Families with kids have Disney Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruises, couples have Silversea and Regent Seven Seas, and the gay community has GayCruiseVacations.com and Olivia Cruises. Some of the most popular gay vacations in the world are resort vacations and gay cruises. Resort vacations are great for land lovers or for those seeking a little R&R, but for those seeking a festive vacation at sea, a gay cruise is the perfect choice.
There are two common types of gay cruises including “Gay Environment� cruises and “Gay Groups� cruises. Gay Environment cruises are typically booked by a gay or lesbian tour company. The tour company books an entire cruise ship with the sole purpose of creating a unique all-gay environment complete with customized entertainment such as cabaret performances and activities such as dancing and costume parties. These special vacations can average anywhere from 100 up to 3,000 or more guests depending on vessel size.
While there may be many tour operators eager to organize these types of cruises, there are several preferred tour operators for gay cruises including: Atlantis Events, Olivia Cruises and Resorts, Travelpride, and RSVP. These professional gay and lesbian travel specialists are the best at creating custom gay cruises to suit any style, taste, group size or budget.
While Gay Environment cruises offer an environment free from judgment from the everyday “straight� world, many gay cruise travelers cite camaraderie, a chance for romance and specially tailored activities and entertainment as some of the main reasons for opting for a Gay Environment cruise.
Gay Groups cruises are considered an acceptable alternative to Gay Environment cruises but they are on a much smaller scale. A smaller gay group may book space aboard a mainstream cruise ship for anywhere from six to 200 or more passengers. The larger the ship, the larger the group may be. While Gay Groups cruises may not offer an all-gay environment or customized entertainment and activities, they do still offer opportunities to meet other gay singles. Destinations, ships and activities overall may be much more varied as well.
Gay Group cruises aboard a mainstream cruise ship may be a better option for passengers who crave variety. Gay Group cruises offer a wider variety of ships to choose from, a limitless number of vacation destinations and a wider variety of onboard activities and entertainment such as casinos, spas or rock climbing. Many Gay Group cruisers may also prefer to mix and mingle with straight cruisers, who typically make up the vast majority of cruisers.
Any group can book a cruise aboard any of the hundreds of cruise ships available today, so simply pick your favorite cruise line or ship and inquire within. But for Gay Environment cruises, try your best to stick with the leaders in the industry.
To contact any of the major tour operators for gay cruises around the globe, visit Olivia Cruises and Resorts, which specializes in gay cruises with an emphasis on lesbian vacations, at Olivia.com (1-800-631-6277); Atlantis Events, the leader in all-gay vacations, at Atlantisevents.com (800-6-Atlantis), Travelpride.com, and RSVP (Rsvp.net, 800-328-RSVP ) for a wide variety of gay cruises aboard big ships, small ships and even river boats from the Mexican Riviera to Thailand.
Please continue reading to find out more about Olivia Cruises, last featured on the hit Bravo TV show “Workout.�
Olivia cruises is a one of the world’s leading lesbian travel companies offering unique cruise and resort experiences that “connect and celebrate the lives of lesbians.� Not only does Olivia Cruises cater to lesbians looking for comfort and to connect, it also caters to lesbians that have a passion for cruising to exotic destinations and those seeking adventure. No other cruise travel company in the world makes it easier for those traveling solo to feel comfortable and like they are truly a member of the club.
Olivia cruises will take you to places like the Turks & Caicos Islands, Australia, Europe, and the Galapagos Islands. These types of cruises highlight architectural tours, island adventures, nature excursions, and a variety of other adventure tours. Offerings may include escapes such as: Discovering Provence and Burgundy, Cruising the Romantic Danube, Adventure Down Under, and the Amazing Galapagos Adventure. Other destinations include Cancun, the Caribbean, and the Mexican Riviera.
Olivia Cruises is big on entertainment, and the names this lesbian travel and entertainment cruise company attracts are even bigger. With names like k.d., lang, Margaret Cho, Kate Clinton, and Meg Christian joining in to help Olivia Cruises celebrate its 35th anniversary, guests will never have to worry about exciting entertainment aboard ships such as: Lindblad Expedition’s MS Islander, Holland America’s MS Zuiderdam (ZI-der-dam), Avalon Scenery, and Viking River Cruises’ Viking Europe.
If you’re interested in booking an Olivia Cruise travel experience, you’re in luck, because there are numerous little extras that come with traveling with Olivia. Olivia currently partners with American Airlines, so if you’re flying AA, you can save up to 7% on your airfare. Also, Olivia offers long-term payment plans in order to help you finance your vacation. And finally, if you refer a friend, Olivia Cruises will give you a credit towards your next trip. Keep in mind that 99% of first-time Olivia cruisers will sail with Olivia again – so your credit will not go unused!
Prices for Olivia Cruise experiences vary greatly depending on when you book, type of accommodations, destination, length of cruise, type of cruise, season, ship, and number of guests in your party. For example, a Romantic 7-day Danube Cruise can cost around $2,999 for a lower standard stateroom, booked during the early bird period, and a upper deluxe stateroom (booked during the early bird period) can cost around $6,499. Please note that you can save yourself hundreds of dollars by booking early. The same accommodations above can cost $1,600-$2,400 more after the early bird period expires.
You can expect all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks (with lunch and dinner), Olivia entertainment, an excursion in each port as outlined in the itinerary, and Olivia Staff assistance throughout the cruise to be included in the price. Prices do not include airfare, insurance, transfers to/from the ship, fuel surcharge or NDA.
Interested in booking a cruise with Olivia Cruises? Need more information? You can check out Olivia Cruises at www.oliviacruises.com, where you can browse through offerings, request a brochure, and make reservations. You can also call Olivia Cruises directly to talk to an Olivia Travel Consultant at 800-631-6277.