Zuiderdam RSVP 2008

[M&D]

I noticed in the daily schedule of the QM2 Crossing they will have a "RSVP Passenger Sales Presentation" on Thursday May 31 from 2 to 3 pm. I plan on attending and will report back on whatever they have to say. Hopefully they will reassure us that RSVP is in business to stay and calm some of our concerns. :) Does anyone have any questions they would like me to ask if given the opportunity? I don't promise it will happen, but I plan on making the attempt. :D

[MattInFLL]

Oh Tom, I don't even tell Ralph of these RSVP troubles.. no sense worrying him when it won't do any good... we will either be on that cruise, or I will be spending that week here in FTL...

 

I hear differing reports as to who was actually the one to say "hey, why don't we book QM2 on an itinerary none of our regulars will like?" - some in Minneapolis say it was the recently ousted RSVP people... some say it was Planet Out. I hope they do sell it, because it just doesn't fit with Planet Out's business. And I don't think it's far fetched to think a major cruise line could be the one to do it.

 

Although, as the saying goes - you don't buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free... and RSVP is the only one of Planet Out's lines of business that can not be gotten easily for free in other ways. Does anyone actually read the Advocate or Out anymore? I can get gay related news in a dozen places now. And gay.com? Anyone notice that most of AOL, including chat, is free these days? Time to rethink that business plan, folks.

[RMS Olympic]

On another chat room for RSVP,

Bay Area Reporter has a great article on the PlanetOut/RSVP crisis. It's the first time I have seen anyone say that PlanetOut is considering canceling cruises:

The company has invested $7.2 million as down payments for its upcoming cruises, with deposits from customers at $6.6 million. It has brought on Rob Pritchard to be director of operations of RSVP Vacations. But Magee said if the cruise business does not show signs of improving by the fall the company would halt its 2008 cruises.

 

Since the 2007 cruises are paid for.....and the bills are not paid for 2008.....and cash is running out......thats a big problem.

I am a true believer in loyalty, but the company is no longer the one I knew and desired over competitors.

I guess dendren was right...I am now starting to stress. If, I have to continually think about the Feb trip and not just have it in my back pocket as a winter escape, then it is not serving a prime function...to reduce stress.

I'm thinking logically, not emotionally.

So my intentions are to look at alternatives for that time frame. If more statements like the one above are publisged, at some point bookings will not only slow, but perhaps reverse and speed up a decision to close up shop. Selling the business might not be so easy.....so 2008 plans could be a flop.

Now to consider a gay charter company, a gay group. or a mainstream cruise as an alternative.......decision will be made today or tomorrow to put it to rest.

Tom

[MattInFLL]

Well Tom if you find anything that same week that is remotely gay, let me know... but I'm still not stressed about 2008.. AmEx will reimburse if there's an issue... I saw that same quote, and it just makes me think, gosh, what a stupid thing to say. The Baltic cruise is sold out, Med and Alaska seem to be OK... they just have to figure out how to digest QM2.

[BryBoy]

I know that Atlantis is offering a Cruis next March to the Caribbean on the Millennium. The dates are March 2 - 9.

 

Celebrity offers great service, the ship is very well taken care of and the staff are excellent (been on this ship twice).

 

I know that there are some that say Atlantis is party, party, party. Well, I can tell you that of the 5 trips (just booked my 6th) that I have taken with my partner of 12 years we have never found it to be anything like party all the time or a "floating bath house" as others have referred to.

 

No matter who you cruise with you make the vacation what you want it to be. If you want to party all the time then you can, if you want to relax and enjoy then you can. I have heard that from both RSVP and Atlantis.

 

It is just sad to hear that RSVP is having problems since they serve a population that is in need of more choices and options. If they do go under, then the only choice we have is Atlantis and we only have the dates they will book and they ships they will book on.

 

Too Sad.

Bry

[RMS Olympic]

Well I changed plans........

Have booked the Millenium with Atlantis for March 2. Price for the same comparable cabin selection (along with port charges and taxes) was actually cheaper than the early booking with RSVP.

Having sailed on Atlantis I can echo what BryBoy stated.Do I think there is a bit more tude.....perhaps if it is a west coast cruise. I am also banking on the idea that the party animals will be on the Liberty in Jan and us less than party types will gravitate towards the Celebrity ship.

