One of the biggest all-gay cruise brands in the world, VACAYA charters entire ships and resorts for a week of sun, parties and community at sea.
About the event
VACAYA is one of the largest adults-only travel companies built for the whole LGBTQ+ community and its straight allies. Founded in the late 2010s, it has quickly become the main full-ship rival on the gay cruise scene: the company books out entire vessels and resorts so that, for a week, the dance floors, pool decks and bars belong entirely to a queer crowd. The mood sits somewhere between a floating festival and a relaxed beach holiday.
The portfolio mixes big-ship cruises with thousands of guests, theme nights, live shows and DJs, plus smaller and more exotic small-ship expeditions and all-inclusive resort takeovers. Itineraries rotate through the Caribbean and Mexico, the Mediterranean, and farther-flung routes toward Africa, South America and the Arctic, so the brand suits both first-timers after a Caribbean party week and seasoned travellers chasing a remote bucket-list voyage.
The whole idea is that you can be completely yourself with no need to read the room. That makes it a strong pick for couples, solo travellers and groups of friends who want nightlife and entertainment built into the trip rather than something you go hunting for on shore.
What to do
- Full-ship and full-resort charters, exclusively queer for the week
- Big-ship party cruises plus small-ship expeditions
- Theme nights, live shows and a roster of DJs
- Itineraries from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and beyond
- Adults-only and welcoming to the whole LGBTQ+ spectrum
- Who it's for
- For couples, solo travellers and friend groups who want a week of nightlife, shows and community without leaving the ship to find it.
- When to go
- Trips run year-round; Caribbean sailings cluster in winter and Mediterranean ones in summer, so check the official site for the current schedule.
- Getting there from Switzerland
- Embarkation ports vary by sailing; from Switzerland fly ZRH, GVA or BSL to the relevant hub (Miami and Fort Lauderdale for the Caribbean, Barcelona, Rome or Athens for the Mediterranean) and arrive a day early.
We summarise public information; final dates and tickets are always on the organiser's official site.
Updated: 2026-06-22
