Low Carb Cruise 2009

[TracyinKS]

I was reading on the Galveston website that many hotels offer pre and post cruise rates, but that you needed your booking number to get them.

[LChottie07]

Tracy - have you received your confirmation yet? I know Becky has been really busy over the last few days, but as soon as she inputs your information, you will receive a confirmation email with your booking number on it.

[TracyinKS]

As a matter of fact it was waiting for me in my inbox this morning... I printed it out and am starting my CRUISE FOLDER!!!!!!

I talked to Amelie (sp?) last night and asked about the specials for hotels.. anyway.. she couldn't book a special rate hotel for me but she DID recommend the Trebuet House (sp?) Said it was cool/funky and within walking distance to the ship terminal.

The ONE excursion DH has specifically requested is "Swim with the Dolphins!" LOL which is hilarious because he is NOT a water person.. ( I AM ) I would be happy spending the day at the beach, snorkeling.. but he would quickly get bored...... Like I said previous.. he is mainly looking forward to the MIDNIGHT BUFFET! (gotta luv him) This is the same guy who laughed when I announced that I ate Low Carb......... he didn't get it... still doesn't....... and was the reason for my final jump off the LC wagon and ultimate regain..... but I have once again lost the weight... with the help of my little silicone fist...... I am able to focus on eating LC and then NOT jump off the wagon with pizza.. (trigger food) As I type this I'm eating TUNA! LOL... OH JOY!!!!!

This cruise will be my reward for FINALLY ONCE IN MY LIFE......... making goal! (see this is the weight that I've ALWAYS gotten down to, and then start sabotaging myself with High Carb things waking up months later with HUGE regains...... getting to the 160's will be monumental in my journey....(ok.. sorry for the life story... but now you KNOW me!)

[SNUGGS11]

Are there still rooms available or is it too late for us to get in on it? We would love to go on this.

[regandy]

Originally Posted by TracyinKS

As a matter of fact it was waiting for me in my inbox this morning... I printed it out and am starting my CRUISE FOLDER!!!!!!

I talked to Amelie (sp?) last night and asked about the specials for hotels.. anyway.. she couldn't book a special rate hotel for me but she DID recommend the Trebuet House (sp?) Said it was cool/funky and within walking distance to the ship terminal.

The Tremont House. It's nice. It's a little pricey for me, but it is in walking distance. Also look for places that might run a shuttle/van to the docks.

So glad you are planning on going. I look forward to meeting you!

[regandy]

Originally Posted by SNUGGS11

Are there still rooms available or is it too late for us to get in on it? We would love to go on this.

There is PLENTY of room .... up until December 1st. December is the cut-off.

The reason for early reservations is to break the payment into 2 payments, if you want to.

S T I L L P L E N T Y O F T I M E & R O O M ! ! !

[regandy]

By the way, Jackie Eberstein, Dr. Atkins nurse for 30 years, is booked as a guest on the cruise!

Dana Carpenter is also looking into going, along with Dr. Jonny Bowden.

I wanted this to be like a "low carb" seminar/convention (in addition to a whole lot of fun), and it seems to be happening!

Oh dear, now I need to quit "playing around" and get serious on the last dang 20 pounds!! hahahaha

[regandy]

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 6th [/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!!)

I just wanted to repost this for everyone's information.

We will be having meetings/seminars with special Low Carb specialists: Dr. Jonny Bowden, Jackie Eberstein, & Dana Carpenter. They will be lecturing, giving demonstrations, and a Q&A session.

ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU HOW LIVE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL REGION ... We are sailing out of Galveston this year; take advantage of it being close!

If everything works out and this becomes and annual event, it may be several years before it rotates back to the South Central Region! That might be good news to those of you who live near the other "coasts"

Hope you can all make it!

[realityjunkee]

I'm so excited Dana Carpender will be there! I'm going to be starstruck for sure with all these great LC experts!

[regandy]

Originally Posted by realityjunkee

I'm so excited Dana Carpender will be there! I'm going to be starstruck for sure with all these great LC experts!

I KNOW!!! I've had to email a couple of them and I've tried not to gush too much! hahahaha

[TracyinKS]

Thanks for the heads up Regandy! I am looking to keep the prices down as much as possible.......... At this point I'm not sure if we are going to drive down or fly down.. I guess it will depend on the price of plane tickets when southwest opens up booking for January..... DH is so excited about a cruise and a kid free vacation in general! LOL

[regandy]

Originally Posted by TracyinKS

Thanks for the heads up Regandy! I am looking to keep the prices down as much as possible.......... At this point I'm not sure if we are going to drive down or fly down.. I guess it will depend on the price of plane tickets when southwest opens up booking for January..... DH is so excited about a cruise and a kid free vacation in general! LOL

Hi Tracy -- I look forward to meeting you. With the price of gas now, it is a toss up as to which way will be cheaper -- drive or fly. IF you fly in, there are 2 airports, Hobby Airport is a lot closer to Galveston but only Bush International has a shuttle to the cruise ship. It is on the north side of town so you need to allow PLENTY of time -- at least 4 or 5 hours to get through the terminal, get your luggage, get to the shuttle, take the 1-1/2 hour drive to Galveston, get checked in at the docks, etc. SAME thing going home. We had one person miss the ship last year because of the flight schedule, but they flew her to Cozumel to meet us for the rest of the cruise.

