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CRUISE LINKS (with Gary Bembridge)

Monday, April 10, 2006

RSVP Vacations Charters First-Ever Queen Mary 2 Gay and Lesbian Transatlantic Cruise

 
RSVP Vacations Charters First-Ever Queen Mary 2 Gay and Lesbian Transatlantic Cruise
Thursday April 6, 10:28 pm ET
Company Leverages Status as a PlanetOut Inc. Brand to Secure World's Largest Luxury Liner
- The first-ever gay and lesbian charter for the QM2
- Called the 'Greatest Ocean Liner of our Time,' the QM2 carries 2,592 passengers, one crew member for every two passengers, 14 decks of sports facilities, shops, bars, lounges, five pools and 10 restaurants
- Scheduled for popular Memorial Day weekend - 2007
SAN FRANCISCO, April 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RSVP Productions, Inc. (RSVP), a travel and events marketing brand of PlanetOut Inc. (Nasdaq: LGBT - News), the leading media and entertainment company exclusively serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, today announced that it has signed an historic agreement with Cunard Line to charter the award-winning Queen Mary 2 (QM2), the largest ocean liner in the world, for an all-gay and lesbian transatlantic crossing.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/SFTH118-a 
             http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/SFTH118-b )
Scheduled for a May 29, 2007 departure, gay and lesbian travelers will board the QM2 in New York City and sail to Southampton, England, enjoying events in both New York City before the cruise and London after their transatlantic voyage. The QM2's world-class accommodations will set the stage for entertainment, parties, activities and speakers specifically tailored to the LGBT community.
With 1,296 suites and staterooms, the QM2 offers different degrees of style and comfort for travelers who expect sophisticated adventures. Some guests will spend most of their time using the ship's extensive athletic facilities, others will love the Canyon Ranch spa, the full-scale planetarium, or the 500-seat lecture hall.
RSVP, recognized as one of the foremost presenters of gay and lesbian travel events, was also the first to offer full ship charters in the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and Northern Europe for the LGBT community.
"Now that RSVP is part of the family of leading brands at PlanetOut Inc., we can bring together our collective resources to offer gays and lesbians the amazing travel packages we've always offered, but now with even more robust itineraries and the ability to reach out to a much broader audience by leveraging the reach of PlanetOut's media brands," said Paul Figlmiller, president, RSVP Productions, Inc.
RSVP's business model as a value-added travel specialist specifically tailored to gays and lesbians, includes land tours in Ireland, Thailand, Peru, and a resort in French Polynesia. The company also offers tour and riverboat vacations between Prague and Budapest, and small ship cruise vacations on the luxurious Royal Clipper, the world's largest true sailing ship hosting 218 passengers. In addition to this QM2 transatlantic crossing, RSVP plans to offer other large cruise ship itineraries for 2006 and 2007, including the Mexican Riviera, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Alaska.
"RSVP is a strong, versatile and trusted LGBT travel brand and we're very excited about the QM2 and the historic nature of this charter," said Jeff Soukup, executive vice president and chief operating officer, PlanetOut Inc. "Paul Figlmiller and the entire RSVP team have always been pioneers in the gay and lesbian travel business and their passion and knowledge really shines through with large events like this one. The QM2 charter is a perfect example of PlanetOut's strategy of building a diversified media and entertainment company by leveraging our online reach and multiple marketing platforms to offer our customers a suite of compelling products and services."
About RSVP Productions, Inc.
Established in 1985, RSVP was the originator of the gay and lesbian cruise concept, and offers distinctive travel packages designed for gay and lesbian travelers. More than 80,000 men and women have participated in RSVP's big and small ship cruises, riverboat cruises, land tours, and resort vacations. Planned destinations in 2006 include the Caribbean, Central America, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, French Polynesia, Peru and Thailand. RSVP is headquartered in Minneapolis and is marketed through travel agencies dedicated to the gay and lesbian community as well as through direct sales. For more information, please visit www.RSVPvacations.com.
About PlanetOut Inc.
PlanetOut Inc. is the leading global media and entertainment company exclusively serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. PlanetOut's brands include Gay.com, PlanetOut.com, Kleptomaniac.com, and OUT&ABOUT Travel, as well as localized versions of the Gay.com site, in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. PlanetOut brands also include The Advocate (www.advocate.com); Out (www.out.com); The Out Traveler (www.outtraveler.com); and, HIVPlus (www.hivplusmag.com), as well as other publishing, direct marketing and e-commerce properties, including Alyson Publications, SpecPub, Inc. and Triangle Marketing Services. Additionally, PlanetOut's newest brand is recently acquired travel and events marketer RSVP Vacations. PlanetOut, based in San Francisco with additional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, London and Buenos Aires, offers FORTUNE 1000 and Global 500 advertisers access to what it believes to be the most extensive network of gay and lesbian people in the world. For more information, please visit www.planetoutinc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
In addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding RSVP's anticipated itineraries, as well as statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "expects," and similar words. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the company's limited operating history and variability of operating results; the company's ability to attract and retain subscribers and advertisers; RSVP's ability to successfully book the transatlantic cruise on the QM2 and other cruises; the company's ability to integrate the acquired assets of RSVP; competition; timing of product launches; and the company's dependence on technology infrastructure and the Internet. Additional information concerning factors that could affect PlanetOut's future business and financial results is included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005 and other public filings filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

 
Source: PlanetOut Inc.

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posted by Gary B at 4/10/2006 07:34:05 AM