T-T Caribbean Cruise, December 2008, ALL ABOARD! - ThinnerTimes

Claire-in-Texas · 03-29-2008, 06:14 AM

Updated 8/30/08
This from our cruise rep, Donald, "Hi Claire,
You're correct; we can continue to add cabins as long as they're available to moved into a group. Sometimes, they close group space and only allow for individual bookings, though. Currently, there is still group space available."

UPDATED 8/29/08
Our group now consists of 7 staterooms. All of those who have signed up and paid will not have a change in rate because of being one less than an official group. However, we want more people to join us, for sure! Who else out there wants to have a FABULOUS TIME in December????

Updated 7/7/08
This is the hotel that has been suggested for those of us who will be going to Miami a few days before the cruise: Deauville Beach Resort Hotel, Miami Beach Resort in Miami Florida
I have to give the credit to pebitpeb (Paul in Italy) for finding it, looking around, getting prices, and in general doing a great job for us. If you would like to embrace this, go to the website and make reservations (double up first). Best for you to get prices directly on the website, but I join Paul in the belief that these prices are probably the best available at a major facility in Miami. Of course, you have the option of finding another location in Miami, if you will be flying in prior to the cruise.

REVISED - 6/15/08

NEWBIES - This cruise is for YOU, toooooo!!!!

Our chosen cruise -- http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=28348

It departs on Sunday, December 7, from Miami, with stops in Cozumel and Cayman (MY FAVORITES!!) and arriving back to Miami on Friday, December 12.

The following is the list of confirmed passengers, with deposits in place. All details of the cruise are below the list. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Claire and Corrine (who is BRITISH) - Stateroom 1
Paul and Bernardo (from ITALY) - Stateroom 2
Horace and Maline (from SPAIN) - Stateroom 3
Duckie and Nyn - Stateroom 4
OsoDelDesierto (Eric) and Cameron - Stateroom 5
BigBearJeff and Dave - Stateroom 6
Paul & Bernardo's Italian friends (2) - Stateroom 7

4/8/08 IMPORTANT!! BEFORE YOU GET YOUR AIRLINE FLIGHTS ---Corrine and I are arriving in Miami on Friday, 12/5 in order to rest from the flights and do some sightseeing on Saturday in Miami/Miami Beach (via sightseeing tour). IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO THE SAME THING, book your flight into Miami for 12/5. We can decide where we will stay - hopefully something inexpensive near the pier where the sightseeing buses stop.

WE NOW HAVE OUR GROUP OF NINE!! Wooo HOOOO!! We want MORE people to join us!! Let's double that!!!!! C'mon, peeps, let me hear from you!!!!

3/31/08 NEW INFO! There is NO EXTRA CHARGE for using your laptop/internet in your stateroom. (There is a charge in the internet cafe for internet use).

The Captain's dinner is the SECOND night out.

We can board the ship beginning at 12 noon on the departure day! That's 4 hours before we leave the port!

3/30/08 UPDATED INFORMATION IN TURQUOISE BELOW.
READ VERY CAREFULLY -- READ VERY CAREFULLY -- READ VERY CAREFULLY!!!!

TAKE A LOOK AT OUR SHIP, The Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Cruise Lines, by clicking on this link.

Norwegian Jewel - Discount Cruises, Last-Minute Cruises, Short Notice Cruises - Vacations To Go

You will find a picture, scroll down for the amenities of the ship, and then in the middle of the page you will see links to Ship Pictures and Deck Plans.

If you don't have a passport, GET ONE! Start the process NOW. The law does not require a passport at this time, but it is much better to have one whenever you leave the country for many reasons. HOWEVER, do not make it an obstacle - not necessary!

Clothing! Packing for your cruise! Take advantage of summer sales! Dress for summer, with a light jacket (we're always cold, right?). Jeans, tops, casual clothes. The ship is air conditioned, of course, and sleeves feel good. My jeans jacket is my friend. Bring comfortable shoes/sandals. There is a Captain's Dinner (I have to find out what night so that it doesn't interfere with our party night), and that Captain's Dinner generally require that men wear a jacket and tie. Sometimes people do, sometimes they don't. On the cruise I was on in December, all the men wore ties. I was glad I threw one in the suitcase for Glen. Ladies, dress up and show your stuff for the Captain on his night. It's fine dining, and you will be even MORE pampered than usual (pampered is the operative word on a cruise of this magnitude on a ship with 4.5 stars (out of 5). AND DON'T FORGET THE SUN BLOCK!!!!
----

IMPORTANT: Check around to see what the flights cost. DO NOT BUY TICKETS RIGHT AWAY, EVEN IF YOU CAN!!! There are loads of "deals" that will come up between now and then. TONS! You have to become familiar with the general fares in order to spot the deals. For USA travelers, I like Super Cheap Flights and Airline Tickets - a great site for comparing rates and seeing who has good deals. Frequent Flyers: I have Membership Rewards on my American Express card, enough to get a free round trip ticket on one of several airlines. You may have that feature on one of your credit cards and not realize it. Check that out.

