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We need your Flight Details

Because we need to get everybody from LA to New York, it will be necessary for us to have your flight details, both for incoming flights and outgoing flights from LA.

Therefore can you please fill in the form below and click on the Submit button to ensure that we can do our best to get you onto suitable flights.

Many thanks

John and Barbara

 Link to Confirmation Form

Welcome Back To Our Newsletter Series

And boy, do we have some very different news for you this time!

The Reason For The Change In Plans

I'm sure that by now everybody will know that our planned cruise on board the Carnival Splendor has had to be cancelled as a result of a recent fire on board the ship.

As a result, we've been working our butts off setting up an exciting alternative for you, as we are committed to making this an incredible experience. I know its taking a little while to pull together the details (finding an entirely new program for a group our size was never going to be easy).. so thank you for being so patient!

The good news is that our efforts have paid off and the 2010 Ultimate Success Seminar promises to be the most exciting and memorable event yet.

Here are the new plans revealed…

We're still going cruising!

Yes, you read it right! We've managed to put together another cruise event for our group. You wouldn’t read about it, but it turns out there is (what we believe to be) an even better cruise leaving from New York on our same dates!

We've managed to work in conjunction with both Carnival and the Norwegian Cruise Line to obtain a guaranteed passage for our cruisers on the Norwegian Jewel bound for the Bahamas!

This ship leaves the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on the afternoon of Sunday December 5^th, returning on Sunday 12^th (the same dates as before).

More details below, but meanwhile, we need you to act quickly…

In order to go ahead with this new cruise, we need to provide the names of those travelling to the NEW cruise company (Norwegian Cruise Line) by midnight on Monday 22 November, Sydney time. This of course gives
us a short time frame to confirm you're still coming… so…

URGENT: We need you to go to the link below and confirm that you have received this
communication, and that you are still coming as planned. We need you to do this by
9pm Monday 22 November, Sydney time.

Here’s the link to let us know: http://cruisemarketer.com/confirmation.html

The (new and improved!) Ultimate Success Seminar:
Cruise From New York To Florida and the Bahamas

The Norwegian Jewel was launched in August 2005, and on it, Norwegian Cruise Line continues to refine the “Freestyle Cruising” concept that's become its corporate motto.

On the Norwegian Jewel, more than 2,300 passengers enjoy the freedom to dine where, when and with whom they wish. Casual is the operative word here, with formal night optional.

Amongst the features of the Norwegian Jewel are:

• 93,500 gross tons

• 2380 passengers

• a state-of-the-art fitness center

• waterslides

• pools and hot tubs

• kids centres and teen discos

• bars and lounges of all kinds

• Second City® comedy troupe

• basketball/volleyball/tennis court

Imagine how the kids (old and young) will enjoy this amazing waterslide

For those of us who were worried about the limited eating options available to us while we were on the Carnival Splendor, wait until you see what we have for you in the Norwegian Jewel.

This ship offers more than 10 different eating options – your challenge will be to decide how to fit in so many options into a 7 night cruise.

This fantastic ship is all set to take us from New York Harbor, down the east coast of the United States and then to call in to Port Canaveral at Orlando Florida. Passengers are invited to spend the day in the world of Cape Canaveral and Disney World.

Port Canaveral provides access to the wonderful theme parks and entertainment complexes of Orlando, The spectacular wonders of the Kennedy Space Center (for those of us who’ve been here… we think this is amazing!) and the natural habitats of the alligator and Florida manatee (dugong).

Our cruise then proceeds further down to spend a day on the lovely waters of the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas group.

This is an unspoiled paradise of white sand beaches, majestic coconut palms and calm pristine waters where an abundance of colorful marine life inhabits the surrounding coral reefs.

This is one of the few places to spend a day ashore where the only people are off your ship

Our final stopover is at Nassau, the capital of Bahamas. Nassau is located on New Providence Island, one of the smallest islands in the Bahamas group.

If surf, sun and sand is your idea of a vacation, then Nassau is the perfect destination. The Islands Of The Bahamas are famous for our shimmering, some say glowing, aquamarine waters surrounded by sugary beaches as white as sheets.

After an amazing day in Nassau, our ship then turns back towards northern climes, and sails back to New York.

(Please note: If for some reason we are unable to proceed with this new cruise, then we do have a back up plan of a land-based seminar. We'll let you know if things need to change again, but for now, assume we're going on the above cruise).

So to recap, here's what you now need to do: Please go to this link to confirm that you are still planning to come along to the Ultimate Success Seminar. We need you to do this by 9pm, Monday 22 November Sydney time, because we need to confirm the number of people joining us on the Norwegian Jewel with the cruise company tonight.

