Med cruisers/topless beaches

[Goofy Mum]

I just wanted to start a thread here on this subject because I was chatting with a gal on my cruise who's traveling with children. She had no idea many of the Med beaches are topless. Especially in the South of France.
I just wanted people to be aware and prepared to see topless beaches.

 

[NancyIL]

Not only in the Mediterranean - but Orient Beach in St. Martin also has "clothing optional" sections of the beach. If I looked better without clothes, I might give it a whirl!

 

[CarolAnnC]

Europeans enjoying nude or partially nude sunbathing is nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully, Americans planning to travel there have already considered this possibility.

We are such a stuffy bunch here in the U.S., LOL!

 

[Goofy Mum]

Not only in the Mediterranean - but Orient Beach in St. Martin also has "clothing optional" sections of the beach. If I looked better without clothes, I might give it a whirl!

ha ha Nancy! If I weren't travelling with my sons I might give it a whirl too!

 

[Crissup]

One thing you have to be careful about is taking photos. I was taking photos of a beach scene in Sicily and a nude teen girl ran by. If I had snapped that photo, technically I would have been guilty of child pornography here in the US.

 

[mmouse37]

I just wanted to start a thread here on this subject because I was chatting with a gal on my cruise who's traveling with children. She had no idea many of the Med beaches are topless. Especially in the South of France.
I just wanted people to be aware and prepared to see topless beaches.

I think a majority of beaches in Europe are topless. Just a different culture. I hope anyone who is worried about this does their research and explains to their children that they may encounter a different attitude toward bathing suits than Americans are used to!!! it is the same in parts of the Caribbean. This topic has been brought up a few times in the past on the boards and it seems that most of the time the parents are more upset about it than the kids.

Our experience in St. Maarten when our kids were younger was that we mentioned they may see people on the beach without bathing suit tops or bathing suits all together and explained that different cultures have different ideas about bathing suits on the beach. We did not say it was right or wrong, we just put it out there. As the day went on they noticed a few and giggled a bit but did not really comment or seem at all bothered by it. We did not make a big deal out of it.

Every parent knows their child and may have different ways of handling it.

MJ

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

I've been to both St. Maarten and the French Riviera. I saw topless-ness in Europe but complete nudity in St. Maarten. I was concerned about this before our first Eastern cruise. My kids? Never noticed a thing - well, they noticed but it wasn't nearly as big a deal to them as it was to me.

 

[Goofy Mum]

I live in the UK and with the exception of the nude beaches in Brighton I don't think we have too many others.

In the UK the kids are exposed to nudity quite early with 'page 3' models and some nudity on TV after the 9pm watershed. So my kids won't be too surprised.

Now a few years ago one of my friends went on holiday with her family to Spain and she went topless and her 12 year old son was mortified. Im positive my kids would be ok with the topless beaches as long as it didnt include mum!

 

[adrianna_sarah]

Not just topless, but also more thong bottoms on the bikinis? On our DCL Western in January 2008, there was a family from Spain who's mother and teenage girl wore thong bikinis around the pools and CC. My kids were too young to take notice at the time, but these days, I know my son would be amused by seeing their "butts" sticking out. He's in the potty humor phase...

 

[lmhall2000]

My kids will have that shock and awe the first time they see it, I'm not as concerned about them seeing it as the neck craning going on as we're traveling and my 14 year old son being goaded by his 67 year old grandfather making a 'hoot' out of it all...oh my goodness...the visual is more embarrassing for me and those being the 'butt' of their jabs than anything...I need to give a lesson on tact and courtesy!

Tara

 

[Goofy Mum]

My kids will have that shock and awe the first time they see it, I'm not as concerned about them seeing it as the neck craning going on as we're traveling and my 14 year old son being goaded by his 67 year old grandfather making a 'hoot' out of it all...oh my goodness...the visual is more embarrassing for me and those being the 'butt' of their jabs than anything...I need to give a lesson on tact and courtesy!

Tara

LOL hilarious!!
Well when I moved to the UK I had to adjust to a LOT of stuff like this, ie the nudity on TV, the swearing on TV, etc. I try not to be the "ugly American" and blend in.

 

[bridget]

I hate wet bathing suits! Not only wearing them, but having to hand wash bathing suits in the sink & then clothes line in the bathroom to dry everyone's. On our last day of the 7 night cruise, I was wishing CC had a topless/nude beach so I wouldn't have to mess with bathing suits!!!

 

[Goofy Mum]

I hate wet bathing suits! Not only wearing them, but having to hand wash bathing suits in the sink & then clothes line in the bathroom to dry everyone's. On our last day of the 7 night cruise, I was wishing CC had a topless/nude beach so I wouldn't have to mess with bathing suits!!!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Just a bit of reassurance, when a thread like this appeared on these boards in 2007, it lead to concerns there maybe some issues on the ship itself.

Well it was still a Disney cruise, and still the same as any other location.

Kids did not see anything they wouldn't normally see.

To be honest, whilst it occurs on some beaches actually is rather limited and in this day and age of understand of skin cancer, even more rare.

 

[Pluto 2]

Not only in the Mediterranean - but Orient Beach in St. Martin also has "clothing optional" sections of the beach. If I looked better without clothes, I might give it a whirl!

not to worry im sure 99 percent of nudists dont have perfect bodies

 

[Presentation]

not to worry im sure 99 percent of nudists dont have perfect bodies

OMG I agree.

When we were on a eastern cruise the only ones at the beach that were not fully clothed were the ones that I wished were.

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

The St. Maarten tour guide kept referring to the "wrinklies who need a good ironing".

 

[MKJEcruisers]

I have read several times that Europeans-especially young women-are less and less wanting to go topless or nude at beaches. It is a backlash against the ideal of the "perfect" female body.

 

[HiddenMickeys]

We are such a stuffy bunch here in the U.S., LOL!

Well, there's just some things you'd rather not get sun burned.
And peeling? forget about it.

 

[HiddenMickeys]

I hate wet bathing suits! Not only wearing them, but having to hand wash bathing suits in the sink & then clothes line in the bathroom to dry everyone's. On our last day of the 7 night cruise, I was wishing CC had a topless/nude beach so I wouldn't have to mess with bathing suits!!!

Well, if they ever did do that on CC it would have to be an adults only beach. I can see it now, some little kid pointing and saying "Hey mom, look dumbo!" . No honey, that's just the man from cabin 7025.