Something about combining the terms “nude” and “cruise” just really seems to excite the imagination. As a relative newcomer to the social nudity scene, I was immediately intrigued with the concept when I first discovered that nude cruises not only existed but that there are travel agencies today who specialize in producing them. Bare Necessities Tour & Travel, arguably the premiere agency in the rapidly expanding nude vacationing niche market and the undisputed leader in luxury, clothing-optional cruises has been producing nude cruises since 1990. After perusing the BNT&T; web site and learning the basic details, I decided to go straight to the source for complete information and got in touch with the agency. As a result, it was my great pleasure to visit with the delightful Nancy Tiemann, president and co-founder of Bare Necessities who graciously took time out from her hectic schedule to spend an hour chatting with me about her company and specifically their nude cruise offerings.
Nancy related that her personal introduction to nude travel came in 1989 when she and her husband were vacationing in St. Martin. One morning as they walked on the beach to enjoy the sunrise, they were surprised to discover that it was a nude beach. Finding that it appealed to them, later they joined a group of 34 others for a clothing-optional excursion aboard a dive boat chartered by a small nudist travel concern. That experience led the Tiemanns to consider what the market might be for nude cruises aboard standard cruise ships and they began to research the idea. Once they had concluded that the concept had real potential, they began contacting cruise lines to pitch the concept.
It was a tough sell in the beginning, Nancy admitted. Typical responses from cruise ship representatives included, “You want to do what with our ship!” Some of those contacted by the Tiemanns simply hung up on them thinking it was a prank call or some kind of joke. The Tiemanns persisted however, and eventually found a small Florida based cruise line willing to contract with them for a brand new, 600-passenger ship, a size that the Tiemanns felt comfortable with for a first attempt at producing a nude cruise. They sold out that very first cruise in only five months and that served to increase their confidence that there was a definite market for their unique travel product. The rest as they say is history. After nearly 20 years of producing nude cruises, Bare Necessities Tour & Travel now produces multiple nude cruise offerings each year aboard some of the largest cruise ships available, such as the Carnival Legend with 12 decks, 1,062 staterooms and a passenger capacity of 2,124.
What are nude cruises really like? Are passengers actually able to be nude at all times on these cruises? Nancy explained that passengers are indeed welcome to enjoy all of the activities and amenities offered by the cruise ships and can be nude at all times except when the ship is either leaving or entering port or when dining in the formal dining rooms. While clothing is required in the dining rooms, she added that the standards of dress are much more relaxed than on clothed cruises and that casual outfits like shorts and shirts are all that is required. As a veteran of the clothed cruises, I know this alone is quite a significant departure from the dress code normally required by cruise ships for the formal dining rooms. Nancy also clarified for me that the cruises are considered “clothing-optional” rather than technically nude. It is left up to the discretion of the individual to determine to what degree they wish to undress in accordance with their own comfort level. In other words, there is no requirement that everyone be completely naked. In most cases, however it seems most everyone finds comfort with the idea pretty quickly once they discover how safe and fun the environment is and nude becomes the general rule.
What about the atmosphere aboard a ship filled with naked passengers? Is it sexually charged? Not at all, Nancy told me. The general rule observed is “don’t do anything outside your cabin that you wouldn’t do outside your own home.” Overt sexual conduct in public is prohibited. As an American Association for Nude Recreation affiliated organization, Bare Necessities cruises feature the same wholesome, non-erotic atmosphere that is expected at any AANR affiliated nudist resort or club.
Obviously, people who book nude cruises are interested in a clothing-optional travel experience but Nancy pointed out that many passengers on BNT&T; cruises do not necessarily consider themselves nudists or naturists. They are simply a fun group of people who view clothing-optional vacations as another recreational choice. She noted that her customers come from all walks of life and from a variety of occupations and backgrounds so there is no “typical” nude cruise passenger.
How do the cruise ship crews feel about serving a full compliment of naked passengers? Since the same ships are used that normally carry clothed passengers, are the crews uncomfortable with the nude cruise concept? Actually, this does not seem to present any problems. As Nancy pointed out, they have been producing cruises for so many years now that they frequently encounter crewmembers that have sailed on Bare Necessities cruises in the past and so have learned that Bare Necessities groups are fun passengers to work with, and they have become accustomed to the nudity. In case you are wondering, the crewmembers do remain clothed just as on any other cruise.
Just about any cruise destination can be enjoyed in the nude these days. Cruises in 2009 – 2110 produced by Bare Necessities include the Caribbean and European destinations as well as an anniversary cruise to Hawaii. When we spoke, I learned from Nancy that a cruise to Rome was already completely sold out and the Caribbean cruise departing from Key West was 90% booked.In 2007, published figures reported nude recreation as a four hundred million dollar industry and both Forbes and the Wall Street Journal have recently characterized nude recreation as the fastest growing niche in the travel industry. This seems to bode well for a company like Bare Necessities.
A little comparison-shopping revealed that the advertised rates for a nude cruise is significantly higher than similar clothed cruises aboard comparable vessels with comparable destinations and sailing dates. Nancy agreed that was true and explained that Bare Necessities contracts for the ships for their cruises 12 to 18 months in advance so current cruise rates reflect prices that were in effect before the economic downturn. Future offerings should reflect rates more comparable to the cruises offered by cruise lines when new contracts are negotiated.
Doubly occupancy is the standard within the cruise industry when it comes to booking cabins and the same is true for Bare Necessities cruises. In other words, a single person who wanted to take a nude cruise and occupy a cabin alone would essentially be required to pay the price for two passengers, a rather expensive prospect. As a free service to its customers, Bare Necessities operates a listing where singles interested in taking a cruise can be placed on a list and Bare Necessities attempts to match them with other interested singles so that they can share a cabin and benefit from the resulting lower cost.
Nancy told me that on the average, 70% of the passengers on a given BNT&T; cruise have cruised with them before, and that would seem to indicate that it is a very fun and enjoyable experience. Therefore, if you enjoy cruises but have never considered a nude cruise perhaps you should. Personally, I can’t wait to try one.
