The 2010 Gay Attitude Cruise had a great time!

Sept. 20 2010

by M. Dedonder / misterb&b

"A magical week! ". How many times have we heard these words since the return of the Bleu de France to Marseille on September 5? This is the summary of the gay Attitude cruise, which has just ended, and in which we were able to participate

There were 701 passengers at the departure inMarseille on August 31, including about 50 girls. Some from the first cruise, friends who came in a group, single people, still a little shy, couples, hand in hand. They were all welcomed, one by one, at the foot of the bridge by Stéphane Loiselier, owner of Attitude Travels, a travel agency specialized in gay travel and organizer of the cruise.

For a week, they made the Bleu de France their "gay principality", a bubble, cut off from the world and from reality. A little gay cocoon, far from the bad looks. "Here, we can have dinner together, holding hands or kissing in the pool, without questioning each other. We can be totally at ease as a couple", explain Manuel and Cyril, whose first cruise, and who bought their tickets at the last minute, the very day of departure.

Photo: Le Bleu de France departing from Marseille © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

Passengers are taken in hand from morning to night
The average age this year? 42 years old. The youngest was 21, the oldest 89. All ages, all social classes. Parisians, many from the provinces. Belgians, Swiss, Quebecers. And even some straight couples.

The decor? A human-sized boat, 10 decks, 4 elevators, far from the behemoths of American gay cruises that can accommodate up to 5,000 passengers. Here, everything is within reach of the cabin, sun, seawater pools and unlimited alcohol. Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, stores, showrooms, card rooms, gym, casino, library, spa, solarium, smoking room, wifi area... nothing is missing!

Photo: Stéphane Loiselier, the owner of Attitude Travels, and Jérôme welcome the passengers at the port of Marseille © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

And no boredom is possible, life on board is timed: early arrival at the port of call, departure of excursions, sports, conferences, entertainment around the pool, shows, dinner, evening... The passenger is taken in hand from morning to night. All he has to do is decide what to do with his nights (and even then!) There are even cruising areas, equipped with all the necessary prevention material).

Attitude Travels didn't just rent a boat. It also made sure that everything on the boat was adapted to this daytime clientele: the bar closes later than normal, (much) more casual attire is allowed at dinner, everyone is invited to unlock the door to their cabinthe bar closes later than normal, (much more casual) clothing is allowed at dinner, everyone is invited to unlock the door of their cabin, gay programming is provided on the internal TV circuit, a naturist area is provided for those who like to sunbathe without a bathing suit...

Not to mention the conferences (the one on poppers was a huge success!) and the shows. "There must always be something happening on the boat, there must be something for everyone": Stéphane Loiselier needed 14 months of preparation.in the end, there were 49 artists on board, a play, cabaret, a musical, singers, etc. "For us, who live inMontpellier, it was an opportunity to see shows that were very different from the ones we saw in the past.for us who live in Montpellier, it was an opportunity to see shows that we would never have seen otherwise, like the play "Bonjour Ivresse" for example", confide Manuel and Cyril.

Photo: Atmosphere during the gay Attitude cruise © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

This exuberant public contrasts with the usual clientele
Inaddition to the shows, Stéphane Loiselier has surrounded himself with acrack team of 12 people in the shape of a team.he has surrounded himself with a team of 12 people in charge of creating the atmosphere around the pool and discreetly making sure that no passenger dines alone.

He also made sure that the usual entertainment team could adapt to this short-lived clientele. "Stéphane came up with very specific ideas. He knew what worked and what didn't work on the first cruise," confirms Cendrine Sayegh, the cruise director, who is in charge of the onboard entertainment. "As a result, we gave up some of the activities that would not have suited the public, such as karaoke.

Photo: Cendrine Sayegh, cruise director © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

And for the staff on board, this cruise seems to be a parenthesis in the heart of a very intense season. Many of them, waiters, bartenders, on-board doctors, explain that this exuberant public contrasts with the usual clientele, much more family oriented. "You didn't come on vacation, you came to party, it's very different," confirmed the cruise director. For Ryad, a waiter in the large restaurant, "this week is a bit like a vacation for us". A sentence often heard, it seems that the hierarchical pressure is less strong during the gay cruise. The general atmosphere lends itself to this.

This cruise is placed under the sign of conviviality, far from the elitist image of the Parisian gay scene. "By scheduling plays, shows, conferences and fancy dress parties, I know I'm repelling a certain gay clientele, which is quite trendy," admits Stéphane Loiselier. "But I assume it. This cruise is not a clubbing-techno cruise. I like people from different backgrounds and ages to talk to each other, to meet each other, I don't want egocentricity, I need this conviviality".

