It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gay man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a cruise.
Well, almost universally acknowledged: as Jimmy Pauwaert, the head of the gay (but avowedly "straight friendly") travel agency HolidayPride points out, gay cruises, although long popular in North America, weren't especially fashionable in Belgium until just a few years ago.
"I created HolidayPride in 2005," Pauwaert told Sud Info. "Already at the time, I was offering gay cruises. We were taking our customers onboard the boats of major American companies. They were the only ones to offer such cruises at that time. Then, French agencies started running them, but they eventually went bankrupt."
Cruising for a schmoozing
Pauwaert recalled having "delirious" experiences onboard cruises organised by Dementia ('la Démence'), the creator of the famous "gay" nights at Fuse nightclub in Brussels and now the proud manager of the world-renowned gay cruise The Cruise.
"I collaborated with them at the very beginning, when The Cruise was launched," Pauwaert explained. "I went there for several years before heading out on my own."
This year, The Cruise will run from 9-16 July and is scheduled to dock in Albania, Greece, Malta and Sicily before returning to its starting point in Ravenna, Italy. Tickets begin at a relatively steep €1199 but include a €50 bar credit.
"On the boat, it's madness," said Pauwaert. "There are themed evenings, evenings with DJs. It's a real party."
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Pauwaert now focusses on smaller and slightly less raucous cruises onboard the MS Zeus, which has 19 cabins suitable for up to 40 people. The Zeus will run two gay cruises this year from 27 May to 3 June and from 23 to 30 September, both of which will depart from Split, Croatia.
"This will be the fifth year that we have organised them," Pauwaert said. "We have more and more success. Almost half of the nineteen cabins are already booked."
Pauwaert noted that although his clientele is mainly composed of French and Belgians, it is becoming increasingly diverse. "We've already had Americans, Australians, Germans, Swiss..."
Pauwaert also emphasised that everyone is welcome on his cruises, including women and single men: "We've had a couple of girls on the cruises before. How they were pampered by all the guys! We also have single men who sign up. We offer them the option to pay less, to travel with another passenger."
He added: "The goal is not necessarily to organise 'meetings' but, sometimes, that's just what happens."
