20060902--Eastern Sept 2nd, 2006

[gdulaney]

Hope everybody has a safe and fun New Year!

Ginny

 

[joshua121301]

So are any of you guys considering the West Coast or the Repositioning Cruises?

 

[gdulaney]

We've been talking about the repo....but we haven't made any decisions.

Ginny

 

[BigBlueMan]

So are any of you guys considering the West Coast or the Repositioning Cruises?

Hi everybody! Hope all is well!

I'm in the middle of starting a new enterprise which specializes in group travel, with an emphasis on fundraising ventures and broadcast partnerships. Since I'm primarily going to work with cruises, the next few I take (after the Med) will probably be non-Disney, so that I can get a better feel for some of them.

Having said that, if things take off I might hop on board one of the Mexican Cruises for the heck of it!

 

[HollyTyler]

Hi everybody! Hope all is well!

I'm in the middle of starting a new enterprise which specializes in group travel, with an emphasis on fundraising ventures and broadcast partnerships. Since I'm primarily going to work with cruises, the next few I take (after the Med) will probably be non-Disney, so that I can get a better feel for some of them.

Having said that, if things take off I might hop on board one of the Mexican Cruises for the heck of it!

Ed, congrats and good luck on your new enterprise! If you're interested, I did a Carnival/DCL comparison thread under trip reports. I don't have a link to it, but it was called 1-6-07 Eastern Live DCL-Carnival Comparison or something like that. The Liberty is a beautiful ship and only a couple years old. It's a boring read, but I tried to point out as many differences as I could, as objectively as possible. I'm hoping to try NCL in Jan. '08, but don't have it planned yet. Too busy planning upcoming Nickelodeon Hotel trip.

Hi to everybody! Glad to see some of us are still around!

 

[tomspixie]

Hi everybody!

Congrats Ed!!! Is the business through YTB by any chance??? Let us know how the other cruises go!!! I am glad Holly had a good experience on Carnival, I have to say that it would take a really big payment by them to me to get me back on a Carnival ship. It was the worst trip of any sort that I have taken. But I do know that others have had GREAT trips on them. We have also sailed Holland America and LOVED them. Great crew, truly genuine and wanting you to have the best time ever!

We were thinking about one of the repo cruises, but are planning on sending the kids to a golf camp in Ireland and Scotland in the summer of 2008, as well as a weeklong Sea World career choice camp for Abby...so our funding is going to be a bit weak for an additional cruise.

Whoever does get to go...Hooray!!! We want details!!!
Best to all! We are off to more basketball!
Tif

 

[HollyTyler]

I would love to do a repo cruise, but my employer doesn't allow anybody to take 2 weeks off in a row.

 

[BigBlueMan]

Hi everybody!

Congrats Ed!!! Is the business through YTB by any chance??? Let us know how the other cruises go!!!

Thanks Tif, but congratulate me when somebody actually BUYS one!

Not using YTB, but TPI (Travel Planners International). I had been thinking about this for over a year for a specialty cruise for some 'semi-celebrities' that I know. I saw an advertisement for another celebrity type cruise a while back and sent for the information on it. I was AMAZED at how poorly it was structured and particularly how simplistic the marketing was.

Sooooooo, I jumped into the fray, became an independent travel agent, bought my domain name, secured a matching toll free number and started working. (Right now just a temporary web up, with the full page, including travel search engine coming up around February 1st) So far, there's not much to see, but there are some exciting things happening. I met yesterday with a military support group that regularly takes up to a thousand people on trips around the world. The fund raiser for this group is an old friend of mine and she is GEEKED about setting up a fund raising cruise for them. It really is amazing how much money can be made on something like that.

There's also a couple of other trips in various stages of planning, so I'm excited about where I can go with this. My ultimate goal is in five years to somewhat walk away from my "real job" and do this! Since the DISBoards are sponsored by a travel group, I won't be posting much about this in here. Not the proper thing to do, ole chap!

