The Daily Populous Friday February 28th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by advocate.com and submitted by CupidStunt13

An LGBTQ + cruise turned into a life-saving mission Wednesday when Brilliance of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship currently chartered by an LGBTQ+ vacation company, rescued 11 refugees who had been adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to a press release, passengers and crew mobilized after spotting a distressed vessel. Video footage from the ship shows a yellow rescue boat traveling between the refugees’ vessel and the cruise ship, bringing them aboard in small groups. Once on board, the individuals were given medical care, food, water, and warm clothing, the statement indicates.

The Brilliance of the Seas had departed from New Orleans on Saturday for a seven-night Caribbean cruise when the rescue happened. VACAYA, an LGBTQ+ vacation company that charters entire ships and resorts and that chartered Brilliance of the Seas, said this was the first time in its eight-year history that one of its cruises had been involved in a maritime rescue. Guests on board rallied to help, collecting dry clothes for the rescued individuals, while Royal Caribbean provided emergency care, representatives for VACAYA said.

VACAYA CEO Randle Roper, who is on the cruise and witnessed the rescue firsthand, described it as one of the most emotional moments of his career.

“In my 22 years in the industry, I’ve never had such an emotional day,” Roper wrote on Facebook. “It’s sad that some people have to put themselves through such trauma in hopes of finding a better life.”

Speaking to The Advocate via voice memo, Roper detailed how the rescue unfolded.

“The captain of Brilliance of the Seas spotted a boat in the distance that appeared to be in distress,” Roper said. “The captain called me immediately as the charterer of the ship to let me know they were going to turn around and investigate. They sent a pilot boat with crew members out to the stranded vessel, and from a distance, they could see at least 10 people aboard. It was clear they were in distress. The refugees were literally bailing water out of the boat—it was stricken, adrift, and taking on water.”

According to Roper, the refugees had been stranded at sea for at least one to two days.

“I can only imagine the fear they must have been feeling,” he said. “To be out in the open Gulf with no other vessels around, and then to see us—it must have been such a relief. The minute they spotted the ship, they started waving a white flag of distress.”

MTV icon Downtown Julie Brown, who was performing on the ship, documented the rescue in a video shared with The Advocate, explaining in real-time how the ship’s captain turned around after spotting the vessel in distress.

“We are in the middle of a live rescue operation right now,” Brown said. “We’ve just come down from the coast of Cuba, and we’re on the way to Mexico, but the captain of the ship … thought he saw a boat in distress. So we looped around—a big loop took us about 20 minutes probably to loop back around—and it was indeed a boat in distress.”

Brown described how the ship’s rescue boat made multiple trips, bringing back a few people at a time.

“The rescue boat has gone out four times and picked up three passengers at a time. So I’m guessing it’s roundabout between nine and 12 people at this point,” she said.

Brown also said medical screenings were conducted once the individuals were safely on board. “They’re downstairs swabbing them for flu,” she explained. “They are being well taken care of. As they were coming towards the boat, I waved to them, and they all waved back to me.”

Once the refugees were safely on board, the LGBTQ+ guests on the cruise immediately stepped in to provide support. “Most guests are asking, ‘What can I do to help?’” Roper said. “It’s been really, really inspiring. From the moment those 11 refugees boarded, people wanted to assist.”

VACAYA provided fresh, dry clothing for the individuals as soon as they arrived on board, and the ship’s medical team ensured they were given food and water. Roper said the refugees, while exhausted and malnourished, were in good spirits.

“They were exceedingly happy to be rescued, especially knowing their boat was taking on water,” he said. “They had no food, no water for a couple of days. We’ve got them here on board, safe and sound. They’re being fed, getting lots and lots of water to rehydrate.”

Guests on the ship have been donating clothing and funds to further assist the rescued individuals.

“Our guests are so generous—I imagine we’ll raise a substantial amount of money for them through VACAYA’s ReachOUT philanthropic program whose mission is to allow our guests to give back while on vacation” Roper said.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed to The Advocate that the rescued individuals are Cuban migrants and will not be brought to the United States.

“The Coast Guard was notified of the rescue of the reported 11 Cuban migrants near the Yucatán Peninsula by the cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Randisi said in an email.

Through coordination with the ship, he said it was determined that the migrants would disembark in Cozumel, Mexico, which is the ship’s next scheduled port of call before returning to the U.S.

“The Coast Guard regularly conducts migrant operations in the native waters of the Gulf of America, with the intent to detect and deter illegal aliens and illicit narcotics from entering the United States of America,” Randisi said. President Donald Trump recently renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” butThe Advocate will continue to refer to the body of water by its centuries-old name, in accordance with AP style.

Roper said he has communicated with Royal Caribbean leadership about the rescue.

“It’s really all about caring for the people,” he said. “This is a human issue. These are fellow humans, and everyone wants to make sure that A, they’re okay and B, that their onward journey, wherever it may be, is one of less distress than they’ve been going through these last couple of days.”

The Advocate has contacted Royal Caribbean for comment.

While cruise ships sometimes encounter distressed vessels in open waters, Roper said this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a rescue. “I’ve been doing this for 22 years, and I’ve never seen one,” he said. “Never. So to have this happen is a really emotional day. As privileged as we are to travel on this luxury cruise liner, to know that people have to escape their lives in this way—it’s humbling. It’s very, very emotional.”

For VACAYA, the moment highlighted the community’s values of care and compassion. Roper said the rescue underscored the values of the LGBTQ+ travel community.

“Two of the most reviled groups in America right now are the LGBTQ+ community and refugees,” Roper said. “The fact that we were the ones lucky enough to help them—it just feels really, really good.”

Editor’s note: This developing story was updated with remarks by the U.S. Coast Guard.

sea_bear9 on February 27th, 2025 at 23:47 UTC »

"Tobias thought the boat party was pirate themed"

Sad-Attempt6263 on February 27th, 2025 at 23:11 UTC »

ah this is the our gay cruise post from yesterday, safe to say a remarkable act from those people

CupidStunt13 on February 27th, 2025 at 23:00 UTC »

> Brown described how the ship’s rescue boat made multiple trips, bringing back a few people at a time.

> “The rescue boat has gone out four times and picked up three passengers at a time. So I’m guessing it’s roundabout between nine and 12 people at this point,” she said.

> Brown also said medical screenings were conducted once the individuals were safely on board. “They’re downstairs swabbing them for flu,” she explained. “They are being well taken care of. As they were coming towards the boat, I waved to them, and they all waved back to me.”

> Once the refugees were safely on board, the LGBTQ+ guests on the cruise immediately stepped in to provide support. “Most guests are asking, ‘What can I do to help?’” Roper said. “It’s been really, really inspiring. From the moment those 11 refugees boarded, people wanted to assist.”

> VACAYA provided fresh, dry clothing for the individuals as soon as they arrived on board, and the ship’s medical team ensured they were given food and water. Roper said the refugees, while exhausted and malnourished, were in good spirits.

> “They were exceedingly happy to be rescued, especially knowing their boat was taking on water,” he said. “They had no food, no water for a couple of days. We’ve got them here on board, safe and sound. They’re being fed, getting lots and lots of water to rehydrate.”

> Guests on the ship have been donating clothing and funds to further assist the rescued individuals.

> “Our guests are so generous—I imagine we’ll raise a substantial amount of money for them through VACAYA’s ReachOUT philanthropic program whose mission is to allow our guests to give back while on vacation” Roper said.

Nice. Even though it was the ship that rescued them, the passengers were more than willing to help in any way they could.