If you know, you know…
On a cruise (and sometimes also on land) ‘pineapple’ is code for swinging or wife-swapping. If you see pineapple on a cruise ship door it means the people are up for meeting other couples for ‘adult fun’.
But does the pineapple need to be upside down? Does it need to be on the door? And does wearing pineapple-print clothing mean that you’re a swinger?
To settle this hotly-debated topic once and for all, I trawled cruise forums, Facebook groups for swingers, websites like Reddit and spoke to a few people who are into the lifestyle to get the truth about the upside-down pineapple meaning, once and for all.
Upside-down pineapples are swinger code
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.
But what about when you see a person wearing a pineapple shirt on a cruise? Does that mean that they’re a swinger? Or just that they like funky fashion?
Before we start on the ins and outs, for want of a better phrase, of cruise ship swinging and whether pineapples are a reliable sign, 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, right?
Swinging isn’t everywhere on cruises, but it does happen
Some couples opt to go on special ‘swingers cruises‘ where everyone on board is all up for the same thing. Some of these are nude cruises where clothing is optional all day and night, and some are party cruises with couples-only ‘red rooms’ where all kinds of shenanigans happen after dark.
Swingers cruises are pretty popular and have been around since 2008 when the first cruise for swingers, YOLO Cruises, was launched.
Suggested read: 6 Best Cruises For Swingers
Aside from these ‘lifestyle cruises’, as they’re known, there are also plenty of swingers who go on regular cruises. These people are likely to keep open minds about who they might meet on board and what they might get up to.
On a normal cruise, you would never really notice swinging behaviour. Swingers don’t tend to introduce themselves by saying, “Hi, we’re Barry and Wendy, do you both want to come up to our cabin tonight?”
However, just as swingers on land might have secret signs like pampas grass in the front garden, wearing a black ring on one finger or a toe ring, on a cruise ship, the secret symbol of swingers is the pineapple.
Pineapples are just one way swingers identify each other…
Decorating cruise cabin doors with pineapple magnets from Amazon 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.
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.
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 comment 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.
When used to describe a relationship status, a pineapple means that things are complicated. Other fruits are used to denote other statuses – a cherry means that someone is in a relationship, while a blueberry means that you are single. These are commonly used on Snapchat and some other social media.
The perfect practical joke!
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.
One cruiser named Christee played a little joke on her friend by placing this pineapple sticker on his door without telling him what it meant. She confessed on day three of the cruise! He was a great sport, though, and kept it up for the whole eight days!
Pineapples on clothing might spark some interesting conversations
What if you have a shirt with pineapples on? Or pineapple earrings? Will people think you’re a swinger?
I have a pair of shorts with a pineapple on that which I wore on a recent cruise. I knew about the secret pineapple meaning, I just forgot until it was too late and I realised that I was wearing the pineapple shorts by the pool!
Luckily, nobody said a word to me. Although I did feel uncomfortable so I don’t think I’ll be packing them again.
One TikTok user called Linda Jean shared what happened when she and her husband wore matching pineapple swimwear on vacation…
@lindajeanw Oops no one told me 🍍🍍🍍#notswingers #oops #pineapple #ididntknow #fy ♬ original sound – Jazzy Fizzle
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.
I think it depends on how pineapple-y you go with it. My single pineapple on my shorts didn’t raise any eyebrows (that I noticed), but if the two of you dress head to toe in pineapple, then you may expect a few sniggers behind your back, or worse.
There are lots of funny pineapple t-shirts on Amazon. Here are some of the best ones…
| Picture | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
|
Retro Upside Down Pineapple T-Shirt
|
Price | |
|
Will Swing If Pushed T-Shirt
|
Price | |
|
Orgy Referee T-Shirt
|
Price | |
|
Upside Down Pineapple Tank Top
|
Price | |
|
Not A Swinger, Just Like Pineapples T-Shirt
|
Price |
You shouldn’t have a problem with 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!
My pineapple-themed cocktail on @pandocruises Iona last night… pic.twitter.com/KQO5ALQ2ve
— Dave Monk (@shipmonk) August 12, 2021
I’m definitely not saying that these pineapple drinks have 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!
P&O Cruises is pretty on-board with the whole pineapple thing. On my recent cruise on Azura, I saw pineapple handbags available for sale in the onboard ship. They know what they’re doing!
Then when I cruised on Iona this year, I noticed that one of the party nights in the main music venus was called ‘Guilty Pleasures’ and had a pineapple on the signage, as well as a giant cut-out of a pineapple on the stage!
But a pineapple tattoo could be misconstrued
A pineapple tattoo could have many possible meanings. The pineapple is a symbol of warmth and hospitality. The wearer might just like the funky look of the pineapple fruit.
But since pineapples are also secret symbols for swingers, the wearer could be a swinger, particularly if the pineapple is upside down.
The history of upside-down pineapples
The oldest mention of upside-down pineapples comes from the upside-down pineapple cake. This is a traditional dessert in Hawaii, where many pineapples are grown.
The cake has this name because to make it, you first place sliced pineapples in the bottom of a pan, then add the cake batter. Once it’s cooked, you flip the tin upside-down so that the pineapple slices show on the top.
The pineapple upside-down cake is usually served when guests come to visit, so the upside-down pineapple became associated with Hawaiian hospitality.
As swingers must be friendly and accommodating to let people share their partner, they adopted the symbol of hospitality, the pineapple, as their own symbol.
Legend has it that when swingers first adopted the pineapple symbol, they would place an upside-down pineapple in their grocery cart in the supermarket to let other swingers know that they were into the lifestyle.
Remember, before the internet, people would have to go to some great and unusual lengths to find other people with the same interests. It certainly wasn’t as easy as popping an emoji into a Facebook group!
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.
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. So that’s another potentially innocent reason to see them around a ship.
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 cards with.
If you like the idea of a cruise where you can make friends with like-minded people who are as up for fun as you are, then you should certainly take a look at Desire Resorts & Cruises.
Desire Resorts & Cruises are only for couples. But if you prefer to travel solo, then Temptation Resorts & Cruises offers a one-of-a-kind’ playground for grown-ups’ both at sea and on land.
While we’re on the subject of swinger symbols, you may also be interested to find out what pink flamingoes mean at sea.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
