Low Carb Cruise 2009

[realityjunkee]

I actually have a roomie set up from this board, so we'll get to meet in person. It'll be a lot of fun!

[LChottie07]

Great to hear!

Last year, I took a friend... but we had several people who were roomies who had met on the forums first! What a wonderful world we live in where you can meet such great people in wonderful places like this. Those 2 who roomed together are now some of the closest friends! This year I'm dragging along my DH.

[Amy Lynn]

Originally Posted by LChottie07

Great to hear!

Last year, I took a friend... but we had several people who were roomies who had met on the forums first! What a wonderful world we live in where you can meet such great people in wonderful places like this. Those 2 who roomed together are now some of the closest friends! This year I'm dragging along my DH.

translation: "my DH thinks i need a chaperone"

[regandy]

Christin... thanks so much for handling all these questions. I've been out of town.

[LChottie07]

OK so lots of you have said you are interested.... but....

THE TIME HAS COME!!!!!

Deposit deadline is 1 WEEK AWAY!!!!

So now is the time I guess for a big announcement!

We are pleased to let you all in on one of the things that we have been planning over the last month or so.

We will be having a meeting again very similar to last year, but this year, we are pleased to announce that our guest speaker will be Dr Johnny Bowden!!! We are so grateful to Jimmy Moore for making this connection for us and setting up Dr Bowden to come and spend the week with us. Now is the perfect time to step up to the plate and have a wonderful time (and learning) at sea!

I know that there are many here on this forum who joined us last year... and we DEFINITELY want you back!!! (remember... you get perks for being a "repeat cruiser!")

Ok so let us know if you really want to go!! Remember again.. the deposit is COMPLETELY refundable... and you will have secured your spot on the beautiful cruise ship Ecstasy!







See ya there!!!!


Christin

[LChottie07]

Originally Posted by Cutie

[/B]

translation: "my DH thinks i need a chaperone"

[realityjunkee]

Originally Posted by Cutie

[/b]

translation: "my DH thinks i need a chaperone"

That's exactly why I am NOT taking my DH...he'll cramp my style!

[regandy]

Once you go on one you just can't help but get hooked. I don't take my dh either -- sisters and friends are MORE fun.

We are hoping to make this similar to a "convention" for low carbers.

COUNTING DOWN!! woohoo.

[kimcox99]

I am interested in this cruise, but as of yet I don't have a roommate. I know the deadline is coming up for the deposit. Please let me know if anyone is still looking for a roommate.

[kimcox99]

I see that you are interested in the 2009 Cruise. Have you booked your cabin yet and so you still need a roommate? I want to go but don't have a roommate and can't afford to purchase an entire cabin for myself. Please let me know if you are interested in rooming together.

[regandy]

KIMMIE NEEDS A ROOMIE!!!!! HELLO OUT THERE!

[jeepifer]

Originally Posted by kimcox99

I see that you are interested in the 2009 Cruise. Have you booked your cabin yet and so you still need a roommate? I want to go but don't have a roommate and can't afford to purchase an entire cabin for myself. Please let me know if you are interested in rooming together.

I volunteer!

[LChottie07]

WOOHOO! Anyone else out there need a roommate?

[kimcox99]

Thanks guys for the quick response! Jeepifer are new roomies!!!

Jeepifer I can't wait to meet you in person. This is going to be soooo much fun!

[Amy Lynn]

y'all are gonna have to sail on without me...but maybe next year!

[regandy]

Originally Posted by Cutie

y'all are gonna have to sail on without me...but maybe next year!

Won't do, Cutie.

Unexceptable.

What do I need to do to make it happen for you?!?!?!? PM me and talk to me. Do I need to come and pick you up?? WHAT???

[regandy]

Counting down now. be sure and reply to the poll. thanks.

I just wanted to take a moment to add some information about raising the money for the cruise. My husband and I live on a very tight income. We have a small 2 bedroom 1 bath home.. older home. We have a few luxuries, but for the most part we work HARD for everything that we have. I can't just "plop" down $400 for a cruise. I have to work and save... but it is worth it to me. I couldn't afford any excursions last year, but that didn't stop me from having a blast in and around town and on the beaches.... and spent very little extra money doing that... AND had so much fun.

This will be my third cruise. The way I have done this is using several methods:
1. I had a garage sale and made my initial money for the first deposit
2. Took a part=time job one night a week at a clothing store; used the great discount to pick up some clothes for the trip.
3. My kids asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told them to keep their money... after they insisted on doing something I said to just give me some souvenier money; they did.
4. I get a small Christmas bonus and I used that money to pay the rest of my ticket.

I mean, I worked and saved and scrimped and used creative ideas to get it all together. When you really want to do something, there is always a resourceful way to work out the obstacles.

I've said it before and I want to repeat, I would love to see this turn into a type of "Low Carb Convention" of sorts -- speakers, displays, friends, and fun. I hope that everyone who wants to go can find a way to go! My one experience with the low carbers showed me what a wonderful bunch of people I have come to know.

Let me know if you have any more questions about it.

[realityjunkee]

I'm very excited about the "convention" aspect of the cruise! I think it'll be great to hear what so many people have to say and for the opportunity to meet so many people from different message boards. I think it will be so much fun!

[regandy]

For those interested in a balcony suite, I got this from our cruise director:

Dear Becky,

Good morning. For anyone interested in the balcony option, I would prefer that they contact me directly, because on the Carnival Ecstasy all staterooms with balconies are actually mini-suites and suites, and we would need to verify rates and availability at time of booking. There are a total of 54 staterooms with balconies on this ship.

