LGBT Cruise Saves 11 Refugees In The Gulf Of Mexico

VACAYA, an LGBTQ+ vacation company, set sail on a chartered Royal Caribbean cruise ship Saturday. Those onboard the ship had no idea their seven-night Caribbean vacation would turn into a life-saving mission.

Four days after launching out of New Orleans, the LGBTQ+ cruise was sailing through the Gulf of Mexico, between Cuba and Mexico, when crew and passengers spotted 11 refugees adrift in the middle of the ocean. Workers immediately jumped into action. In a video shared with GO by VACAYA, a yellow rescue boat left the cruise ship and selflessly took on rocking waves. The refugees were rescued from their small vessel and brought aboard the ship in groups.

According to a press release, this is the first time in VACAYA’s 8-year history that they have made a rescue at sea.

MTV icon Downtown Julie Brown was performing on the ship, and provided a first-hand account of the rescue in a video shared with GO.

“The captain of the ship…thought he saw a boat in distress so we looped around…took us about 20 minutes,” Julie said. “So far the rescue boat has gone out four times and picked up three passengers at a time.” At this point in the video, the rescue team was picking up their final group of refugees.

“They went out and took them life vests before they did this misson,” she continued. “[The people they picked up] are already in medical on the cruise, being well-taken care of. As they were coming to the boat, I waved to them and they all waved back to me.”

Passengers rallied to provide the refugees with warm, dry clothes. Royal Carribean is providing food, water, and medical care to those in need. They were also swabbed for the flu. There’s no word on how long they were drifting through the sea or what medical conditions they may be afflicted with.

CEO of VACAYA Randle Roper was onboard the ship when the rescue was made. He applauded his crew and the queer passengers, who didn’t hesitate to help those in need.

“Nothing speaks more to VACAYA’s values than providing comfort in a moment of need. I’m so happy we were able to bring these 11 refugees onboard safely and provide medical care, dry clothes, food, and, most importantly, water. It’s sad that some people have to put themselves through such trauma in hopes of finding a better life, but that’s where we are today. I’m so proud of our LGBT+ guests rallying to collect clothes for these fellow humans in need,” Roper said in a press statement.

“In my 22 years in the industry, I’ve never had such an emotional day,” he added in a statement on Facebook.