Here’s the link to let us know: http://www.cruisemarketer.com/confirmation.html

Please respond immediately, so that we can be sure we are not including you in something that you don’t want, or worse still... you miss out on something you do want to join!

Many thanks, and we're looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the morning of 4^th December at the Los Angeles Sheraton Gateway Hotel for the start of our great adventure.

What if I want to cancel my attendance?  We're not sure why you would... but if you do please contact your mentor's office directly so that we can discuss all of the details with you personally."

Overnight on Tuesday night (Australian time), Carnival has announced officially that all cruises on the Carnival Splendor have been cancelled until mid-January 2011.

As you can imagine, we're looking at options at the moment, and having discussions with the various presenters involved in the cruise.

We will be in touch with everybody who has booked onto the cruise just as soon as we have worked through what is likely to happen.

In the meantime, the announcement from Carnival is shown below:

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR TO BE OUT OF SERVICE UNTIL JANUARY 16, 2011, FOR REPAIRS

Miami - November 16, 2010 – 11am

Carnival Cruise Lines has cancelled voyages of the Carnival Splendor through the departure of January 9, 2011, to allow time for repairs following an engine room fire last week. The ship is scheduled to re-enter service on January 16, 2011.

Guests who were scheduled to sail on these voyages will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.

Carnival Splendor was towed to San Diego following the fire which occurred off the Mexican coast on November 8. A team from the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB and flag authorities, along with Carnival's engineers and technicians, is currently on board investigating the cause of the fire. Carnival personnel are being assisted by representatives of the shipyard that built the vessel and other manufacturers of engine room components in assessing damage and necessary repairs.

"We realize how much guests look forward to their vacations and know that they are very disappointed by this news. We too are disheartened that we are not able to fulfill the dreams of those who have entrusted us with their important vacation plans. We sincerely apologize to everyone who was scheduled to sail on these cancelled voyages and look forward to welcoming them aboard in the future. Now that we have a full technical team engaged in the assessment, we wanted to provide this information as quickly as possible," said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO.

Carnival is contacting travel agents and guests on the affected sailings and providing assistance in finding alternate cruises. Travel agent commissions on the cancelled sailings will be protected.

If you are affected by this, pleaseclick herefor an important notice detailing your options.

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As we believe everybody out there is by now aware of, the Carnival Spolendor has suffered a fire while out on a previous cruise, and is now docked at San Diego California while the damage and a repair strategy is being assessed.

As we receive further information, we send out emails to the addresses of passengers booked on our 2010 Ultimate Seminar Cruise. However, some of you are apparently not receiving these messages promptly.

For this reason, this page will be used as a means of keeping you up to date with any information that we have, to ensure that you know as much about developments as we do.

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Message sent on 16th November 2010 at 09:24

Hi everybody,

Just to keep you in the loop with the latest information on the cruise.

Carnival Lines has released the following statement overnight:

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR UPDATE

Miami - November 15, 2010 – 2pm

The Carnival Splendor is currently docked in San Diego and a team is on board working to more fully assess damage to the vessel.

We recognize that many of our guests scheduled to sail on the Carnival Splendor are anxious to hear about the status of their upcoming sailing. At this time, the November 14 voyage has been cancelled. Those guests are receiving a full refund of their cruise fare and air transportation costs along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise. Our technical teams are working round the clock to assess the damage and necessary repairs. We expect to have additional information very soon and will inform all guests accordingly.

We've been working very closely with the Australian agent of Carnival Lines, and they've been in touch with Carnival's head office this morning. The information that the Australian agent was advised is that as of this morning, it is still only the November 14th cruise that has been cancelled.

As soon as we hear anything further, we'll contact you again immediately.

Thanks for your patience.

Regards

Barb and John

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Message sent on 12 November 2010 07:45

Hi Everyone,

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Message sent on 10-Nov-10 at 8:00 am

Sent: Nov 10, 2010 7:59 AM
Subject: Carnival Splendorfire

 Hello everybody,

You may have caught up on this morning's news that the Carnival Splendor is currently adrift in the Pacific Ocean some 75 miles off the coast of northern Mexico.

There was afirein the engine room on Monday morning (local time), and the engines are now out of action.

Ocean going tugs are on their way to the ship, and it will be towed back into Mexico, and it is due to arrive about Thursday afternoon our time.

Apparently the only injuries suffered have been to the pride of Carnival Line management.

