US: Caribbean cruise to feature ‘mass commitment’ ceremony for same-sex couples
One of Florida’s leading cruise companies announced recently its new Caribbean cruise that is set to feature a “mass commitment” ceremony for same-sex couples.
On Monday, Cruise Planners announced it hopes to have hundreds of gay and lesbian couples take part in what it is calling the “Sea of Love” cruise.
CEO Michelle Fee said that cruise planners have seen demand for same-sex commitment ceremonies and wedding packages grow rapidly since it launched a wedding program last year.
She added: “We decided to kick it up a notch by doing this once-in-a-lifetime event. Couples can become part of history with a mass commitment.”
The 4,028-passenger cruise will take place on September 27, 2014 in Miami, and will include stops in St Thomas, St Maarten and Nassau, Bahamas.
The mass commitment ceremony will take place on a beach during the call in St Thomas on October 1, 2014.
The sailing will include exclusive events on-board the Norwegian Getaway, and the ceremony in St Thomas will be followed by a reception that includes a buffet, an open bar, party costumes, champagne toast, a steel pan band and a photographer.
Fares start at $2,599 (£1,656) per couple taking part in the ceremony. Rates for guests of the couples start at $1,039 (£662) per person.
“Frequently they are pressured to conform to the changes being undertaken in their redefinition of human sexuality and same-sex unions, under threat of economic sanctions and the loss of humanitarian aid,” the bishops said in a statement.
“We urge our leaders of government and of civil society, as well as the people of our nations, to resist any attempt to compromise our cultural and religious principles regarding these matters.”
