creations and the effort people put in is incredible!

Keep scrolling for the January 2022 themes, but first the most common three themes every year are:

1) The White Party

The name says it all, wear all white.

You can go all out and maybe don some angel wings, these white elastic body harnesses are a cheap and easy option for anyone or you can simply wear a white vest and shorts.

We have never seen so many bare bums so feel absolutely free to simply grab yourself a white jockstrap (like this one) and get ready to party! 

Here are some easy options to pick up from Amazon.com:

• White Jock Strap
• White elastic body harness (similar to the one I wore below)
• Angel wings (if you are feeling adventurous)
• White UV body paint
• Adidas Originals white socks 
• Adidas white high tops (these are quite cheap so if they ruined it’s not so bad).

2) Dog Tag T-Dance

This one happens every cruise and is all about the military, think black, green, leather and camo.

Grab some camo speedos, some trainers or boots and you are good to go.

You will also see lots of guys wearing a  leather chest harness and maybe getting into character with some face paints too.

Some easy options from Amazon include:

• Camo style speedos
• Army style facepaints
• Leather chest harness
• Adidas black high tops

3) Disco Theme

For this party, grab yourself a comedy disco wig, some gold pants or gold thong and maybe a ridiculous 70’s style shirt!

NEW January 2022 Gay Cruise Themes

Under the Sea
”Beyond the horizon and beneath the sparking blue surface lies an undersea world of mystery and magic. From friendly mermaids to trident-wielding gods to innocent seahorses, you never know what you’ll find when you look below. Take a dive into the unknown and treasures will abound. Every type of sea creature, lost sailor, shipwrecked cruise ship passenger, and of course ordinary landlubbers welcome. Just watch out for Nemo…”

Costume ideas:

• Full Aquaman/God of the Sea costume
• If less is more, a trident and green jockstrap
• Less hot more silly, an octopus costume or shark costume or even turn yourself into a jellyfish with this hat
• Or just use accesories like fishing net decor

Heroes

”Everyone needs a hero right now! From super to civic, ordinary to extraordinary, magical to mischievous, and everything in between. Be one, imitate one, honor one, or create your own. Gushing fans welcome, of course.”

For this we are thinking that super heros is the easiest option although we expect to see lots of other creative ideas:

• Keep it simple with a mask, cape and jockstrap
• Go full superhero with Batman, Superman, Spiderman etc.

Neon Playground
”Neon bright is the way to go here as we take you deeper into the night at a party that will leave you breathless with smiles.”

• Neon harness
• Neon bodypaint
• Neon tube socks

Sporting Sparkle

”It’s our mash-up of sporty show-off matched with shiny silly accessories for an afternoon of playful zaniness. Spectators and fans welcome!”

• Regular wrestling singlet
• Barely there wrestling singlet
• Sports socks
• Andrew Christian Sparkle Vest
• Andrew Christian Sparkle Jockstrap

Swimwear

For us a good pair of speedos is a must and this is probably what the majority of people will be wearing during the day around the pool.

We are all about the JJ Malibu at the moment, they have a lot of cheeky styles. Take a look here.

We personally think you can’t have too many pairs but at least pack 7 pairs for a week long gay cruise.

For other underwear/swimwear brands aimed at gay guys, take a look at this post ‘Our Top Ten Gay Underwear and Swimwear brands‘.

Day Wear

If you pack a few good pairs of shorts, daily t-shirts and vests(UK)/tank top(US) then you will be good to go.

This is especially important when it comes to going on land to explore each stop.

For t-shirts, we usually go for Adidas originals which are also good for some of the sports themed parties such as the Champions party.

Evening Wear (Mealtime)

Something that is unique to a gay cruise is the dress code. You do not need to pack suits or tuxedos or anything very formal.

The running theme is casual throughout so a nice vest/tank top, t-shirt, shorts or jeans for the evening is perfect, go for a shirt if you really want to impress.

The only real rule is no bare bums! Check out these clothing brands aimed at the gay fashion market.

Later on in the evening you might want a casual hoody and joggers if it gets cooler at night.

What to Pack for a Gay Cruise?

These items are the ones we would never have thought about, check the list to see if there is anything you have missed:

Gay Cruise Cards

With wi-fi being at a huge premium, a lot of guests order cabin cards (gay cruise cards).

These are small cards with your name, picture, any contact details you want and your room number on.

These are good for keeping up with all the new friends you meet during the cruise and of course will probably be used to replace Grindr (which does not work well anyway)!

Door Décor

Unlike any other cruise, on a gay cruise many people decorate their doors with pictures or displays to show their personality and to make friends.

Part of the décor is usually a white board for people to leave messages or for you to leave messages for your friends.

Check out this cheap white board from amazon.

Command strips

If you are going to hang your white board, try not to damage the ship.

Use command strips or get a magnetic board as the walls should be magnetic.

Berocca

We swear by Berocca as the first thing we have in the morning after a heavy night drinking to help with the hangover. It’s also good to get some vitamins in you!

‘Intimacy kit’

Lets be realistic, with a few thousand gay men on board, you need to be prepared or pay a premium onboard for supplies.

Get stocked up on some good quality lube and protection.

Drawstring bag

When you head to the themed parties in your costumes you are probably not going to have any pockets.

We always put everything in a small drawstring bag which isn’t as obstructive as a full on backpack.

Ear Plugs

One night out is one night out, however potentially partying all day and all night or 7 days in a row is going to take it’s toll, protect your hearing and get some good reusable ear plugs!

Sewing Kit

Stay with us here! If you are the creative type and you have spent hours on your costumes for the parties you do not want someone to bash into you and ruin your costume – have a small sewing kit ready to keep all you hard work in one piece!

The Basics for any Cruise

And just in case you forget the obvious, make sure you have the following:

• Carry on luggage with some clothing – you won’t receive your full suitcase immediately so make sure you take some clothes/swimwear on board with you.
• Sun screen – take more than you need, if you run out whilst on board it is going to be expensive to replace. We prefer the mist sunscreen as it’s a lot easier to apply.
• Hand sanitiser – you might have seen the news story recently about one cruise ship coming home early because of a stomach bug outbreak, use hand sanitiser at all times!
• Sunglasses – yes for the sun, but also to hide the hangover. Take a few pairs, if you are anything like us you will break or lose them.
• Sea sickness tablets – the last thing you want after spending all your hard earned money is sea sickness. Be prepared with these sea sickness tablets.
• Water bottle – keep hydrated in the sun, have a decent bottle you can refill with water. Apparently, you can use the tap water but check once on board or just fill up at the gym.
• Toiletry bag – Don’t forget all the obvious bits and bobs; hair gel, razors, hair spray, toothpaste, toothbrush, contact lens solution, chapstick, deodorant, moisturiser etc

So there you have it, hopefully you won’t forget anything now and will be fully prepared. If you think there is anything to add, leave a comment below and we will update the list!

More about cruises?

• Croatia Gay Sailing Trip – find out how you can join us!
• 12 Things you need to know about an Atlantis gay cruise!
• Are Celebrity Cruises Gay Friendly?

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