Favorite Cruise Company
Gold: Royal Caribbean International
Whatever your budget or interests, Royal Caribbean's 22-ship-strong fleet (and counting) and its well-rounded itineraries have you covered in terms of flexibility and choice. It's no wonder large-scale gay tour operators such as Atlantis commandeer its ships for all-gay events.
Silver: Celebrity Cruises; Norwegian Cruise Line (tied)
Any gay could agree with Norwegian's philosophy of freedom and individuality, just as we would agree with the luxurious amenities and decidedly upscale routes (like 100-passenger Galapagos excursions) theft Celebrity offers.
Bronze: Carnival Cruise Lines
Thanks to its long-standing sponsorship of gay causes and its high-profile portfolio of brands, including Cunard, Carnival ships are frequently charted by RSVP Vacations (which shares the same parent company as this magazine) and Atlantis for large-scale all-gay cruises.
Favorite Large All-Gay Tour Operator
Gold: Atlantis
Atlantis offers surf and turf: all-inclusive gay resorts in Mexico, in addition to massive entertainment-rich cruises to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. New for 2008? A trip to Carnival in Rio that will end in Buenos Aires.
Silver: RSVP Vacations
The first in big-ship charters for gay events, the 20-year-old RSVP (which shares the same parent company as this magazine) went big and bold this Memorial Day with the first-ever all-gay transatlantic cruise on Cunard's elegant, Old World-style Queen Mary 2.
Bronze: Olivia
Celebrating its 34the year in business, Olivia has taken lesbians all over the world, from India to the Galapagos to Antarctica, on family-friendly cruises and to all-inclusive resorts.
Favorite Small All-Gay Tour Operator
Gold: Zoom Vacations
Espousing the ideal of a modern global lifestyle while keeping pace with gay travel's evolution, Zoom caters to the globe-trotting gay men, lesbians, and allies who crave hassle-free adventure. On the map for upcoming customizable trips are sojourns to Guatemala, India, Machu Picchu, Costa Rica, and Sydney's Mardi Gras.
Silver: Travelpride
Bigger isn't always better. Since 2003, Travelpride has proved this mantra via intimate and personalized cruises to southern France, the Italian Riviera, and Tahiti.
Bronze: Venture Out
Andalusia, Peru, the Danube, and Italy's Amalfi Coast are just some of the destinations that this 10-year-old self-described smooth operator of small-group, light-adventure, casual cultural tours will be hitting in 2008.
Favorite Gay Pride Event
Gold: New York City
Of course your favorite U.S. destination -- not to mention birthplace of the modern gay rights movement -- would also win the glittery gold by a huge margin. Not even the permit-related cancellation of the 15the annual PrideFest street fair could put a damper on the weeklong bacchanalia and ever-growing march, in which 600,000 follow its lavender line painted down Fifth Avenue. With that much action, it's naturally the largest pride festival in the States!
Silver: San Francisco
The "Pride, Not Prejudice" theme was apropos for 2007, as the city's all-embracing diversity was on display: Logo TV's Noah's Arc cast were celebrity grand marshals, while dedicated stages for Latin and "HomoHipHop" wowed hundreds of thousands of flag wavers during the two-day festival.
Bronze: Amsterdam
In a city known for embracing diversity and debauchery, each year of this four-day festival outdoes the last with sheer dizzying activity -- practically every alley becomes an open-air party. Best of all, the "parade" takes place in the canals, so the floats actually float!
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