buffo
2010 ILDA Cruise - Who's in?
Hey folks! ILDA just announced that their annual meeting for 2010 will be held on board a cruise ship. They did this same thing back in 2008 and it was a lot of fun. This year they've decided to go with a much larger ship, but the timing and ports of call will be the same. (The ILDA website hasn't been updated to reflect this yet, but the location for the meeting was decided in favor of the cruise ship a couple weeks ago, and an E-mail to this effect was sent to all ILDA members.)
The ship is Carnival's Destiny. The cruise leaves from Miami on Monday, September 6th, and returns on Saturday, September 11th. The ship will make port calls at Grant Turk, Half Moon Cay (a private island owned by Carnival) and Nassau, Bahamas. At each port you can get off the ship if you want and go shopping / exploring. You can also sign up for "excursions" to do things like snorkeling, scuba diving, 4X4 safari, horseback riding, bike tours, golf, para-sailing, swimming with stingrays, swimming with dolphin, and tons of other activities. (Excursions cost extra, but you can book them in advance if you want.) You can even get certified in Scuba if you want (they do the classes aboard ship) so you can go scuba diving when you arrive in port.
Note that in cases of severe weather (September is in the middle of hurricane season, remember) they might change the ports of call. This is a risk with any cruise, of course, and while it's not very common, they *did* have to change the ports last time (in 2008) because of hurricane Ike. Hopefully this year we'll have better luck!
On board there are several bars and nightclubs, 2 pools (one with a water slide), several hot tubs, a health spa, a casino, a lounge w/ a stage, several shops, a large 24-hr buffet, a huge formal dining room, a large theater room, a library, and much more. There's plenty to do on board, but if the traditional amenities weren't enough, ILDA will be having their annual meeting on board. They'll also have a conference or two where you can learn about all sorts of new technologies. Then there's the ILDA lase-off (which will be held in the main theater), and the laser dance party (on the lido deck). Both of these events will feature professional laser shows with high-end RGB projectors.
Throughout the cruise you'll be able to hang out with professional laserist from around the globe. In 2008 I had Bill Benner, Hayden Hale, and Francesco Loon at my table each night for dinner. Greg Makhov and Patric Murphy were just two tables down... And since I enjoy a good cigar every once in a while, I managed to spend a good bit of time chatting with Joachim Mueller in the smoking lounge. (How cool is that?)
The best part is the price. Right now you can book this cruise for just $359 per person! The price will go up to $379 in a few months, but if you book now you can save some cash. Also, if you are certain you can go and are willing to waive your right to cancellation, you can book it for as little as $299! Of course, they add some taxes and fees to this - it usually amounts to another $35 or so. Also, you need to figure on an extra $50 or so for the tips you'll leave for your cabin stewards and waiters at the end. (I normally pay this up front when I book the cruise so I don't have to worry about it later.)
The prices above are for interior cabins; that is, rooms that do not have a window to the ocean. For that price, all of your food (all you can eat) is covered for the trip. Even room service is free, though you will be charged a couple bucks as a gratuity each time you order room service. Alcohol costs extra, of course, but the prices aren't too bad. And as mentioned above, excursions are extra as well. All the shows on board are free, and they're really good, but trips to the health spa will cost extra.
Last time my wife and I spent about $500 total on ship-board extras. Most of that was booze, but we bought some stuff in the shops too. We also hit the coffee bar a couple times, and I think about $60 of that was lost to the casino. We didn't go on any excursions though.
If you want to upgrade to an exterior cabin or a balcony cabin, it's going to cost you extra, but even so the rates aren't that bad. Balcony rooms are only ~ $160 extra, for example. My personal take on this is that I'm only in the room to shower, shave, and sleep. If I want to see the ocean, I'll go up on deck. But some people really dig waking up to an ocean view...
Note that the prices are *per person*. It's based on 2 people per room. If you are by yourself, consider sharing a room with a fellow PL member, otherwise you'll end up paying double. Also note that you don't have to be an ILDA member to go on the cruise. You don't need to pay to attend the conference either, if you don't want to. You can still enjoy the lase off and the laser dance party on the lido deck, just like the rest of the passengers on board.
But if you do decide to attend the conference, you get to attend all the seminars and stuff, plus the reception at the start of the cruise (drinks and goodies), and of course if you're an ILDA member then you'll want to attend the ILDA business meeting where they vote the board members in... Also, I think Pangolin will be holding their annual Pangolin User's Meeting on board. (They did last time, anyway.) If you're running Pangolin gear, you don't want to miss this meeting!
If you're planning on bringing a significant other, be sure to remind them that the whole ship isn't full of laser geeks. ILDA will represent less than 100 people out of the 2100 or so total passengers. So there will be plenty of non-laser folks around if your spouse isn't really interested in talking about lasers for 5 days!
Christine Jenkins from LaserNet in Miami is handling the details for this year's meeting. (She handled the one in 2008 as well.) And if you're going to attend the ILDA conference, you'll need to pay your conference fee via the ILDA website. Note that you *don't* have to be an ILDA member to attend the conference - it just costs more if you're a non-member. And if you don't want to attend the conference and just want to go on the cruise, you can actually book your room yourself. Just call 866-721-3225 and give them the ILDA group booking number (77P1Q2) and you're all set!
Marie and I are definitely going on this cruise this year. I'll probably be booking my cabin in the next month or so to take advantage of the lower fares. So how many of you folks could use a good vacation? This might be a way to turn a cool laser event into a fun family vacation... Give it some thought, and reply here if you're going to make the trip.
Adam
Reply With Quote
Make the trip to NC for SELEM, go back to work for 2 weeks, then go on the ILDA cruise! (That's what I'll be doing, anyway.)
Originally Posted by Misebeam