[TracyinKS]

Tuna today! blech

[suzanneyea]

Does anyone know where I would have to fly into? I have never left from Texas before...

[regandy]

Originally Posted by suzanneyea

Does anyone know where I would have to fly into? I have never left from Texas before...

Houston has 2 airports. The one that is recommended is Bush International Airport on the north side of town. Carnival Cruise lines run a shuttle from THIS airport for a fee (It is around $75 to 80 dollars round trip). Be sure and allow PLENTY of time. If you are going to take this shuttle, after the tickets are paid in full, there will be a "FUN PASS" form to fill out that will ask you if you need the shuttle. You can also call Amelie Richards at VacationsToGo for more details. (I don't have the number with me but you can click on the "registration" links on the first post of this thread and find her number.)

The other airport, William P. Hobby, is on the south side of Houston about 30 minutes from Galveston. There is NO shuttle, but there are cabs. Some of the hotels in Galveston have a courtesy van to the docks too.

[suzanneyea]

I am checking if I can get a flight with my AA miles today, if I can, I can go! I really hope I have enough miles, it would be so cool!

[suzanneyea]

I can gO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[realityjunkee]

That's great! I look forward to meeting you!

[suzanneyea]

I still have to find a roommate to book it, so let me know if you know anyone who needs a roommate. I know from previous cruises I am never in the room, except to sleep! I am really easy going...polite, neat, non smoker.

[RILoser]

Do people ever go on the cruise alone? No husband, boyfriend, etc. and no one I know is low-carbing. Do people sometimes just get paired for rooms, or does no one go on their own?
Sounds sad when I put it that way... I'm not really lonely, but it sounds like it.

[realityjunkee]

I think many people go alone! Besides, that is going to be the best part, getting to know everyone from the LC community! I know Suzanneyea was looking for a roommate--you should check in with her!!!

[regandy]

Last year we had "single" cruisers, and we also had people who didn't know each other become good friends by rooming together. There have been about 3 or 4 requests for cabin-mates.

AND FYI -- hurricane season is over in October. January should be okay. I was watching the news this morning and the current cruise gets 2 extra days at sea because of the storm, BUT the next group waiting to sail gets 1/2 price tickets because their cruise will be cut by 2 days. I wondered what Carnival did in cases like that.

NEXT cruise payment is due Sept 7th. You have until November to book at the current rate. Hope you can all make it... there are a lot of "low carb" celebs going with us. I am especially excited about Dana Carpender -- LOVE her cookbooks.

[regandy]

There is a woman from Wisconsin who is looking for a cabin-mate! She's an older woman with a wonderful British sounding accent and sounds very sweet.

ANYONE???? Let me know and I will give you her email address.

ALSO -- Head's up!!! Next Cruise Payment is due on MONDAY 9/8/08. It is a little misleading because on the form it is worded like the entire balance is due.. but not to panic. It is only the balance of the 'DEPOSIT' ... whew... the final payment for the entire balance is not due until November.

[suzanneyea]

ME ME ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[regandy]

Suzanne -- I sent you a PM with her email address.

Anyone else still looking for a cabin-mate???

speak up!

[jem51]

i would love to go. i have a money pit to sell first. who knows, december 1 is a few months away. i wish, i wish.......

[regandy]

I know how you feel. I'm holding my breath and counting the days.

I am out of work right now and just hoping and praying that my new job will allow me to take the time off so soon after being hired!

We are getting a good size group so far, and I hope everyone who wants to go and find a way to join us!

[SlimWithin26]

I am seriously thinking about going as I was thinking of going on a cruise in March 09 (for my birthday) to Jamaica & Cozumel out of Galveston.

I'm in San Antonio so I just hope w/ the affects of Hurricane Ike, Galveston will be rebuilt quickly! Sending my prayers to those and their families.

[regandy]

SURELY Carnival will have the dock ready by January. I saw arial videos of the area and it appeared that there was not much damage in that immediate area. There is a large historic clippership, The Alyssa, parked next to the Carnival port and it was not damaged. AND it will be any one's guess as to how many restaurants and hotels they can get opened back up by then.

[realityjunkee]

I am hoping so as well. Our reservations are at Harbor House right on Pier 21. Was so excited about staying there! I read an article that said the historic district was not damaged too badly, so I'm hoping the Bay area is in decent shape too!