JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
JennyEBlock@icloud.com
Olivia Travel just celebrated a major anniversary: 35 years spent curating all kinds of trips, including cruise and resort take-overs and adventures to far-flung locations. That’s what they do.
But what they ARE is a curator of a way of life, one that is founded in kindness, acceptance, happiness and, of course, fun.
My first trip with Olivia was 15 years ago. I went as a media guest, and I just remember being completely enthralled the minute I boarded. It was just like summer camp — all these new friends and activities and shows. There was even a “camp song.” Everyone was so nice and so welcoming.
There was no one “cool kids’ table,” either. Every table was the cool kids’ table. And no matter where you were on the ship, there was always room for one more. Everyone was just so happy to be there, so happy to be living out loud, so thrilled to be living — as Judy Dlugacz, a founder of Olivia, always says —“Life as it should be.”
I’ve been on a number of Olivia cruises and resort trips since then. I’ve even had the honor of speaking and performing and emceeing on a few. And every time feels like coming home.
Every time feels like a family reunion — the fun kind.
Every time feels like a dream from which I never want to wake up — a dream where there are no cliques, no judgment, no jealousy, no haves and have nots. Just plenty of everything for everyone in an environment of joy and respect.
Olivia Records, the company from which Olivia Travel stemmed, celebrated 50 years in 2023. Olivia Travel celebrated 35 years of traveling the world with their 2025 Coral Jubilee Caribbean Cruise: 35 Years of Olivia Travel aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam.
I don’t use this word lightly when I say it was epic.
The ship has a capacity of 2600 and was completely sold out. Of those guests, 40 percent were new to Olivia and at least 20 percent were single.
I was invited to talk about my books and to host a spoken word open mic night and host In Bed with Jenny Block, where I talk about sex and host a Q&A from — you guessed it, bed —
All of those were amazing.
But nothing compared to how amazing the trip was when it came to creating community.
There was a ton of entertainment — from musicians like Roxanna Ward, Cris Williamson, Lisa Koch and Sarah Potenza to comedians like Dana Goldberg, Gina Yashere, Vicki Shaw, and Karen Williams to DJs like DJ Luna Rosa, DJ Rockaway, DJ Mary Mac, and DJ Dawn Michaels.
The entertainment was top-notch, as always. But I think it was the programming that really made this cruise. First, there was the stellar cruise director Tisha Floratos-Silano, who is also the company’s vice president. She set the tone of togetherness and fun for the week right from the start and kept that going all week long.
And then there’s the new program manager, Ashe Brown, whipping up a new kind of magic just when I didn’t think Olivia could get anymore magical. She created all kinds of amazing programming that really created the summer camp vibe complete with the kind of friendships that make you wish you could take all of your new BFFs home with you — Prom Night, Under the Sea Night, White Night, Hometown Day, Pajama Night, Rainbow Pride Day, and so many activities and gatherings and moments throughout the cruise that you couldn’t possibly do them all. Brown is officially the fairy godmother of making all things sparkly even sparklier.
Because of the magic of Olivia and the women behind Olivia, more than 2,500 Olivians came together and became a family of sorts. We dressed up and showed up. We participated and played. We laughed and danced and sang. We forgot, for that one week, that the world can be petty and hateful and unkind and lived out loud leading with joy and kindness and respect for others.
And we had fun. We breathed. We let go of the rest of the world if only for a short time. And I like to think that, like a voodoo doll, we put a thorn in the side of every single person who wants to take away our rights or cancel us or disappear us or otherwise hurt us.
Sorry bad guys — too much love here for your hate to cancel.
It was an amazing week. But more than that, it was proof that we can live together in harmony. Yes, all of us on the cruise were lesbians and LGBTQ women. That is what makes us the same. But the list of things that make us different is significantly longer: age, race, jobs, upbringing, religion, class, education, you name it.
But here’s the thing: None of that mattered. Because those things don’t matter, not when it comes to who should be treated with love and kindness and respect. Because that’s an easy answer: Everyone.
The best part of Olivia is not the incredible entertainment. It’s not the amazing programming. It’s not even the gorgeous ships or resorts or the awe-inspiring destinations. The best part of Olivia is what it proves: We can all live and love together, all we have to do is choose to.
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