If you’ve booked with us before, be aware our booking process has changed. Click “Book Now” on the menu at the top of this page for prices, itinerary and booking information. Please read it carefully.

If you’ve booked with us before, be aware our booking process has changed. Click “Book Now” on the menu at the top of this page for prices, itinerary and booking information. Please read it carefully.

You can post for a roommate to any of the online GothCruise community. Usually you can find someone who is also looking for a roomie for the cruise.

The Original GothCruise is an organized group vacation in which like-minded sp00ky folks get together, book cabins on the same ship and have fun. The idea behind GothCruise was formed at a room party at Convergence, the annual party run by and for members of the alt.gothic online communities. During the party, the question came up “Where is the most unlikely place you would find a goth?” Everyone agreed; the answer was “a Caribbean cruise.” In that moment the challenge was made, the die was cast, the bat was flown. In the year that followed, the very first GothCruise in history was organized and a legend was born.

We are a group of Goths, our friends and friends-to-be going on vacation together and you are welcome to join us. The Original GothCruise is 100% Do-It-Yourself. We don’t advertise in glossy magazines (although we do get interviewed by them) or have major corporate sponsors. Advertising for our cruise is largely via word-of-mouth and chatter on various Internet and Facebook communities. GothCruise aims to be a “drama-free zone” and is primarily comprised of Goth and Goth-friendly working professionals (aka CorpGoths) of all ages.

So however you got here, we’re glad you found us! We hope you decide join the fun. The Original GothCruise tradition has carried on through many previous voyages. We even have pictures to prove it! See the History page for pictures of our prior cruises and past itineraries. If you’re still curious about how GothCruise works, read the GothCruise Manifesto.

Here’s some places where we’ve appeared in print:

Washington Post:
GOTH AT 40: THE ENDURING APPEAL OF BLEAKNESS AND BLACK LIPSTICK

Porthole Magazine:
JOIN THE CLUB- GOTH CRUISES

Frommer’s:
MUSIC CRUISES 2010: DARK AND SCARY EDITION

The Orange County Register (re:Goth Cruise: The Movie)
CRUISING JUST FOR GOTHS

Absolutely not!

Whether you’re Goth, Geek, Freak, Punk, Nerd, Hippie, Gamer, Raver, Graver, Cosplayer, Biker, Emo, Steampunk, Trekkie, Mando, Jedi, Norm or anything else you identify as you are most welcome to join us. We like everyone, no matter who you are and no matter what you wear.

(We were going to attempt a comprehensive list of subcultures, but we realized it would be out of date the second we hit the publish button.)

“GothCruise XX: Noir Noir Sails Again” is the nineteenth voyage of the Original GothCruise, bound for the the Eatern Caribbean Islands leaving the San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 31, 2027.  This sailing is 7 nights long with stops at Tortola, B.V.I.’ St. Johns, Antigua; Roseau, Dominica; St. Croix, U.S.V.I.; and Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis.  We will be sailing on our old friend, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Vision of the Seas. See the Booking Page for more information.

If you want to go on GothCruise XX, or you know people might want to go, please be a good dark soul and share this website with them on your social media site of choice

Yup! We have a number group-only events planned:

Exclusive GothCruise Formal and Costume Dance Parties: Usually occurring on the voyage’s “at sea” days, we reserve space in one of the ship’s music venues and have private themed pre-dinner dance parties where you can dance to great goth, industrial and related genre music provided by our own DJs. Many cruisers usually go all out, dressing to match the theme of the dance. Previous dance party themes included dystopian futures, haunted old west ghost towns, the roaring 1920s, your favorite apocalypse,  superheros, doomed voyages, fantasy realms, dreams and nightmares.

Group Dining: After a busy day either in port or on the ship, you have the option of joining the rest of your fellow GothCruisers in the Main Dining Room for a lovely dinner from the wonderful Royal Caribbean chefs. You can tell the tales of your grand adventures while eating a sumptuous three course meal.

Game Nights: Break out the dice, cards, game boards and score sheets. If you bring it, chances are you’ll find someone to play it with you. At least one night can be set aside for game play.

Pre-cruise Meet-up: For those folks who arrive at our departure port early, we’ll have a gathering of cruise-bound folks at a local gathering place.

Meet ‘n’ Greet: (Sail-Away Day) Pick up your laminate and have your first fruity rum drink. Meet old friends and make new ones. This is the best way to get to know the folks with whom you’re spending your vacation.

