Rosie O'Donnell has made a splash in Bermuda without even setting foot on its white-sand shores. 

The talk show host's decision not to dock there as part of the upcoming summer cruise her partner Kelli Carpenter's R Family Vacations has organized for gay and lesbian families resulted in a resounding "yay" from members of the British island territory's religious community. 

Apparently not one to live and let live, the conservative group United by Faith called the cancellation "a victory for God." 

"We have had our churches praying for this since it was first announced and have had intercessors praying both here and abroad," the 80-church organization said in a statement to Bermuda's Royal Gazette. "God moved in that this decision came without any consultation with us and before we released our statement concerning the matter. We are thankful God intervened and anticipate greater blessings upon Bermuda." 

R Family Vacations, cofounded by O'Donnell's longtime partner Carpenter and Gregg Kaminski, said Tuesday that the Bermuda stop will be replaced by stops in Port Canaveral and Key West, Florida. The excursion will also take them to a private island in the Bahamas. 

While O'Donnell is not usually one to back down from a fight, R Family stated on its Website that by steering clear of Bermuda, it was hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened on its maiden sail in 2004, when about 100 dockside protesters in Nassau brought the children onboard to tears. As seen in the 2006 documentary All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise, close to 500 families, comprising nearly 1,150 passengers, made the trip from New York to the Bahamas.  

This excursion is scheduled to set sail in July on a ship provided by Norwegian Cruise Line. Close to 2,000 passengers are expected.  

But despite the hitch in the git-along, R Family's Kaminsky seems to believe that any bad Bermudan blood looks to be largely relegated to a small portion of the population. 

"The Prime Minister of Bermuda personally contacted me to let me know that he and his government welcome all tourists regardless of sexual orientation or religious affiliation," Kaminsky said in a statement on the company's Website. "We also received hundreds of emails from Bermuda residents, welcoming us to their country. 

"However, Kelli and I are not 100 percent confident that some protesters would not meet us upon our arrival. While those groups may be the minority voice, we feel our cruise would be more enjoyable with an alternate itinerary to ports where we know we are welcome by everyone." 

Kaminsky concluded that the actions of a few do not necessarily represent the feelings of many.  

"Please note that we feel Bermuda is welcoming to gay and lesbian tourists," he said. "However, there is a minority of vocal churches who do not welcome us. Most residents of Bermuda and the government have been extremely respectful to our group, and we do not want our change of plans to be interpreted as anything but a response to a few local (but vocal) church groups. 

"I offered to meet with any or all churches that would be willing to talk this out face-to-face," Kaminsky said. "Not one church took me up on my offer." 

Kaminsky's apparent goodwill may not be enough to convince everybody that Bermuda is a gay-friendly destination, however.

For instance, the U.K.-based PinkNews boasted this headline on its Website: "Rosie's gay family cruise will avoid homophobic island." 

Bermuda Tourist Board chairman E. Michael Jones described the incident as "unfortunate." 

"As a tourist destination, Bermuda needs to be welcoming to all those who want to come and visit us," he told the Royal Gazette. "I think it will certainly make us appear to be an island who selects who come and visit us, and I don't think that's appropriate." 

Meanwhile, Tourism and Transport minister Dr. Ewart Brown told the newspaper he harbored "a measure of concern about what might occur if the cruise stopped in Bermuda," although he refused to detail those concerns.  

United by Faith spokesman Andre Curtis, who is also chairman of the group Faith-Based Tourism, said he did not receive an offer from Kaminsky to meet. 

"I have no knowledge of anyone saying no to their request. Of course we would have met them," Curtis said. "The UBF does not discriminate against anyone." 

He also denied speculation that O'Donnell's cancellation would hurt the tourist industry. 

"I don't think it will have any negative impact," Curtis said. "Bermuda is known as a Christian country. It's clean and peaceful, and that's the reason tourists come here."

That and the new five-star resort Donald Trump is plotting to build right this instant.