HOGGY SAILS AGAIN. With two 82nd SRS and friends HOGGY Cruises under our belt many of you are clamoring for another. After surveys and talking to many of you we distilled the comments as follows:
1) Don't wait another five years. Time is passing by too quickly.
2) Like to see some different ports
3) Like the concept of specialty restaurants.
4) Let's try for another departure point, New Orleans or Galveston? (There are fewer ships sailing from these ports, but we believe we've made a good choice.)
We talked to travel agent Tiffani McFarland of Rose Alston Travel (tmvacations@yahoo.com) . Toll-free (866)-531-5514. Tiffani has a very special reconnaissance community connection as she is the granddaughter of Stan O'Kelley. Stan and his RB-50 crew are enshrined in the 55th Hall of Fame. The story of his Cold War shoot down is featured in Bill Burrow's book "By Any Means Necessary" and has been shown on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. Jean O'Kelley, Stan' widow, sailed with us on our last 82nd cruise.
The answer is:
Grand Princess sailing out of Galveston on February 4, 2006 for seven days.
Port
Calls: Belize, Majahual (Costa Maya), Grand Cayman,
Cozumel
Pricing: (includes port charges and taxes)
Inside cabin: (cat. JJ) $807.22 per person Oceanview cabin $1057.22 per person Balcony cabin: (cat BB) $1157.22 per person Mini Suite w/ balcony (cat. A$1357.22
Early
Sign-up Incentive: We realize this cruise is a year in the future
but many of the oceanview cabins are already booked. Make a credit card down
payment of $100 per person (refundable, less a $25 cancellation fee) by
March 22nd, 2005 and you will receive a
complimentary one cabin class upgrade within your category. This means if you
book a balcony category BB, you get upgraded to balcony category BA. Another
$150 down payment per person will be due by August 1, 2005. Final Payment:
November 1st, 2005.
Sign Up after March 22nd
and a $250 down payment per person with final payment due
November 1st. No complimentary cabin class upgrade.
EXCEPTION: If you are booking
a triple or quadruple cabin, $250 per person is required at time of sign-up
regardless of date. However upgrades will be honored if booked before March
22nd 2005
Travel
insurance to include health coverage for pre-existing conditions
is highly recommended. Prices will vary somewhat ($89-$99 per person.). Talk to
Tiffani for specific details and quotes. This insurance (through
Travelex/TravelLite plan) must be purchased within 20 days of initial trip
deposit to cover pre-existing conditions and is not refundable.
Majahual (pronounced mah-hah-WAHL) is
in the heart of the Costa Maya on the southern Yucatan coast near the Mexican
border with the country of Belize. We will also stop at
Belize City, the island of
Grand Cayman (which will by then be
fully recovered from the hurricane of last fall), and the well-known off-shore
island of CozumelMexico.
We will receive a group
photo; have a special meeting space in the afternoon on days at sea, and a
complimentary cocktail party. We urge you to contact your 82nd
comrades and friends (you get to define 'friends.') This is a grand vacation
which will be filled with camaraderie. All agents at Rose Alston Travel
(866-531-5514) are very responsive and can send you a Princess brochure if you
like.
Grand Princess was
launched in 1998, the first of four ships in their
grand class. She was then the
biggest and most expensive ever built but that crown has now moved on. 1300
cabins ... 710 of which have balconies. According to Frommer's 2005 Cruise Book
"you'll wonder where everyone is". It's a huge ship with a not-so-huge feeling.
Its layout has passengers dispersed rather than concentrated in one or two main
areas. Frommer rates this ship 4 ½ stars out of a possible
5.
Besides traditional and
anytime dining the Grand Princess has two alternative reservation required
restaurants. Sabatini's Italian Trattoria and Sterling Steakhouse.
We will have a reprise
of our classic "Dining Out" on one of the formal nights at sea, ladies with
their fine gowns and men with their mess dresses/ tuxes or suits. It will be
another in our series of memories as we all reflect upon how fortunate we were
to have served in our grand outfit.
Please let us know via
e-mail or give us a call when you sign up,or just to say hello..
Bon
Voyage,
Robb & Shirley Hoover
13412 Tregaron Circle:Street
Bellevue NE 68123-3466
402-292-6616
RobbHoover@aol.com |
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