Sail Away
Photo by Maridav/Bigstock
Vacation can be just as stressful as it is relaxing. From planning the trip to fitting it into your busy schedule, the process of simply choosing a destination can cause just as much stress as the relaxation of the vacation. Ease your vacation planning anxiety with one of these cruises specifically tailored to the GLBT community.
Atlantis
www.atlantisevents.com
Community focus: Gay
Not only does Atlantis offer all-gay cruises for men, but it also hosts all-gay vacations at its own resorts. Cruise from Amsterdam to Barcelona, San Diego to Mexico, Auckland to Sydney, or around the Caribbean on one of Atlantis’ all-gay cruises. Atlantis offers the best of both worlds with exciting party life on the boats as well as relaxing island time. If cruising isn’t your style, Atlantis hosts all-gay vacations at its resorts in Vallarta and Cancun. Club Atlantis Vallarta is their most popular resort, and their all-gay week from Nov. 5-12 can host up to 700 guests. Club Atlantis Cancun hosts an all-gay week from April 28 to May 5, which has a capacity of 750 guests. This beach vacation is both relaxing and adventurous with endless beach activities. With so many options, Atlantis is a great vacation option for an all-gay vacation that is relaxing without the stress.
Chumley’s BearCruises
www.bearcruises.com
Community focus: Gay and lesbian
Traditionally for the GLBT’s bear community. Chumley’s BearCruises are for all gay men, regardless of appearance, and women, too. Founded in 2003 by Mark ‘Chumley’ Singer, Chumley’s BearCruises are as entertaining as they are scenic. With cruises around islands in the Caribbean including St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Barbados, Chumley’s BearCruises seldom lack a beautiful view. Each cruise is hosted by Chumley himself and involves movie nights, karaoke, and a lot of partying. The fall 2017 trip is a 7-day sailing adventure departing from Miami, FL and exploring St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Bahamas. The spring 2018 trip is 7 days around the southern Caribbean and departs from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
RSVP Vacations
www.rsvpvacations.com
Community focus: Gay and lesbian
Dating back to the ’80s, RSVP Vacations has been sailing GLBT community members around Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas as well as adding the Caribbean, New England, and Alaska in the ’90s. Some upcoming cruises include the Danube Explorer cruise from Oct. 12-19 and the Koningsdam Caribbean cruise from Feb. 11-18. RSVP Vacations offers cruises to anyone 21 and up, single, in a relationship, or otherwise. RSVP Vacations has served over 100,000 guests from this diverse community. Reserve your spot online and see for yourself what makes RSVP Vacations such a popular cruise company.
Brand g Vacations
www.brandgvacations.com
Community focus: Entire GLBT community
Owned and operated by RSVP Vacation’s former president and director of marketing, Brand g Vacations was started as a means of providing more exotic cruising opportunities for the GLBT community. Brand g Vacations offers river cruises all over the world in locations such as Prague, Danube, Vietnam, Cambodia, Africa, Machu Picchu, Amsterdam, Italy and more. Each cruise is all-inclusive and offers activities and exploration in addition to the traditional cruise experience. Explore some of the world’s most fascinating rivers while adventuring the Amazon, touring wine country, or embarking on a safari through Africa.
Photo by luv4art/Bigstock
Source Events
www.sourceevents.com
Community focus: Entire GLBT community
Source Events is a great cruise line if you’re looking for a vacation to enjoy with your partner, friends, or the entire family. Source Events is tailored to the GLBT community but frequently welcomes straight friends and family members, especially on their Miami Pride Cruise. While the majority of their trips are open to the entire community, Source Events has specific naturalist cruises which are for gay men only. Cruises are open to singles as well as couples, and their smaller cruises are typically about 50 percent singles and 50 percent couples. Source Events cruises embark on journeys around Italy, Galapagos, Africa, and many other locations throughout the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the Caribbean.
Olivia Cruises
www.olivia.com
Community focus: Lesbian
Having served over 200,000 passengers, Olivia is one of the top cruise lines for lesbian women. Olivia has featured headliners like Melissa Etheridge, Whoopi Goldberg, and Wanda Sykes as well as special guests including Maya Angelou and Suze Orman. Olivia cruises explore areas around the Caribbean, Amalfi coast, Norwegian fjords, Venice and Athens, and they host vacations at resorts in Punta Cana, Vallarta, Cancun, and Bahamas. There are also a number of riverboats servicing areas around Switzerland, Amsterdam, Burgundy, Provence, Vietnam, Cambodia, Frankfurt, and Prague. Additionally, Olivia hosts trips in the United States that include adventures around various parts of Hawaii and Alaska.
Transgender Vacations
www.transgendervacations.com
Community focus: Transgender
Founded by Transgender Social Activist Stephanie Land, Transgender Vacations operates with the mission of providing various vacation opportunities for transgender men and women who are looking to enjoy safe cruises around different parts of the world. Transgender Vacations is based in Miami, FL with an alliance office in London, United Kingdom. Transgender Vacations helps plan your trip for you, and they understand how important it is to ensure that you feel comfortable and safe throughout the entirety of your trip, especially considering Land, who is transgender herself, works as a travel agent. Transgender Vacations offers trips around the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Mexico, Europe, Italy, Greece, and more.
OUT Adventures
www.outadventures.com
Community focus: Gay and lesbian
OUT Adventures has been serving the GLBT community since 2008 with trips around Thailand, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, and more. Each trip includes more than just a cruise, with opportunities to explore, hike, enjoy various beaches, and experience new cultures and people. OUT Adventures’ number one priority is ensuring that each and every one of its customers feels safe and loved throughout the duration of the trip. If you’re looking to explore more on land, OUT Adventures has plenty of opportunities to stay in one place with cottages, hotels, and other local accommodations.
DETOURS Travel
www.detourstravel.com
Community focus: Gay
Although DETOURS Travel welcomes women, it has a customer base that is 98 percent gay men. Each journey can be tailored to the traveler’s preferences, so whether you want to be active the entire time or just lounge on the beach and enjoy a few drinks, there isn’t a DETOURS Travel journey that wouldn’t suit you. DETOURS Travel has trips around Europe, Croatia, South Africa, Spain, Greece, Costa Rica, Peru, and Thailand, as well as customizable trips to a variety of locations. Trips range from group trips to smaller individualized ones, but all are open to singles as well as couples. Trips can also be scheduled for large groups such as a gay softball team.
Pied Piper Travel
www.piedpipertravel.com
Community focus: Gay and lesbian
Operating since 1990, Pied Piper Travel hosts hundreds of gay and lesbian groups on their various cruise ships. After retiring their original ship Queen Elizabeth 2, Pied Piper Travel began sailing Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria in 2004 and 2008. All trips include a welcome aboard cocktail party, private dining tables, a tour host, outdoor midnight parties, all-inclusive meals and entertainment, complimentary group photos, access to a private Yahoo group to chat with fellow group members, and optional private group shore excursions. Cruises explore areas of Iceland, Ireland, Australia, Costa Rica, South Africa, Panama, and many more.
