KEEP CHECKING THIS 1ST POST...UPDATES WILL BE POSTED HERE.
I'm posting this in response to another thread, where someone had interest in another T-T Cruise.
A group of T-T'ers did this last November. See the thread here:
T-T Caribbean Cruise, December 2008, ALL ABOARD!
So...who might be interested in doing something like this again? If there is any interest, I can start doing some research for dates, ships, prices, etc. I've went on several cruises, so I feel comfortable with doing the leg work for this. If a group of us decides to go, I would transfer everything over to a travel agent to get group rates, and you would make your payments to her (not me).
I'm thinking about a date in early 2010 (maybe January or February). The weather is absolutely gorgeous in the Caribbean and/or Mexico during those months, and the prices are very inexpensive as well. As an added bonus, most of us get "new" vacation time at the beginning of every year. I don't know about you guys, but I've already used up most of my 2009 time.
Anyone possibly interested? This is open to newbies and oldies alike, so don't be shy.
Update to post, 06-22-09:
Sounds like we have some interest! I did some searching around today, and found several good cruise possibilities. Before I list the details, I'd like to answer some of the questions that several of you asked:
Mistymee (Kel) asked about possibly doing something land based, possibly at a nice spa resort. That does sound nice, but I think the main issue here would be expense. Spa resorts are generally quite expensive. It would be nice to keep this affordable. As a general rule, cruises can be had quite inexpensively...especially if you stick to the inside cabins.
Several of you expressed concerns about sea sickness, barfing, etc, lol. I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV...but I can give you my own experience. I get sick as a dog on small boats such as ferries. But I'm perfectly fine on a cruise ship. Cruise ships are pretty big, and they have stabilizers. Unless you cruise during hurricane season (summer and early fall), the water is usually pretty calm in the Caribbean. There are also medications available...the sea sick patch, and some type of pill. I had my doctor write me out a prescription for the patch before my first cruise, filled it and took it with me. But, I never ended up using it.
Some of you expressed concerns about the pricing. Definitely understandable! At the moment, cruises are at VERY good prices...mainly because of the crappy economy. I'll be posting the prices I found below, but prices go up and down from day to day. A price is only guaranteed after you pay a deposit to the travel agent.
DPaul asked about a Mediterranean cruise. I took one back in 2007 and it was awesome, but the price would be prohibitive to those of us from the US. Unfortunately, Transatlantic airfare is pretty darned pricey.
Sparkles (and someone else) asked about spouses. Yes, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, etc are welcome...some came on last year's TT cruise, and I hear it worked out well. I probably won't take mine because we are going on a cruise the month prior to this...and I can only tolerate him in small doses, lol. Someone else asked about throwing said spouse, etc overboard...no comment on that, lol.
Note: if you don't have a spouse, etc coming with you, it's to your benefit to "partner" up with a TT buddy for the cruise. Cabin prices are based on double occupancy...so unless you want to pay double to be the only person in the cabin, you need a cabin partner.
So....I think that answered the questions so far. If not, let me know.
Here's a really nice cruise that I found. It leaves out of New Orleans, which is pretty central to most of the US. As a bonus, if you want to fly in a couple of days early before the cruise, there's a lot to see there.
See info on cruise here:
http://www.vacationstogo.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=29442
This is a 7 night cruise in on the Norwegian Spirit. Dates are February 21 to Feb 28, 2010. The itinerary is as follows:
Sun Feb 21 New Orleans, LA ship departs at 5:30 pm
Mon Feb 22 At Sea
Tue Feb 23 Costa Maya, Mexico arrive 10 am, depart 6 pm
Wed Feb 24 Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala arrive 8 am, depart 6 pm
Thu Feb 25 Belize City, Belize arrive 8 am, depart 6 pm
Fri Feb 26 Cozumel, Mexico arrive 8 am, depart 5 pm
Sat, Feb 27 At Sea
Sun, Feb 28 New Orleans, LA get kicked off ship this morning!
At the moment (as I am writing this), prices are (per person, assuming 2 in each cabin):
Inside: $579
Oceanview: $649
Balcony: $929
Suite: $1,899
As you can see, prices are pretty reasonable...especially if you opt for an Inside cabin (which I usually do).
Let's not forget taxes and port charges! For example, for the least expensive Inside cabin, assuming 2 per cabin, the total price would be $1,307.08 (total for 2 people). So...the taxes and port charges add approximately $75 per person for the least expensive Inside cabin. I'm sure it's more for the pricier cabins...you can check that at
www.ncl.com
Additional expenses:
Tips for the cabin steward, waiters, maitre de: I'm pretty sure that NCL charges this automatically. I believe it is $12 per cruiser, per day. So $12 x 7 days = $84 for your weekly tips. (As a side note...most cruise ship employees get paid very little...approximately $50-$100 per month...so these tips are essentially their wages.)
Alcohol, soda, etc are not included. Neither is gambling, spa services, etc, etc. If you take a shore excursion, those prices vary (there are hundreds of different ones available). Of course, it's free to just get off the ship and just wonder around.
Airfare: not included. You can book airfare directly through the cruise line, but it's significantly less expensive to do it yourself. Check prices at Travelocity.com, Kayak.com, BookingBudding.com, etc. Don't be in a huge rush to book airfare...watch the prices for awhile and get a feel for what is high and what is low. When flying in, make sure you give yourself enough time to catch the ship...because they don't wait for you if you're late! Either plan on flying in very early that morning, or the day before. There's lots to see in New Orleans, so you won't get bored.
That's all that I can think of for now. Any questions or comments, let me know. Instead of PM'ing me, please keep it all on this thread...so others can benefit from the questions/answers.
UPDATE 8-23-09
Hello all.
Sorry, I haven't been on TT for a couple of weeks, so I haven't checked this thread.
Sadly, I am going to have to back out of this cruise. 
The hubby and I had already planned to take a cruise next January, and after some "number crunching" I now realize that me taking a 2nd cruise shortly afterward just isn't in the budget. Actually, I don't think taking the 1st cruise with my hubby is really in the budget either...but I'm working on that, lol.
The kiddo started college this year, and isn't getting a single dime in financial aid, student loans, etc...which is really cramping my finances! 
I keep waiting for the money tree in my back yard to bloom, but it ain't happening!
So....I'm sorry to be the one to start this thread about a cruise, and then back out of it. I feel bad about that. I still think it would be wonderful if some of you all could get together, and I'll be looking for pictures!
Can someone volunteer to take over the planning/checking of this cruise? I would do it, but it's too damn depressing to help plan something that you can't go to...know what I mean?
Who is interested in another T-T Cruise?
Such an awesome 2nd surgiversary present!
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