And Holly, I'm going to be looking for your report. I've heard those horror stories about some Carnival Cruises, and also some good ones. I guess they have their place in the overall scheme though!

Glad to see this thread pop back up and seeing some activity!

 

[HollyTyler]

Hey Ed! I was worried about all the horror stories I had heard about Carnival too. But it seems that all the bad stuff we all hear about is from the shorter cruises because they consist mostly of the college groups, spring break booze-fests, 20-somethings partying their butts off, etc. The longer cruises are older people. I saw no partying, except for in the club where it's supposed to be, no drunk stumbling around like I had anticipated, etc. But of course, I'm still a die-hard DCL addict and can't wait until my Nov. cruise!

 

[BigBlueMan]

Hey Ed! I saw no partying, except for in the club where it's supposed to be, no drunk stumbling around like I had anticipated, etc.

Actually one of the groups I'm working with is an internet chat group and I think the above mentioned "problems" are a SELLING point for them!

 

[HollyTyler]

Actually one of the groups I'm working with is an internet chat group and I think the above mentioned "problems" are a SELLING point for them!

Oh, I agree, and would have been one of those people if I had been able to afford a cruise when I was in that age group and partying stage. I just meant that I learned there are Carnival cruises for us who are not into partying. I'd never take my son though, because there would be absolutely nothing for him to do, since they're not catering to kids. I just fell into it because my friend invited me to join the cruise she and her family already had booked. It was truly a nice break from being a mom for a wonderful 8 days.

 

[HollyTyler]

BRRRRRRRR....I definitely will be reading lots of threads today to try to be on a sunny cruise, if only in my mind. 9 degrees all night, and is now up to a whopping 20. Supposed to be the same all week. Fortunately, the cold held off for a freakishly long time. When I went on my cruise the 6th, it was still in the 60s, but winter apparently came while I was gone.

 

[joshua121301]

Ed,

Good Luck with the new venture. To be able to write off the cruises is a dream come true!!

 

[HollyTyler]

Well everybody, I'm taking the plunge! I'm having my TA book me on the WB '08 repo! I didn't even consider it before because I was sure my employer wouldn't let me have 2 weeks off in a row, but after talking to a co-worker, she reminded me that it only applies to the full-time employees. And what a great excuse for me to take a semester off school! Looks like I'll be flying solo because that's just too much school for my son to miss. I'll have to tell him I'm going on another Carnival cruise because he'd be devastated to find out I'm going on Disney without him! What a bad mom!

 

[CourtneyMc]

Wow Holly- lucky you! are you going all by yourself? How decadent! I can't imagine getting to spend that long on a cruise. I'm jealous!

-Courtney

 

[HollyTyler]

Wow Holly- lucky you! are you going all by yourself? How decadent! I can't imagine getting to spend that long on a cruise. I'm jealous!

-Courtney

Yup, I'll be all by myself. My friend who I just went on Carnival is dead set against a Disney cruise because she can't stand kids and says the whole Disney theme would drive her nuts. I'm hoping to find somebody to join me, but most people I know can't get that long off work. Oh well....I'll still have a blast! I figured I'd better do it now because once I graduate from law school, I doubt I'll be able to take vacations for many years!

 

[BigBlueMan]

Yup, I'll be all by myself. My friend who I just went on Carnival is dead set against a Disney cruise because she can't stand kids and says the whole Disney theme would drive her nuts.

Holly, you really need to find some new friends....

 

[HollyTyler]

Holly, you really need to find some new friends....

I agree! Well, one of my co-workers who has done many Disney cruises would probably join me on the repo, but we'd both get fired! So I'd better start looking for a friend pretty quickly!

 

[HollyTyler]

WOOHOO! My friend I cruised the Liberty with just told me she'll join me on the May '08 repo! Look out single men.....here comes trouble!

 

[BigBlueMan]

WOOHOO! My friend I cruised the Liberty with just told me she'll join me on the May '08 repo! Look out single men.....here comes trouble!

Dang, and I thought you meant that young MAN you had sailed with! nyuk-nyuk..