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Thread: 2010 ILDA Cruise - Who's in?

  1. #11
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    Smile

    Stoney3K's point about the rates being cheap is a good one. It's the primary reason ILDA has decided to hold their conference on the cruise ship again this year. It would actually cost more to hold it at the DisneyWorld resort (which was the other choice), and if they did that you wouldn't get free food or the fun of experiencing the cruise itself (not to mention the cool places you'll visit).

    Cruises in general offer considerable value. Even the higher-end cruise lines are still quite affordable. I went on a 7 day cruise with Royal Caribbean on one of their largest ships back in 2005, and even so it only cost me around $1300 per person. (Again, that was for an interior cabin with no window. Exterior cabins always cost more, and balcony cabins more still.) And for that, they treated us like absolute royalty. Even now, 5 years later, I still remember the names of our waiters and cabin stewards. It was like they became part of the family for that week.

    Granted, Carnival Cruise lines doesn't offer that same level of service, but it's also 4X cheaper! And there will still be great food and plenty of on-ship activities to keep you busy. (Not to mention the fun you can have in port!)

    If you're thinking about adding some "after-cruise" fun to your trip, remember that Orlando is only 4 hours from Miami by car. So you could head to Orlando (either before or after the cruise) and go visit Seaworld, Universal Studios, Disneyworld, or one of the other attractions. Also, the Kennedy Space Center is roughly the same distance away by car, so if you'd like to visit the space coast instead, that's another option.

    Adam

    PS: Sheesh! I really should stop this... I sound like a damn travel agent!

  2. #12
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    Hey Buffo,

    Excellent story and ideas. Thing is , as said i have been taking off a lot of time since i worked long and hard last year. So in one way i think i "deserve" to take the time. On the other hand i am busy internally moving to another job and it looks a bit awkward to say: Hey ok, great i can start here, but in May i am away for 2 week, in July/August 3 weeks and now i want 1.5 week in September and know What ? Make that 2... Catch my drift ?

    I have been in Florida in 2001 and i absolutely LOVED it. drove from Kissimee to Melbourne visited Cape Canaveral, drove all the way down , saw Miami with the amazing Art Deco district, then on to Key West, back through Everglades, up, and around lake Okeechobee (sp?) and up again to Kissimee and visited all the themeparcs. Excellent time, great weather, had lots of fun.

    Indeed it looks sensible to extend the cruise with a few days.
    Let me wait just a few weeks until i get the final notice if the new job passes and then immediately i will bring up the holiday topic and see if i can manage to arrange to get some days of extra.
    The whole idea of the cruise, meeting lots of laser and non-laser interested people, seeing the nice ports of call cities and having fun appeals massively.
    I didn't fail !
    I just found out 10,000 ways that didn't work.

  3. #13
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    I wish I was still single....

    I don't think I will get approval for this trip

  4. #14
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    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
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    Ilda at Disney was EXPENSIVE. Ouch...

    Too bad we could not host ILDA at the SELEM facility....

    Steve
    Qui habet Christos, habet Vitam!
    I should have rented the space under my name for advertising.
    When I still could have...

  5. #15
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    Cool

    Quote Originally Posted by mixedgas View Post
    Too bad we could not host ILDA at the SELEM facility....
    Well, we probably could. There are classrooms in the school that could be used for seminars and stuff, and obviously the auditorium would be perfect for the lase-off, not to mention the business meeting.

    The real problem is that someone needs to host the event and be approved by the board. Thus, it's almost always a large laser company that does the hosting. And the last time I checked, Newton NC didn't have any large laser companies located there... (PL members might be able to pull it off in theory, but in practice they'd never select a hobbyist group to host something as important as the annual ILDA meeting.)

    Also, the remoteness of Newton is another strike against using that location for an ILDA meeting... There's not much else to do around town, so the folks that fly to the meeting are going to be bored out of their minds. And if you ended up with last-minute problems, trying to find the parts you need to make something work would be quite difficult in sleepy downtown Newton...

    Adam

  6. #16
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    OK-

    Adam, you're a good salesmen...


    IM IN BABY!!!!!

    Where am i signing up?? ILDA site?

