Freeps Ahoy 3

the Free Republic Network Cruise Committee | 12/22/2003 | DoughtyOne

[MinuteGal]

Freepers, I just talked to Wanda. The Zuiderdam is almost filled up. There's a couple balcony cabins still available, cabins like many of us have booked on FReeper Row. Some insides or outsides without balcony may still be open. Hurry, hurry, hurry, phone now. Sign up today so you're not kicking yourself tomorrow.

It's absolutely vital you book through Wanda, our long-time FRN travel agent. You won't get any better cabin fares than our group rates....anywhere.

If you book on your own and not through our agent, it's your choice. But, if you do, we won't be able to get you seated at our group's tables at dinner, or get you into our private salon for the ship's complimentary cocktail party for us, or get you into our private room for our FRN activist meeting, and goodness knows what else.

All cruise ships have definite rules for group bookings and activities on board, and all this is not our doing. It's just the way it is.

Get your reservation in to Wanda at toll-free 1-800-890-7583 right now. It's almost certain the ship will be filled by next week. It really is "last call" now.

Leni

[MinuteGal]

The Big Crash has torpedoed our FReeps Ahoy icons on the FR Home Page and the Latest Posts pages.

If you haven't already, please bookmark this thread to keep up on cruise news.

I've been informed that there's a slight change in our itinerary.....I believe it's two ports-of-call that have been switched date-wise between each other, no big deal. I'll post the change when I've verified it.

Your bumps will help keep this thread active and in the forefront for those who don't have it bookmarked. Thanks for the help.

Leni

[MinuteGal]

Bump

Please read my tagline.

Leni

[diotima]

The HAL website shows Tortola and St. T switched.

I have to reschedule our shore excursions now...GRRR.

[MinuteGal]

Oh, that's a pain, Dio. The cruise lines always have a breathless caveat that everything they charge for or schedule is subject to change, so we're always at their mercy.

Here's an up-to-date itinerary reflecting the change Holland America just made (actually, they only switched the days between two of our ports-of-call):

Saturday - Embarkation, Ft. Lauderdale - 5 PM (boarding usually starts around noon or earlier if all the cabins are clean, etc.)

Sunday - Half Moon Cay - 8 AM to 4 PM

Freeper Beach Party

First formal dinner night

Monday - At Sea

Tuesday - Tortola, British Virgin Islands - 7 AM to 6 PM

Wednesday - St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, 7 AM to 6 PM

Thursday - At Sea

FRN Group Meeting in Oak Room Salon (off Crow's Nest Lounge) - 9:15 AM to 12:15 PM - (coffee/and will be served, smoking lamp lit)

Second formal dinner night (not confirmed yet)

Friday - Nassau, Bahamas, 12 PM to 7 PM

Saturday - Return to Ft. Lauderdale - 8 AM. (disembarkation does NOT start at 8, you'll get off when the ship clears customs and as your numbers are called....and then YOU have to clear customs).

Somewhere in the above calendar there should be a freeper complimentary cocktail party. This party is now in doubt as we don't have the minimum number of registrants the cruise line requires for group freebie cocktail parties.

However, I'm in hard debate and wheedling mode with the cruise line powers-that-be as we speak, and I hope to pull this one out of the fire. If we don't qualify and the line won't relent, we'll figure out something else for a get-together.

After all, last year we awarded the Clinton voodoo doll as the cocktail party gag gift....and we have TWO hillaryous gag gifts we MUST award this time.

We shall find a time and place to party. We will not fail or flag. We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the seas, we will fight in the cities, we will never surrender, we......oops, get the hook and get me off the stage.

Leni

[MinuteGal]

Ah, our scuttled ship icon has just been restored on the "latest posts" pages. Now everyone can find us again (our icon link to the cruise thread was a minor casualty of the Big Crash the other day). Thanks, Jim.

Tomorrow night (Friday) is the fourth and final drawing for a $50 on-board gift certificate. All our group registrants' screen names will be put in a hat. Admiral of the Freep, JimRob, will pull the name of the lucky winner.

The result will be posted sometime tomorrow evening. Good luck to all.

Leni

[diotima]

Major kudos for getting the Cabana on HMC! I was thinking about ordering one myself, since my "glow in the dark" white skin doesn't take kindly to the sun. I'll probably be snorkeling in full body armor since last year I was burned to a crisp!

-Parchment White Dio.

