Nude cruises: Voyages where you can take it all off
Editor's Note
Nudist cruises are advertised as an opportunity to let it all hang out. But clothing-optional sailings don't require you to be completely naked. It's your choice whether to cover up.
Adults of all ages, shapes and sizes can enjoy a nude cruise. The sailings do include all sorts of rules, though. For instance, you must be clothed in the dining rooms.
Nude cruises are not about sex but rather about body acceptance. Don't confuse clothing-optional nude cruises with the more targeted couples-only swingers cruises, which typically are also clothing-optional.
Here's what you need to know before embarking on a nude sailing.
Who to book with
The Big Kahuna of nude cruises is Austin, Texas-based Bare Necessities, founded in 1990. The company pioneered clothing-optional ship charters, and its trips take over entire vessels. Bare Necessities has worked with cruise lines that include small-ship lines Star Clippers and Paul Gauguin Cruises, as well as the more well-known Celebrity Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America.
Nude cruise vacations with Bare Necessities tend to be in warm-weather spots, such as the Caribbean and Mediterranean, but they have also included Alaska.
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On any sailing, about 70% of passengers have cruised with the company before. Cruises are for ages 18 and older. On its website, Bare Necessities makes clear that its cruises are not for vacationers looking to get busy while naked: "Social nudity is not a sexual activity, and we strive to dispel the misconception that it is anything but natural and beautiful." Anyone overtly sexual could be kicked off the ship.
It's important when booking a nude cruise to decide if you are a nudist or a swinger. There are cruise operators for both.
Upcoming sailings
At press time, Bare Necessities had five sailings scheduled for 2024 and 2025. It sold out both of its 14-night Greek Isles cruises set for April 30 and May 11, 2024, on Star Clippers' 227-passenger Royal Clipper.
Closer to home, you might choose to embark on a Big Nude Boat sailing on the 2,124-passenger Carnival Pride, where you can ride the waterslides, hang out at the piano bar and dine poolside on sinful, complimentary Guy Fieri burgers — all in the buff. As noted on the Bare Necessities website, the ship's decor is appropriate for a nudist vacation. There's a replica of Michelangelo's naked David sculpture in the steakhouse, and bare-breasted mermaids decorate the walls at the Lido buffet.
The next voyage that had availability at the time of publication was a weeklong Caribbean sailing on Carnival Pride sailing from Tampa on Feb. 25, 2024, calling on Costa Maya, Mexico; Mahogany Bay on the Honduran island of Roatan; and Cozumel, Mexico, with three sea days thrown in the mix.
There is also an 11-night Big Nude Boat sailing scheduled for Feb. 3, 2025, on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Pearl, sailing round trip from Miami.
Additionally, for travelers who want to experience the Great Barrier Reef, there is still availability on a 13-night Vanuatu voyage, departing Oct. 26, 2025, on Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours' new Scenic Eclipse II.
RELATED: The ultimate guide to Carnival Cruise Line ships
Facts about nude cruises
Things you should know, beyond the need to bring copious amounts of sunscreen (used liberally in areas of the body that are not often exposed to the sun, where you would tend to burn):
- Pack some clothes. All guests are required to dress for meals in the dining room and at specialty restaurants. You will also need to put on clothes to attend the captain's cocktail party. You don't need to be fancy. Nudist cruises are typically casual. (You may show up wearing shorts and a T-shirt if you want.)
- You are required to put on clothes when your ship pulls into a port or whenever the captain announces you must. Crew members remain in their normal clothes at all times.
- While you're packing, check the planned events for your sailing. You might want to pack gear for costume parties or theme nights.
- Once on board, you are free to go as clothing-optional as you like in the fitness center (try naked yoga), on the zip line, in the casino, at the pools and at most other indoor and outdoor areas, including the bars and the buffet.
- When you sit naked on any furniture — such as sun loungers or bar stools — you must place a towel under your naked bottom or G-string.
- Nudist cruises are open to couples, friends and family traveling together, as well as solo travelers. Bare Necessities has a roommate match service for solos who don't want to pay a high single supplement.
When possible, your ship will provide the option to visit nude beaches, which could include the cruise line's own private island or beach resort.
If you do want to swing
If you are looking for a clothing-optional swingers cruise, complete with erotic movie showings, naughty theme parties and playrooms, Bliss Cruises has a handful of upcoming charters for like-minded "swinger couples, nudists, voyeurs and exhibitionists." Options include:
- A five-night sailing on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, embarking in Port Canaveral near Orlando and sailing to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic April 22-27, 2024
- A seven-night sailing on Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas, embarking in Miami and sailing to the Caribbean Nov. 10-17, 2024
- A six-night sailing on Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas, embarking in Miami and sailing to the Eastern Caribbean April 24-30, 2025
- A seven-night sailing on Celebrity Reflection, embarking in Fort Lauderdale and sailing to the Eastern Caribbean Nov. 8-15, 2025
The sailings are for adults (age 21 and older), and they're for couples only.
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