Going to the Bliss Cruise November 2018 - What should we expect?

[Socca 20]

We are just trying out the lifestyle and have signed up for the Nov Bliss cruise. What should we expect? What is the average age? We are in our 50’s, are there attendees in that range? What things do they do to facilitate introductions? What are lessons learned that would help us have a better cruise?

[njbm 2,877]

There will be many people in your age group. We’ve been on 2 Bliss cruises. One big tip is to reach out to other Bliss cruisers on SLS. Tell the other people your room number and open your pictures. Keep a list of prospects where both sides seem interested. Leave a note on their white board and try to meet for coffee, lunch or dinner.

 

There are meet and greets, speed dating and massage classes (sign up early). Also, get seated with other people for dinner. And try to go on land excursions and meet people. We also like trivia contests or name that tune, if they have it. Small quiet groups. Bring business cards with your picture and cabin number.

 

If that sounds too intense and goal oriented, do relax, have fun with your spouse and let things happen organically.

 

On the November 2017 cruise, my member needed a splint. In March, 2017, we only played once. Like all swinging events, circumstances and luck play a role. Have fun and enjoy the vacation and enjoy your spouse above all.

[lnw 145]

We've been on 8 LS cruises - 3 of them on Bliss.

 

What should we expect? The Independence is a larger ship so there will be about 1900 couples on board. There will be a mix of those in the lifestyle, nudists and couples that are neither but just enjoy a sexy vibe for the week. Expect a "no pressure" environment where "no" means no. You will not see orgies and open sex unless you go to the playrooms. The only locations where sex is allowed are the playrooms and your cabin. Pool is clothing optional and most will be nude. Covering is required to go to your cabin and other areas of the ship. Night time themes allow for topless in the clubs but once again, you need to be covered outside the club area.

 

What is the average age? We are in our 50’s, are there attendees in that range? There is the full spectrum of ages with a few in low 30's, most in 40-50's, some in 60's and a few in their 70's. We should all be so lucky to be enjoying life in our 70's like that.

 

What things do they do to facilitate introductions? Lots of Meet and Greets during the day and many at 5 PM at various bars/lounges. All will be posted in the daily schedule you receive in your cabin each evening for the following day. One thing that is common though is that if you wait for someone to talk to you, you will not meet a lot of people. Put yourself out there and make the introduction. We know that is a push for some people but also required to get the most out of the week.

 

What are lessons learned that would help us have a better cruise? As mentioned before, have some business size cards made up to hand out. We put our picture on it, first names, contact email (one we use only for this fun) and any profile/site info if you have a profile on sites like SLS and Kasidie. Some print their cabin number on it but we don't. We write the cabin # on the back so we can use the cards for future cruises.

 

Go with no expectations except to have a great time together. Establish your limits prior to the cruise and communicate them to those when it looks like you might take it further with a couple.

 

Drink Package - they are expensive but many get it. It will run about $500 per person. Plan on 8-9 drinks per day to break even. Keep in mind port days you will be off the ship so you will have fewer drinks that day. We pay as we go.... and spend way less than $1000 for the week for booze.

 

If they offer clothing optional excursions and they sound interesting to you, sign up early as those are the ones that go fast and may have a capacity limit.

 

You are allowed two bottles of wine to bring on board to your cabin. If you choose to bring some, it must be in your carry-on bag to go through security. Plan to consume the wine in your cabin or you will be charged a corking fee in the dining room.

 

Arrival to the port city: We always arrive 2 days prior to the ship departing because it takes us all day flying just to get to FL. Some risk arriving the morning the ship departs. Unless you are driving, there are a number of things that can go wrong flying and losing luggage. I fly almost every week of the year and have a lot of air time so I don't leave things to chance when it comes to a cruise like this. When you pay $4,000 for the cruise, the ship is not going to wait and it will be up to you to get to the next port if you want to get on board.

 

Let us know if you have other questions. We have 2 more LS cruises booked for this year.

[Socca 20]

Thank you so much Inw for your response. It has some very helpful information. I didn’t think we could bring wine on as well. Do you know if that is common. We are doing an Alaska (I think the term is vanilla) trip this summer and that would be nice as well. Do you also have tips for keeping your vanilla life and ls life from being intermingled.

[lnw 145]

Not all cruise lines allow 2 bottles of wine to be brought on board so best to check with your booking agent (if you used one) or the cruise line directly. CruiseCritic is a good source for information as well and to post a question on cruises. We did a two week Alaska cruise (wife had an assignment on the ship so we did a trip up and the turnaround trip back). Out of 14 days in August, had 3 days without rain. Pack accordingly. The Inside Passage is a rain-forest area.

 

Keeping vanilla and lifestyle lives separate can be a challenge. We came home for a 3 week LS vacation in Europe and when we saw our vanilla friends, I had to remember in my mind "hugs only...don't kiss them!" But we do not mix our parties or other events with vanilla and LS friends. For us, it is easier cause we live in a smaller remote community so little to no LS couples that we know of around. We take our LS fun on the road like cruises, Desire and sometimes clubs during our road trips. In a larger metro area, we could see that being more of a problem.