Perhaps the RSVP cruise in Feb will continue, but I do not want to spend the balance of this year thinking about it. If RSVP is bought out or somehow changes course for the latter part of the 2008 season I will book another cruise with them. In the mean time I want some comfort in my arrangements.

I will miss the Zuiderdam and more importantly the people on board....but a gals gotta do what a gals gotta do.

I also am thinking that Atlantis will charter the Solstice in 2009...and that might get announced on the Millenium cruise.....I want to get on that ship...unless I can get on a maiden voyage before hand.

In the meantime I will anxiously await the Westerdam RSVP cruise this August and looking forward to seeing friends from the previous October and Feb RSVP Princess cruises that are on board.

Tom

[Typhoon1]

RSVP was founded in the late 1980's by the late Kevin Mosure, who owned a large travel agency in Minneapolis. Kevin passed away in the early 1990's leaving the company to his 4 employees Charlie, Don, Paul and Andy. During the 90's RSVP continued to flourish, under the leadership of Charlie Rounds the president. The problem was the four owners did not get along and each of them had their own idea on how the company should be run and which direction it shoud go. It was Paul vs Charlie, Don was the peace maker and Andy just did his own thing of programming cruises.

 

In early 2000, Charlie gave up being president which left the company with no real leader. Therefore from the late 90's up to the time RSVP was sold to Paul and his brother, RSVP had no direction, it limped along living on its past reputation. In the meantime, Atlantis which was owned by 1 person and had a vision overtook the market from RSVP with a clear vision, interesting itineraries and exciting ships. While Atlantis has been selling out two European ships every summer RSVP had none. It all came to a head when Paul and his brother and another 3rd person offered to buy the other 3 partners out. Charlie , tired of fighting Paul agreed to sell along with the other two. Finally Paul was in control, they came to market with an very aggressive 2007 line up of cruises including the Mexican Rivera (October 06) Caribbean Princess, Queen Mary, Clipper Barbados, River Cruise, Mediterranean, Alaska and a Cruise Yangtze River cruise which never made it past the planning stage. Please note that It was Paul's signature on all of these cruise charters NOT Planet Out's. It was not long into the new ownership that Paul and his brother (they actually owned it for less than a year) realized that the 07 program was not selling and they were running out of money. This is where Planet Out stepped in and offered to purchase RSVP. The press release contained the following quote "Planet Out will extend a bridge loan of up to $1.4 million to RSVP, which will be repaid upon closing". In other words, the main reason RSVP was sold was because they were over extended and did not have the capitol to continue operating. Paul was kept on as president and signed a two year management contract. He was ousted after one year, because of his poor management of the company.

 

RSVP's current problems were not caused by Planet Out, they inherited most of these problems from the previous owners. As for the future I believe RSVP will survive most likely under new ownership, and hopefully someone who know how to run a multi million dollar tour operation. The Mediterranean, Alaska and 08 Caribbean cruise are selling very well and will sail. Karen the CEO of Planet Out was mis-quoted in a recent news paper article. The paper said that they would cancel the 08 cruise if things did not get better. What she said was they would not charter any more ships beyond what they have already chartered.

[monumax]

We'll miss you, Tom, on the Zuiderdam! But who knows, maybe we will end up with you on the Millenium. I'm anxious to hear the report from those sailing on the QM2. All I know is....we are ready to CRUISE again!

[RMS Olympic]

Yes, I will probably regret this move.....but I must admit I like the celebrity ships. The Celebrity web site has some great shots of the Millie.

Not sailing with all the people I had the pleasure of meeting these 2 last RSVP cruises is a true negative. So now I have to figure out how to get evryone to disembark the Zuiderdam, spend the night in Ft lauderdale and then board the Millie the next day. If I thought I could pull it off, I'd do a share on both and do a back to back myself. But 2 weeks...they would burry me at sea.

Now I must hope RSVP sustains itself so I can book a fall Mexico trip next year if they do one.

[Boytjie]

We'll miss you, Tom, on the Zuiderdam! But who knows, maybe we will end up with you on the Millenium. I'm anxious to hear the report from those sailing on the QM2. All I know is....we are ready to CRUISE again!

