Ricky’s mom gives him her most reproachful look. “There will be all ages and body types. It is a no shame, no judgment zone. I want you to remember, young man, we are all getting older. You can’t expect to keep your teenage body for your whole life. If you take that attitude to its logical conclusion, you might as well say that people who are less than perfect should not be allowed to live. We should all live with dignity, up until our dying day. Especially if we are flawed, which we all are in some way.”
Ricky stares at his feet, deep in thought. After a moment’s reflection, he says “I’m sorry for my comment.”
Ricky’s mom smiles, “It’s OK to make mistakes, as long as we learn from them.”
I ask, “It’s not going to be a bunch of lecherous old men, making unwanted advances on young women? And, does it mean that people are going to be making out all over the ship and having sex and stuff?”
Ricky’s mom looks thoughtful as she replies, “I had some of the same concerns. They do not allow sexual behavior or advances in public spaces. The reviews I read are mostly positive. There are actually more women than men on these cruises. People reportedly don’t stare at you. They are friendly and respectful, for the most part. You should read up on it yourself and see how you feel about it. Oh, and everyone must wear clothes in the dining area. I think being exposed to naked people in a normalized, sex positive environment can have some positive benefits to your development. For a guy, it can desensitize you to visual stimuli and help you last longer in bed.”
I look at Ricky and he looks at me and shrugs. He says, “We’ll look into it and let you know.” And I add “Thanks for the offer.” Ricky’s mom hands us a brochure so that we can look it up and do some research.
Ricky and I spent the evening online looking at reviews about the nudist cruise and talking about what that would be like, on a cruise with no clothes. After reading the reviews, we are favorably impressed.
Later in the evening we approach Ricky’s mom. Ricky says, “We looked into the cruise and we are both game to try it. If you are serious, we would like to take you up on that vacation, if we can get approval from Lacey’s folks. We like trying new adventures and this sounds like fun. What did you have in mind for sleeping arrangements?”
She says, “We can get a cabin that accommodates all three of us. That is the most economical option. If we do that, I will get an ocean view room. Or, you and I can share a cabin and we will get another one for Lacey. If we do that they will need to be interior cabins. You and Lacey cannot share a cabin alone unless you are married or over age 21. Sorry.”
I reply, “I don’t mind sharing a cabin with you two if Ricky doesn’t mind sleeping with two naked ladies.” and I chuckle, noticing Ricky turning red.
Ricky’s mom smiles and says, “In the first place, we don’t have to be nude in our cabin unless we wish to be. Second, I don’t have a problem with you and Ricky sharing a bed in our cabin. There will be plenty of time when I can make myself scarce if you need privacy. But, I would suggest we try to dispense with the clothes and see how it goes. If at any time it doesn’t work for whatever reason, we can go back to wearing clothes. There is no rule prohibiting that on the ship.”
I say, “Sure, I’m up for it. How about you, Ricky?” He did not make eye contact with either of us, but suppressed a grin as he agreed to give it a try.
The next morning, Lacey’s dad got out of bed with a headache from the good time they had the night before at the Christmas party. He had just a few minutes before leaving for work. He grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to his office to review his security camera footage. Stimulating material is getting scarce, now that it’s cold outside. No one felt like hanging out topless on the deck with the temperatures we have been experiencing. Oh, well. It will get better in the spring. But looking at yesterday’s footage, he was surprised to see Lacey and her boyfriend had used the hot tub, and they were nude. That was really surprising since it had been so cold yesterday. They both quickly got into the water, but it was entertaining to see them scurry around outside, naked and freezing.
So it happened a couple days later, on a very cold day just before Christmas, Ricky, his mom and I boarded a plane for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Arriving in Florida, we are pleasantly surprised to see temperatures in the mid 70’s. It is a short cab ride from the airport to the huge cruise terminal. We find ourselves among swarms of people, trying to get onto the various ships docked here, but the long lines move quickly.
Boarding the beautiful ship, there is no indication that it is to be a nude cruise. Public nudity is not allowed in the state of Florida, so we would have to wait until we got into international waters to dispense with the clothes. After checking out our stateroom, we explore the remainder of the ship. Everything is clean and modern and the decor is tasteful, if a little over the top. There is an auditorium for various shows, a fully stocked library and reading room with a panoramic view of the ocean. There is a casino, swimming pool and multiple hot tubs, a spa, a fully equipped gym, four restaurants plus snack bars and much more.
Looking around at the patrons, there is a mix of ages, though it weighs more towards middle age. As mom had said, there are more females than males. The Sail Away party is spirited with great, live music and lots of alcohol flowing. We had made the decision to go light on the alcohol on this trip, but we all had a glass of champagne to celebrate, as the massive ship slowly pulled away from the dock and out into the channel. The ultra modern skyline, with its hustle and bustle, slips away. The waves lapping against the ship sound just like waves crashing on the beach. I feel relaxed as stress slips away. Looking around the ship, it is impossible to not imagine what the various people might look like naked. I covered my mouth and giggled a couple times, drawing a puzzled look from Ricky. When I tell him about my imaginations, he admits that he is looking at people in the same way.
We attend a safety drill where we are told about emergency procedures in case this ship decides to mimic its smaller ancestor, The Titanic, whose fateful maiden voyage occurred nearly 110 years ago. They assure us that we have more than enough lifeboats and that icebergs are unheard of in the Caribbean. We just need to watch out for the sharks.
We are exploring one of the uppermost decks, when the captain blew three blasts on the fog horn, the signal that we can legally lose our clothes and expose ourselves all over the ship. Ricky and I both freeze, and wonder what to do. Looking around, we are not the only reluctant ones. It is easy to see who the first time nude cruisers are. We look on as people smile and put their clothes into handbags which they brought along for the purpose. I was beginning to think that maybe a second glass of champagne might have been a good idea. Within five minutes, more than half the people are completely naked. Quite a few more of the ladies are topless but wearing shorts.