January 6, 2007: Vol. 30, No. 1
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A gay old time
Queen Mary 2 welcomes ‘queens’
The Brooklyn Paper
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del.icio.usQueen Mary 2 is about to host a bunch of queens.
Nearly 3,000 gays and lesbians will turn the world’s largest passenger ship into their own Love Boat on May 29, when they embark from Brooklyn on a weeklong voyage across the Atlantic to Southampton, England.
RSVP Vacations, the Minnesota-based company chartering what it calls the first-ever, full-ship chartered gay cruise, has worked with other Cunard Line ships before, but not the Queen.
“It’s the Queen Mary 2 [so] the jokes about ‘queens on the Queen’ were going to be made,” said James David, spokesman for RSVP. “And I love it!”
The travel agency has been operating gay and lesbian cruises since 1985 because “gays and lesbians wanted a safe environment where they could vacation,” David said.
But now that RSVP has helped create the gay tourism industry, “safe” just isn’t good enough anymore.
“Gays and lesbians want the best of the best and then some,” said David. And the QM 2, one of the most opulent ships ever built, is certainly fit for, well, a queen.
The fun doesn’t come cheap. Tickets start at $1,595 per person and climb to $6,595.
David believes it’s worth the price tag, thanks to what he called an “inclusive and diverse” atmosphere.
“It’s not just open to one segment of the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender population,” he said. “Everyone is welcome.”
Cunard promised that RSVP’s alternatively-lifestyled clients would be treated to the same “world-class” entertainment that other cruise passengers get, including Cunard’s traditional Black & White Ball and Ascot Ball.
“We are proud to welcome RSVP Vacations aboard our flagship Queen Mary 2,” said Cunard spokesman Brian O’Connor.
Straight family members have also been known to travel on RSVP cruises.
And unlike Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2002 flop, “Boat Trip,” they have a gay old time. RSVP’s invitation to “cut loose” and “feel free” extends to everyone, David said.
©2007 The Brooklyn Paper
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