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News & Expert Advice
A Blog for the LGBT Community Who Love To CruiseRandall Shirley: Editor
Tom Baker: Cruise Expert
Don Church & Tony Schillaci: Guest Writers
Tagged: RSVP RSS
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Randall Shirley
Risk of port being cancelled (in the case of Norwegian and Bahamas, forgotten?)
News this week of the Norwegian Epic, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, being turned away from a port in the Bahamas because the port didn’t schedule it properly was pretty darn shocking. According to Bahamas-based Tribune242.com, the 4,100 passenger mega-ship was turned away due to a “mix up in the berthing schedule.”
Gay cruise passengers enjoy themselves on an RSVP all gay cruise. When diverted to St. John instead of the Dominican Republic, we still had plenty of fun and spent money on shore. Photo: Randall Shirley
Holy Cow! Someone’s head should roll for that mistake, which the publication reports cost the island(s) over $100,000.
But what does a missed or skipped port mean for you and me? Have you ever been on a ship that skipped or changed a port for some reason?
I have. Many years ago, during an RSVP cruise onboard a Holland America ship, we were diverted from a stop on the Dominican Republic (if memory serves me right) due to health a health issue on the island, and instead the captain held the ship between the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, USVI, with tenders running to both those islands. We had already stopped in St. Thomas earlier in the cruise. This allowed me to visit small St. John, where the island’s business owners had zero warning the gays would be arriving en mass. The ones I talked to were certainly delighted with the bonus bucks that landed in their cash registers that day.
Meanwhile, lots of plans in the Dominican were scuttled. And while this was before it was so easy to pre-plan (and sometimes pre-pay) for non-cruise line shore excursions prior to arrival, I can only imagine how disruptive such a change must be these days when some of us do just that. Folks who booked excursions via the cruise line would be refunded, but people who planned on their own would be SOL.
It’s a good reminder that you should never pre-arrange and pre-pay for any “non-refundable” travel experience that you can’t afford to lose, and this includes the cruise itself when you arrange your own airfare–which is my method. However, I always book my flights to arrive at least a day before departure, which gives me a much stronger chance of making the ship on time (I haven’t missed one yet), plus allows me to arrive relaxed, and even enjoy the outbound port and perhaps its gay bars or shops.
I’d love to hear if you’ve ever lost money due to a last-minute change in a ship’s itinerary. And for that matter, have you ever missed the boat altogether?
Note: On one mentioned cruise, the author cruised as a guest of RSVP Vacations. The company has not reviewed this content, and the views and opinions expressed are the author’s own.
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MeetMeOnBoard
RSVP Vacations is being sued by Bel Ami and several of its models for hiring them for a cruise and then dumping them in godforsaken Tunisia.According to court documents filed in California, nearly a dozen Slavic Bel Ami porn stars were hired by RSVP to “mix and mingle” with passengers on a gay cruise through the Mediterranean. Bel Ami maintains the models were told to keep the fact RSVP hired them on the down-low, “suggesting that the young men should lie and say the cruise was a ‘reward from Bel Ami for their hard work’ if anyone asked.” In exchange for providing the talent, RSVP told Bel Ami it could film the models frolicking non-sexually around the ship.
But rumors started circling before the boat even left port and, when the boys attracted too much attention, RSVP allegedly kicked them off the Nieuw Amsterdam, stranding them in Tunisia.
At the time, Tunisia was in the aftermath of the tumultuous civil uprising that became known as the Arab Spring; an uprising so powerful that it led to the removal of long-time President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The protests constituted the most dramatic wave of social and political unrest in Tunisia in three decades and resulted in scores of deaths and injuries.
With RSVP supposedly holding their passports and belongings hostage, the models had no choice but to comply. Ironically, the Nieuw Amsterdam was just one day away from Italy, an EU member nation that would have allowed them to easily return home to Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Instead they spent a sleepless night in Tunisia, with no contacts, no resources and unable to speak the language.
Bel Ami and the models are suing RSVP and Holland America cruise line for breach of contract, fraud, intentional interference with contract, negligence, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
This isn’t the first trouble RSVP has had in the Muslim world: Just a few weeks ago, a planned excursion to Morocco was canceled for reasons that remain unclear.
Source: GayPornGossip.com (NSFW). Photos QueerMeNow (NSFW)
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Dave Cantrall
If completely true as stated in this article, it does not surprised me about RSVP – which BTW is part of Atlantis Events; both fairly recently have been engaged in practices of which is NOT exactly what could be called “above board”, and/or using common sense.
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John
Its my understanding they were having public sex and thats why they were thrown off.
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Dave Cantrall
John, could you inform us as to where or what source your information comes from regarding “they were having public sex and that’s why they were thrown off”?
There is a news link regarding this Bel Ami/RSVP situation that states all that is apparently known regarding this case, and without all the risque photos that so many websites seem intent on splashing all over and around this news event – and that is “The Courthouse News”.
