By KEESHA BETHELL & SAM SMITH, Guardian Business Desk

keesha@nasguard.com & samsmith@nasguard.com

Reaction in the Nassau business community was mixed but invariably passionate to news Rosie O'Donnell's "gay cruise" scheduled for July would come to The Bahamas but give the city a miss.

"I don't understand the public's opinion about this," said Anthony Darville, with Sunshine Cruises, a tour operation catering to stopover guests.

He and other operators stood to make between $30,000 and $50,000 on that ship.

On Thursday, an agent for O'Donnell confirmed that the celebrity had chartered the Norwegian Dawn - a 15-deck mega ship with room enough for 2,240 passengers.

It is to embark from New York before traveling to Bermuda and onto The Bahamas.

Unfortunately for businessmen in New Providence, the last leg of that trip does not include Nassau or Freeport.

The Bahamian itinerary is limited to Great Stirrup Cay - a private island owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines and part of the Berry Islands chain.

That means, said Darville, that Bahamian businesses will not have the opportunity to capitalize on the trip.

"Not only will we be affected, but the downtown merchants as well," he said.

"It's ridiculous. I don't support the people who object to the cruise ship coming here."

The ship will arrive almost three years to the day Rosie O'Donnell's first "Gay Family Values Cruise" anchored in Nassau harbor, unleashing a fire storm of anti-gay protests.

Its 1,600 passengers remained largely onboard to avoid confronting Bahamian picketers.

An HBO documentary chronicling the experience was the crowning episode in what is considered a public relations nightmare for The Bahamas.

O'Donnell is hoping to avoid that scene this time around said her publicist.

"No, no, no. Nassau? No!" she said on the phone from New York. "The cruise is not going to Nassau, but it is going to a private island in The Bahamas."

The Ministry of Tourism estimates that cruise ship passengers spend upwards of $50-$500 at a port of call - not of a penny of which Nassau merchants will see from O'Donnell's guests.

In fact, the Norwegian Dawn was initially scheduled to land in Nassau before O'Donnell decided to charter the boat and altered its itinerary.

That being said, the only money The Bahamas will see is the $15 per person the government charges visitors.

One Bay Street merchant isn't bothered by the potential loss in revenue now likely to fall to businesses in Bermuda, the other stop on the voyage.

"As a business man, I don't benefit from the gay cruise," said R A Bevans, owner of a small sporting apparel store, Bevans of London. "I think they come here to make a political statement, not to spend money."

But American demographers point oout that the country's gay and lesbian community enjoy considerably more disposable income, on average, than their peers.

It suggests O'Donnell's cruise passengers may have had more money to share with Nassau merchants, tour operators and restaurants than their straight counterparts.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Tourism downplayed the significance of the decision to give Nassau a wide berth.

"The fact still remains that they are coming to The Bahamas," said a spokesperson for the ministry. "The Bahamas still benefits.

"We can't really object to which island they choose to go to: They have the right to choose and we have been encouraging persons to visit all Family Islands to have a diverse experience (of The Bahamas)."

But visitors to Great Stirrup Cay are limited to buying, eating and using the services and facilities of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Bahamians, except for the few working on the island, will see little benefit.

Darville would like to have seen the government extend an invitation to O'Donnell and her guests to come into Nassau rather than steer clear of it.

"I don't think they (passengers) pose a threat to us," he said.