These are all in the very early planning stages and subject to change. All are very much dependent on how many cruisers book with us and space availability. We will have more details when we are much closer to the sailing date. Watch our facebook group for more details when they are available.

Check out the About Us page to learn more about the folks who are behind the Original GothCruise

We have had a hard time finding continuity and consistency of service with travel agencies.  After doing extensive research, we have opted to try direct booking with Royal Caribbean as a social group.  

The big change here is that we have to collect our Activities Fee directly from you rather than having you pay that to the travel agency.  While this means you have to make your Activities Fee payment to us directly and then book your cruise cabin, we are hoping that the other benefits will make this change worthwhile.

Instead of trying to have you pay one of the Brain Trust your Activities Fee directly, we decided to use a ticket platform – this means that you use their payment processor and you have the protections provided by the ticketing platform.  

As a reminder, we use the Activities Fee to pay for the event venue rental, equipment rental, and any other Royal Caribbean fees required for our events (these vary depending on the ship and itinerary), lanyard and material costs, and any other operating expenses of GothCruise.  It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and goth tears to run the GothCruise, on top of any expenses.

Of course! We love it when folks want to get involved. Information about GothCruise is, and always will be, spread by word-of-mouth or word of Internet. We do not advertise in glossy magazines nor do we seek corporate sponsorships. So this is where we need your help. GothCruise survives because of people like you, who want to go on a low-stress, low-budget cruise to interesting places with interesting people. Tell your friends! Invite them to join our Facebook Community, Original GothCruisers or send them a link to this website, www.gothcruise.com.

Yes. Good Goth, we were young then.

We were featured in a full length documentary called Goth Cruise: The Movie.  It was originally aired on the IFC channel in 2008 and it’s now available on Vimeo. The documentary follows us on GothCruise IV in 2007 and explores the the allure of the Goth subculture and what it really means to be Goth.

We’d like to thank the director, Jeanie Finlay, and TigerLily Films for choosing to use The Original GothCruise and our friends as inspiration for the beautiful movie she created. We can think of no better way to show what the true enduring spirit of this thing called Goth (and our humble GothCruise) is all about. For more information about the movie and to watch it on Vimeo, go here: http://www.tigerlilyproductions.com/gothcruise

In the years since this movie’s release, Jeanie Finlay has gone on to shoot several highly acclaimed, award winning documentaries including Your Fat Friend, Game Of Thrones: The Last Watch, ORION: The Man Who Would Be King, The Great Hip Hop Hoax, Sound It Out, and more. We congratulate her on her numerous accomplishments and we are happy that we were part of something bigger than ourselves that will outlive us all.

You can expect round-the-clock food, a wide selection of shipboard entertainment and GothCruise exclusive events. There will be numerous chances to see shows, gamble in the casino, shop in the duty free shops and partake of many other shipboard activities.

As our group only makes up a small percentage of the ship, you should be prepared to interact with a variety of non-goth people and should dress appropriately for a public setting. Be nice to the norms. There will be at least one formal attire required evening in the main dining room depending on the length of the cruise. If you choose not to dress up for formal night (minimum tie and shirt for men, nice dress or suit for ladies), you may eat in one of the alternate venues.

As long as you are appropriately dressed and acting in a reasonably mature fashion, it is unusual to receive a severely negative reaction. A strange look here or there was the most we encountered. More often than not, people seem curious as to what our group is all about and who we are.

The few problems we had on past cruises have come from people who were dressed in questionable fetish gear, had difficulties dealing with “norms”, or were extremely drunk or rude. If you are made uncomfortable by interacting with non-goth people in a confined environment or think that a cruise with a few thousand people trying to enjoy their somewhat expensive vacations is a perfect place to show how much of an a**hole you are, then perhaps GothCruise is not the vacation for you.

No. The rest of the passengers will be made up of couples, families with children, other groups, retirees, etc. You will be interacting with normal folks on the cruise and expected to act responsibly. We are all adults and essentially ambassadors for our scene.

A cruise is similar to a vacation in an all-inclusive resort. Most of your dining and entertainment is included in the price of your cabin. However, there are options for both which incur additional fees.

