SLIPPING into an outrageously sexy black corset and stockings, Emily Spice asks her husband what he thinks of her outfit for the evening.
She is dressed to thrill and Darren’s excited smile tells her everything she needs to know before they head out to meet another couple for dinner.
In a few hours, after dining on steak and oysters at a fine dining restaurant, Emily and Darren's evening will end with mind blowing sex, not just with each other but with the friends they just met.
This is an adults-only cruise like none other.
The two kinky couples are on a luxury cruise liner solely occupied by men and women who are looking for one thing only – wild and adventurous sex.
And to avoid them getting their conquests mixed up, Emily and Darren have a spreadsheet of who they’ll have sex with and when, as well as a timetable of the saucy parties they’ll attend across the week.
Condoms, playrooms and G-spot seminars on tap
Tattoo artist and content creator Emily, 31, from Croydon, South London, explains: “These trips are the sexiest thing imaginable, sailing around the Caribbean with thousands of like-minded people who we can have sex with.
“It’s just all on tap, from free condoms to playrooms and even seminars to teach you some top sex tips on roleplay and how to find that G-spot!”;
Organised by US company Bliss Cruises, cabins range from £2,000 a person for a small inside cabin to £15,000 for the premium suite which comes with a personal butler, a hot tub on the balcony and a baby grand piano.
Emily, who’s been in a relationship with Darren, 33, for ten years and married for five, adds: “We were blown away when we went on our first seven-day cruise in April 2023.
“We slept with ten other couples as well as joining in the orgies.
“Before we got married I’d slept with one other man – now I’ve slept with 109!
“On that first cruise we planned breakfast, lunch and supper with different couples and had sex with most of them afterwards. We were so over-excited about it all – now we ration ourselves a bit more, to keep our strength up.
“We can do anything in front of each other – and witnessing each other’s unbridled passion is part of the turn on.”;
Emily and Darren, who works in security, are just one of thousands of couples who go on cruises specially designed for those who love the swinging scene. The minimum age is 21 yet the oldest man Emily has chatted with was 92.
They were first launched in 2008 by YOLO cruises, and Bliss, one of the largest organisers of saucy cruises who are based in Florida, have sailed twice around the Caribbean over the past 12 months.
Demand is so high both trips were sold out and there are three more scheduled for next year.
Another company, Temptation Cruises, runs one trip annually and their website reads: “The real action happens onboard, with our exclusive playroom, naughty pool parties, and topless and clothing-optional hotspots turning up the heat from dusk ’til dawn.”;
The ships have the capacity to take up to 5,600 passengers and whilst Brits are catching on, Emily and Darren hook up with swingers from all nationalities including Australians and Germans.
We slept with 10 couples & joined in the orgies
Emily says: “We usually pay £2000 each but the first time we paid more for a sea view and balcony – it wasn’t worth it, we were only there to sleep, or have sex.”;
The fun begins long before passengers set foot on the ship with many couples signing on to a Facebook group to flirt with each other first.
And on the evening before the ship sets sail, guests usually enjoy a party at a hotel close to the port.
“We only made it off the boat once when it docked, we were too exhausted by all the sex we were having.”;
Once onboard, passengers get to enjoy orgies in their cabins or they visit a ‘playroom’ – a specially designated area where couples meet for group sex.
One is usually a conference room by day and the other a solarium by the pool.
Recalling her first time onboard Emily says: “It was exhausting but fantastic.
“We were relatively new to the scene, we fell into it four years ago after visiting a naturist resort.
“When we meet someone new with a view to playing we will catch each other’s eye and give a slight nod if we’re up for it. If we aren’t we say we’re going for a walk and carry on with our night.”;
The ship is awash with Viagra
There are strict rules onboard – drugs are forbidden, mobiles can’t be used beyond the cabin, whilst taking photos or videos is also prohibited.
Guests who break the rules can be asked to leave the ship at the next port.
Emily says: “We’ve never seen drugs – after all we are there to have sex and they impede performance but having said that the ship is awash with Viagra!
“Some of the rules are more lax, for example you aren’t supposed to get it on apart from in designated areas, but you’ll often catch couples having a fumble in the lift or restaurants.
“You’re given new rules in the morning, depending on what the schedule is for the day. For example if you’re in a port you can’t be naked on deck.”;
With phones banned, passengers make their own fun, giving out special ‘sl*t cards’ which have their room number on the front.
