R Family Vacations

Infobox_Company
company_name = R Family Vacations
company_
company_type = LGBT travel
foundation = 2003
location_city = Nyack, New York
location_country = USAcite web
title=Nyack, New York
publisher=Zoom.gay.com
date=2003-2005
url=http://zoom.gay.com/viewListing.do?id=21481
accessdate=2007-11-24]
slogan = Family friendly vacations designed especially for the gay and lesbian communitycite web
title=Homepage
publisher=R Family Vacations
date=2003-2005
url=http://www.rfamilyvacations.com/about/index.html
accessdate=2007-11-24]
key_people = Gregg Kaminsky (co-founder)cite web
title=The Founders
publisher=R Family Vacations
date=2003-2005
url=http://www.rfamilyvacations.com/about/index.html
accessdate=2007-11-24]
Kelli O'Donnell (co-founder)
Rosie O'Donnell (creative input)
industry = LGBT tourism
products = all-inclusive cruise-ship-based vacations, events, related products
revenue =
net_income =
num_employees =
homepage = [http://www.rfamilyvacations.com www.RFamilyVacations.com]
footnotes =

R Family Vacations is a LGBT vacation entertainment company mainly focused on providing luxury cruise ship trips with a focus on inclusive activities for children and providing entertainment and activities geared to couples including same-sex marriage ceremonies.

History

In 2003 Rosie O'Donnell and her partner Kelli Carpenter-O'Donnell partnered with travel entrepreneur Gregg Kaminsky to launch R Family Vacations catering to both gays and lesbians, "the very first all gay and lesbian family vacation packages" where "gays and lesbians can bring their kids, their friends, and their parents."cite web
title= Rosie and Kelly O'Donnell presents... R Family Vacations
publisher=Lesbian Alliance
url=http://www.lesbianalliance.com/content.cfm?cat=lifestyle&sub=travel&file=rvacations
accessdate=2007-11-24] Although O'Donnell is not involved on a day-to-day basis, she does contribute to the creative aspects of "advertising and marketing materials" and initiated the idea for the company when she filled in as a last-minute replacement headliner on one of Kaminsky's Atlantis Events gay cruises and also came up with the name "R Family Vacations."cite web
last =Salvato
first =Ed
title=R Family Vacations plies uncharted gay waters
publisher=Planet Out
url =http://www.planetout.com/travel/article.html?sernum=9101
accessdate=2007-06-21] Kaminsky was previously a Vice President for Atlantis Events, the largest and most successful all-gay cruise company producing "all-gay vacations in Africa, Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, and Mexico" and his partner is also a business partner of O'Donnell's.citation |title=R we ready for r family vacations? |periodical=The Advocate |date=September 30, 2003 |first=Judy |last=Wieder |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2003_Sept_30/ai_110917274 |accessdate=2007-11-24 ]

Maiden voyage (2004)

On July 11, 2004, the first cruise was held aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines's "Norwegian Dawn" with 1600 passengerscite web
title=Q and A with Rosie and Kelli on "All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise"
publisher=Planet Out
year=2006
url =http://www.planetout.com/entertainment/news/?sernum=1227
accessdate=2007-06-21] including 600 children.cite web
last =Davis
first =Andrew
title=Getting Away with R Family Vacations
publisher=Windy City Times
date=2005-01-12
url =http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=7108
accessdate=2007-06-21] By the third year, the cruise was selling out to a maximum capacity of 2,600 passengers. In addition to traditional entertainment and recreational activities, the company partnered with Provincetown’s Family Pride, a 25-year-old Washington, D.C.-based organization that advocates for GLBT families,cite web
last =Williams
first =Bradley David
title=Families, Ahoy!
publisher=Out Smart Magazine
month=May
year=2004
url =http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/issue/i05-04/f-2-Families_Ahoy.php
accessdate=2007-06-21] to host discussions on "adoption, insemination, surrogacy, and everything else that would be helpful to gay parenting.” Metropolitan Community Church, the predominantly GLBT Christian denomination, had clergy on board to perform wedding ceremonies and conduct interfaith services and there was also discussion groups for kids and a panel discussion where teens could share their experiences of growing up with gay and lesbian parents.

