The R Family Vacations holiday to Bermuda was advertised as "the most R Family-Styled vacation yet".

The company website told of "quaint seaside villages, beautiful pink sand beaches" and said "grab your gear, your family, your whole gang and join us for the time of our lives".

Yesterday however, passengers were informed that they were no longer going to Bermuda and would travel to Port Canaveral and Key West in Florida instead.

Their disappointment was summed up in an e-mail sent to The Royal Gazette from passenger John Lahara.

He said: "I wanted to express how sad we are that some people in Bermuda don't want us to visit there this coming July. If they could only see that we are people just like any other, the life we have was one not chosen but one that we were born with.

"It is the year 2007 and to still not accept people as people is just not something understandable.

"Gay people such as me are so pleased to have a company. R Family provide us with a vacation where we can be ourselves and act like the families that we are. We live normal lives every single day, we work hard, contribute to people in need and have loving families and children that on an everyday basis live day to day with no one passing judgment on anyone.

"There are so many important issues in this world that religious leaders should be addressing, like stopping the wars and killing of innocent people all over the world, feeding the hungry, housing the poor, and protesting worthy causes — not who we are sleeping with at night.

"The God I know loves everyone and passes no judgement on anyone it loves — the rich, the poor, the ill, the tyrants. The God I know loves all and forgives those that have not loved like he has.

"If the religious leaders of your country would visit our ship and see all the love that there is on there, maybe one could understand who we are.

"Many gays and lesbians have adopted children, they have given homes to beautiful children that otherwise might not have any at all and I hope someday to do the same.

"The R Family trips have family values. To us that is so important, we are a community of people that will always be ready to help all and all we ask is please don't shy away from us and try to understand that we are people like any other people. We don't bite, and we don't try and register anyone into a lifestyle that is not one of their own.

"With all that is going on in this world, now is a great time to put lifestyle differences behind us and share the joy and love of just being people."