Check out the Royal Caribbean website for complete info about what you can expect. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/home.do

Overall, our experience all our cruises has been generally positive. On all occasions our group definitely ‘stood out’. Many of the other passengers are friendly and curious. By the end of the cruise we will hear comments like, “Your group is a lot of fun.” and “We want to be part of your group!” On GC2, we even were more fun than 600 Lynn University Freshmen. Their Dean of Students ended up hanging out at our dances. On GothCruise 10, Captain Rick Sullivan attended one of our events and even busted a move or two. Most recently on GothCruise 12, Captain Marek Slaby was intrigued by our group and hung out with us at our Future Noir dance.

Yes there will be sun. You are certainly entitled to shun the sun. We find that the people who most enjoy the cruise are those in the scene who aren’t terrified of the ‘evil daystar’ and/or are comfortable using “Goth Block” (SPF 30,001) to keep from getting an embarrassing tan. GothCruise 19 will be on the Pacific Ocean during the Summer, so the sun will be present from about 5:45 AM to about 8:25 PM. Sorry we can’t do anything about that… yet. Many of the regular activities and the shore excursions happen during the day and outdoors. Typical day wear consists of comfortable clothes and it’s rare to see the PVC or the velvets come until our special events or dinner. This is vacation after all and you aren’t expected to be uncomfortable 24/7.

Royal Caribbean has some common-sense guidelines for suggested attire. Check out the next two FAQs if you have further questions.

(from Royal Caribbean’s FAQ)

When you’re onboard, the right look will vary by venue. But here are a few types of suggested attire you’ll see, grouped by item.

Casual: You’re on vacation – relax! Jeans, polos, sundresses and blouses are all the right amount of laid back. Please keep swimwear to the Pool Deck. Shorts are welcomed for breakfast and lunch.
Smart Casual: Think of this as a step up from your typical dinner wear. Dress to impress with collared shirts, dresses, skirts and blouses, or pantsuits. Jackets, sports coats and blazers are snazzy and welcomed.
Formal: Make it a night out in your best black-tie look – suits and ties, tuxedos, cocktail dresses or evening gowns. There can be 1-3 formal nights during a sailing and is at the ship’s discretion.

Yes, yes, that’s all well and good, but remember we are only a small percentage of people on a 2,000+ guest ship. Please keep that in mind when selecting attire for the cruise. It is quite possible to dress “goth” and be appropriately attired for our setting.

On formal nights, feel free to dress your best: corsets, gowns, tuxedos, button down shirts, kilts, leather pants, or in other words, your finest formal goth-wear are all acceptable. While you may encounter a few turned heads, it is rare that anyone will actually say anything.

Check out the group pictures on our website, our facebook group, and various other places around the web to get an idea of what we’re talking about.

*sigh* Outfits that are most suited to fetish nights, play clubs, and the like could result in unwanted negative attention on the cruise. Please use discretion when thinking about wearing more risqué garb. In other words, please keep your private stuff private. Your electrical tape bikini or your spiky banana hammock (ow!) are probably not the best choice for this event. We would hate for anyone’s vacation to be ruined by a rude encounter or wardrobe malfunction.

We are all over the place!

Facebook:

The Original GothCruisers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OriginalGothCruisers/
(This is the most active community and a great way to find out new information.)

GothCruise Page: https://www.facebook.com/gothcruise

Twitter:

Follow us here: http://twitter.com/GothCruise

Thank you for asking. We love that you might be interested in playing for us, but we have never had bands play on our cruise. Why? Because live music is not the point of GothCruise. It’s just not that kind of cruise. GothCruise is all about you and your vacation and making sure it’s one of the best, most memorable ones you’ve ever had. It’s is a gathering of Goths, like-minded friends and friends-to-be traveling together on a fun group vacation. GothCruise is, and always will be, about the fascinating places we go, the interesting people we’re with, and the amazing time we had together.

If you are cruising with us and would like to lend your DJ talents to entertaining your fellow cruisers, contact us at gothcruise@gothcruise.com to volunteer.

Since our dance and event times aren’t solidified yet, more information will be provided on DJ selection when the sail date is closer and our specific events confirmed.

No.

GothCruise is all about you and your vacation and making sure it’s one of the best, most memorable ones you’ve ever had. We try to keep costs as low as possible while still having a good time. It’s a gathering of Goths, like-minded friends and friends-to-be traveling together on a fun group vacation. GothCruise is, and always will be, about the fascinating places we go, the interesting people we’re with, and the amazing time we had together.