3/30/08
Norwegian Cruise Lines is a popular line due to their Freestyle Cruising which allows you to dine at any time. There is no set formal dining time, and a lot of travelers prefer that. Grand Cayman and Cozumel are two outstanding Caribbean ports - I was there in December, yes, both ports. Glorious! I ABSOLUTELY KNOW YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!!!

Shore excursions are set up directly through NCL. We will get those links for the purpose of looking at port excursions after we make final payment. It is NOT necessary to make arrangements for port excursions ahead of time - they can be done on the ship, or not at all. Just walking around at the pier is fun, but then there is snorkeling, and also nice to get to know Cayman and Cozumel via a tour (extra cost). Your choice. Plenty of time to think that one over. It will come up in your thinking, and that's why I am posting it here.

Smoking is optional in your cabin, and there are designated smoking areas onboard the ship. There is no smoking in the dining room.

There is an internet cafe that charges a per minute fee, and there are connections in the cabins for laptops.

We'll book the cabins as close together as possible. However, because of the limited availability of the cabins that we are able to hold within our group, these categories are on different decks.

The Cat F oceanviews are on deck 4.
The Cat KK insides are on deck 5.
The Cat BB balconies are on deck 10.

Let me know when you think you can put your deposit down. The ship is filling in quickly, and I want to try to protect your place on the ship. CONTACT ME.

Deposits are completely refundable until approximately 90-120 days prior to departure.

There is a possibility of free upgrades. We won’t know that until the very end. No promises, but keep your fingers crossed.

The link below will take you to a detailed description of the cruise itinerary, as well as an on-line registration form where you can sign up to join the group. The $$$$ are different, higher, because they include all taxes and surcharges. You will see the total amount for each type of stateroom. Many may wish to inquire about travel insurance, which is also available at an extra charge. Our cruise rep can provide info for you on that, and the signup link has good info on it also. If you decide to use the signup link below, and you have a roommate, one person does the info for both, including both credit cards. Take a look, and you will see what I mean. It may be easier to call the cruise rep. (his contact info is below). Couples, you can easily sign up using the link. Here is the signup and specific info link.

https://secure.vacationstogo.com/vtg...=9212&s=865261

As people sign up, I will enter them here on THIS post at the top of the post. Signing up requires a $200 deposit for each of the two people in each stateroom. If your party is more, look at the directions within the signup link. Our you can call the cruise rep to make your reservations/deposit.

Please DO NOT PM ME!!! If you want to communicate with me for any reason about the cruise, call me at 979 836 6237, or E-MAIL ME at clairepeters@sbcglobal.net. I am keeping folders for this cruise and PMs are impossible to organize. I need your cooperation on this – it is vital.

The cruise rep’s contact info:

Donald Parcell- Travel Counselor
Vacations To Go
Toll-free: 1-800-514-9986 ext. 7522
UK: 0800-279-8084 ext. 7522
International: 001-713-974-2121 ext. 7522
E-mail: dparcell@vacationstogo.com
In the Office: Mon-Thurs 11am-8pm (CST), Fri 9am-6pm

The cruise company we are using, Vacations To Go, is a world leader in the cruise industry. It gets more perks for its passengers than your normal travel agent because of its volume of business booked with the cruise lines. I used this company for my cruise in December, and it was on the ship and talking to people that I truly realized what a deal I got. Donald is very accommodating, and very professional, and very knowledgeable.

ALL ABOARD!!!!

coptergirl · 03-29-2008, 09:05 AM

All aboard is right!! Thank again Claire for doing this in all that spare time you have

You are such the Energizer Bunny, and I just can't wait to meet you!

Claire-in-Texas · 03-29-2008, 11:28 AM

Whitney this is going to be SOOOOO FABULOUS!!! Everybody -- watch the FIRST POST always in this thread. I will have the date of the update at the top of the first post, and "old news" will be under that.

shereeks · 03-29-2008, 12:49 PM

Yeah baby. I cannot wait! Am so excited I might just pee my pants! Thank you so much Claire for organising this.

xxx

Corrine · 03-29-2008, 01:07 PM

I don't mind telling you - I'm so excited about this trip!

Claire-in-Texas · 03-29-2008, 01:35 PM

You folks in the UK will get much better rates to Miami than you would have gotten if the cruise choice was Ft. Lauderdale.

Shereeks, I'm hoping the Europeans among us get to come in a couple of days early. The Miami area is lovely (at the beach) and it is warm that time of year. Lots of palm trees, very tropical in its feel. It will be fun for you, and eveyrone who can!

Corrine, my roommate, this will be a dream vacation on many levels!! You have become so important in my life, and I'm so thrilled to be sharing this with you as my roommate!!

It is truly a privilege to do this for us all. Please, peeps, don't thank me. It's truly a great pleasure for me.

Corrine · 03-29-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claire-in-Texas

.........

Corrine, my roommate, this will be a dream vacation on many levels!! You have become so important in my life, and I'm so thrilled to be sharing this with you as my roommate!! ....

Claire - after looking at Jim's latest pictures, I'm seriously considering asking SWMBO if she wouldn't mind rooming with you on our cruise! LOL