Our Australian contact has told us that it won't be possible to ascertain the extent of the damage and likely repair times until the ship reaches port.

As soon as we find out more, we'll be letting you know about whether or not this event will have any impact on our December cruise.

We became aware of this issue late yesterday, but can't do much more until we hear back about the state of the ship.

Well let you know as soon as we have further information about this. In the meantime, you know as much as we do.

Thanks and we'll keep in touch

John and Barbara

Frequently Asked Questions

There are many questions about cruising that are asked by our clients and the passengers on the cruises that we organise for them.

The questions and answers below have been developed for the passengers travelling on our cruises.

We have put together a number of these to help you to easily find what you are looking for when it comes to getting ready for your once-in-a-lifetime cruising opportunity.

 How do I complete the online check-in process (Camtasia Video File)?

What computing resources are available of the "Rhapsody Of The Seas"?
How much spending money we should consider bringing?
Are ATM machines available onboard?
Do we need foreign currency for the places we’re visiting?
Can you include some pointers about dress standards for the evening meals?
What is and what is not included in the ticket price?
Can I use my mobile phone during the cruise?

What computing resources are available of the "Rhapsody Of The Seas"Royal Caribbean ships?

• a laptop  computer  
• Windows operating system   
• 802.11b networking capability   

There are also internet café workstations on board for those who don’t want to take their own computer. 

The current prepaid access packages costs range from $US 28.00 (60 minutes) to $US 55.00 (150 minutes).

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How much spending money we should consider bringing?

You won’t need cash on the ship.

The ship operates on a "cashless" system, meaning your boarding card, (also known as your SeaPass card), acts as a charge card to make all onboard purchases.

Most guests activate the SeaPass account, with a credit card, (American Express, Optima, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and Diner's Club), to have these purchases charged to at the end of their cruise.

Additionally, the SeaPass system may be activated with traveler's checks, debit cards with a Visa or MasterCard logo, or cash.

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Are ATM machines available onboard?

All ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet have ATM machines. There is a transaction fee up to $US5.50 plus any other fees the guest’s financial institution would charge.

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Do we need foreign currency for the places we’re visiting?

Whilst credit cards can be used for many purchases, you will need cash for markets, etc. The most effective way to obtain foreign currency is to go to an ATM for a cash withdrawal from your credit card account – don’t forget your PIN number.

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Can you include some pointers about dress standards for the evening meals?

Whilst some cruising has become a lot less formal in recent years, there are still opportunities for passengers to “dress for dinner”. 

There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are: 

It is expected that the number of casual, smart casual and formal nights for mosty cruises  will be:

       Casual: 6-8 nights,

       Smart casual: 2-3 nights,

       Formal: 2 nights

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What is and what is not included in the ticket price?

The following things are included in the pricing for the cruise: 

·         Accommodation  throughout your cruise. All staterooms include: 

o        TV, telephone and radio 

o        En-suite facilities 

o        Vanity area and hair dryer 

o        Dedicated stateroom attendant 

·         Meals – a wide choice of dining options: 

o        Fine dining in the main dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner 

o        24 hour room service 

o        non-stop iced water, tea, coffee and lemonade 

·         Fitness Centre – the ShipShape fitness Centre includes a wide range of equipment: 

o        Stair steppers, stationery bikes, spinning bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines and weight equipment 

o        Sauna, Jacuzzi and steam room 

·         Onboard Activities – including: 

o        Rock climbing wall 

o        Swimming pools 

o        Mini golf 

·         Onboard Entertainment – including: 

o        Contemporary musical stage productions 

o        Live music and comedy shows 

o        Lectures and demonstrations 

o        Piano bar 

o        Casino 

·         Kid’s Activities – a wide range of adventure programs for all age groups 

Amongst the items that Royal Caribbean Line specifies as being not included in the cruise fare are:

·          Shore excursions

·          Alcoholic beverages and named soft drinks

·          Beauty treatments in the Shipshape spa, including massage treatments

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Can I use my mobile phone during the cruise?

Yes you can! 

Royal Caribbean is one of the few lines with the latest satellite roaming technology. You will be able to both send and receive calls directed to your normal mobile number. 

If you decide to make use of this, there are a couple of things you should take into account: 

·          You will need to have international roaming set up for your phone before you leave Australia – this can be done by contacting your provider.

·          It isn’t cheap! – my carrier has quoted $A2.50 per 30 seconds for outgoing calls, and $2.00 per 30 seconds for incoming calls.

Maybe you’ll decide (like us) that text is the only sensible way to go! 

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