 

Hey, now that you b*tches got us to sign up for the next RSVP Caribbean cruise you are abondoning ship? Thanks a lot!:mad:

[monumax]

Hey Peter....

The only reason we would not be on the Zuiderdam for the 2008 RSVP Caribbean cruise would be if RSVP folded and the cruise was cancelled.

Otherwise we will be there with balls (I mean bells) on! Looking forward to ziplining in Roatan and cave tubing in Belize.

[Boytjie]

Hey Peter....

The only reason we would not be on the Zuiderdam for the 2008 RSVP Caribbean cruise would be if RSVP folded and the cruise was cancelled.

Otherwise we will be there with balls (I mean bells) on! Looking forward to ziplining in Roatan and cave tubing in Belize.

 

Well, I guess if it was cancelled we wouldn't be there either!:D

[BryBoy]

We have been on several Atlantis Trips. None of which have been full of attitude or "sex, drugs & rock n roll". We have heard that the January cruise is by far the most outrageous trip Atlantis has. For that reason, we will never take that trip.

 

I think you will really enjoy the Celebrity ships and the class of service they offer. Also, Atlantis does a great job! They are typically cheaper than RSVP and offer discounts for early booking by past guest.

 

Check it out at thewayweplay.com I think you will find you like what you see.

 

Bryan

[CadillacRon]

Hey everybody,

I am praying RSVP can pull out of this situation. I've been on 8 gay charters (about evenly divided between RSVP and Atlantis) and they both offer quality products that appeal to different demographics. I think there is room for both companies. We are hoping the spring 2008 Zuiderdam is a go since we really liked the high level of service by HAL on the 2006 Westerdam. (Princess not so much).

We had a blast on Spring 2007 on the Caribbean Princess and want to see the great people we met who said they would book. Loved the Cruise Critic crowd...what a nice bunch.

On a sad note...we sold our 1966 Cadillac last month. I don't want to change my email address, so maybe we'll get another Cadillac. But it won't be one that is 40 years old that's for sure. What a pain.

Hope to see everybody at sailaway next year! Ron

[MattInFLL]

Tom - we will miss you! I have no choice. I have one week off from school, and it is the week of the RSVP cruise... so if it doesn't happen, we can not go on a cruise... Peter and Max (and all others) I certainly do hope to see you there....

[Kev-in-CA]

We booked the Zuiderdam just after getting home from the 2007 Princess cruise and now can't decide if we should cancel. RMS, did RSVP refund your deposit? They seem to be offering no info on their current situation, but holding firm that they will charge $100.00 per person for cancelling. We are also considering the Millenium in March, but we are very torn as we really liked the service with RSVP earlier this year. We just don't want to be out our entire deposit if the financial situation at RSVP continues to decline, but really want to stick with the RSVP product.

Maybe we should wait until after the QM2 sailing to see if anyone has any more thoughts? Sorry to have another post discussing the thought of not going on the Zuiderdam, but we're stressing too.

Kev

[NYC95]

Why would RSVP cancel the Zuiderdam trip if they've already chartered the ship?

 

The woman in charge of Planet Out, said she was misquoted about future RSVP vacations. According to the Yahoo chat post, she didn't say that

Planet Out would stop RSVP cruises if they didn't improve passenger capacity by the end of the year, But rather they would re-evaluate RSVP, after the competion of the cruises they have already chartered. This includes ,The Zuiderdam trip.

 

This trip looks like it's on.

[RMS Olympic]

If I was was smart and heaven knows I am not, nor pretty nor skinny..I would have held my booking till I got a better feel while on the Rome trip in August. My feelings...unfounded was that if the cruise went forward and if the financial situation dictated no more charters for a while, the atmosphere on board might be solemn. With my luck the outfit will be successfully sold and things will grow in momentum for the good. Yes, this is my wish for the company. But...I switched to the Millenium. I like the ship, and I figure the cruise will be what I make it regardless of the charter company.

