Since 1985, more than 100,000 guests have discovered RSVP Vacations. Now owned by Atlantis Events — among the best brand names in gay vacations — RSVP Vacations has a new president, Randle Roper. Formerly of Starwood Hotels, Roper brings a new energy to RSVP.
RSVP is drawing a diverse group of passengers aboard its trips. According to Roper, women are now 10 percent of the company’s passengers. He anticipates 350 lesbians will join RSVP for its February sailing aboard the brand-new MSC Divina for a Feb. 15 Caribbean cruise from Miami.
One reason for the increasing draw of women travelers is the work of Rachel Pearson, RSVP’s first lesbian executive producer, who is responsible for operations and entertainment.
Women traveling on RSVP will find lesbian comics like Jessica Kirson and Poppy Champlin, and there are women-only brunches, disco and cocktail hours.
“Our women passengers find RSVP an alternative to Sweet and Olivia,” Roper said about the companies that cater to lesbian travelers with cruises and land-based trips.
That’s not to say that gay men — who still account for 90 percent of RSVP cruisers — will have to forgo their leather and underwear parties. With more Europeans and South Americans discovering RSVP Vacations, the clientele is diversifying beyond RSVP’s traditional American base.
Even though Roper is new as president of RSVP, he says the questions about the vacation experience have remained consistent over the company’s 29-year history: Will I fit in? Is it a floating bathhouse? Roper asks first-time gay cruisers to take a leap of faith, promising that it will be the best vacation of their lives, likening an RSVP Vacation to a gay summer-camp experience.
And RSVP Vacations is now even more affordable. Since 2011, prices have dropped nearly 30 percent, yet the vacations are still offered aboard brand-new luxury ships. Prices per person for the Caribbean sailing begin at $899 or $1,200 for a balcony stateroom. The Italian-designed ship will sail to popular destinations in the Caribbean with gay-friendly and welcoming cultures: the French and Dutch island of St. Maarten, San Juan and a day on a private island. Discount airfares are available on American Airlines.
Reserve online at http://aa.com/rainbow or call 800-433-1790. Receive 5-percent off applicable fares by using promotion code 3724AF. To book a cruise, visit www.rsvpvacations.com.
And if you are looking for a European vacation, RSVP will soon announce a five-star luxury riverboat cruise in July 2014 that will end in Amsterdam for the city’s massive gay Pride festival.
Brand G Vacations
If a big-ship experience isn’t right for you and you are willing to spend a little more for the luxury and privacy of a Royal Clipper ship, you should discover Brand G Vacations. This agency has partnered with Concierge Travel to offer a Caribbean vacation that will make you feel like you own a yacht and could sail anywhere you want. The Royal Clipper is a five-masted true sailing ship, which takes you to some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean. Sailing in the intimacy of 227 gay and lesbian guests, the six-day voyage will take passengers to the mountainous tropical paradise of Isla Margarita, Venezuela, Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Lucia. Visit www.brandgvacations.com for more information.
Jeff Guaracino is the author of “Gay and Lesbian Tourism: The Essential Guide for Marketing.”