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NaturistDoc
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 Posted - 11/07/2006 : 6:11:13 PM
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Wow! Madame and I just returned from a nude sailing cruise in the Grenadines. I am still somewhat overwhelmed by the experience, but I'll put down a few thoughts now, and maybe add to them later.
Other than the first night, which was unusually rough, the sailing was generally smooth. I'm prone to seasicknes, and if I didn't hurl, you probably wouldn't either. Much of the inter-island sailing was done at night, so as to maximize beach time during the day. Normally the ship operates out of Grenada, but due to hurricane damage, we embarked & disembarked in St. Lucia. The itinerary included Grenada, Carriacou, Mayreau, Bequia and the Tobago Cays. The passengers (all 54 of us) were nude the vast majority of the time aboard ship and on the beaches. We were obliged to cover up when we docked and (obviously) for excursions ashore.
The passengers were mostly couples in their 50's and 60's, mostly Americans with a couple of Brits, Canadians, and Venezuelans. Generally nice folks (with one rather creepy exception), with maybe a dozen party-hearty types. No swingers in evidence. In a group of this size, you're bound to find some kindred spirits, and the ship is large enough to let you avoid the people you'd rather not deal with. The cabins are TINY. Do not believe the Castaways website's description of some cabins as "large". Large, in this case, means "slightly less tiny". Fortunately, most of one's time is spent on deck. In-cabin activites of an intimate nature call for a certain degree of flexibility. I knew I should have signed up for those yoga classes!
The beaches were uniformly fabulous. One advantage of being on a smallish ship is that you can get to some terrific C/O beaches (e.g., Sandy Island off of Carriacou, and the astonishing Tobago Cays) that the Foo-Foo Ships (a term of contempt for the gigantic cruise ships) can't get anywhere near. We had some close encounters with textiles, but they were good-natured ones. The textiles seemed a bit envious! The sun was intense; I used SPF 45 and 60 sunscreens, but I am as tan as I've been in 30 years. Snorkelling ranged from good to great. We had rain showers every day, but they were quite brief.
Food aboard ship was plentiful and ... OK. The Caribbean is not known for gourmet cuisine, primarily because so much has to be imported. The requirements imposed by a small ship (with a small galley) tended to make the food a little plain, although the fresh fish was usually very good. (Incidentally, if you catch or buy a lobster, the chefs will cook it up for you.) Desserts were uniformly bad.
Entertainment? Why Windjammers would think we needed entertaining in the middle of Paradise is beyond me, but ... They were the predictable sort of thing: Halloween costume contest; a Battle of the Sexes (which we skipped); a shipboard scavenger hunt. Largely a waste of time and energy in my book, but some folks enjoyed it. One night we were treated (if that's the word for it) to a band consisting of 2 pasty-white British ex-pats playing exceptionally bad versions of circa-1960 rock classics. Given the amazing variety and quality of music available in the Caribbean, whoever hired these two should be keelhauled. The crew (islanders all) were visibly cringing. (In fairness, many of our more inebriated shipmates seemed to be enjoying the show.) Mercifully, a torrential rain shower put an early end to it.
There were numerous opportunities for shore excursions. You could visit any number of waterfalls, old sugar plantations, botanical gardens, markets, etc. On balance, I'd have to say that you could make better use of your time by reading up in advance, hiring a taxi and setting your own itinerary. As for shopping ... I'm not much of a shopper, so I'm the wrong guy to ask. Virtually all the islands had a similar selection of tourist crap, but there were some more specialized stores as well.
Am I glad I went? Absolutely. Sailing at night, sitting with my wife (naked of course) on deck und
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nudeisntlewd
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 06:04:31 AM
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Sounds like a mixed review, but that you generally had a good time.
In years past, I had considered taking a nude cruise on a larger ship thinking I'd be better able to avoid undesirables if necessary. But I like the idea of the romance of a smaller sailing vessel. Sounds to me like a fun cruise if accompanied by a friend.
Maybe someday. (Although right now, I can scarcely afford to put gas in the Saturn.)
Randy 
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NaturistDoc
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 08:28:17 AM
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No kidding, Randy. I approach the mailbox with dread these days, knowing that a brutal Visa bill is stalking me.
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allnaturalwife
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 1:31:16 PM
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I have a qusstion about the cruise. I have heard that on many of the cruises you have to put something on in port, even if you dont get off the boat. Is that true? I have also heard that you need to be dressed in the restraunts. If that is the case we will probably never go. Spending all that money for a NUDE vacation where there are all these occasions where you have to "get dressed" would not be very fun.
Jenn
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Cheri
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 4:50:51 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by allnaturalwife
I have a qusstion about the cruise. I have heard that on many of the cruises you have to put something on in port, even if you dont get off the boat. Is that true? I have also heard that you need to be dressed in the restraunts. If that is the case we will probably never go. Spending all that money for a NUDE vacation where there are all these occasions where you have to "get dressed" would not be very fun.
