For many young LGBTQ travelers, going on a gay cruise often means boarding a 3,000-plus passenger ship in the Caribbean. There will be several days of EDM concerts on board, sun-soaked ports of call, and maybe even a little silliness in the evening. . However, today’s queer cruise market is diverse in nature, with a growing need for luxury itineraries to ports such as Vietnam, Egypt, Norway, and the Seychelles.
Brand g Vacations has been in operation since 2011 and focuses on what the company calls “the next generation of gay travel.” The company started with a focus on European river cruises, but has steadily grown and now offers luxury vacations that also include ocean cruises and land tours.
My husband and I recently traveled with Brand G on a European cruise aboard the Atlas World Traveler, a stunning yacht-style vessel that seats less than 200 passengers. I met Brian Van Wey, co-owner of Brand g Vacations, during my voyage and asked him about the company’s impressive growth.
One of the fun events that Brand G incorporated into its cruises was “Red Night,” which encouraged guests to wear their signature colors. (Photo credit: Photo by Paul J. Heney)
“I think when we started, we saw ourselves more as a cruise tour operator. As we evolved, we realized we were not limited to that self-perception. “It wasn’t how we were perceived, and it gave us the confidence to go on land tours and trains,” he said. “I’m so excited to be able to charter a plane and travel some really exciting itineraries, because the sky is the limit. There are only a handful of rivers in the world that are serviced by cruise ships, so for a while Ocean-going ships have expanded the range of products. Of course, supplementing with land is great, but having a mix of land makes it difficult to curate that comprehensive experience on land. It will be.”
One thing we noticed, even on the first day of the cruise, was that many of the couples and solo travelers on board were repeat guests, some of whom had traveled with companies over a dozen times. That was it. Van Wey said there is a level of loyalty, but more important is the level of trust they have achieved.
“You’re entrusting X days of personal time, X dollars, and it’s worth it. You do it, but we don’t take it for granted. We’re going to do everything we can to handle that, and we’ve always brought the owner or someone at that level with us on every trip, so we’ll course correct as needed. We know exactly what’s going on. We don’t have to sit down and read a survey afterwards,” he said.
Rovinj, Croatia was one of the ports of call on Brand G Cruises. (Photo credit: Photo by Paul J. Heney)
This was the third brand trip for Boston-based IT director Joan Ferreira and her husband Ralph DiChiara Jr.
“What keeps us coming back is the small group size, the fact that it’s upscale, and how close people get.During the tour, Brand g staff really interacts with guests.” We love the fact that it inspires people to become lifelong friends. We love that because it sets us apart from other travel companies,” Ferreira said. .
Another thing Ferreira appreciates is that Brand g takes care of everything.
“I think that’s really important,” he said. “Both my husband and I are still working, so our lives are busy. I don’t want to think about anything when I’m traveling. It’s better to have someone else organize everything. Brand G offers airport transfers. When you land, someone will be waiting for you, go to the ship, and that’s it. This makes a huge difference because it would otherwise take so long to plan a trip like this. I think so.”
Full of luxury
We thoroughly enjoyed the scale of World Traveler and its impressive number of public spaces. While Lisboa Restaurant was the main dining space throughout the day, Paula’s Pantry had light bites, snacks like quiches and salads, and gourmet coffee drinks available for most of the day. There was also 24-hour room service, but I only used it once for a late-night dessert. The ship has a main lounge, an additional lounge with a dramatic domed space in the center, a theater, a spa, a fitness center, and a sundeck with a pool and hot tub.
Waterfall in Krka National Park, Croatia. (Photo credit: Photo by Paul J. Heney)
The nine-night itinerary spanned from Venice to Malta, with stops throughout Croatia, Italy and Albania. Brand g has selected several smaller ports, giving travelers the opportunity to visit less touristy areas and popular highlights like Dubrovnik. All tours included. There were a few optional tours that cost a small additional fee, but all options were well organized and had insightful guides.
On one of our tours, we were visiting a national park in the sweltering heat. They were supposed to be given 90 minutes of free time at the end. However, since we had already seen almost all of the guided portion, the group asked if we could shorten our free time to 30 minutes due to the hot and humid weather. A representative from Brand g spoke with the guides and everyone’s wishes were granted. I really appreciated their flexible response on the spot.
Meghan Murphy was one of Brand G Cruise’s gay-friendly entertainers. (Photo credit: Photo by Paul J. Heney)
Since this was a queer cruise (with several straight allies on board), Brand G had four entertainers on board, a combination of which performed each night. Iconic Australian drag performer Trevor Ashley. pianist and singer Ben Papworth; And “Big Red,” aka Megan Murphy, is a talented singer and performer from Chicago. There was often standing room for the evening performances, which I really enjoyed. And, like many of our passengers, we made some great friends while cruising, many of whom we keep in touch with, and two of whom will be visiting their hometowns later this month.
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