Dorita Treadwell of Atlanta was gyrating and grooving sexily by herself inside the Catacomb Club on the Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage when she was suddenly ambushed. A man jumped up behind her and “parked himself” on her backside, began grinding on her and immediately rubbed his hands up and down the sides of her thighs.
That is one of the big no-nos on a cruise Treadwell proclaims. “If he buys me a drink, that’s no license to park it [on] the bumper,” she said as her crew of women laughed over grits, eggs and bacon as the Fantastic Voyage cruised through the Carribean toward St. Maarten. Treadwell smoothly disengaged the young brother, unlatched his hands that had been clasped on her hips like vice grips, and then sashayed right off the dance floor, leaving the brother looking stupid.
Treadwell and her friends gave a rundown of things men should not do when first meeting and dating women on a cruise ship, even one that’s known for getting down such as the Fantastic Voyage. Stalking, dirty dancing, grabbing women’s goodies, following women around and blocking women from talking with other men, are all absolute relationship killers, they said.
Her friend Eileen Evanston, also of Atlanta, said violating these simple principles and rules is a great way to get your feelings hurt. If you want to get extra sensual on the dance floor, for example, then you must initiate a check to see if a woman is receptive to your bold advances.
“Check with a woman first before you grind on her backside. If you push up on me and I reciprocate, then it’s cool. But if I don’t reciprocate, then back it up and back up off me,“ she said. “If he continues, then I will leave him right on the dance floor. I will cuss his a– out and leave him right there.”
Also, definitely, DEFINITELY don’t go grabbing a woman’s goods like you’re shopping for fruit when you first meet her.
Pat Hammond, a voluptuous woman from Knoxville, Tenn., said another no-no is assuming that all women are down to get their freak on right off the rip, if at all. “Some man told me his room number and said ‘I’ll be there all week. What time you coming by to spend some time with me?’ And it was the first damn day,” she said as her friends gasped, then broke out in laughter. “What?? Are you serious? Don‘t do that.”
Another don’t, my brothers: If you offer to buy a woman a drink, that doesn’t mean that a woman has to spend all seven days of a cruise with you. “Buy me a drink, say hello, tell me where you from, maybe dance with me and then get to stepping. Don’t block,” Treadwell saying, adding that while she might like flirting with you, there are other men who may be grabbing her attention. So she needs for you to clear some room for someone else to come over to her. “Go buy somebody else a drink. It was nice meeting you, but go.”
Shanell Bullock concurred: “A real man will buy you a drink and keep it moving.” She added that there are women who do get down like that, but don’t assume that she will. “Some women [will] do two, three or four men on these trips.”
All four women did add that they never say never when it comes to getting together with a man on a cruise. But they do have preferences on how they want to be approached. Men, just know that the above methods are not the way to get it done.. –terry shropshire
Captions: Shanell Bullock and Dorita Treadwell of Atlanta and Pat Hammond of Knoxville. Not pictured: Eileen Evanston of Atlanta
