The Story Behind the Program

On November 5, 2012, I met my first cruise love, the Carnival Triumph, and on that cruise I also experienced my first LGBT Meetup at 10:00 pm among the straight patrons of  the Alchemy Bar. I met absolutely no LGBT Cruisers.

On subsequent voyages, I learned a few important things:

• LGBT Meetups are often scheduled at horrible times
• LGBT Meetups are often held at horrible locations
• LGBT Meetups are rarely hosted by crew members
• LGBT Meetups are not private events
• LGBT Cruisers are not always easy to identify
• Cruise Directors rarely care about the meetups

After my first 12 cruises, I had met less than 10 people at the meetups, and mostly due to the cruisers being Lesbian guests.

As you can imagine, meetups became a frustration and I would often end up not attending because, basically… What was the point?

I imagine a few of you out there have felt the same frustrations.

After Covid-19 isolation, I decided there had to be a better way, and on July 3, 2021, I sailed on the very first cruise departing from the United States.

On the Carnival Vista, I packed desktop Pride Flags to set out on the countertops or tables. I was pleasantly surprised to find that one simple change attracted other LGBT cruisers. By the end of the cruise, we had 20 great guys attending the LGBT Meetups and 12 of us dining together. 

And yes, you can fit 12 men at a 10-top table.

On October 9, 2021, I sailed on the Carnival Dream with a few friends I met on the Carnival Vista. I also purchased the first Pride Pins to hand out to anyone attending the LGBT Meetups.  Once again, that simple addition made a huge impact. 

18 new cruisers joined our group of 6. 

Something else also happened on that cruise. I ran into a Carnival Cruise Officer that I had met on the Carnival Vista. The officer had received a promotion and was moved to the Carnival Dream.

That Carnival Cruise Officer was so impressed by my continued success hosting the LGBT Meetups; he dubbed me the Official “Unofficial” LGBT Cruise Ambassador. 

“Unofficial” because I was not going to get paid.

*Insert laugh here*

I’ve greatly enjoyed being a part of these new and improved LGBT Meetups and Mixers aboard ships from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and Princess Cruise Line. 

My record for new members joining the groups within a 7-day span is 45 LGBT Cruisers.  I’ve even had a Cruise Director or two ask about ways they could improve the experience aboard their ships. 

In early 2024, a fellow cruiser that had joined one of the hosted LGBT meetups asked me for advice on hosting the meetups on his next cruise. I was happy to send him links to the products I typically hand out.

And, so was born the Official “Unofficial” LGBT Cruise Ambassador Program.