The cruise industry has really matured over the past few years, and it’s easy to see why. Massive chunk-of-planet-sized cruise ships that have every possible convenience on board, gently escorting you away to destinations unknown – it’s enough to make anyone try it. Gays and lesbians have had to face many hardships, and being able to have an openly gay relationship on a mainstream cruise is one of those hardships. Cruise operators were quick to find that gays are often well-heeled, and more than that, quite willing to spend lots for great getaways, and so, the gay cruise was born.

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Today’s young and happening gays and lesbians have a lot of choices, but essentially, the choice boils down to whether the cruise should be an all-gay one, or a gay group on a mainstream cruise. There are advantages to both, and to read a little more on the subject go here. Let’s have a look at who’s who, shall we?

When it comes to all-gay cruises, there are two heavyweights, and a few smaller players, and each have their own advantages. Essentially, what you’re looking at is ginormity, extreme fun, raucousness, common, typical vs. small, individual, unique, luxurious, mature, calm, quiet. Something like this!

Crazy vs. luxurious gay cruises

Atlantis – The 800-pound gorilla of gay cruises. This is reflected in their strong marketing (The Way We Play), but that doesn’t mean that the company is all show and no go. They serve 20,000 people per year, and have booked some incredible ships, including the Freedom of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship! With Atlantis, you can go on the world’s premier ships, enjoy big-named celebrity appearances, dance to the beat of the biggest DJs, and so on. It’s definitely something that gays should try, but the Atlantis experience is perhaps the polar opposite of say, DavidTours – a highly specialized, very unique, luxurious (and expensive) experience. That’s not to say it’s bad, on the contrary, the experience is really “big,” but you have to decide what kind of experience you’re after. In my opinion, the Atlantis experience caters toward the 20something and 30something crowds.

RSVP – While Hanns Ebensten travel is probably the grandaddy of gay travel and gay tours, RSVP could be the founder of the gay cruise. RSVP was also the only competition that Atlantis had, until they bought it out, but they haven’t merged, and Atlantis says it’ll keep them separate and distinct. So far, it has. RSVP traditionally has had more women on their cruises, and they’re smaller, so everything is a little more focused.

Travelpride – They tend to focus on relaxation and luxury rather than all-night partying and underwear parties. This probably caters to people 40+ or younger Bond villain-wannabes, but they do seem to deliver on their premise. By their own account they focus on smaller ships and attention to detail is very high. Mostly, their packages are all-inclusive, of even 5-star luxury hotels along the way. Probably a good way to see Europe, but their upcoming Mysteries of the Black Sea should be interesting.

Olivia – Oddly, this company began as a record label, but today, it is the only big lesbian tour operator. In terms of atmosphere and feel, it’s most similar to Travelpride, so while there are parties and what not, things don’t get as crazy as they might with Atlantis or even RSVP. Olivia too wants to focus on relaxation, sensuality, peace, calm, basically the ultimate lesbian experience.

R Family Vacations – The somewhat famous cruise line Rosie O’Donnell and her partner began, the who point of this cruise is to offer a gay/lesbian cruise that you can bring family along on. If you think about it, the other cruise operators will allow this, but not focus on it. It’s a great way to make long-term like-minded friends, and possibly because of Rosie O’Donnell’s friends, sometimes attracts big guests. Of course, with family on board, don’t expect towel-whipping competitions or banana hammock overload (a good thing), and it won’t be people in white outfits serving you caviar and champagne on a private deck while you listen to your relaxing musical stylings, but in a way, it’s the most mainstream gay/lesbian cruise, and probably has the most mixed, diverse people on board.

Romance Voyages – Offers really exciting destinations that are fairly far off the beaten path as far as cruises go, such as the Nile, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. If you’re more interested in the destination than the cruise itself, Romance voyages is perhaps the ideal choice for the more explorative gay traveler. Excursions are also excellent and go to very unique places.

That’s about it for the all-gay operators. Next, let’s have a look at some of the larger tour operators. These guys arrange gay groups on mainstream cruises, but to some, this is the best option. Why? You get plenty more cruises and destinations to choose from, all while remaining in the comfort of a gay group without isolating yourself.

Aquafest – This group wants to position itself as the Atlantis of gay group cruises. They claim that the atmosphere on the boats is “conducive to partying,” and of course, have cruises with themes such as Mardi Gras or Halloween. They have two upcoming cruises for 2009, one for Alaska and the other a Halloween cruise to the Caribbean.

Coda International Tours – Along with Pied Piper Travel, Coda is the other big gorilla in gay group cruises and travel. They too have a very focused approach, unique destinations and a very high satisfaction rate. A Danube cruise, Black Sea & Mediterranean cruise and an Aegean cruise are just some of their 2009 packages.

Hanns Ebensten Travel – This agency pioneered gay travel way back in the 70s when being gay was considered a medical condition. So if you’re looking for experience, this place has more of it than anyone on the planet. You can rest assured that the destinations were chosen with experience and knowledge, but wow! Look at some of ‘em! India, Easter Island, Greece, Sicily…

DavidTours – At the high end of travel resides DavidTours. Providing highly customized options, if you want to combine the concepts of gay and luxurious, find a fairly large sum of money and contact these people.

Pied Piper Travel – If Atlantis is the 800-pound gorilla of all-gay cruises, Pied Piper Travel is an 800-pound gorilla of gay group cruises and activities. They have more events planned than anyone, and more than a few of these other guys combined. Being a small, specialized tour operator means that experience and a hands-on approach will be part of the vacation, and that can sometimes offer tremendous value.