Archive for Past Cruise
Trek Updates
Update – January 22, 2016:
~ Cruise Trek 2016 Fun ~
Highlights, left to right – Stanley penguins, Punta Arenas
National Park, Osorno Volcano in Puerto Montt, and Llama farm.
Hello!!
Hope you all had wonderful holidays . . . and thank you very much
for all the cards and notes.
Alas, we have been fairly busy seemingly running about the world.
After an enjoyable Cruise Trek 2015 event to the Caribbean and all the
related prep and work, we returned home to prep for our departure to
Paris and the UK very shortly thereafter. We had a Shakespeare
Festival event to produce and direct on Cunard’s QM2 out of
Southampton.
As always, Paris was just wonderful in spite of the heightened
security for the Global Climate Conference. Even so, the Christmas
Markets certainly lifted the holiday spirit. Leaving Paris, we took the
Chunnel for the first time to London. . . So much easier than a flight!
And as an FYI, if booked way in advance, it’s way cheaper!
And then London was amazingly festive at holiday time and finding
a Whole Foods during our Trek to Piccadilly Circus was cool even if a
juxtaposition. Plus, to see an ice skating rink as inspiring as Rockefeller
Center was lovely as well.
Sailing out of Southampton, we were off to the Canary Islands,
Lisbon, and Vigo with voracious Shakespeare fans. To top it off, we
did a trans-Atlantic crossing back to NYC on the same ship with
back-to-back snow & hurricane-force storms! Ironically, we docked
in NYC with 72 degrees on Christmas Eve! Wow. . . Sharing a hotel
stay in Times Square with CT family is an experience like no other!
LOL Indeed, it was all very adventurous and the lesson was that it is
still very true: travel simply expands life like nothing else!!
We enjoy sharing our experiences – so please feel free
to inquire if you want to know more.
Speaking of adventurous travel. . . we certainly have one coming
up with our grand “South America Passage.” In fact,
everyone I speak with is like, “Oh, my goodness, I have always
wanted to do that!”
And I am goose bumped every time I speak of South America. And
if it does not hit you over the head as to what you will experience during
the trip. . . it most definitely will do so upon your return!
With that, if there are any of you on the sidelines or undecided about
going or think that it is just too much of trip. . . Please, please get to us
and we will help in any way possible to see you aboard this awesome
& enlightening adventure of a lifetime. For me, to experience the
local cultures, flavors, the Beagle Channel (named after Darwin’s
ship) and so much more are simply extraordinary. And, as always, it is
so much more amazing to share the adventure with the comradery and
commonality that comes from traveling with our family of friends!!
Importantly – For those of you already booked for Cruise
Trek 2016 “The South America Passage”, please go to
the following link for more information on our upcoming adventure
–
Additional information for CT 2016
Feel free to reach out if you need to. . .
Be well and safe travels!
With appreciation & respect,
Charlie & Aaron
PS #1 ~
Are you looking for something a little simpler and/or a Dr. Who
event??
Please check out what our friend & Dr. Who
Fan (Dan Harris at
whocruiser@aol.com)
is producing for his next cruise event. . .
We are handling the bookings and some onboard arrangements
for this event. . .
www.scificruise.com.
Albeit, it is on Carnival Cruise Line, and the sailing date conflicts with
our South America sailing date. . . and so it will be different.
But, Dan has a very interesting & fun list of attendees &
guests.
PS #2 ~
If you are new to Trek events and/or wish to go down memory lane,
here is another blast to the past and a great reference for what we are
largely about –
CruiseTrek – The Cruising Adventure Is Just
Beginning .
Update – January 20, 2016:
Cruise Trek 2015: “ The Caribbean Oasis” &
Kennedy Space Center Tour
Reflections, Quotes & Acknowledgements
The hard-working helpers of Cruise Trek 2015.
Thanks, guys! Great job!
Hey there, CT Family!
Robin Curtis shared her thoughts with us (see below in quotes),
and it really says it all. But, first there are a few other acknowledgements
and quotes I would like to share. Of course, there may not be a correct
way to express all of these thoughts, other than to simply let them
flow. . .
Dave Westbay exemplifies all that we are . . . He says, “But
first, let me say again how much Pat and I enjoyed this year’s
Cruise Trek. As I said at the end of the trip, this was one of my favorite
Cruise Treks, and that is mostly because of how wonderful all of the
people in our groups were, especially (but not only) the guests, from
both Trek and Back to the Future. Everyone
was very approachable and gracious, and that makes for a most
enjoyable experience.”
Dave also mentioned of the “greater bond” so very
evident on board. Even though we all noticed how gargantuan the ship
was, the closeness felt definitely overwhelmed anything that was even
slightly seen as a negative. I totally agree.
And then for me, my memories were of Al’s (one of the
Purvi) ditty at one of our event sessions; Dee’s version of
“Hollywood Game Night”; Nat’s (the other
Purvi) Murder Mystery; Brent and Joni’s all-knowing kindness,
smarts, and unfailing assistance. Andrea, you are an amazing friend.
