AGLBICAL
VACATION
GREAT LINKS
Travel Channel
Gay Getaways
Gay Travel
News
International
Gay & Lesbian
Travel Organization
Gay Travel
Atlantis Events
World's Foremost
Gay & Lesbian
Hotels
RSVP Vacations
NaviGAYtion
Gay Travel
Channel
Olivia
Zoom Vacations
R Family
Vacations
Gay Journey
Gay First
Travel
Rainbow Vacations
Out And About
Travel
My Gay World
Orbitz Gay
And Lesbian Travel
Edirp Travel
FOUNDERS OF
R FAMILY
VACATIONS
Gregg
Kaminsky
Gregg has worked in the
gay and lesbian travel
industry for the past seven
years developing and
producing all-gay vacations
for Atlantis Events in the
Caribbean, Mexico, Australia,
Europe and Africa.
Last year, Gregg and his
partner Dan were featured
on the Bravo television
documentary,
“Gay Weddings.”
Kelli
O’Donnell
Kelli is a former
Nickelodeon marketing executive. She was
responsible for developing
promotions and marketing
materials targeting
children of all ages.
She and her partner,
Rosie O'Donnell,
have four young children.
OLIVIA WINNERS
Judy Dlugacz (Founder)
And Amy Errett (CEO)
Of Olivia
Winners of the
Ernest & Young
Entrepreneur of
the Year Award
Olivia
Out & Equal
Workplace Advocates
QT Magazine
VACATION
INFORMATION
GLBT Travel Tips
Gay and lesbian people in search of vacation destinations are well
served by an array of glbt-friendly and glbt-operated hotels, resorts,
cruise lines, and tour operators worldwide. Organizations like
Alyson Adventures, Atlantis Events, Hanns Ebensten Travel, Olivia, R
Family, and RSVP Vacations cater exclusively to gay and lesbian clients
(and their families) seeking first-rate travel accommodations in an
environment in which they can relax and be themselves.
R FAMILY VACATIONS
Ro, Ro, Ro Their Boat!
Rosie and Kelli O’Donnell take their family—and hundreds like theirs—on
an R Family cruise to equal rights and a whole lotta love and fun
It’s a nice surprise to
walk into Rosie O’Donnell’s house. Located in a quiet town along the
Hudson in upstate New York, the residence is discreetly set back from
the street, but it’s no celebrity fortress. It’s a place to rake leaves
and toss a football and eat ice cream—a real home for a real family.
It feels right that Rosie and Kelli have invited me here to talk about
All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise, airing April 6 on HBO. The
documentary, which follows 2004’s inaugural R Family cruise, is a family
affair, with all four O’Donnell kids on deck beside their famous moms.
Indeed, when Rosie and Kelli O’Donnell attended the world premiere at
the Sundance Film Festival, they took the kids as well. “We wanted them
to have a full understanding of what it was and why we did it,” Rosie
says. “Because it really meant a lot to them, this cruise, and the
movie. They’re in it, and it’s gonna be forever, you know?”
Inside the O’Donnells’ house, light pours in from windows facing the
river. Oversize chairs flank a massive coffee table neatly piled with
picture books and playthings. Blond and gracious, Kelli O’Donnell blends
right into the sunbeams. My eye shoots toward the dark knot of energy
sitting quiet on the couch. Rosie O’Donnell, in sweatpants and socks,
gives off major mojo.
The force field turns out to be a crackling intelligence. For the next hour, Kelli at her side, Rosie is candid, reflective, and realistic about her journey to date. The 44-year-old comedian who once wrote a memoir called Find Me now seems to be a happy woman who knows just where she’s going.
Her millions of fans know all about Rosie’s turbulent life. (On her blog,
they often write her about their own.) Devastated at age 10 when her
mother died of breast cancer, Rosie learned early how to give back as
good as she got. She struck gold as a grown-up with The Rosie
O’Donnell Show, which ran from 1996 until she left in 2002. But she
was clear that building her own family was more important. When she came
out publicly in 2002, it was as a gay parent in support of adoption by
gays. Even before Rosie’s bruising 2003 lawsuit with publisher Gruner +
Jahr over the rights to Rosie magazine, the O’Donnells were
brainstorming about a new travel company to serve gay families.
