Fifty shades of cruise……sex at sea!

Have you packed? Sun hat – yes, kindle – yes, condoms? Well according to a recent Telegraph survey the number of men and women over the age of 45 being diagnosed with an STI has doubled in recent years. With the average age of cruise passengers now in the early fifties then you really need to be prepared as many cruise ships are unable to cater for the sexually active! Of the biggest cruise lines surveyed by us at the end of last year, only six (Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MCS Cruises, Holland America, Disney and Crystal Cruises) stock condoms, and just three (MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises and Cunard) offer the morning after pill. (Oddly, while P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises all sell the morning after pill, none sells condoms). There is also a rise in cruise ships being chartered for swingers, naturists and even “cougars” (older women in search of younger men). The swingers cruises have “dedicated play rooms” where group play is encouraged. Along with this more and more lines are providing more single cabins and dedicated areas for them to mingle and mix. Our survey also showed that one in five passengers have cheated on their partners during a cruise. What I found disturbing in our survey was that one in five confessed to cheating on their partner on a cruise ship, with a further 80 per cent of these stating their partner was on board at the time! I believe that peoples inhibitions change when they holiday and perhaps something that they would not do at home they would not give a second thought to whilst on holiday. Having worked on a cruise ship I have seen the way some people behave on board and you would be surprised at the amount of older women who literally throw themselves at senior officers. It is discouraged by the cruise lines but sometimes what happens on a ship……stays on a ship. Read the full survey here: Sexual Health On A Cruise Ship