2008

In January 2008, Pink Pea, a production company, announced that "Dottie", "the star of "Dottie's Magic Pockets" — the first children's program for kids in gay and lesbian families" will be part of the entertainment. [http://www.foxbusiness.com/article/star-kids-gay-lesbian-families-sets-sail-rosie-cruise_434313_1.html "Star of First Show for Kids in Gay and Lesbian Families Sets Sail on Rosie Cruise"] Jan. 14 2008, Fox News.] "Dottie's Magic Pockets" is "set in a lesbian household" and started airing in September 2007. "Dottie", portrayed by actor Jen Plante, will appear on the cruise to the Mexican Riviera, March 15-22, 2008 and marks the first time the LGBT families and friends will be "entertained by the main character of a kids' show that is set in a lesbian household". Also in 2008 a cruise to Canada and New England took place from July 13-20 with "gay-friendly" stops including Provincetown, Halifax and Bar Harbor.cite web
title=Lesbian-Friendly Cruises
publisher=Jane And Jane
date=March/April 2008
url =http://janeandjane.net/travel.html
accessdate=2008-04-28]

"All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise"

A documentary film about the trip looked inside the lives of some of the 500 families that cruised from New York to the Bahamas. The documentary, "All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise", debuted 6 April 2006 on HBO and is now available on DVD. The film was nominated for three Emmy Awards. Of the experience O'Donnell stated quote|" [w] e didn’t really realize the magic that was going to take place. People who had never met another gay family met other families and it was powerful."

Faith-based opposition in the Caribbean

In 2007 the annual cruise dropped Bermuda from its itinerary because another of the Norwegian Cruise Lines' all gay cruises was met by a hundred Christian "protesters chanting anti-gay slogans" in nearby Nassau, Bahamascite web
title=Bermuda cut from O'Donnell's gay cruise
publisher=Associated Press via Yahoo News
date=April 17, 2007
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20070514183548/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070417/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_rosie_o_donnell_cruise (via wayback machine as [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070417/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_rosie_o_donnell_cruise] has expired)
accessdate=2007-06-21] cite web
title=O'Donnell's gay cruise to cancel Bermuda stop
publisher=Associated Press
date=April 17, 2007
url =http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-04-17-odonnell-cruise-bermuda_N.htm
accessdate=2008-03-02] and the R Family cruise was targeted by an interfaith group of 80 churches called United By Faithcite web
last =Dale
first =Amanda S
title=United By Faith: ‘A victory for God’
publisher=The Royal Gazette
date=April 18, 2007
url =http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/print.jsp?articleId=7d7492330030000&sectionId=60&print

accessdate=2007-06-21] who were calling for the trip to be canceled or they would protest when the ship arrived. United By Faith's spokesman, Andre Curtis, is also chairman of Faith Based Tourism for Bermuda's Tourism Ministry as well as being responsible for running Premier Dr. Ewart Brown’s constituency committee in Warwick South Central, where Brown will be seeking re-election.cite web
last =Jones
first =Glenn
title=Tourism fears over gay cruise stand-off
publisher=The Royal Gazette
date=March 31, 2007
url =http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d73fa330030002&sectionId=60
accessdate=2007-06-21] Although Brown, who is also the Minister of Tourism and Transport in Bermuda's Cabinet "dismissed requests" for the cruise to be canceledcite web
last =Bourke
first =Amy
title=Rosie's gay cruise is backed by Bermuda's leader
publisher=Pinknews
date=3 April, 2007
url =http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-4069.html
accessdate=2007-06-21] R Families changed the itinerary to instead visit two stops in Florida and a private island. Kaminsky stated quote|"If we didn't have kids on board and there were protesters, we would go, but we did not want to expose kids to that hatred while they were on vacation."cite magazine
last =Guaracino
first =Jeff
title=Fun For Grown-Ups Aboard Rosie's r Family Cruises
publisher=Instinct (magazine)
month=July
year=2007
page=48
accessdate=2007-06-21]

ee also

* LGBT tourism
* LGBT marketing
* List of gay resort areas
* Olivia cruise line for lesbians

References