Friday
Sept 23, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 38
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Monday, Dec 01, 2008
07:41
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SGN sets sail with RSVP President Paul Sidlmiller |
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| SGN sets sail with RSVP President Paul Sidlmiller | ||
| The Gay-owned travel company traveled
uncharted business waters with great success
By Rod Parke - SGN A&E Writer Paul Sidlmiller is a very handsome Fin. He's slender with a chiseled yet kind face. Very soft-spoken, he met with me during the RSVP cruise from Seattle to SE Alaska. I wanted to get his take on RSVP (after all, he's the president) and the wonderful experience I was having aboard Holland America's Oosterdam. SGN: Is this the first RSVP cruise out of Seattle? Paul: Yes. This is our 13th Alaska cruise. We've always sold out the Alaska cruises. The earlier ones were from Vancouver, B.C. Holland America loves us because we sell out most of the land excursions. We tend to be a little bit younger than the other cruises, but more than that, we are a more active group on and off the ship. SGN: Is RSVP still Gay-owned? Paul: Yes, it's a private corporation, Gay and Lesbian owned, and run out of Minneapolis. The first trip was a rafting trip on the Colorado River in 1985. In 1986 was the first cruise, an 800-passenger ship that indeed sold out. The rest is history. We don't have any new cruises scheduled out of Seattle for 2006, but 2007 may see some added. We have worked with Holland America for 5 or 6 years, but we work with other lines as well. Our first Princess cruise coming up in October of 2006 is the first whole-ship charter that Princess had done with a re-seller, and we're pretty proud of that. It will be the first Gay and Lesbian charter they have done. SGN: How long have you been with RSVP? Paul: I started in 1988, their third season. SGN: I understand you have both paid staff and volunteers on board. Paul: Yes, the volunteers mostly work to help with the parties, to make sure everything goes well. SGN: What is your most popular cruise? Paul: Definitely, the Caribbean. We use both a ship this size (1850+ guests) and the 218 passenger Royal Clipper, which is the largest sailing ship and so fantastic. This cruise attracts a slightly younger crowd. SGN: There are only about 5 percent Lesbians aboard this cruse. I heard that RSVP is starting to market more intensely to the Lesbian population. Is that true? Paul: It's such a nice thing for men and women to come together. But the Lesbians who travel with us have such a good time because they, being so few, are treated so royally, and they don't necessarily want more women on board. Our guests tell us again and again that they do not want to be exclusively male. The balance works itself out because most of our clients come to us from their friends' referrals. SGN: The incredible diversity of middle age and older people on this tour is a delight to us. Paul: A lot of the people who travel with us have doubts initially about the make up of the crowd they'll be with. A lot of the younger think it's going to be only older people, and visa versa. Some of course have the mistaken idea that it will be a bath house scene. What delights everyone, once they're on a cruise, is not only the incredible diversity of lifestyles but also the way they get to interact. Being together for a whole week opens up the social interaction far more than, say, an evening at an AIDS fundraiser. The opportunity for mixing with other than your usual crowd is terrific. SGN: The big surprise to us was the phenomenal spirit of the service people. They seem to really enjoy being with us, far more than one might expect. I understand they bid to be on RSVP tours. Paul: They do! We have a 20-year history now, and people in the industry know about us even if they've not gone with us before. They get very excited even before we come aboard about the great week they are going to have. It takes them out of their usual routine. It's the life and camaraderie we bring to the ship. They love it and give it right back. SGN: Shopping in Juneau with tourists from the other boats was scary. We saw dead people! I can imagine how it must be to wait on a shipload of bored people who seem to have lost any joy in life. Paul: For some reason the Gay community is just more vivacious and playful. We're all had some special knocks in life and most of us know we make our life what it is. It makes you want to shake some of those zombie-like people to wake them up to the wonders around them. Every tour we do, we speak with the staff afterwards, and they say again and again that our people we the best to work with. They say the Gay crowd complained less, were friendly and nice and sweet to all of their staff. That's something to be proud of. SGN: What would you like to add to this discussion? Paul: Before RSVP began, there was not much of an option for GLBT clients in the travel market other than the usual destinations of Provincetown, Key West, etc. In such places, you still weren't in a totally protected environment and could be attacked for appearing Gay. So, one of RSVP's primary goals was to create in 1985 a totally safe environment. As the world becomes safer, another important feature has become the amazing camaraderie that happens in these groups. Different sorts of personalities who might not ordinarily converse end up sharing life stories and learn so much from each other. SGN: I gather from you that RSVP, aside from a money-making proposition, is also a kind of mission. Paul: It's always been a passion. It's a great reward that all of our staff get from being part of making people have a good time and feel good about themselves, of bringing experiences like Leslie Jordan to more people. It's a passion. SGN: Considering the quality of this experience, my partner and I also think it is a real bargain! Writer Rod Parke can be reached at: rmp62@columbia.edu |
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International Readers |
 THE GAY AND NON-GAY PARTNERSHIP WORKING TO WIN MARRIAGE EQUALITY NATIONWIDE |
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