Photo: Relaxing on the aft deck during the Gay Attitude cruise © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

And this conviviality, he embodies it. Beyond the commander, the cruise director, he is the central character of the ship. "Stéphane!", "Stéphane! Everyone calls out to him. A remark, a "thank you", a small reproach, a simple question, the passengers, the artists or his team hail him from all sides. And he, always smiling, a kind word for everyone, available, diplomatic.

400 broadcasting authorizations granted to the Zone Interdite team!
Conviviality, for example, is the number of customers from the first cruise who came back. It's also 80% of the passengers who show up in disguise at the first party on the first night. Or those passengers who start to shed a tear as the cruise draws to a close. But also 400 broadcasting authorizations granted to the team of Zone Interdite, from M6, who came to film the cruise. The passengers feel good on this boat, and they want to make it known.

Photo: Manuel, 34, and Cyril, 36, were on their first gay cruise © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

"And does it flirt, then?". It's hard to escape the Love Boat cliché. With 700 boys and girls in bathing suits, locked on a boat for 7 days, of course it's flirting!singles on the move, "open" couples, a few curious heterosexuals, the swimming pool afternoons and especially the moonlight evenings are the occasion for sometimes intense encounters. Oh, nothing trashy! Here we conclude in his cabin...

Seven days, seven nights. And five stops that allowed passengers to discover Pisa andFlorence (Livorno), Pompeii and Capri (Naples), Sicily (Palermo), Carthage (Tunis) and the beaches of Sardinia (Olbia), thanks to excursions offered by Bleu de France. A small black mark on this cruise, these excursions were not unanimously approved. Random quality of the guides, feeling of being considered as a wallet on legs... A point that the organizer has put on his list of improvements for the next cruise: "In the future, I would like to be able to manage the excursions myself. I want to be able to offer passengers the same bubble on land as when they are on the boat" promises Stéphane Loiselier.

Photo: The Bleu de France leaves the port of Palermo © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

Exchanging email addresses and phone numbers, a few tears...
Seven days and seven nights for 701 passengers. Twenty-seven anniversaries celebrated, including a 20-year union, and a symbolic wedding. The success of Yvette Leglaire, who became the muse of the boat, or of the "Bonjour Ivresse" troupe. The success of the disguised evenings, in the moonlight, on the open sea... Seven days and seven nights that flew by at an astronomical speed.

Photo: "Love Boat" evening of the gay Attitude cruise © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

From this cruise, we will have many images, some of them more memorable: the departure from the port of Tunis, in the stifling heat of a stormy end of the day, to the sound of the muezzins' calls, for the evening prayer. Magical. This last sunset, in the mouths of Bonifacio, between Sardinia and Corsica. Or again, back in Marseille, the sad looks on our faces when we gave back the keys of the cabins. Exchanging email addresses and phone numbers, a few tears, and the bubble bursting, the return to reality on the quays of Marseille.

And now what? Now it's time for the priochaine cruise. "Bigger, longer, further": Stéphane Loiselier has chosen a new boat. The Louis Majesty can accommodate 1200 passengers in 732 cabins. The cruise will last 10 days and 9 nights, so you'll have to keep up the pace! The ship will leave Marseille on August 31, for Malta then Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia, before Messina in Sicily and the return to Marseille.

Photo : Afternoon around the pool during the Gay Attitude cruise © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

Already 250 cabins sold for the next cruise!
"There will be even more artists. I will also program more conferences, because there is a real interest. To set up a system of sharing cabins that will allow all the singles to choose their roommate. Also important: bring on board a dozen VCTs, HIV post-exposure treatment. We have never needed it, but I think it will be a real progress. ".
Stéphane Loiselier has a lot of work to do in the coming year, but he can be confident: when he arrived in Marseille, he had already sold 250 of the 732 cabins on the next cruise, including all the suites!

Photo: Sunset on Le Bleu de France between Livorno and Naples © M. Dedonder / misterb&b

At the foot of the gangway, on the return to the port of Marseille, surrounded by his team, he embraced each of the passengers, one by one, and while thanking them for their trust, he repeated, tirelessly: "you are my best ambassadors".judging by the satisfaction rate when they got off the boat, the third edition of the Gay Attitude Cruise, a 100% gay and 100% French-speaking cruise, seems to be off to a great start.

(updated on January 30, 2020)