If you like, I could see if Carnival will allow us to pull any of those staterooms into the group allotment. If Carnival does allow us to hold any mini-suite staterooms, there would be a full per person deposit to keep them in the allotment. Let me know if you prefer this option. Thanks.

Amélie Richards
********************************

I emailed her back and told her that we WOULD like that option, so if you need to contact her you can email her at arichards @vacationstogo.com

[jeepifer]

Originally Posted by regandy

If Carnival does allow us to hold any mini-suite staterooms, there would be a full per person deposit to keep them in the allotment.

What does "full per person deposit" mean? You pay the full price up front? Or the full $100 cabin deposit per person, double occupancy?

[LChottie07]

Just thought I'd add a note. I was in a window room last year and it was absoluetly incredible. I want to have a window again this year because one nice thing about it was that we were able to wake up to a breathtaking sunrise over the Gulf... Not sure about the deposit info... Becky will look into that I'm sure. Everyone remember to get your deposits in!!!

[regandy]

"Full, per-person deposit" means $200 per person.

We are getting the $50 per person NOW, with the remainder of it being due in September ($150). So in order to reserve a suite, the entire deposit of $200 per person must be paid. You can go to Carnival Cruise Lines: cruise ship vacations, cruise deals and take a virtual tour of the different rooms available.

We had one suite booked last year, and several rooms with windows. It is just your preference. I get an "inside" cabin because 1) I'd rather spend my money of "trinkets" woohoo!! hahaha and 2) I'm not there very much, only to sleep... which is less than normal because there is just so much to do!

[LowCarbingCarmen]

WoW! This sounds great i will try to find a roomate before the deposit is due.

[regandy]

Just reporting that the reservations are coming in... that's cool.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A CABIN-MATE, WE HAVE HAD SOME POSTS ALREADY ABOUT THAT. SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO FIND ONE.

You can go to Free forum : Low Carb Community Cruise (a temporary site for this cruise) and look for the "cabin mate" post.

[LChottie07]

Time is ticking!!! You only have a few days left to get in your $50 deposit! Please let us know if you need assistance finding a roommate or have any questions. It is worth your trouble to get your deposit in now! If you do not make it by the May 6 deadline, you will be required to make a deposit of $200 per person. Well worth your time and money to go ahead and make your reservation now even if you are not 100% sure, but still want a chance to save up some more money! Remember it is refundable!

[realityjunkee]

Question: I made our deposit but didn't get any kind of acknowledgement or confirmation of the payment. Does that take awhile to process?

[LChottie07]

Reality - it does take a little while... but Becky will check into it I'm sure and verify that it was received. She'll make sure that we have the email and all other info correct.

Everyone else... Deposit time!!! Make your reservations so that you don't miss out on this wonderful adventure! I would so love to get to meet all of you! If you're just thinking about it... the deposit is only $50 per person... and after Tuesday that it goes up. Doesn't sound like they are going to extend our deposit deadline, so it is important to get your name on the list now.

[regandy]

I got an email from Amelie and she said that Carnival agreed to extend our $50 deposit rate until [color=blue]May 21st![/color]

I also need to let everyone know that this is for "open" assignment of cabin. In other words, you check the box that says they can "upgrade" you if they need too. If you request a particular cabin number, then you will need to pay the full deposit ($200). If you have NOT gotten a confirmation from me, it might be because you need to go back and mark that box or pay full deposit.

So far we have 28 people signed up to go. That is exciting!!

[regandy]

Here is the original information from the 1st post, just in case you missed it.

Originally Posted by regandy

It is time to announce the NEXT cruise!!! Everyone who went last year had so much fun that we just KNEW that we wanted to do it again -- and there are so many more of our online friends that we want to meet.

I am posting this across our Low Carb community to encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to meet up and have a great time. The 2008 Cruise was a lot of fun. We had 46 people from all over the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. It was a relaxed time and so fantastic to meet such wonderful people.

If you might be interested there is a link at the bottom of this page where you can get more information OR you can PM me directly.

Here are the particulars:

WHEN: January 19-23, 2009 (Monday through Friday)

WHERE: Sailing out of Galveston Texas; going to Cozumel & Progreso Mexico

COST: $400.19 per person double occupancy (AND GOOD NEWS -- this includes the taxes AND port charges; please note that their might be another fuel surcharge - I am not certain about this yet approx $25-$35) -- AND this is for the cheapest inside cabin only. When you actually go and sign up you will be given the option for other cabins with different rates. This is inclusive!which means all meals and beverages are included. What it does NOT include are any special excursions (optional), alcohol, gambling, and souveniers.

DEPOSIT: $50 per person, or $100 for the cabin -- REFUNDABLE. If you want to go and are still not sure about the details, you can go ahead and sign up to reserve your place. IF something happens and you cannot go, this is refundable (up to 30 days before we sail).

DEADLINES:
.....deposit -- [COLOR="Red"]May 21st [/COLOR](if this is a problem drop me a PM for alternatives)
.... 1st payment -- $150, due September 8th
.... 2nd (final) payment -- balance due November 6th

CABIN-MATES: ANYONE you would like. You can take a family member, friend, OR stay with one of your low-carb friends. That is up to you. Cabins are for DOUBLE occupancy which means that if you don't have a cabinmate you will pay double for a room by yourself.

Feel free to post your questions here because there may be others who have the same questions or you might find your answer at one of these links.

General Information Link

Cruise Reservation Link

I am using a very reputable company. This is my 3rd year doing business with them and I have not had ANY problems. They really go out of their way to work with our group and to make this a fantastic trip.

I HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!!! Post here and let me know if you are considering it.

(Thanks again, Tom, for helping us get the word out. Hope YOU can make it!!)

[LChottie07]

YEAH!!!