In a first for the LGBT community, a new dedicated year-round cruise line - Anteros Cruises - has been announced with a launch planned for April 2017. The cruise line will cater to all LGBT members as well as their families and friends with a brand promise to be "as inclusive as it is exclusive."
Marc Baron, Director of Business Development for Anteros Cruises, told TravelPulse, "We understood that the LGBT community has been one of the biggest supporters and one of the biggest participants in the advancement of the cruise industry. The cruise industry has been growing at a phenomenal rate year-over-year since the 1970s, and you can attribute the LGBT community as being one of the advocate groups, because they cruise at twice the rate of the mainstream community. If the cruise industry is growing, the LGBT community has had some part to do with that."
A number of LGBT tour operators have offered a handful of cruises each year in the past, but Baron emphasizes the year-round nature of Anteros as its calling card so that guests can cruise whenever it best fits into their schedule. He added, "We are having a dedicated cruise product where we are able to offer a year-round cruise line where a member - gay or lesbian - of the community can feel welcome and comfortable. We felt that was important, that there was a need for that that had not been answered."
In development since 2012, Anteros will provide a premium guest experience without judgement. Additional details of the ship are still forthcoming, but the vessel will be a 400-passenger luxury yacht-like vessel featuring celebrity-designer interior spaces, attentive service from a greater than average crew-to-guest ratio, fine dining, signature amenities, custom shore excursions and itineraries in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
The small ship will be able to easily access more intimate destinations on 5-14 day journeys with a wide range of cruise fares to accommodate many budgets. During the summer, Mediterranean homeports will be Barcelona and Piraeus (Athens), and during the winter, Caribbean homeports will be St. Maarten and Colon. Itineraries are also being developed to coincide with LGBT events such as PRIDE celebrations.
"Every aspect of the Anteros Cruises experience is designed with LGBT community members in mind. Our number one priority is making our guests feel comfortable, relaxed, and open, so they can be themselves while enjoying our luxury yacht-like cruise experience," said David Huang, Director of Anteros Cruises. "We are thrilled to present this novel, overdue concept in travel dedicated to the LGBT traveler, featuring itineraries to popular as well as off-the-beaten-path ports that are designed to make the LGBT traveler feel completely welcome and catered to every step of the way."
More Anteros Cruises details are expected in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, the cruise line is now speaking to specific port agents to prepare for its 2017 launch.
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