They also decorate their doors with photos of themselves in sexy poses to tempt others to their cabin.
Darren and Emily pin a whiteboard to their door so like-minded couples can leave them messages, and their cabin numbers. It’s a signal that they want to ‘play with them later’.
‘Towel of shame'
Whilst walking around fully naked in some areas such as the pool and solarium is allowed, dressing for meals is compulsory.
Emily says: “If the crew don’t think you’re covered enough you’re handed a towel to sit on or wrap round you.
“Everyone competes to get the ‘towel of shame’ and cheers if you get it. We also flirt outrageously with the crew – who aren’t allowed to get involved in the partying.
“The crew often comes with the ship’s charter company but they can decline the work if they want to.”;
‘We celebrated our anniversary with an orgy'
Swinging isn’t only confined to specially chartered ships.
Amy Barr 42, and her husband Ben 41, had their first taste of non-monogamy onboard an adult-only cruise ship.
Amy, who lives with Ben and their 18-year-old son in Margate, Kent, explains: “We decided to go on a cruise in April 2022 as we’d heard that swingers frequent them and we wanted to find out more.
“We got chatting to other couples and ended up having a few snogs which got us started. By August we were fully into the scene attending sex parties back at home.
“And we started going on other ‘vanilla’ cruises, organising to go with like-minded couples who we found on the ‘Fab Swingers’ website because the specialised swingers cruises were fully booked.
“On one of them we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary with an orgy.
“Our travel rep very kindly brought us a gift of champagne and cake to our cabin right in the middle of it – and left very quickly when she saw us all on the bed!”
And Amy says it’s easy to spot a couple who are into having sex with others as soon as you step on board.
“You can always recognise other swingers – it’s like having a gaydar. But people will give clues, for example wearing clothes with upside down pineapples on the front.”;
'Two's company, three's a crowd'
By Sally Land, Flying Eze's Sex and Relationship Expert
INVITING a third person into your relationship sounds exciting; another person to play with, another person to enjoy, the thrill of an illicit risk and a whole new world of sexual possibilities.
And of course, there are some couples who can make open relationships work, but judging from the contents of my mailbox, there are far more stories of heartbreak and humiliation when it comes to non monogamy.
Because once you add in a third, fourth or fifth person, insecurities and jealousy often come into play.
I regularly hear from people who thought they wanted a threesome but when they see their partner with someone else they worry they are not enough, become insanely jealous or one of them falls for that third person.
To make open relationships work both partners need to be emotionally secure, excellent communicators and able to agree clear boundaries.
Instead of encouraging an open relationship, I’d encourage any couple to work on their sex life.
If things are getting stale between the bed sheets, there are plenty of other techniques to freshen things up that don't involve risking your whole relationship.
My support pack 50 Ways To Spice Up Your Sexual Relationship explains more.
There’s a lot of truth in the old adage – two’s company and three’s a crowd.
If something is playing on your mind, you can email us on [email protected] for a free personalised response from me and my counselling team.
After meeting Emily and Darren at a sex party back in England in August 2022, Amy, a professional dominatrix, and Ben, a wind turbine technician, tried a ‘swingers cruise’ for the first time in November last year with them.
“When we went on board we were given a gift bag with condoms and lube and we didn’t look back,”; says Amy.
“The actual playroom was nearly always full but they’re amazing if you do get in with huge beds.
“Staff go round handing out towels and condoms. They keep an eye out for any clues that the sex isn’t consensual – it’s all very safe.
‘Sex is never disappointing'
“The highlight of the trip for all four of us was when we were invited to an orgy in one of the posh suites – it was incredible. There must have been about 40 people there in total and the host had even bought a bondage chair on board! It was incredible.”;
Meanwhile, Emily and Darren are counting down the weeks to their next cruise at the end of April, ‘swapping’ with Amy and Ben almost every fortnight in the meantime.
Emily says: “People think that swingers do it because they don’t fancy each other any more.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth. Darren and I have a fantastic sex life and I think you have to have a strong relationship so jealousy doesn’t creep in.
“Even on board the ship we’ll carry on having sex together most days. We’ll talk about our adventures while we do it – it’s bonding. And our sex is never disappointing.”
And she smiles, before adding: “We disembark and see families waiting to get on the boat after us – we always worry that they’ll come across a used sex toy and just have to hope the crew know how to get things ship-shape very quickly!”;
