Three swinger cruises. Three completely different experiences.
If you ask me which lifestyle cruise is the best, I am going to give you the most annoying answer possible.
It depends.
Super helpful, right?
But after more than 10 years in the lifestyle and personally sailing Bliss, Desire, and Temptation cruises, I can tell you these are three very different vacations.
Think of them as three friends in the same friend group.
Temptation is your party friend. Bliss is your ride or die best friend. Desire is your sophisticated, well traveled friend with a wild side.
You love them all.
But each one brings out a different side of you.
To find the right cruise, you first need to figure out which version of you is going on vacation.
When someone asks me which lifestyle cruise they should book, I want to know three things.
1. What is your experience level in the lifestyle?
2. How old are you?
3. How much do you want to spend?
Because the right cruise has less to do with which one is “best” and more to do with the kind of experience you are looking for.
Are you looking for a huge ship with endless entertainment and thousands of new people to meet? Do you want to wake up in Greece and spend the day exploring? Or do you want to turn the music up, grab a drink, and just see where the party takes you?
You know this friend.
It honestly does not matter where you take them. They are going to find the party.
That is Temptation Cruise
I will admit, I did not have high expectations before our first Temptation Cruise. We had already sailed Bliss and Desire, and I had heard mixed reviews.
I went in thinking, Eh. We will see.
I was wrong.
We had so much fun.
Temptation Cruise keeps the energy going from morning to night. There are games on deck, music, drinks, nudity, and a mix of lifestyle couples and non-lifestyle travelers.
Based on our experience, I would estimate the crowd was around 60 percent swingers and 40 percent open minded, or what some of us lovingly call “dirty vanilla.”
That mix is exactly why I think Temptation works so well for someone who is curious about clothing optional travel but not sure they are ready to jump headfirst into the lifestyle side.
Take your clothes off.
Flirt.
Party.
Or just have a really fun adults only vacation around people who are incredibly difficult to shock.
Unlike Bliss and Desire, Temptation also allows singles onboard, both men and women. But when the playroom opens at 10 p.m., it becomes a couples only space.
And the playroom surprised me. A huge lounge is completely transformed each night with beds, oversized couches, and different areas depending on your mood. Feeling brave? There is a center stage. Prefer to watch? Grab a seat. There were even glory holes designed for both men and women.
And yes, I mean gender affirming glory holes.
This is a lifestyle travel blog, not a review of the shuffleboard court.
Temptation Cruise is also generally the most budget friendly of the three, with unlimited alcoholic beverages included in the price.
Would it be my only lifestyle vacation every year?
No.
Would I happily go back?
Absolutely.
Temptation is the friend I call when I want to stop overthinking everything, take my clothes off, and have a ridiculously good time.
Bliss Cruise is usually my universal recommendation.
If a couple sat across from me and said, “just tell us which lifestyle cruise to book,” I would probably say Bliss.
There is simply so much to do.
The crowd generally spans from the mid 30s through the 60s, although you will absolutely meet people outside that range. You will also meet every experience level imaginable.
New couples.
Curious couples.
People who have been in the lifestyle for decades.
And that works because Bliss gives you room to create your own vacation.
On the larger ships, you are talking about thousands of people and an enormous amount of onboard entertainment. You can attend seminars, go to meet and greets, participate in speed dating, dress for theme nights, explore the playrooms, or spend half the day doing regular cruise activities.
You can be as involved in the lifestyle as you want.
Honestly, you could almost treat it like a regular cruise with a bunch of really happy, naked people around you.
But the reason I love Bliss goes much deeper than the playrooms or theme nights.
Bliss Cruise is where we found our people.
Before lifestyle traveling, we met people locally. We liked people. But we had never really found our tribe.
At a local club, you are limited by geography and whoever happens to walk through the door that night. There can also be this weird sense of urgency. You paid your money, got dressed up, and have a few hours.
Go forth and fuck.
A cruise moves differently.
You have a whole week to talk, flirt and build chemistry. You meet someone at the pool, see them again at dinner, run into them at a theme night, and somewhere along the way, you actually get to know each other.
And suddenly, you are fishing in a much bigger radioactive pond.
You meet people from across the country and around the world. Somewhere in the middle of thousands of people, you find the ones who feel strangely familiar.
The people you laugh with until your stomach hurts.
The people who end up in a group chat that never shuts up.
The people you start planning the next vacation with before the current one is even over.
Some of our closest, ride or die friendships came from Bliss cruises.
And that is why Bliss is the ride or die friend. Bliss is the connector. The friend who introduces you to people who somehow become your people too.
You may book Bliss Cruise because you want a spicy vacation. But you leave with people who become part of your life.
Then there is Desire Cruise
Desire is the friend who appreciates the finer things in life. They love great wine. They are polished and sophisticated. But don’t get it twisted.
They can absolutely hang with the other two when the night gets interesting.
Desire generally attracts a slightly older crowd, often in their 50s through 70s, although we have met plenty of younger couples, and I definitely see the demographic changing.
But what really separates Desire is the destinations!
Greece. Italy. Barcelona. Morocco. Thailand. Hong Kong. Singapore.
These are trips where people actually get off the ship and spend the day exploring somewhere incredible, then come back onboard to amazing food, drinks, sensual entertainment, and an open minded crowd.
Because so many days are spent in port, There isn’t a lot of daytime play when everyone is off exploring.
But on the final full sea day,
Everyone collectively realizes, Wait, we are still on a swinger cruise. We have some catching up to do. From morning to night, the debauchery is everywhere.
That is Desire. Well traveled, sophisticated, and surprisingly slutty.
But that contrast is exactly what makes Desire so unique. Somehow, even when things get wild, the experience still feels elevated.
I describe Desire as a floating five star hotel. The ships are smaller, the experience feels personal, the food is phenomenal, and the premium alcohol package is included.
The evening entertainment is also on another level. Think French courtesan sensuality with a Vegas twist. These are highly skilled performers putting on provocative, beautifully choreographed shows designed to set the mood for the night.
Sexy.
Sensual.
Very little left to the imagination.
I always tell people, if one of Desire’s destinations is already on your bucket list, a Desire Cruise is an incredible way to see the world without returning to a vanilla vacation at the end of the day.
Temptation Cruise is generally the most budget friendly option and the premium alcohol package is included.
Bliss Cruise costs more and beverage packages are an additional expense, but you are getting larger ships, more entertainment, more lifestyle activities, and a massive community of people to meet.
Desire Cruise is the over-the-top luxury option.
You are paying for a smaller ship, elevated food, included beverages, personalized service, and incredible destinations.
Pricing changes by sailing and cabin category, so I never recommend choosing based on price alone.
I had heard mixed reviews about Temptation and almost let that shape my expectations. I was wrong.
There are die hard Bliss people. Die hard Desire people. And people who absolutely love Temptation.
Personally, I think you should try them all and find your favorite.
Or be like us and realize you appreciate all three for completely different reasons.
Temptation is your party friend.
Bliss is your ride or die best friend.
Desire is your sophisticated, well traveled friend with a wild side.
And maybe that is why I can’t pick a favorite.
They each bring out a different side of me.
Sometimes I want to stop overthinking everything, take my clothes off, and party.
Sometimes I want to be surrounded by the ride or die friends we somehow found in the middle of thousands of strangers.
And sometimes I want to drink good wine somewhere incredible and still get a little wild later.
Maybe the question isn’t, which swinger cruise is the best?
Maybe the question is…
Which version of you needs a no pants vacation right now?
Still deciding? Here’s the quick breakdown.