R Family may turn out to be Rosie O’Donnell’s biggest hit yet. But it’s
not a solo show. In the next hour I’ll learn how Rosie came to build her
nest with the former Miss Kelli Carpenter of Baton Rouge, La.—and how
these two women from opposite points on the map found such strength
together that they had enough left over to float the biggest cruise ship
on the ocean.
All Aboard
follows a number of really personal, emotional stories. What was it like
to have people filming this cruise?
Rosie: At first we were worried that it would taint the experience for
the passengers. [When HBO’s John Hoffman and Sheila Nevins suggested
making the film] we still didn’t know what the cruise would be. We
didn’t even know if we were gonna sell a cabin!
Kelli: Also, it was our very first time to do this. To have cameras
filming and boom mikes hanging over us, it was a little unnerving.
Rosie: But I’m thrilled that they did it, because I didn’t get to
experience the cruise fully until I saw the documentary. When you see
the movie you really realize the impact that this had for people, and
it’s very touching.
How did you actually make this cruise happen?
Kelli: The idea’s been around for a long time, but it takes more than
just an idea. There’s a lot of pieces that had to come together to make
it work. It was really a group effort, wouldn’t you say?
Rosie: Yeah. It was as simple as we went to Provincetown [with Gregg
Kaminsky, former executive with Atlantis Cruises] and we saw family
week, and at dinner I was like, “It would be amazing if we could make a
thing like this for gay people,” and Gregg said, “Well, you could. It
would have to be a cruise, because you have to provide a safe
environment.” I’m like, “Could it be a viable business?” “Yeah.” I said,
“OK, let’s do it.”
Excerpted from The Advocate March 28,
2006
OLIVIA FOUNDER & CEO
Named Entrepreneurs of the
Year
Olivia, The #1 Lesbian Lifestyle Company in the World, today announced
that Judy Dlugacz, founder and president and Amy Errett, CEO, received
the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year 2006 Award in the Consumer
Services category in Northern California. According to Ernst & Young,
the award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and
leading dynamic and growing businesses.
Dlugacz and Errett were selected by an independent panel of judges and
the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year
20th anniversary gala event at The Fairmont, San Francisco on Friday,
June 16th.
“For more than 30 years we have been evolving Olivia the company for the
benefit of our extraordinary clients. This is an historic award, since
we have been recognized by E&Y for doing what we love to do most, which
is serving and empowering women, “said Judy Dlugacz, founder and
president of Olivia. “Whether it is an Olivia cruise or part of our
expanding lifestyle brand, Olivia is always looking for ways to empower,
engage, embrace, unite and enrich the lives of lesbians and women of all
ages and diverse backgrounds.”
“Being a part of a passionate team is the best part of the job,” said
Amy Errett, CEO of Olivia. “It is that passion to provide our clients
with countless outstanding services that motivated us to grow into a
full services lifestyle brand. We will be launching Olivia.com, an
online community, content and resource destination for lesbians, Olivia
Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for lesbians, Olivia Membership, a
program offering special benefits and resources for lesbians, including
insurance and financial services, retail discounts, access to
entertainment and heath and fitness resources, and Olivia Living, an
active adult resort retirement community.”
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its
20th anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who have
demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as
innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their
businesses and communities. “Ernst & Young is proud of its history in
recognizing these outstanding leaders and their companies,” said Rick
Fezell, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program director for
Northern California.
GLBT TOURS & HOTELS
TOUR
OPERATORS
Alyson Adventures
1-800-825-9766
http://alysonadventures.com
Atlantis Events
1-800-628-5268
http://atlantisevents.com
Hanns Ebensten Travel
1-866-294-8174
http://hetravel.com
Olivia
1-800-631-6277
http://olivia.com
R Family
1-866-R-FAM-VAC
http://www.rfamilyvacations.com
RSVP Vacations
1-800-328-RSVP
http://rsvpvacations.com
HOTELS
Blue Chairs
Malecon y Almendro #4, Playa Los Muertos
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
322-222-5040
http://www.bluechairs.com
East Canyon Hotel and
Spa
288 E Camino Monte Vis
Palm Springs, CA
760-320-1928
http://www.eastcanyonps.com
The Hacienda
586 Warm Sands Drive
Palm Springs, CA
760-250-7791
http://www.thehacienda.com
Parker Guest House
520 Church St
San Francisco, CA
1-888-520-7275
http://parkerguesthouse.com