Rosie's Gay Cruise

[Josh]

The first cruise of R Family Vacations, a new company backed by the comic and gay-rights advocate, set sail Sunday from New York for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. O'Donnell was on hand in Manhattan Sunday to celebrate the first of several gay family-friendly vacations planned by R Family Vacations.

According to the R Family Website, the cruise is a seven-day adventure that will take its 2,100 passengers from New York to Florida to the Bahamas and back again aboard a chartered Norwegian Dawn ship. (Rosie will be receiving the key to the city of Key West for her efforts, when the boat docks there Wednesday.)

On-board activities include mini-camps, entertainment and discussion groups on adoption, artificial insemination, surrogacy and other topics of interest to gay parents or gay parents to be. Cruisers shelled out $999 to $15,000 for the maiden voyage..

R Family Vacations was founded by O'Donnell's partner, Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell (the two married in San Francisco in February and are parents to four adopted children), and Gregg Kaminski, who formerly worked for the Atlantis gay travel agency.

R Family calls the cruise "truly the first of its kind. A home away from home where you can relax with your partner, your children, your nieces, nephews, grandchildren, parents, or friends. It's 'R Family' and that means a place where everyone is finally welcome."

O'Donnell, who has been hammered by the press in recent years for apparently straying from her Queen of Nice image since leaving her Emmy-winning daytime talk show, is getting props from the gay community for this recent venture.

"Rosie O'Donnell is very smart--as more gay families are getting more exposure, they've got a place where they can go," cruise-goer Jeff Harris told the New York Daily News before shoving off.

Up next for R Family: a series of other gay family-friendly vacations, including small tours, ski vacations, fishing trips and safaris.

[Abscynthe]

I think it's a great idea, where everyone can have fun and be themselves. Sounds like fun.

But the artificial insemination on a cruise kind of threw me off.

[Valkary]

I think it's nice.

It's too bad the world makes it neccesary for them to rent a cruise ship to get away from the bible thumpers, but it's good that they get to have the experience if they want it.

I wonder if the religious whacko's will protest them at the send off. Like a twisted version of the bon voyage parties at the beginning of every Love Boat episode?

[Matt]

Originally posted by Valkary
I wonder if the religious whacko's will protest them at the send off. Like a twisted version of the bon voyage parties at the beginning of every Love Boat episode? [/B]

well... it's their right to do so even if I find it ridiculous. Maybe they'll be sailing off at the same time as the Matlock or Golden Girls reruns. Then Rosie won't have to worry about the possibility of protesters.