[MinuteGal]

All freeper cruisers definitely will be judged on the basis of skin color. Light skins prone to sunburn get to lounge inside our cabana. Medium skins will have to locate umbrella lounges and sit in the sun. Already-deep-tanned epidermians will be required sit in the back of the bus.

Leni

[fooman]

back up now. ANy word from wanda?

[MinuteGal]

Hi, Foo, you have freepmail.

Leni

[hoosiermama]

Do they have unbrellas like last year?......My mom always said I had two shade of skin....red and white....Only person who could be whiter at the end of the summer than the beginning.....Burn/peal, burn/peal...

[diotima]

I think they do. Although I believe they are called 'shells' and you can rent them for the day.

[hoosiermama]

ANy more information on them would be appreciated.....Think it was the shade that saved the trip last year...and with the beach party first....Now I must remember to get to a tanning booth this week. It did help last year.

[Bizzy Bugz]

I understand that the cabanas are for 4 people only.
Anyone over that will pay $45 a day extra. You can rent "clam shells" for $9 a day. They are ordered on the ship from the "menu" of available things to order for HMC on the shore excursion sheet. They accommodate 2 people easily.
I also understand that there are only 6 cabanas.

[hoosiermama]

Looks like a clam shell is in order......Think we're all going to gather our clam shells around the cabana....Ko Ko cabana.....Cha cha cha! Waiting for my unbrella drink now....or should that be a shell drink?

Thanks for the information. Bizzy

[Bizzy Bugz]

I just read that on an internet thread. If I am wrong, someone please correct me

[MinuteGal]

Very shortly we'll be posting the name of the lucky winner of the fourth and final $50 on-board gift certificate. JimRob is going to draw the name out of his spiffy Lord High Admiral's hat.....and we'll post the results as soon as we hear from him.

Previous winners were the Mycroft Holmes, the Dalereeds and Hoosiermama.

Stay tuned.....and good luck to all our registrants.

Leni

[BreitbartSentMe]

I've been on the phone tonight with Ship's Services finding out a little more about the cabana. It has a table and 4 chairs that fit inside, and a wooden deck outside that has a couple of lounge chairs on it. There is room in front of it to put a lot more loungers. The cabanas are sort of in a treeline at the edge of the beach area, so there is some more shade around them. There is a regular shower and a misting shower. The regular rental that I got is for up to 4 people, that means that it comes with about 6 sodas, 4 large water bottles, fruit, chips, dips, ice, 4 sets of snorkle equipment and floats for the water, and about 8 towels. From what I've read, they don't limit you to only having 4 people in the cabana at any time, it's just a limit on the number of free sodas, water, and equipment you get. You can pay an additional $45 per person for more stuff, but I don't know if it's worth that much for just more soda, water and equipment and snacks.

There are attendants around, and I've heard that you can get them to fetch drinks/food for you if you request it (and tip them, I'm sure) I was planning on getting there first thing and setting up a lot of loungers around our "Copa-cabana" to accommodate those who want to hang out there. I figure we'll just rotate all the 'pasty' ones in and out of the sun until they're nicely toasted!

There are six or seven cabanas, but as of this evening there was only one more left un-reserved for the day we're going to be there. It's the yellow one, on the end, the one that's in the picture above. Anyway, that's about all I know so far, but I'm still looking!

[MinuteGal]

Jan, thanks for all the generosity, research and work you're putting into our Freeper Banana Cabana (well, it IS yellow!)

Naturally, we can't all fit into the cabana like a circus clown car. It'll be our focal point, our meeting place and our freeper chat "room".

Regular beach umbrellas which I think clamp to the lounges are available here and there along the sandy strand. Those of us who go early can round some up and arrange them in front of our little thatched shack.

There's all kinds of refreshments available on Half Moon Cay, so we don't have to sweat what comes with the cabana.

Your ship credit card can be used for tropical drinks, shopping in the West Indian emporiums, etc. You don't take cash with you here.

Then there's the barbeque luncheon with unlimited vittles and cold liquid treats served over a couple hour span.

We'll hang our FR signs and American flags on the Banana Cabana, and everyone passing by will go ooh and ahh.

Dalereed and Hoosiermama will take pics of it and us and we'll relay them back to the cruise thread for the viewing pleasure of land-locked freepers.

Still waiting for Jim to let us know the winner of tonight's cruise drawing. He may be away from the computer. The winning name will be posted tomorrow if it gets too late tonight.

Leni

[BreitbartSentMe]

Sounds great, Leni. We can call it the Banana Cabana if you want, but don't forget, we have the green one, not the yellow.... Any other great ideas for a name??