The Royal Caribbean family of cruise lines have been our choice since GothCruise 3 due to amenities that veteran GothCruisers have come to enjoy. Large ships, nice cabins, good food, and better overall service are the reasons we keep going back. Most of Royal Caribbean’s vessels offers alternate fine dining options which are not available on other cruise lines. Since we don’t jump from cruise line to cruise line, many GothCruisers have been able to enjoy the perks provided by being long standing members of the Crown and Anchor loyalty club. Plus, you get a rock-climbing wall and a slightly less cheesy atmosphere.

Short Answer: Highly recommended.

Long Answer: Here we go. (Remember, you asked.)

Travel insurance can include the following:

• CANCELLATION COVERAGE has you covered if you cancel your trip in its entirety.
• TRIP INTERRUPTION COVERAGE Provides coverage if you can’t start or finish your cruise because you’re sick or hurt, there’s a death in the family, or for another covered reason.
• TRAVEL DELAY COVERAGE provides compensation if you experience significant delays or miss a connection on the way to or from your cruise
• MEDICAL COVERAGE has you covered if you become injured or sick during your vacation.
• LUGGAGE PROTECTION kicks in If your baggage or personal property is lost, stolen, or damaged

If you’re interested in purchasing travel insurance, shop around to find the plan that covers what matters to you. You can purchase travel insurance from Royal Caribbean directly, or from many other insurance companies online.

The Original GothCruise shall not be liable for any injuries, damages, or losses incurred by you, the traveler, in connection with, or by supplier employees or contractors, terrorist activities, social or labor unrest, mechanical or construction failures, or difficulties, diseases, local laws, climatic conditions, criminal acts or abnormal conditions or developments, or any other actions, omissions, or conditions outside of the control of themselves and/or  Royal Caribbean Group. The Original GothCruise shall also not be liable if Royal Caribbean Group refuses to provide service because of the traveler’s decision to refuse to follow their regulations.

The Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, inoculations, or other entry requirements for each destination, as well as re-entry into the U.S., and all safety or security conditions at such destinations, in connection with the proposed travel. If you’re concerned about the possible dangers at international destinations, check the Travel Advisory Section of the U.S. Department of State website for information about your destination.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html

Royal Caribbean Group Legal Information:  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/lac/es/resources/legal

The majority of your costs for the cruise are included in the cabin fare. However, you should budget additional money for gratuities and spending money for extras such as souvenirs, excursions, drinks, etc.

Gratuities are automatically billed to you as part of your room incidentals. They’re $14.50 per day per person in regular cabins, $17.50 for suites. They make up a large portion of the steward/bartender/waiter’s pay, and if you want to adjust them, you need to talk to the guest relations desk on board ship. You can always tip extra directly in person.

The additional cruise costs can easily equal the cost of your cruise fare, unless you are careful. In reality, you can expect to spend a minimum $50 per day per person on incidentals such as alcoholic drinks or sodas, souvenirs, Interwebs, spa services, fine-dining restaurants, excursions, shopping in port, gambling and other hi-jinks. Our advice is to budget yourself ahead of time. Also, travel to the port of departure is not included and should also be part of your budgeting.

Yes. It takes 6-8 weeks to get a passport. Information can be found here http://travel.state.gov/passport/

Basically, you need to be 21. If you are under 21, you must be traveling with your spouse or a parent or legal guardian over the age of 25. Royal Caribbean’s age policy is located here.

Yes. As long as you follow Royal Caribbean’s age policy, children are welcome on GothCruise. Royal Caribbean’s age policy is located here.

Yup. You are personally responsible for reading and understanding any and all documents, policies, emails, attachments, and other information available to you from the entities from which will book your cruise, transportation, airfare and lodgings. We are unable to manage this on your behalf. We are not responsible if you don’t. Should you have questions and/or concerns on a policy or document, please contact a Representative from the appropriate entity.

Many GothCruisers arrive in the port city the day before we sail and fly out the day after we return to port. This is highly recommended because it removes the worry of canceled or delayed flights. If you can’t do that, try to arrive as early on cruise day as you can and plan your post-cruise departure flight for as late as possible on the day we return to port.

We recommend that people arrive at the Port after 11am. Boarding can start as early as 12pm, but rarely starts much before then. If you arrived the day before, plan to have a nice late breakfast in our city of departure and then head over to the port. You will be able to have lunch aboard the ship. If enough people are interested and staying in the same hotel, we may be able to arrange group transportation to the port.

