Sun kissed Simon Johnson came back from the largest gay cruise in history on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas – chartered for the first time by Atlantis Events. 8 days, 7 nights floating, 3,600 gay men and him. Hell or heaven? The stereotypes of old people and dinner jackets were chummed up and fed to the sharks. Here are his top tips for all you would be seamen surviving the fastest growing travel industry.

Before you set sail, make up your own business cards. Include your name, email address and stateroom number (cabin number) and add a glamorous image of yourself to it. Dish them out to people you’re into.

If you find your pristine white t-shirts and board shorts are creased and you can’t wait for the laundry service, hang them up in the bathroom, take a hot shower and let the steam take out a few of the lines.

Sea Sick? Make sure you’ve packed sea sickness tablets or patches that stick like nicotine patches to your arm or behind your ear.

Navigate your way around your ship. When the parties kick in you’ll need to remember how to get to your stateroom fast when you pick up on the dance floor.

If you’re sharing with a mate, buy a mini whiteboard that you can stick to your stateroom door with magnets. If you’re busy inside leave your mate a note and tell him (or her) when they can come back without walking in on your action. Unless you want them to join in. You could also dress your door up with anything else you can think of. Pictures of who you are, business cards, your national flag, or anything else you can easily pull off when you disembark.

Don’t be afraid to dress up. You may feel like a fool on your own but a group of you all wearing the same outfit will make your stand out from the crowd. The great thing about being onboard is as soon as you’re over one costume you can pop back to your stateroom and change. I found as the hot nights went on, shorts would get shorter and outfits were about lookin’ sexy and comfortable, rather than outrageous and colourful.

If you grab yourself a ‘Cruise Boyfriend’ on the first night and you’re destined to be together at sea, make sure you set out some easy to follow guidelines, after all you’re on holiday. Whose bed will you be sleeping in? Can you hook up with other people?

Be territorial, find your spot on the dance floor, even if you shuffle towards the aft of the ship you and your friends can regroup. You might want to find a special spot for you and your ‘Cruise Boyfriend’ to find your feet and have a sneaky kiss.

Leave your attitude on shore. Everybody is onboard to have an amazing time, don’t be afraid to sit with new people at dinner, during a show and make new friends. It’s the people that make your cruise.

When you’re home upload all your images to your favourite photo sharing site like Yahoo! Or BT’s new Digital Vault. Collect up all your business cards and email your new friends.