I hope the news media – major or otherwise – will continue follow-ups regarding this unfortunate situation with Bel Ami … unfortunate indeed for those young men from Bel Ami.
As for RSVP, assuming that they did hire members of the Bel Ami team to be on board that particular cruise – and I don’t see any reason not to assume that – then RSVP had an obligation to those young Bel Ami men in the same sense that they had to any other cruise passenger on board that same cruise.
With this incident regarding the actions taken by RSVP, and not too long ago another incident of a “sexual nature” on board a Gay Cruise with Atlantis Events, I am more than ready to try something different for my next cruise.
Dave
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Rick Dallin
Public sex on a Gay cruise..OMG. If this article is completely true and even if there was sex going on in the public areas. I hope that RSVP and Atlantis events gets sued and loses big time in court. There is just no excuse why they couldn’t consel them, giving them a chance, or at least kick them off in another EU country like Italy. They should have also given the poor guys their belongings and their passports. I hope they do lose because that is what I feel this company deserves. Rick D. San Diego.
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Rick Dallin
Btw I’ve been on about 12 gay cruises, 2 with RSVP and 9 with Atlantis Events and I can tell you..I have seen lots of public sex! Big deal. Rick D, San Diego.
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Mike
Totally in agreement with Dallin’s point of view and sentiments. Putting those guys off the ship where they were without passports or their belongings is pure spitefulness and bad juju. Shame on RSVP!
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Matthew
I’ve been on one Atlantis cruise but have not traveled with RSVP. To have these young porn stars on their ship just doesn’t fit their ‘brand’. I’m sure there was enough eye candy on the boat already without hiring young twinks. I’ll hold judgement on this until all the facts come out.
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cr
Believe me, some of the ‘eye candy’ is hired and that is specifically the reason they were ‘invited’ to join the cruise, from my understanding–for the photographer to do a photo shoot and in which company’s branding and promotional products do you think the shots were to appear? Photo’s of the eternally youthful men, “RSVP told Bel Ami it could film the models frolicking non-sexually around the ship”, certainly not meant to be for the exclusive use of Bel Ami.
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Clay Roger
I agree with Rick and Matthew. I have been on the cruises and worked for a cruise line. Would it not be illegal for them to hold their passports? Passports normally belong to the country that issues them so I think the cruise line and RSVP have a made an error. Usually if you are thrown off a ship your passport and belongings should be landed to the local port authority. Bad business….
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Robert
Cruise ships always hold the passport of employees.
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cr
Just another one of RSVP/Atlantis’ antics to keep their rates as high as possible, not even bothering to put “on sale at a discount” the cabins that do not sell for on a cruise for which they could have had new or loyal clientele filling those unsold spaces.
Instead they, or their entertainment manager, “stage” the unsold cabins with lousy entertainers or, in this case, very young ‘models’ for the main purpose of doing a photo shoot specifically designed to prolong their brand’s lure of promoting sex, youth, and beauty to their ideal target audience; not necessarily to their most loyal cruisers.
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Lance
So first of all lets talk about why RSVP felt so lame about their trip which resulted in the uh i’ll say STUPID idea to hire live props. imean come on its a cruise its a GAY cruise do we really need a bunch of hired help from the Czech rRep. to help us have a good time? I say NO !!! and kdos for the boys for filing claim against both RSVP and Holland American.. Dude just cruise and be Cruised and be happy about that. My feeling go out to thosde Boys thown off the ship in such horrible conditions and ya know what somebody need be held resposible
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Tad
“godforsaken Tunisia”? As an attorney, I understand the need for the plaintiffs’ attorney to hype up the “damages”, but I feel a lot of reaction shared online about this incident has a tinge of Islamophobia that doesn’t help examine the RSVP/Holland America/Ami boys issue. Do you really think Holland America would come near that port if there was imminent danger? Did the rest of the RSVP guests stay aboard or did they continue on excursions that day?
The overturn of the Tunisian government was by far the least violent of the ensuing “Arab spring” events and many tourists continued to travel there in April after the uprising which was really a winter event. Angelina Jolie went there the first week of April, 2011. Tunisia is a beautiful country and the ruins of Carthage along the sea are spectacular and among the favorite port calls I’ve ever made.
Here is a quote from a TripAdvisor forum re: the safety of coming to Tunisia that spring:
(note they were no longer concerned about Tunisia but about trouble in neighboring Libya)“Re: Will Libya unrest cause problems for Djerba travel?
