A Royal Caribbean ship hosting a gay cruise rescued 11 refugees who were adrift in the Gulf of Mexico this week.
The Brilliance of the Seas had been chartered by LGBTQ+ travel company VACAYA for a seven-night cruise of the Caribbean, Advocate reported. On Wednesday, February 26, the ship’s captain spotted another vessel in the Gulf that appeared to be distress.
Related
Two brave migrants risked their safety to stop a gay bashing. Then something wonderful happened.
They risked deportation by stopping a crime. Now they’re getting honored as heroes.
“The captain called me immediately as the charterer of the ship to let me know they were going to turn around and investigate,” VACAYA CEO Randle Roper, who was aboard the ship at the time, told the outlet. “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.”
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
According to the aforementioned publication, a representative from the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the Cuban nationality of the 11 migrants aboard the vessel.
“I can only imagine the fear they must have been feeling,” Roper 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.”
Roper posted several photos and video of the rescue on Facebook, including one featuring former MTV VJ Downtown Julie Brown, who was booked as one of the cruise’s entertainers.
In the clip, Brown noted that the ship had been traveling from the coast of Cuba toward Mexico. Brown said a rescue boat brought life jackets to the migrants before proceeding to ferry them back to the Brilliance of the Seas three at a time. Off camera, a second person noted that the passengers of the distressed boat were taken to be swabbed for influenza by the ship’s medical officers.
“They are being well taken care of,” Brown said. “As they were coming towards the boat, I waved to them, and they all waved back to me. So, they’re obviously in good spirits as well.”
“They were exceedingly happy to be rescued, especially knowing their boat was taking on water,” Roper told the Advocate. “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.”
Roper said the cruise’s LGBTQ+ guests were eager to help, providing dry clothing and donating funds to help the migrants.
“Our guests are so generous,” he said. “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.”
The Coast Guard representative reportedly said that the migrants would disembark in Cozumel, Mexico, the Brilliance of the Seas’ next port of call.
Roper said that in his 22 years in the travel industry, he had never before witnessed a rescue like the one that took place Wednesday.
“To have this happen is a really emotional day,” he said. “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.”
He also compared the plight of immigrants to that of the LGBTQ+ community under the Trump administration.
“Two of the most reviled groups in America right now are the LGBTQ+ community and refugees,” Roper told the Advocate. “The fact that we were the ones lucky enough to help them — it just feels really, really good.”
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.