I will admit thinking "what if" was bothering me and I did not want to be concerned with last minute changes should the financial situation look bleak come financial fourth quarter. Looking back I should have just waited to see...but all changes have been made. Since the two cruises are only separated by one day...it would have been cool do do both. But rich I am not...just comfy. The bummer is not sailing with all the nice folks I met on the Princess cruise. I have a long history with RSVP.....my first cruise with them was 1991 on the old Seabreeze...for those that remember her. So this change on my part has a down side. The rest of you will probably have a great time and I will be kicking yself in the end....

What will be interesting is how the Millenium sells. Atlantis will get a sold out crowd on the Liberty in January and a good showing on the South American cruise.....but...if the economy is weak, the Millenium might not go out full. This might be nice if the ship isn't full. I am surprised the South American trip will be on a large ship......perhaps with the lower costs, the bookings will be heavier. I did their Rio cruise last year...a sell out...I do not think it was this year. By the way...Rio...fab-u-lous. carnivale....a memory I will cherish forever.

Now if I could get a gay cruise around New Zealand.

So lets hope for the best for RSVP. It will be interesting to see how they maintain their employees to complete the cruises they have coming up. And to those on the QM2....my best wishes for a cruise experience to be savoured for years to come.

Tom

[Typhoon1]

You need to just take a pill and chill. Just because you cancelled your cruise, does'nt mean the rest should. You've got some of these girls all wound up.

 

I am confident we will be onboard the Zuiderdam on February 23 waving goodbye to you as you await your Atlantis cruise.

 

Until I hear something definitive I am looking forward to the Zuiderdam cruise. Hopefully, your Atlantis cruise will be an enjoyable time also.

[RMS Olympic]

At no point did I suggest anyone else cancel. In fact I thought I was expressing that I perhaps should have waited. As I stated...The rest of you will probably have a great time and I will be kicking myself in the end....

 

If my comments are a concern, I will refrain from posting on this subject from this point foreward.

I wish everyone a great cruise.

[NudeSleeper]

Both the Exotic Caribbean and Tahitian Treasure are listed on the web site now. Just go under explore vacations. The best thing to do is show our support and book the crusie's.

[Boytjie]

Well, they sailed away today and about 20 minutes late (saw it with my own two eyes). I wonder how many were finally on the boat? Let's hope it turned out OK.

[dendren]

well... good news... RSVP has announced 3 2008 cruises, including a Tahiti one in Nov 2008... sounds like they are at least trying to stay afloat (hehehe no pun intended).

 

But... one big bummer today... looky at this email I got today from RSVP:

 

Thank you for sailing with RSVP this February. It was a wonderful cruise full of fun, relaxation, friendships and great new memories. And speaking of memories...

 

We are pleased to let you know that the memories video from RSVP's Caribbean Fantasy cruise will be posted on our website in a downloadable MPEG format. The file will be posted on the RSVP Vacations website toward the end of June. We will send you an email with a link to the video once it is posted. In the meantime, check out all our new 2008 trips at RSVPvacations.com.

 

Thanks so much for sailing with us. It was our pleasure to have you onboard and we look forward to seeing you on another RSVP cruise in the near future.

Bon Voyage,

 

The RSVP Vacations Crew

 

Looks like they won't be sending out cruise memory dvd's :( It's hard to imagine they are *that* financially in trouble... how much could bulk copying of the cd's cost, a few thousand at most??? I really looked forward to getting my video/dvd after each cruise :(

[Typhoon1]

I can do without the DVD if it helps the company to survive. I've already got a drawer full of DVD's and VHS tapes I have collected over the years. You look at them once and they lay in the drawer for years.

 

Most people have Digital cameras to record memories. I wonder what's next to go, perhaps the souvenier bag, they have already done away with the T shirts. They can keep it all, as long as the company stays around and we continue to sail away for many years to come.

[MattInFLL]

Tom - don't go! I will already miss you on the cruise... at least I can enjoy your company here.

 

SpecialKin - My deposit was made with AmEx, which means I am protected if something happens.. many other credit card companies do the same... check before you get too worried. Although I am still not really worried.

 

That DVD thing made me think - well OK they are cutting back... and actually the cost of making and mailing all those DVD's is pretty expensive... but I also don't really care. I still have not opened the one from the year before. I just want them to keep sailing the week of my spring break. Selfish, aren't I? :)