May 17, 2011, 3:12 PM
I am in Djerba right now and I can reassure you it’s so peaceful and relaxing here, no trouble whatsoever. In fact I was more aware of the worldly troubles back home in England than i am here. They call is the isle of forgetfulness and it really is. I was anxious too before my visit and now I realise I had no reason to be at all. Relax and look forward to your holiday, you have nothing to worry about
”I am glad this site included the link to the actual legal complaint so I could gain more insight into this matter. For those who did not read it carefully, they were NOT kicked off without their passports. There was a brief hold of their passports for processing. After they agreed to leave the ship at the next port, albeit under duress, their passports were returned to them. I have been on several cruises during which cruise lines took the passports for processing so that is not uncommon. Hotels abroad also hold them at times – so this in itself is perfectly legal and customary in some settings.
I don’t think the boys were given a fair shake – but it doesn’t sound to me like they were thrown off in “horrible conditions” – esp. not in comparison to the couple put into a Dominican prison cell with a crowd of hostile homophobic tormentors surrounding them. There is not one shred of evidence given in the RSVP/Ami complaint about the conditions they were subjected to other than customary legal hyperbole. I do NOT think this was handled properly – but please don’t make Tunisia circa April 2011 into some horrendous war zone when that was not the case.
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MeetMeOnBoard
Here's Not Looking At You Kid
Organizers of an all-gay cruise on Saturday blamed Moroccan officials for the cancellation of what would have been the first visit of its kind to a Muslim country, but the tourism minister denied the ship was banned and said its passengers were welcome.
Cruise liner Holland America Line and trip organiser RSVP Vacations told the 2,100 holiday-makers aboard the MS Nieuw Amsterdam ship that the July 1 visit to Casablanca had been cancelled.
Read the entire Reuters article here >>>Will Kohler, owner and creator of Back2Stonewall.com is one of the country’s leading experts on LGBT History, Media and Popular Culture. Read his opinion here >>>Click the comment link below and let us know your thoughts.
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Brian L. 6:55 pm on March 12, 2013 Permalink |
In the summer of 2011 we were not allowed off our ship in Athens, Greece due to protesting transportation workers. Namely, an entire fleet of taxi cabs blocked the entrance to the port and did not allow any tour buses in to pick up the passengers of our ship, or anyone off of the ship to leave the port. Instead we stayed on the ship in the shipyard while the ship received fuel and were only able to see Athens from our balcony. This was a disappointment to us, as Athens was our #1 destination for choosing this particular itinerary.
We were puzzled over this action of the transportation workers, as the ship passengers were potentially bringing thousands of dollars into a crippled economy.
Royal Carribbean did not offer any kind of compensation (I would have just liked a free drink) or alternative port, instead it was chalked up to just another (rather hot) day at sea.
Jeff 10:48 pm on March 12, 2013 Permalink |
Twice on NCL the out island was cancelled due to weather. . Other times,.. Ochos Rios was cancelled due to another ship ( a Princess ship ) damaged a dock and Grand Cayman due to a tender issue. The last 2 were on the Regal Empress and they gave a port fee adjustment to the shipboard account and a small drink credit. NCL..nothing.. not even an extra round of bingo..no additional music or entertainment planned.
Matthew 10:26 pm on March 13, 2013 Permalink |
We were on Royal Caribbean for the first time. Was down in the Bahamas and one of the ports was at their private island. It wasn’t until we got up to go out that we realized something was wrong, we were in the middle of the sea. They had cancelled the port as the waves were higher then they wanted to risk as it was to be tendered. They didn’t give anybody anything for it. The ship was small and not designed to handle a day at sea and they tried to add activities but everyone was bored as nothing to do. Was first time had a port skipped. Was really looking forward to being on a private island. Guess have to wait until try with a different cruise line this November.
Bernard 10:27 pm on March 16, 2013 Permalink |
The recent cruise on ms Oosterdam of the Holland America Line ex Sydney on 3 March 2013 was haunted by tropical Cyclone Sandra. The call at Lifou Island was the first casualty. The ship proceeded to Suva, Fiji, where on Sunday 10 March 2013 passengers were told that Nouméa, scheduled for 13 March was also cancelled and that the visit to Dravuni Island cut short. Port charges for Lifou and Nouméa were refunded, about $8 in total. Compensation in the form of a glass of the ship’s cheapest white wine was offered with dinner on 13 March. Both passengers and crew were disgruntled; passengers because ports were missed that they were looking forward to seeing and crew because they had to work when they might otherwise have had a bit of a break. The line then decided to return to Sydney a day early which delighted the foreign passengers but pissed off the locals. As it turned out, TC Sandra missed Nouméa altogether: it changed course shortly after the decision was made to skip that port which added to the general level of disgruntlement all around. The captain bravely faced his passengers and was duly roasted alive. While no one disputed that it was the right and only decision available at the time it was made on the basis of forecasts, it could have been delayed for at least 24 hours with no compromise of safety, adding to the general level of disquiet. Further, as Nouméa was to be a victualling port for fresh supplies, the range and quality of the catering slowly contracted as the ship’s freezers were pillaged for whatever they contained. Not HAL’s finest hour, unfortunately.