The annual clothing-optional cruise hosted by Bare Necessities left Miami on Monday and headed to the Caribbean for an 11-day vacation.
This year’s cruise takes place on Norwegian Pearl. Aside from visiting Norwegian Cruise Line’s Great Stirrup Cay, the vessel will visit Martinique, San Juan, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, and Dominica during its February 3 to 14 “Bare-adise” adventure.
Despite the name, the Big Nude Boat follows some common conventions like requiring passengers to remain fully clothed while the vessel is docked at the port, in the dining rooms, during the Captain’s reception, and when locals perform aboard the ship. Crew members will also be clothed.
However, it does offer “Bare-fest” events, a nude buffet, and clothing-optional tours that require advanced booking.
The Simple Bear Necessities
Though some might assume that there are sexual implications, the nudism travel company reiterates that its cruises are not sexual in nature. It states on its website FAQs, “Bare Necessities cruises are not sexual.”
“If you are seeking a lifestyle/swinger cruise, we are not the right product for you. As an affiliated club of the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR), we adhere to its standards of etiquette and decorum,” it goes on to explain.
Traveller Feedback
The cruise attracts a niche group that isn’t shy about shedding their clothes—or at least most of them.
A Reddit user described their experience, commenting, “There is nothing better than two weeks naked with 1,800 other naked people.”
Another shared, “Everyone was nude around the pools but many wore some clothes indoors particularly after dinner since they had to get dressed to go to the dining room… They had 2 waterslides, pickleball, disco—all nude as well.”
A third netizen explained that the cruise and its guests are partly there to make a point about the human body. “Some of us want to desexualize the naked body,” she began. “The human body is not offensive. All bodies are beautiful. Everyone should be proud of who and what they are. Clothing does not determine your value or place in society, you simply are valuable.”
In 2023, Bare Necessities announced that this year’s Big Nude Boat will depart from Miami for the first time instead of Tampa, as the port offers better access to several Caribbean destinations.
