A Look Into MeetMeOnBoard’s New LGBTQ Cruise App

Last month marked the debut of the MeetMeOnBoard app, an LGBTQ cruise app for queer travelers to book cruises and connect with each other. Available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, the app is the next phase of the MeetMeOnBoard website, which was founded in 2008 by Mark den Hartog and Dale McCurdy—and acquired in 2022 by Adam Martindale, a cruise veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the travel industry. We spoke to Martindale to get more insights into the app.

Martindale said the MeetMeOnBoard app had been in development for the past year until its official launch on June 3, 2024.

“We conducted multiple rounds of testing, the last of which involved actual users,” he said. “Overall, we’ve received positive initial feedback. There have been requests for more engagement tools, such as the ability to chat with each other and a cabin-sharing feature, both of which are already being worked on.”

The next update is scheduled for Fall 2024, but users are already jumping aboard. 

“We are nearing 1,000 registered users, with over 500 cruises joined. We are early in the process of getting the word out, but we believe the app will grow organically by word of mouth as more and more LGBTQ travelers discover it,” Martindale said.

The cruises that are currently in the MeetMeOnBoard app are being powered by Cruise Planners’ enhanced search functionalities, which means users can currently find cruises through many of the cruise lines. However, Martindale said they are already working with their developers to add charter cruises to the app. In the meantime, they are partnering with popular LGBTQ tour companies directly to organize MeetMeOnBoard group cruises with them. 

“The MeetMeOnBoard website was launched in 2008 by Mark den Hartog and Dale McCurdy with the goal of connecting LGBTQ cruisers both before and after setting sail,” Martindale said. “Over the next 12 years, the brand grew incrementally through the website, email list, and social media. During the pandemic, I acquired the brand with the vision of evolving it into an app. Having experienced all the ways MeetMeOnBoard had brought LGBTQ folks together on cruises, I wanted to bring that capability to the palms of their hands.”

While Martindale doesn’t currently have data on the sexual orientation of the app’s users, the gender data they do have indicates that those who are using it identify as 94% He/Him, 5% She/Her, and 1% They/Them. And on social media, the gender breakdown is 80.6% Male and 19.4% Female (Non-Binary people aren’t currently accounted for in the data).

Right now, Martindale said that the website represents MeetMeOnBoard’s past, while the app represents its future. 

“We want to meet our users where they are, and some members of the MeetMeOnBoard community are using the website, some are using the app, and others are using a combination of both,” he said. “The goal is for the two platforms to eventually merge and come together as one. This will take some time, but it’s already starting to happen.”

Since the pandemic, Martindale has seen changes in cruising for queer travelers. He said that cabin sharing and group cruises have become his company’s most common inquiries.

“There’s significant interest in connection after years of isolation, which is one of the reasons the MeetMeOnBoard app was created,” he said. “Our goal is to help LGBTQ travelers connect with one another and become their ultimate resource for cruising. The more we can help facilitate these connections, the more successful the app will be.”

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.