June 30, 2012
Bishop Gene Robinson to Join Concierge Travel's All-Gay Greek Isles and Turkey Cruise
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.
HOUSTON, TX - Concierge Travel, the largest gay-owned and operated travel agency and tour operator in Texas, announced that the first openly gay Anglican Bishop, Gene Robinson, will join their first all-gay European cruise sailing August 25th to September 1st 2012.
Gene Robinson was the first openly gay bishop inside the wider Anglican Church. He was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003. Prior to that, Bishop Robinson served as Assistant to the Bishop for nearly 18 years and has been a powerful voice for full civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Working at the state, national, and international levels, Bishop Robinson has spoken and lobbied for equal protection under the law and marriage equality.
Bishop Robinson will join Concierge Travel's first all-gay European cruise and offer guests a Q&A and special screening of his most recent work, Love Free or Die, the Bishop's documentary which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize.
The film follows Bishop Robinson's personal life and public ministry from the struggle for marriage equality and equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within the church and society, to the inauguration of Barack Obama as President in 2009.
"We're so honored and excited to have such an admired figure who is so well-known to the gay community throughout the U.S. and around the world," said Kim Gustavsson, vice president of sales and marketing at Concierge Travel. "To have such an important icon of the LGBT movement be a part of our cruise experience is a piece of history we're so thrilled to be able to bring to our guests."
The Greek Isles and Turkey cruise will depart from Athens and sail to the beautiful island of Mykonos. Guests will spend the night in Mykonos, enabling them to enjoy the great gay nightlife that the island is famous for. The next day they will visit Patmos before they are off to Kusadasi, Turkey, near the ancient ruins of Ephesus. Travelers will have a day at sea before visiting Hellenic wonders in famous Greek destinations including Monemvasia and Santorini. Guests will return to Athens for the last leg of the trip.
Concierge Travel's first all-gay Europe cruise will sail on the Star Clipper, a modern, luxurious sailing ship 360 feet long that can comfortably accommodate 170 guests. The ship offers spacious accommodations and expansive teak decks with two swimming pools. The d�cor of Star Clipper is reminiscent of the grand age of sailing, with antique prints and paintings and teak and gleaming mahogany rails.
Staterooms start at $1,195 per person based on double occupancy. Airfares, transfers, gratuities, and port fees are additional.
Guests will also be treated to world-famous performers Amy Armstrong and Freddy Allen, who will headline the Greek Isles and Turkey cruise. Chicago-based Amy and Freddy have been performing for 15 years coast-to-coast and have been a special part of the RSVP Vacations and Concierge Travel families for much of that time. Their wit and musical prowess make them one of the most successful cabaret acts to come from Chicago in the last decade.
Concierge Travel was named Houston's "Gayest & Greatest Travel Agency" by OutSmart Magazine in 2011, an honor it has received each year since 2002. It was also named "Best LGBT Cruise or Tour Company" in 2010 and 2011. OutSmart Magazine is an award-winning LGBT magazine in Houston, Texas. The magazine surveys its 60,000 monthly readers and its online readers about the best in gay venues, restaurants, travel and other products and services throughout Texas.
Founded in 1997, Concierge Travel is a boutique, gay-owned travel agency and tour operator that creates intimate, customized experiences for its LGBT guests on its own exclusive small-ship cruises and land tours. Concierge Travel also provides a range of services and enhancements on the vacations that it books for its guests with other travel providers.
Concierge Travel also believes strongly in supporting the gay and lesbian community, and donates 20 percent of its total net travel revenue annually to important LGBT organizations.
Reservations for any Concierge Travel vacation can be made by contacting Concierge Travel directly at 877.775.9616.
For more detailed information, please visit website at www.conciergetravel.cc or become a fan of our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/conciergetravel
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
