Taking a cruise comes with a certain level of decadence: People on cruise ships generally indulge in food and drinks in ways they rarely do on land.
That's because cruise lines like Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) make excess so easy. When you offer 24/7 pizza as well as pastries, cookies, and snacks on demand, people find themselves indulging in late-night and between-meal eating they would never consider on land.
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Both RCL and CCL also offer buffets -- a type of eating that's not famed for sensible portions. On a cruise ship you can eat pretty much always, and many people do.
In addition, some cruise passengers have been known to be a little excessive with the unlimited-drink package.
Royal Caribbean passengers can truly go wild, as that cruise line's Deluxe Beverage Package truly has no limit (as long as you are sober enough to order). Carnival Cruise Line's Cheers beverage package caps alcoholic drinks at 15 per day, but for most passengers, that's still a pretty excessive amount.
Royal Caribbean and Carnival passengers have also been known to overindulge when it comes to sunshine. It's not uncommon to see someone with an angry red sunburn, or someone else crisp up as they fall asleep on the pool deck.
There is, however, a limit to which body parts can get fully tanned (or sunburned) on Royal Caribbean (at least the ones sailing from North America) and Carnival ships. Both cruise lines ban topless sunbathing.
That's not the case at Richard Branson's upstart Virgin Voyages cruise line, where you must be at least 18 to sail and, at least in one outdoor area, topless sunbathing is allowed.
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Royal Caribbean and Carnival both cater to families. They do have adults-only areas on the pool decks, but people younger than 18 can walk through those areas. (They just can't use the pool or lay out on a chair.)
That makes it hard for either cruise line, unless it set aside a little-used upper deck, to properly offer a topless sunbathing deck.
Virgin Voyages, which sails only with people 18 and over -- anyone younger is not allowed -- takes a very different approach.
“We have a beautiful sun deck on Deck 17, called The Perch, where you can feel comfortable sunbathing topless at sea,” the cruise line shared on its website.
Virgin Voyages generally tries to present itself as a more risque cruise line than its rivals. On some sailings it offers a sex-therapist-led show or drag performances. The cruise line also sells sex toys in its main gift shop, and the overall vibe is more grownup than a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise because there literally aren't any kids on board.
In addition, Virgin does not offer a traditional drink package or a buffet. Instead, the cruise line sells drinks a la carte (although you can prepay for a "bar tab," which comes with some bonus cash. Instead of a buffet, Virgin offers a food hall where you can order from a variety of different choices via QR code.