And of course all the energetic, wonderful players in the Cruise
Trek Family helped to perpetuate the mission/trek to explore &
enlighten within a family-friendly environment, which also emphasizes
commonality & comradery. Indeed, we may not be huge, but we
are intimate, personal, and caring in a space where everyone matters.
Thank you for all.
Additionally, my personal thanks go out to Dom, Vaughn, Robin
& Lolita and every one of you that bring the energy to make it
all happen. . . I can simply ask for no more.
Then to Jeffrey Weissman and his lovely wife Kimbell Jackson.
and the Back to the Future event we combined with on
this last cruise. . . You are the kindest and most sincere producers I
have ever worked with. Thank you!
And to share a few very appreciated words of theirs. . . “You
and Aaron have worked so f****** hard for this event. . . You and
Aaron are truly wonderful gifts to us. A thousand thanks to you,
Charlie. You made us look good. I can’t tell you how much I
appreciated your support and wisdom during the cruise. I did manage
to have a really great time, making new friends and having a sense of
accomplishment for my work. It was impressive how you ran a
‘tight ship’ and kept on the schedule.”
Lastly, I want to recognize a very subtle piece of goodness that
just hit me over the head on this last trip. . . In fact, the care &
respect involved touched me to my very soul. Al and Jason –
I think you were a big part of it. . . Just the offer and/or expression of
care to help clean up our meeting spaces. . . that care and sensitivity
was certainly appreciated more than I could ever express.
Now for Robin’s note to us. . .
Dear Charlie and Aaron,
I look back over 2015 and I have to say, sailing
with all of you and having that experience with the fans was one of
the highlights of my year, for sure. Thank you for including me in a
group of troopers: the guests, fans, and staff as well as the two
extraordinary gentlemen that make it possible. Everybody brought
their best self and game to the experience and it came out in the
many shared and joyful moments.
I just beam inside when I think of all the games,
even the late night games. . . I enjoyed those tremendously. I loved
dining with everyone, shaking up the tables some nights and getting
to make new friends. I loved the way we shared the journey with the
Back to the Future folks, what a great bunch. I learned
more about the DeLorean car and the background of the
BTTF movie than I ever knew before. Pretty cool stuff. ;-)
And of course, I got the biggest kick out of everyone
doing the Fanfare. That was so much fun and I’m sorry for
all the angst and upset I caused you in the process.
You both created an amazing experience for
everyone and I thank you with all my heart for including me. And I
wanted to be sure to also thank you for the check you sent. It
wasn’t expected but it was so appreciated. I send my best
wishes to you for a spectacular 2016, filled with adventure, solid
real estate investments ;-), excellent health and calm heads, hearts
and waters.,
Happy journeys and much love till I see you again,
Robin
To enjoy Robin’s CT 15 Fanfare video on YouTube, just
click this link –
Cruise Trek 2015 Fanfare.
Update – May 31, 2015:
Hey, Cruise Trek Family,
IDIC – Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations –
as demonstrated by Cruise Trek Family members sharing the fun and
camaraderie of celebrating Halloween in Paris on the 2013 Seine
cruise.
Our last printed version of our Update had loads of information for
our next two events for CT15 & CT16. So in this piece we have
kept things a little more simple with additional and/or new information
to provide. You can navigate to links for the itinerary descriptions
(CT15 or
CT16). Or just give us a shout
and we can smail you the printed info.
Most important for everyone to know is that we have extended
our discounts for both of our future events to August 1, 2015. Though,
as always, it is best to book ASAP to ensure cabin ideals and perhaps
any potential extra “goodies” for CT 16.
For sure, “The Caribbean Oasis” cruise this year
will be just a total blast! There is so much activity and fun to be had. . .
that you’ll simply have difficulty picking and choosing. . . Oh but
then you can, of course, just relax and enjoy all with the CT and the
newly-acquired BTTF family! – especially as we do have
several days at sea!
And as we have said before:
Besides the usual resort-like facilities, there is a rock-climbing wall,
a zip line, an ice rink, and an outdoor aqua theatre. And in addition to
the legendary and more progressive entertainment provided by this
cruise line, our ship offers groundbreaking design with seven distinct
neighborhoods built for ultimate enjoyment and entertainment: Central
Park, Royal Promenade, Boardwalk, Pool & Sports Zone,
Entertainment Place, Vitality Spa & Fitness Center and Youth Zone.
Of course, there’s also all that CT provides for activities.
That all said, the first new item to announce in this Update is that
on the “The Caribbean Oasis” event for November
2015, we will also now have a “Back To The Future”
event on board that will be accessible to all CT event attendees
– you can see www.bttfcruise.com
for more info. The larger part of this opportunity is that the BTTF
folks are another group of very kind, generous and fun people with
which to experience the common synergies and camaraderie of
fandom.
