‘I went on a 2,000 person nude cruise – this is what it’s like’

In a post on Reddit the 67-year-old man invited other users to 'ask me anything' about the experience.

He explained that he booked a cruise via the Texas-based travel company Bare Necessities, which has been operating clothing-optional ship charters since 1990. 

The holiday maker said he and his 61-year-old wife went on the 2,000 passenger Carnival cruise for a seven-day round trip from Tampa, Florida, which included stops in Mexico and Honduras along the way. 

He was keen to point out to people that the cruise was "not a swingers cruise or a sex positive environment" and "this was a crowd with lots of nudist experience."

The man explained that whilst people obviously board the liner fully clothed, the captain makes an announcement "about thirty minutes" after leaving port about when people can take their clothes off.

The opposite then happens when the liner is entering a port.

All staff on the cruise remain clothed with the exception of "one male/female duo" who performed in the theatre. 

None of the employees from the cruise line were "obligated" to work the nude charters if they didn't feel comfortable, he added.

Unsurprisingly, plenty of people were intrigued by the unique choice of holiday, and asked what sort of clientele went on the cruise. 

The man replied: "Unquestionably, there were relatively few younger couples [and] it definitely skewed older.

"Certainly most were in their 50s to 70s. Many gay men. Not many gay women that I could tell, but I would think they would be comfortable. It's an accepting crowd."

He also said that, in his opinion, the cruise was made up of "20 per cent attractive, 20 per cent average, 60 per cent unattractive."

Plenty of Reddit users raised the issue of people taking "sneaky" photos and videos of people whilst they were naked, but the man said everyone had been "very respectful."

He wrote: "Everyone knows you can't take pictures of other people. I was much less worried here than I have been at nude beaches. Almost no one had phones with them outside their cabin. 

"There were many signs posted. There were a lot of staff from the charter company whose job it was to enforce good naturist etiquette. 

"And I've spent time online researching nudism and I've never seen a single online photograph from the cruise except for the group shots that people voluntarily pose for. For those reasons, I wasn't concerned."

Others were more concerned about the issue of hygiene onboard the ship, but the man explained that all cruise goers took a towel around with them to sit on and there were clean towels "all over the ship."

And people were required to wear clothes in the main dining room and in the specialty restaurants", and generally dressed up for the evening events when the sun had gone in.

"So after 6pm, there was a strange mix of nude, normally dressed, and women dressed in sexy clothes, like see-through blouses," he explained.

The man said the combination of some people nude and some people dressed at the bars was 'weird' but 'it added to the charm as far I was concerned.'

In conclusion, he said he found his first nude cruise experience "awesome", adding: "Great weather and the opportunity to do a bunch of fun things nude (beaches, resorts, dancing, be at bars, etc.).

"My partner enjoyed it very much."