Jenn
Jenn, If you are below deck, you can generally stay nude. The Windjammer cruises are less structured than the larger ships, and you don't need to dress for dinner usually. Even on the larger cruises, if you want to dress for dinner, that's fine. If you don't want to dress for dinner, you can wear a pareo or eat at the casual dining areas.
Cheri
Doing what I can to positively promote nudism
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allnaturalwife
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 7:25:49 PM
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Thats good to hear. Our family doesnt like the "nudist venues" where you have to get dressed for various reasons..Ie: to eat in the restraunts. Whats the point of paying for a NUDE vacation if you have to get dressed..EVER. That is why we prefer the nudist clubs and resorts to the cruises.
Jenn
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NaturistDoc
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 7:47:36 PM
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We generally didn't dress for dinner; some passnegers did. On the ship we were only required to get dressed while we were docked. Many times we'd anchor out in the harbor instead of tying up at the dock, so we could stay nude, even up on deck. I'd say our shipboard time was at least 90% nude.
I guess I'm less of a purist than Jenn. Her "All Nude All The Time Or Fuggedaboutit" philosophy, while understandable, seems a little doctrinaire to me. There's no way I'd pass up nude snorkelling in the Tobago Cays just because I had to throw on some clothes occasionally.
Having said that, I think my next nekkid cruise will be a charter. Even then you have to get dressed in port, but the lack of regimentation and the ability to choose one's shipmates sounds very appealling.
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allnaturalwife
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 8:02:27 PM
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I suppose we ARE a little apart from the norm as far as our "all nude all the time attitude". BUT it seems to me that if Im going to pay the high price of going on a nude cruise, I want to be nude 100% of the time,not 90%. Like I have said though, we live a mostly nude existence in our own family, and both my hubby and I were nude almost 90% of the time growing up. There are several nudist resorts that you can be nude from the moment you step on the property, to the moment you leave. Those are more our cup of tea. We would probably go all the way and get a group of our nudist friends to charter a boat,if we were going to spend the money anyway. I have been diving in some of the most beautiful locations on earth, including Turks and Cacos and the Great Barrier Reef..All nude. Many other nudists call my family "fanatical nudists". Its not because they dont have the oppertunity to be nude as much as we do..but they just let other things restrict their "nude time" more than we do.
Jenn
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pilot
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Posted - 11/09/2006 : 10:15:33 PM
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ND...
Thanks for the informative and careful trip report.
Sounds as if the smaller boat experience is positive, but the option to charter a boat/catamaran and choose the couples with whom to sail would be even more positive.
Best,
Pilot
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old hippie
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Posted - 11/13/2006 : 02:13:54 AM
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Doc -
Thanks for the report. On balance, it sounds like a good time. I'd look for info, if only the other half wasn't highly prone to seasickness. The 20-min trip from mainland to an atoll off Belize was more than she could stand, and the weather was fine.
Looks like we'll be driving to the beach for the forseeable future.
Hippie
Dum vivimus, vivamus!
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FireProf
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Posted - 11/13/2006 : 08:58:16 AM
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Thanks Doc! As usual, you've provided an honest report on your trip to a nudist destination. And like always, you've managed to get me interested in the same trip and put me further in debt!!
We've discussed this type of excursion, the Prof and I, and we are talking with our nudist friends about it, in hopes that they will follow suit and start saving so we can all take a cruise like this one together.
The Prof loves to cruise but she's not been as eager to take a nude cruise with 2000 others, yet, so this size boat and nude cruise seems to be more her speed.
Thanks again for the report.
A
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NaturistDoc
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Posted - 11/13/2006 : 11:49:01 AM
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Old Hippie,
I feel her pain. Rough seas aren't all that common in the Grenadines, and the Yankee Clipper is long enough (200 feet) to have some degree of stability. However, we did have one very bad night to start us off, and I was sure I'd squandered a small fortune. And once you're out at sea, you're kinda stuck, at least until you get to an island large enough to have an airport.
FireProf,
Hey, I never claimed to be much of a financial advisor. I've had to put my own CPA on Nexium and Zoloft. Based on what you've said, I'd bet the Prof would really enjoy this cruise. (One thing to be careful about, though. Castaways advertises a similar cruise "for hedonistic couples only", which I take to mean swingers, so caveat emptor.) It's nice to be somewhat pampered: somebody else gets to cook and clean up, and there's always a bartender available. If we manage to put together a small-boat charter, I suppose I'll be forced to make my own gin & tonics. Talk about roughing it!
Doc
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jim19452
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Posted - 11/13/2006 : 3:54:26 PM
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NaturistDoc, Thanks for the trip report. I am surprised there isn't foolproof or near foolproof medication to defeat seasickness.
Best Wishes, Jim
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Trip Report: Windjammer Nude Cruise