    -Marc
    http://www.laserist.org/images/ildalogos/ILDA-logo_colored-beams_Corporate_150w.jpg

    ILDA- U.S. Laser Regulatory Committee

    Authorized Dealer for:

    • Pangolin Laser Software and Hardware
    • KVANT Laser Modules & Laser Systems
    • X-Laser USA
    • CNI Lasers
    • Cambridge Technology & Eye Magic Professional Scanning Systems

    FDA/CDRH Certified Professional LuminanceRGB Laser Light Show Systems


  7. #17
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    Hi Marc;

    Haha! I guess I do sound like a salesman, don't I? I need to point out that I'm not involved in this in any way except as a passenger on the ship. It's just that it's such a good deal that I wanted to let everyone know about it in advance so they could get in on it. (Well, and I think it would be really cool to have a bunch of PL folks on the cruise!)

    The easiest way to book the cruise is to call call 866-721-3225 and give them the ILDA group booking number (77P1Q2). They'll take your credit card information right over the phone.

    Now, if you have questions about the cruise that you'd like to discuss before you book your reservation, then you'll probably want to contact Christine Jenkins at LaserNet. She is the one who is organizing both the cruise and the ILDA conference. She did it back in 2008 as well. She has lots more information about the cruise, and can also direct you to resources on the web if you want even more info.

    But in the end, you'll still end up calling 866-721-3225 to book your cruise. Giving them the ILDA group booking number (77P1Q2) just ensures that you'll be seated with other ILDA members at dinner. (It also ensures that you get one of the cabins that have been reserved for the ILDA conference, but if you don't like your cabin selection, you can always change it.)

    By the way, I recommend that you opt to pay your tips up front when you book the cruise. It's just so much easier that way. Also, if you're thinking about doing some of the bigger excursions (like scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, etc) then you might want to consider booking them on-line in advance. (You can book them on-line once your reservation for the cruise has been processed.) Booking your excursions early ensures that you'll get a slot. You can also book them as soon as you get on the ship, but you want to be quick about it. (Popular excursions often sell out.)

    Adam

  8. #18
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    Who else (if any) is going on this??

    I will be booking it in the next day or 2. I am booking by myself, so i *do* have an opening for a roomie. NO SNORERS!!!

    who is coming?

    -Marc
    http://www.laserist.org/images/ildalogos/ILDA-logo_colored-beams_Corporate_150w.jpg

    ILDA- U.S. Laser Regulatory Committee

    Authorized Dealer for:

    • Pangolin Laser Software and Hardware
    • KVANT Laser Modules & Laser Systems
    • X-Laser USA
    • CNI Lasers
    • Cambridge Technology & Eye Magic Professional Scanning Systems

    FDA/CDRH Certified Professional LuminanceRGB Laser Light Show Systems


  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Well, we probably could. There are classrooms in the school that could be used for seminars and stuff, and obviously the auditorium would be perfect for the lase-off, not to mention the business meeting.

    The real problem is that someone needs to host the event and be approved by the board. Thus, it's almost always a large laser company that does the hosting. And the last time I checked, Newton NC didn't have any large laser companies located there... (PL members might be able to pull it off in theory, but in practice they'd never select a hobbyist group to host something as important as the annual ILDA meeting.)

    Also, the remoteness of Newton is another strike against using that location for an ILDA meeting... There's not much else to do around town, so the folks that fly to the meeting are going to be bored out of their minds. And if you ended up with last-minute problems, trying to find the parts you need to make something work would be quite difficult in sleepy downtown Newton...

    Adam
    The Planetarium @ the Museum of Science in Miami is an ILDA member

    and they did one of the first ILDA conferences if not the first one IIRC... I've offered to find out about doing a SELEM/FLEM down here before but its a bit far for most people to drive

    Quote Originally Posted by gottaluvlasers View Post
    Who else (if any) is going on this??

    I will be booking it in the next day or 2. I am booking by myself, so i *do* have an opening for a roomie. NO SNORERS!!!

    who is coming?

    -Marc
    If your still looking for a roommate I might be interested, it seems a little silly to not go since I drive by all the cruise ships every morning lol

    you would need to watch my back around the LaserNET people tho LOL

  10. #20
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    Frank-

    Lets chat! I am booking tomorow probably.

    -Marc
    http://www.laserist.org/images/ildalogos/ILDA-logo_colored-beams_Corporate_150w.jpg

    ILDA- U.S. Laser Regulatory Committee

    Authorized Dealer for:

    • Pangolin Laser Software and Hardware
    • KVANT Laser Modules & Laser Systems
    • X-Laser USA
    • CNI Lasers
    • Cambridge Technology & Eye Magic Professional Scanning Systems

    FDA/CDRH Certified Professional LuminanceRGB Laser Light Show Systems


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