PRO TIP: Pay attention to the email you receive from Royal Caribbean. They will let you know when you can check in online. Checking in online will expedite your boarding effort on sailing day.

Your GothCruise Activities Fee is non-refundable.  If GothCruise is rescheduled, all purchases will be honored for the next event date.  This fee is collected via our ticketing platform prior to booking your cruise with Royal Caribbean.

For your Royal Caribbean fee, that depends on when you cancel. See the https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy for details.

Guests may bring personal wine and champagne onboard only on boarding day, limited to two (2) 750 ml bottles per stateroom. When consumed in any public area, each bottle shall be subject to a corkage fee of $15.00. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call or from onboard shops will be taken when you return from port, stored by the ship, and delivered to guest staterooms on the last day of the sailing. Security may inspect containers (water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, luggage etc.) and will dispose of open containers holding alcohol. Royal Caribbean’s Guest Conduct Policy may be enforced, up to and including being kicked off the ship, if a guest violates any alcohol policy. Guests under the age of 21 will not have alcohol returned to them.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/lifeOnboardFaq.do

Starting in 2008, RCCL instituted a new smoking policy. Read and weep below:

“For the comfort and enjoyment of our guests, our ships are designated as non-smoking; however, we recognize that some of our guests smoke. Therefore, to provide an onboard environment that also satisfies smokers, we have designated certain public and private areas of the ship as smoking areas.”

RoyalCaribbean Online allows guests to access e-mail and the Internet for a fee. For more info on your options, click here to see the Royal Caribbean Internet FAQ.

Rough seas are always possible and even the biggest boats can rock and roll. There are a number of remedies available for the sufferer. Some options are:

(disclaimer – We are not doctors and we are not giving you medical advice. We looked these up on google. You can , too. Have at it, Sparky!)

• Ginger: Ginger is good for calming stomachs. While probably not appropriate for true seasickness sufferers, it can help those who experience minor or occasional bouts. Ginger has almost no side effects and makes a tasty addition to your beverage.
• Wristbands: Acupuncture wristbands are popular and you’ll see many on board wearing them. You can also apparently apply the pressure yourself and save yourself the $$, if you know where to press. They also have the added advantage of not causing side effects. Except, perhaps, to give you a tan line.
• Dramamine: the old standby. Obviously, this is a tried-and-true remedy for motion sickness. Essentially an anti-histamine, the main side effect is drowsiness. If you know you’re going to get seasick, pop some *before* you get on the boat. It’s best not to drink while on these, as well.
• “The Patch:” a patch that delivers medication to you over an extended period of time. Only available from your doctor. Side effects are pretty nasty and can include blurred vision, dry mouth, etc. Also, you should not drink alcohol while on the patch. It is said that the patch is the best option for those who have a known issue with seasickness.

Royal Caribbean maintains high cleanliness standards using certified disinfectants to clean public areas frequently throughout the day, with intensive cleaning in the early morning. Staterooms are generally cleaned daily—focusing on high-touch surfaces—with suite-level service often remaining twice-daily. The ships operate on strict, managed schedules for sanitation.

Northern Hemisphere Hurricane Season is from June to November, but predicting hurricanes months in advance is nigh impossible. Royal Caribbean will keep an eye on the weather and adjust appropriately. Generally, cruise ships will steer clear of any storms and may stay at sea for an extra day to let the storm pass.

Go to the Royal Caribbean website at http://www.royalcaribbean.com and check out their frequently asked questions.

You asked for it.

The Original GothCruise shall not be liable for any injuries, damages, or losses incurred by the traveler in connection with, or by supplier employees or contractors, terrorist activities, social or labor unrest, mechanical or construction failures, or difficulties, diseases, local laws, climatic conditions, criminal acts or abnormal conditions or developments, or any other actions, omissions, or conditions outside of the control of themselves and/or  Royal Caribbean Group. The Original GothCruise shall also not be liable if Royal Caribbean Group refuses to provide service because of the traveler’s decision to refuse to follow their regulations.

The Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, inoculations, or other entry requirements for each destination, as well as re-entry into the U.S., and all safety or security conditions at such destinations, in connection with the proposed travel. If you’re concerned about the possible dangers at international destinations, check the Travel Advisory Section of the U.S. Department of State website for information about your destination.  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/

Feel free to post your question to one of the online communities or send it to gothcruise@gothcruise.com