Yes, NY Times, A Gay Cruise Company Can Keep Guests Safe Amid a Pandemic
The New York Times asked, “Can a Gay Cruise Keep 4700 Safe Amid COVID?” in reference to another gay travel company’s charter cruise on Royal Caribbean embarking January 16, 2022.While VACAYA wasn’t mentioned by name in the article, our January 10-17, 2022 Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Millennium was referenced.
Having just wrapped this nearly 2,000-passenger Caribbean Cruise, VACAYA can definitively answer that question with an emphatic “Yes!” With careful execution of recommended protocols, the LGBT+ community can safely navigate these incredibly challenging times.We feel that the article did not live up to the journalistic integrity we expect from the Times, and was an affront to Atlantis Events, LGBT+ travel companies in general, and the gay community.
As we begin to come out of the pandemic, it’s OK to ask questions about how, why, and when we’ll return to normal, but The Times completely missed the real story here.Their decision to focus on errant quotes taken from various social media pages to sensationalize the story was both a misfire and (let’s hope unintentionally) homophobic.
The focus should have been on the positive steps being taken by travel companies to adapt to life in a new world of testing, screening, and exposure reduction through contact tracing, upgraded onboard medical facilities and staff, and improved guest stateroom ventilation.Everyone aboard VACAYA’s cruise on Celebrity Millennium had been vaccinated, most had been boosted, and all were tested shortly before boarding.