Secondly, we now have a Fort Lauderdale airport area hotel set
up for our pre-cruise stays. Please know that this hotel is more of a
function than a destination as our cruise event is the main attraction
for this itinerary. It is newer, nicer and provides good value as many
other hotels in the area are much more expensive.
~ Are You On the Cruise Trek Mailing List? ~
If you have joined us on one or more Cruise Trek adventures
or you are currently receiving eMail or Snail-Mail from us, we
have you on our mailing list.
But if you’re not already hearing from Cruise Trek and
you would like to learn more about upcoming events, please
sign up by clicking the link below and filling out the form.
Join the CT Mailing List
Cost for same is $179.00 per room night including taxes (sgl or dbl).
Your requested hotel stay will be added to your invoice and is payable
by check at cruise final pay date. Cancel fees apply at 30 days prior to
arrival. Additional room nights may be at a higher cost.
This hotel, which will be named at a later date, also has a courtesy
airport shuttle that operates between 5 am and midnight. Currently
you will need to call the hotel for pick-up. Our hotel will also have a
transfer available to the pier for $8.00 pp. However, this must be signed
up for upon arrival at the hotel.
No worries on all transfers as taxis are plentiful and reasonable
in cost as we are not too far from the cruise port and airport. In fact,
the pier is only & approximately 6 miles or 10 minutes away.
Please know most of us are only coming in one night early unless we
are touring Florida more than just the KSC tour or attending the FTL
film festival. . . more info below on same.
Thirdly, the Kennedy Space Center Tour attendees will be also
staying at this very same hotel. And we will arrive Friday night,
November 6th. Depending upon final arrival time, we may join one
and all for a pre-cruise wine & beer party by the hotel’s
pool. Once again, a chance to break bread with all our friends and
family of Cruise Trek! We’ll provide some platters of munchies
– but you’ll have to buy your own drinks.
Please know that if you want to add the above KSC package,
we’ve still got space!
To add any of the above, please send us a note or an email and
we will take care of all! ;-))
Another cool item for this November’s event is that the
Fort Lauderdale Film Festival opens November 6th. You can see
info for same at
www.fliff.com.
Though it is my understanding that the festival schedule will not be
available until October 1.
Robin Curtis, Vaughn Armstrong and Dom Keating will join us on
our CT 2015 Adventure!
As to actors, so far we have once again one of our favorites, the
wonderful and very friendly Vaughn Armstrong with his lovely wife
Christine, and the ever fun & energetic Dominic Keating. Plus,
of course, the lovely Lolita Fatjo will be with us as well. . . and we are
working on one more . . all subject to change.
Please go to
IMDB.com for
more information on our guests for this event.
Now to Update Cruise Trek 2016 – South America –
If you want to totally expand your perspectives of our planet and if
you have the ability, please join us on this magnificent and culturally
enriching experience that one could ever possibly enjoy. Again, you
can either participate in the 14-day or the 34-day segment(s). The
latter of which, several of us have already opted to share together.
South America is definitely a whole other world. . . and filled with
sights and experiences that will for sure present stories and memories
for a long long time. . . Cape Horn, the Falkland Islands, the Chilean
Fjords, the rugged mountains of Patagonia, the Argentina’s
Gauchos and all the other local color and culture. . . all just
wonderful!
After having previously experienced South America, I am seriously
looking forward to going back once again! The beauty, the people and
the numerous cultures are wonderful and inspiring. Experientially, it is
a tough one to beat!
Plus, flights are really very reasonable in cost and schedules are
not difficult to/from South America. We just recently quoted $900pp
from Dulles to Buenos Aires & back from Santiago. In any case,
flights are all pretty straight forward and not any more complicated
than many of our other far-away journeys. Additionally, our ship
overnights in Buenos Aires for one night, which offers flexibility for
arrivals. Though we are certainly planning on coming in a few days
earlier to experience the local color. . . then Santiago is even more
extraordinary!
And if you want to stay after the cruise, we have a great spot in
mind. Or you can fly right home if you prefer. Or if you have even
more time, sail the entire 34 days with us back to San Diego!
From a previous flyer we wrote the following about South America:
This is yet another Cruise Trek Adventure quite different than what
we have done in the last 20 + years. . . It also offers another ship
perfect for the setting, featuring a perfect passenger space ratio to
allow us to individually and soulfully take in all that this itinerary has
to offer. We will be following some of the historic sea route covered
by Magellan and Darwin.
This is some of the most dramatic, unspoiled landscape on earth
– and not many from our region have had the opportunity
to set eyes on it. In addition, this cruise features speakers providing
expert presentations on the region’s geographic formation,
biological development, and human history. This cruise offers plentiful
days at sea and a very relaxing port pace.
Kindly,
Charlie
Travel safe and well. . .
PS
On our home page, we have added a couple new links for past
CT Family guests – one for Jerry Hardin for his Bone Sculpture
and the other for his lovely wife, Diane Hardin and the Joy of acting.
Please check them out and tell them Cruise Trek sent you! ;-)))
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