that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . march 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message r family vacations type lgbt travel industry lgbt tourism founded 2003 headquarters nyack new york usa key people gregg kaminsky co founder 1 kelli o donnell co founder 1 rosie o donnell creative input products all inclusive cruise ship based vacations events related products website official website norwegian dawn the de facto official ship of r family vacations . r family vacations is a lgbt vacation entertainment company that provides luxury cruise ship trips with a focus on inclusive activities for children and services including same sex marriage ceremonies . contents 1 history 1.1 maiden voyage 2004 1.2 2007 1.3 2008 2 all aboard rosie s family cruise 3 see also 4 references history edit this section does not cite any sources . please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . february 2011 learn how and when to remove this template message in 2003 rosie o donnell and her then partner kelli carpenter o donnell partnered with travel entrepreneur gregg kaminsky to launch r family vacations catering to both gays and lesbians the very first all gay and lesbian family vacation packages where gays and lesbians can bring their kids their friends and their parents . o donnell is not involved on a day to day basis but provides marketing and promotional advice . she came up with the idea for the company when she filled in as a last minute replacement headliner on a gay cruise being promoted by kaminsky.kaminsky s partner is a business partner of o donnell s. maiden voyage 2004 edit the norwegian dawn docked in saint thomas us virgin islands . on july 11 2004 the first cruise was held aboard norwegian cruise lines s norwegian dawn with 1600 passengers including 600 children . 3 by the third year the cruise was selling out to a maximum capacity of 2 600 passengers . in addition to traditional entertainment and recreational activities the company partnered with provincetown s family pride a 25 year old washington d.c. based organization that advocates for glbt families 4 to host discussions on adoption insemination surrogacy and everything else that would be helpful to gay parenting . metropolitan community church the predominantly glbt christian denomination had clergy on board to perform wedding ceremonies and conduct interfaith services and there was also discussion groups for kids and a panel discussion where teens could share their experiences of growing up with gay and lesbian parents . 4 2007 edit in 2007 the company considered making bermuda one of its stops . recalling a 2004 incident between norwegian cruise lines all gay cruises and christian protesters chanting anti gay slogans in nassau bahamas 5 kaminsky claimed that bermuda which he incorrectly believed had tourism as its main industry would face economic repercussions if a similar event occurred in the british overseas territory 6 which has long held a reputation for being anti gay 7 and only the year before the local legislature refused to even consider outlawing sexuality based discrimination . 8 while the trip was supported by premier and minister of tourism and transportation dr. ewart brown 9 it was opposed by one of his close political allies andre curtis the organiser of a controversial faith based tourism initiative 10 who organised some eighty churches into an interfaith group called united by faith to oppose the planned visit 6 alongside local african methodist episcopal churches . 11 r families decided to change the itinerary to replace bermuda with two stops in florida and a private island . kaminsky stated if we didn t have kids on board and there were protesters we would go but we did not want to expose kids to that hatred while they were on vacation . 12 ironically bermuda has actually been the host of gay tourism for many years . the lgbt travel company pied piper for example has been organising trips albeit on a smaller scale to the country since 1990 without incident . 7 2008 edit ross mathews singing karaoke on r family vacations cruise with rosie o donnell in july 2007 . in january 2008 pink pea a production company announced that dottie the star of dottie s magic pockets the first children s program for kids in gay and lesbian families will be part of the entertainment . dottie s magic pockets is set in a lesbian household and started airing in september 2007 . dottie portrayed by actor jen plante will appear on the cruise to the mexican riviera march 15 22 2008 and marks the first time the lgbt families and friends will be entertained by the main character of a kids show that is set in a lesbian household . also in 2008 a cruise to canada and new england took place from july 13 20 with gay friendly stops including provincetown halifax and bar harbor . all aboard rosie s family cruise edit main article all aboard rosie s family cruise a documentary film about the trip looked inside the lives of some of the 500 families that cruised from new york to the bahamas . the documentary all aboard rosie s family cruise debuted 6 april 2006 on hbo and is now available on dvd . the film was nominated for three emmy awards . of the experience o donnell stated we didn t really realize the magic that was going to take place . people who had never met another gay family met other families and it was powerful . 3 see also edit list of gay resort areas lgbt marketing lgbt tourism olivia cruise line for lesbians references edit a b the founders . r family vacations . 2003 2005 . retrieved 2007 11 24 . homepage . r family vacations . 2003 2005 . retrieved 2007 11 24 . a b davis andrew 2005 01 12 . getting away with r family vacations . windy city times . retrieved 2007 06 21 . a b williams bradley david may 2004 . families ahoy . out smart magazine . archived from the original on 2007 08 08 . retrieved 2007 06 21 . bermuda cut from o donnell s gay cruise . associated press via yahoo news . 17 april 2007 . archived from the original on 2007 05 14 . retrieved 2007 06 21 . via wayback machine as 1 has expired a b dale amanda march 30 2008 . rethink opposition to gay cruise churches urged . the royal gazette . retrieved november 11 2008 . dead link a b gay cruisers will still come to bda . bermuda sun . april 20 2007 . hundreds demonstrate against mps gay rights silence . bermuda sun . june 2 2006 . retrieved november 11 2008 . bourke amy 3 april 2007 . rosie s gay cruise is backed by bermuda s leader . pinknews . retrieved 2007 06 21 . smith tim april 24 2008 . uk christian group critical of faith based tourism . the royal gazette . retrieved november 11 2008 . jones glenn march 24 2007 . ames launch the first salvo against the rosie cruise . retrieved november 11 2008 . guaracino jeff july 2007 . fun for grown ups aboard rosie s r family cruises . instinct magazine 48 . retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title r family vacations & oldid 738689041 categories companies established in 2003lgbt tourismrosie o donnellhidden categories all articles with dead external linksarticles with dead external links from february 2010articles with a promotional tone from march 2013all articles with a promotional tonearticles needing additional references from february 2011all articles needing additional references navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite 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