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  Hot Cruise Deals

  by Randall Shirley 8:47 pm on April 21, 2010 | No replies Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Celebrity (5), ship (4), Variety Cruises

  A handful of interesting deals I’ve seen lately. It’s worth noting, most solid & reputable cruise agents should be able to match these fares. Cruising remains one area of travel where I’m still a BIG believer in building (and using) a great relationship with a travel agent.

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  • $1995 Balcony
    

    Queen Victoria, Photo courtesy Cunard Line

    12 Night Cruise
    Sailing November 12, 2010
    Cunard Queen Victoria
    Rome Roundtrip
    Including up to $500 onboard credit + bathrobe

  • Advertised by onlinevacationcenter.com

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  • Greece
    50% discount for the second person based on double occupancy.
    No supplement required for single travelers.
    Includes choice of two-nights at a deluxe Athens hotel OR a $140 shipboard credit per person.
    Aegean Odyssey: Seven-night cruise including stops in Kusadasi, Turkey and Patmos and Samos islands. Regular fares begin at $1,935 per person.  Sale dates: May 7 & 28, June 4, July 23, August 13 & 20, September 3, October 8, 15, 22 & 29.
    Jewels of the Cyclades: This seven-night cruise heads southeast of mainland Greece through a collection of charming islands.  Regular fares begin at $1,530 per person.  Sale dates: April 30, June 4, August 27, October 15, 22 & 29.
  • Advertised by varietycruises.com

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  • $299 Night Western Caribbean
    Departs from Miami
    Celebrity Cruise: Century
  • Advertised by orbitz.com

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  I’m not endorsing any of these–just reminding you that there are a variety of interesting packages and deals out there. Go cruising! And don’t forget to post your cruise on your PROFILE!

  
  

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  European cruise line organizes own gay cruise

  by Randall Shirley 10:00 am on November 6, 2009 | 1 reply Permalink | Reply
  Tags: All-gay cruises (4), European cruises, Mediterranean (5), sailing ships, Variety Cruises

  Variety Cruises, a cruise line based in Athens, Greece, has announced a gay cruise from August 20-27, 2010.  The

  

  Variety Cruises "Panorama" will take an all-gay sailing. Photo courtesy Variety Cruises.

  sailing will include Greece and the Greek islands–Mykonos, Santorini and other islands on their small sailing ship, the Panorama. Cruise-only rates start at $2,290 per person per week–certainly hefty compared to the fares RSVP and Atlantis are offering, but it’s an apples to oranges comparison when you consider the difference in ship style. But it also seems very steep considering the price only includes some of your meals.

  I personally don’t know how Variety will do with the concept–if any of you have sailed them on a mainstream itinerary, I’d love to hear about it.

  Special activities include lengthy swim stops in selected beaches such as in Mykonos, DJ-spun music, evenings off-board in specific ports of call, and “special events,” not sure what that means.

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  New all-gay cruise, organized by the actual cruise line

  by Randall Shirley 7:31 pm on July 8, 2009 | 1 reply Permalink | Reply
  Tags: all-gay, gay cruise (19), Greece cruise, Mediterranean (5), Variety Cruises, Variety ship

  A while back many MMOB members participated in a survey about the site; from the results we learned that while nearly 100% of you have been on a cruise, only 35% have been on an all-gay cruise, such as RSVP, Atlantis, Olivia, or R Family.

  You probably know that those companies charter entire ships, but they are not cruise lines themselves (although RSVP did once own a small ship).

  Meanwhile, I recently learned that a Greek cruise line, Variety Cruises, is trying their hand at marketing their own all-gay cruises. Frankly, I’ve wondered for years why Princess or Celebrity haven’t tried this on their own.

  There are many challenges for a cruise company in attempting to market to us as homos. Probably the biggest is they don’t exactly know who we are. For all the demographic info cruise lines collect, sexual-orientation isn’t tracked (as far as I know). The other big challenge is convincing the all-gay-cruise crowd that the cruise line can put on the same quality of overall “show” as the gay charter operators. RSVP, Olivia, and the others have become experts at “gaying up” the entire cruise experience, bringing their own DJs and other entertainers to make sure the experience is over-the-top gay.

  While I doubt I’ll make it to Greece to sample Variety’s initial effort at all-gay cruises, I’d love to hear from anyone who does take the voyage. If you or someone you know is going, let me know.

  Related to this topic: 6 myths of all-gay cruises

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