Godless Americans Taking Cruises Without Clothes

By: Rev. Jack Cascione
This article is not the regular focus of Reclaim News, however, it says a great deal about the current decline of American ethics and morals.  There is nothing salacious, crude, or titillating in the article.  It just reports on nude cruises and where you can take one.  We have also heard reports of clothing optional decks on popular cruises.

In the past, the Lord has always "corrected" lawless societies with temporal punishment.  There is no reason to believe He will act differently in the future.

The following article appeared in the Sunday, March 9, edition of the Detroit Free Press.

Clothing-free sailings catch on
http://www.freep.com/features/travel/cnude9_20030309.htm

March 9, 2003
BY ARLINE BLEECKER
ORLANDO SENTINEL

An unusual batch of cruises is hitting the high seas, and you won't need much time to pack That's OK. All three sailings are nude, and duds are immaterial.

The clothes-free romps have been arranged by Bare Necessities Tour & Travel in Austin, Texas, which has been organizing nude cruises for more than a dozen years. But first the bare facts: According to the company, these alternatives to traditional cruise getaways are so popular they typically are sellouts.

The first Bare Necessities cruise of the year, aboard Carnival Cruise Line's 2,052-passenger mega-ship Ecstasy, sailed at near capacity from Los Angeles late last month. It is the largest ship to date for a Bare Necessities cruise and also the company's first foray from the City of Angels to destinations in western Mexico.

The company's sailings this year also include a 14-day South Pacific jaunt round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, on Windstar's 148-passenger Wind Star. The May 23 cruise heads for paradises such as Bora Bora and Moorea and calls at even more far-flung island chains such as the Marquesas, which lie 900 blue-water miles northeast of Tahiti. Fares are $6,195 per person, double occupancy.

A seven-day cruise on Star Clipper's 170-passenger sailing vessel Star Flyer will ply the Greek Islands. The Aug. 2 sailing, round-trip from Piraeus, calls at Mykonos, Patmos, Kos, Rhodes, Santorini and Serifos. Fares range from $1,875 to $2,795 per person.

Bare Necessities (800-743-0405) is the largest agency of its kind providing travelers with clothes-free cruises and vacation packages. But other companies blanket the buff market, too.

Christie Musick, owner of Travel au Naturel (800-728-0185) in Land O' Lakes,
Fla., is an independent agent who specializes in clothing-optional resort
vacations in the Caribbean, mostly Jamaica. But each Halloween she charters
a Windjammer vessel for a couples-only nude cruise.

This year, au Naturel's six-day cruise departs Oct. 26 from Grenada on the 64-passenger Yankee Clipper. The ship will call at St. Vincent and Bequia, Tobago Cays and Mayreau in the Grenadines. Double-occupancy rates start at $1,395 and include open bar and gratuities. Standard cabins offer upper and lower berths.

Musick says that on a typical clothes-free windjammer sailing, nudity is allowed "except when we are docked." Activities may include beach picnics, crab races, island tours, dancing, no-talent shows and a Halloween bash.

Nude vacationing is one of the fastest-growing segments of the North American travel industry, says the American Association for Nude Recreation in Kissimmee, Fla. "We have seen clothing-optional cruising rapidly grow into a highly recognizable niche travel segment," says Erich Schuttauf, executive director of the organization, which has 50,000 members and celebrates its 72nd anniversary this year.

Not surprisingly, warm-weather itineraries are prime destinations for these stripped-down versions of seagoing travel.

The groups aboard such sailings don't consist only of dedicated nudists but also avid cruisers who welcome the opportunity just to vacation in the buff. Acolytes can shed their clothing once ships are in international waters.

To learn more about nude cruises, call the American Association for Nude
Recreation at 800-879-6833 or go to www.----.com.

March 11, 2003