What Does a Pineapple Mean on a cruise? This is also a personal funny story……

If you know, you know…

On a cruise a ‘pineapple’ is code for swinging or wife-swapping. If you see a pineapple on a cruise ship door it could mean that the people in the cabin are up for meeting other couples for ‘adult fun’.

What’s the meaning of an upside down pineapple?

Pineapples are used as a secret way for swingers to identify each other. If you see someone wearing an upside-down pineapple badge or pin, it means that they’re actively looking for a partner swap. An upside-down pineapple on someone’s front porch can be seen as an invitation to join a swinger party.

Before we start on the ins and outs, for want of a better phrase, of cruise ship swinging, I’d just like to clarify that I’m not into that myself. But, if that’s what floats your boat and you aren’t hurting anyone, then that’s your business. We’re all adults here.

Is swinging on a cruise ship a big thing?

On a cruise, you would never really notice swinging behaviour. Swingers don’t tend to introduce themselves by saying, “Hi, we’re Dave and Helen, do you both want to come up to our cabin tonight?” However, just as swingers on land might have secret signs, on a cruise ship, the secret symbol of swingers is the pineapple.

How do cruise ship swingers identify themselves?

Decorating cruise cabin doors with pineapple magnets or pictures is an obvious way for swinging couples to attract attention. If you see an upside-down pineapple on a cruise cabin door, it means that the people inside are actively searching for a swinging party. One obvious problem with this is that on a cruise you only ever see the doors that are on the same corridor as your own. Meaning that swingers on different decks could never find each other.

Another problem is that you just don’t know who’s behind the door. How embarrassing would it be to knock and then change your mind after seeing who opens it? Of course, these are just hypothetical problems. If you have actual experience of this and aren’t shy, there’s a comments section below!

With the popularity of social media to help with cruise planning, some swingers now plan to meet up with like-minded people on board before they cruise. If you ever see a message in a Facebook group asking who else is on a particular sailing and it uses the pineapple emoji, you can be pretty confident that the person is looking to meet others on board for sex.

The upside down pineapple trick.

Of course, just because you see an upside-down pineapple on a stateroom door, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person inside is into the pineapple lifestyle.

What about wearing pineapples on clothing?

What if you have a shirt with pineapples on? Or pineapple swim shorts or bikini? Will people think you’re a swinger? Wearing pineapples on a cruise is totally up to you. But as more and more people learn about the pineapple reference, you may find that you get some knowing looks from your fellow cruisers.

What about pineapple drinks?

On P&O Cruises new ship Iona, you can order a pineapple drink that comes in a cup that’s shaped like an upside-down pineapple!

I’m definitely not saying that these pineapple drinks are anything to do with swinging. I suspect that most people who order them will have absolutely no idea what pineapple means on a cruise. However, they do look pretty cool and it could “help” if your shy but wanting to try!

Final thoughts

While the pineapple is often used as a secret code for swinging, wife-swapping and casual sex, this isn’t always the case. When you are trying to work out the meaning of a pineapple, you should carefully consider the context.

For example, if you see a pineapple in someone’s shopping basket, that’s probably just a healthy snack.

However, if you’re in a Facebook group for a particular cruise sailing and someone leaves a message with “Who wants to meet up on the ship? 🍍🍍🍍”, then you can be pretty sure that they’re not looking for someone to play bingo with.

Now, Why have you just spent the past 10 minutes reading about pineapple’s & swinger’s on a cruise you ask? As my title said this is also a little funny personal story, so let me tell you…

So a few years ago pre pandemic we were going on a Caribbean cruise, I started to buy tropical shirts and swim shorts for my husband as he needed some new warm weather clothes. I brought a lovely pair of mantaray swim shorts, dark blue with white pineapples on them, having NO idea about the pineapple logo and meaning.

We had a fantastic cruise and I honestly cannot say if people were looking at us or not purely due to the fact when we cruise we are in our little world, however no one approached us hahaha! Obviously if I had found out sooner I wouldn’t have brought these for him to wear.

Now we know about what a pineapple could mean we are cautious of what we pack and those pineapple swim shorts are now only used at home in the hot tub where no one can see!

So play a little game on your next cruise and look out for anything pineapple and decide is it just a pineapple as a juicy tasty treat or does that cruiser have a certain “swing” in their step!

I know this blog is completely out there but I do hope it has given you a good giggle and some insight to pineapples on a cruise, below are just some common pineapple FAQ’s.

Pineapple FAQs

Are pineapples associated with swinging?Pineapples represent ‘welcoming and hospitality’, but they are also associated with swinging. Swingers use the pineapple as a secret symbol to look out for each other in public. They may use real pineapples or wear clothing or accessories that feature a pineapple motif.

What do upside-down pineapples mean?Pineapples are a secret sign used by swingers to identify each other in public. If you see an upside-down pineapple it means that someone is actively looking for a swinger party.

Should you turn a pineapple upside down?Turning a pineapple upside down in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting it will redistribute the sugars more evenly through it. But, having an upside-down pineapple in your shopping trolley or on your front porch is a symbol to others that you are looking for couples to join a swinging party.

Are pineapples lucky? Pineapples are considered to be lucky because the sounds of the Chinese word for ‘pineapple’ is almost identical to the sounds of ‘good luck’ in Chinese. For this reason, the pineapple has become a traditional feng shui symbol of good fortune and prosperity.

Does the pineapple emoji mean anything?People may use the pineapple emoji on Messenger or other social media to discretely advertise that they are looking to meet up with swingers for adult fun. The pineapple can also be used to represent a ‘complicated’ relationship status or that someone is in an open relationship.