Gay 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 three main tour operators for gay cruises including: Atlantis Events, Olivia Cruises and Resorts 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 three 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) 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.

Happy Cruising!