A new full-ship cruise built around sex-positive and kink-focused programming is set to depart Palm Beach, Florida on October 2, sailing a three-night round trip to Nassau, Bahamas, with tickets starting at $397 per person. The voyage, called RU5H, is aimed at men and male-identifying passengers and bills itself as explicitly sex-progressive rather than a standard gay cruise with adult content bolted on.
RU5H comes from VACAYA, a US-based LGBTQ+ travel tour operator, according to The Independent. Per Happy Gay Travel, the brand was created as a collaboration between VACAYA's co-creators and a former Executive Producer of Atlantis Events, bringing together leadership from two of the largest gay charter operators in the world. VACAYA itself operates as the second-largest LGBTQ+ charter company globally, having launched in 2018 as a year-round alternative to traditional circuit-party gay cruises, according to Pride Travelers.
US booking pages show quad-occupancy cabins starting at that $397 figure, while solo travelers can book their own stateroom starting at $997, the same October 2–5 sailing dates reflected across US disclosures. The Independent reports the UK price point at around £292 per person, underscoring how the operator is positioning RU5H as more accessible than typical circuit-style gay cruises.
What's Actually Happening Onboard
RU5H co-founder Patrick Gunn described the trip as “an experience designed around connection, self-expression, fantasy and exploration,” according to The Independent. The itinerary includes eight parties over three nights, along with social gatherings, underwear parties and fetish-oriented sex workshops. Guests will also have access to clothing-optional upper decks while the ship is at sea.
The cruise organizes its programming around what it calls five pillars — 5ex, 5timulation, 5eduction, 5ubmission and 5atisfaction — and includes curated experience zones featuring creative spaces, social lounges, immersive role-play setups, creator experiences and relaxation areas. He Said Dallas reports that onboard content will include live filming by adult performers from Carnal+ and JockPack, plus specialized gatherings such as puppy play dates and “Bears in Space” theme parties, according to He Said Dallas. Designated no-photo zones are built into the ship to protect guest privacy during those adult events, and organizers say passengers are required to respect each other's boundaries throughout the sailing.
Gunn Says the Ship Itself Is Part of the Draw
Gunn told The Independent that “the ship is very much the destination,” framing RU5H as offering guests opportunities to explore desire, curiosity, connection and pleasure in an environment built around respect and consent. Nightlife on board will lean on DJs representing queer scenes from New York, Los Angeles, Austin, London, Berlin, Amsterdam and Fire Island, giving the sailing an international club-circuit flavor despite its budget-friendly pricing.
The ship hosting the voyage, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, was originally launched in 1991 as Costa Classica and can carry up to 1,680 passengers across 13 decks. Per CruiseMapper, the vessel completed a multi-million-dollar drydock refurbishment in January. It's homeported at the Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach and typically runs short two- to five-night Bahamian itineraries year-round, making the RU5H sailing a departure in theme rather than route.
A Broader Shift in Queer Charter Travel
RU5H's low entry price and explicit programming reflect a broader diversification underway in LGBTQ+ charter cruising. Traditional gay charters historically catered mostly to cisgender gay men through high-energy circuit parties, but newer offerings are building itineraries with transgender, nonbinary, BIPOC and body-diverse travelers explicitly in mind, according to The Advocate.
Industry survey data cited by Gunn and reported by TravelPulse found that roughly 16% of LGBTQ+ travelers have taken a cruise, compared with just 2% of the general population. TravelPulse also notes that US LGBTQ+ travel spending exceeds $64 billion annually, while European queer travelers spend more than $68 billion a year — figures that help explain why operators keep betting on niche, full-ship charter concepts.
Because RU5H operates as a full-ship charter rather than a standard sailing, the arrangement carries a wrinkle familiar to Hoodline readers: under past Hoodline reporting on Margaritaville at Sea charter contracts, third-party organizers — not the cruise line — bear legal responsibility for guest claims, itinerary changes and ticket refunds. That means any disputes arising from the RU5H voyage would fall to VACAYA rather than Margaritaville at Sea itself. It remains to be seen how port authorities in Nassau will respond to the docking of an explicitly kink-themed charter, and whether RU5H's October debut will lead to it becoming a recurring annual sailing.
