The Love Boat, TAM4

[DanishDynamite]

hey, I love the Stardust...

I liked it too. And I liked Vegas. For the week in question.

But I've seen most of what is to see there. I want to see other places, experience something else.

 

[CFLarsen]

I liked it too. And I liked Vegas. For the week in question.

But I've seen most of what is to see there. I want to see other places, experience something else.

Next year, I'll make an effort to go to that big hole in the ground....what's that name again??

 

[CFLarsen]

Karl and Linda might not agree? (Who is Karl, by the way?)

Karl is Linda's husband. He was doing the auctions.

Anyway, if Linda is not amenable, perhaps it is time for a seperate JREF Forum TAM. We may have only made up 10% of the attendance at the last TAM, but we were clearly the loudest, the funniest and the most attractive group there. I can personally attest that many non-forumites somehow ended up attending our extra-curricular activities.

I don't like splinter groups, but we all just live once.

In short, I'm for a boat ride.

Well, it has been 1200 years since we last went sailing to go plunder and pillage.....

 

[duppyraces]

hey, I love the Stardust since they sent me $300 (which is should be noted has since been sent back).

Classy people.

Anyway, I think a mini event. Not a major TAM. Just a few speakers and a chance to sail through a major hurricaine to see if any atheists convert....hehehehehehehe...


We all have to speak like pirates the whole time too.


"Arggggh, those darn evangelists should be hung from the highest yard arm...."

Kitty, we so have to sail together. Let's not just talk about this. Let's do it.

 

[jj]

Well, it has been 1200 years since we last went sailing to go plunder and pillage.....

Yeah, yeah, so tell me, Claus, why is it that even though my family is from Scotland, my name looks almost Danish? What was that about those dudes in longboats rowing up the Annan water?

 

[CFLarsen]

Yeah, yeah, so tell me, Claus, why is it that even though my family is from Scotland, my name looks almost Danish? What was that about those dudes in longboats rowing up the Annan water?

I know nothing. I was in Lindisfarne at the time.

 

[Beanbag]

Point to make about rooms (cabins) on a cruise. This was shared with me by the blues-cruising watchmaker I work with.

His advice is to go for the cheapest cabin available. You'll only use it for sleeping. The rest of the time, you'll be out doing other stuff. The boat is your playground, the cabin's just storage and crash space. Yeah, you may not have an ocean view from your room, but that's what the deck is for.

A Forum cruise sounds too good to miss. I'm in, assuming none of the other Diagnosticians are scheduled for vacation at that time.

Regards;
Beanbag

 

[demon]

Hutch:
"Not to throw cold water on a hot idea, but I've cruised some (4 trips) and there are two problems with TAM at sea I see:..."

The Flying Hutchman?

 

[Luciana]

I'm also sick and tired of Vegas. Three times in a lifetime (I went once in 1999) is more than enough. I swear to Ed I don't gamble!

So... TAM must be in Vegas, because of Penn & Teller, prices, because that's how the JREF wants it. Ok, no problem.

But we can do something separate, can't we? There's nothing stopping forumites from meeting anywhere they want to. Who could object to more social time?? Plus, of course we could include other skeptics, forumites or not.

Boats have lots of stuff to do. We'd never die of boredom! That is, I've never been in a cruise. I never felt like going to one - unless there were lots of people I'd be interested in talking to. Of course! Otherwise I might die of boredom. But a ship full of interesting people? I'm there.

We can do a lot of stargazing.

Miami is a good destiny, then the Bahamas. Miami is a cheap direct flight for most people, midway if you look in the map.

I'm all for it.

 

[kittynh]

Yeah, yeah, so tell me, Claus, why is it that even though my family is from Scotland, my name looks almost Danish? What was that about those dudes in longboats rowing up the Annan water?

yeah, and which came FIRST...

Catriona or Katrina???

Just checking, but one of my kids has Catriona for a name.

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

I wasn't sure if that was me until I got to the dark roots. Well, okay. And I did notice others inciting a lot of things. So are you going on the cruise or what? We're going to get this thing going, if only as a forum event! If we want to go through the Bermuda Triangle, we'd better plan on eastern Caribbean, as the western cruises go a different route.

I've lived in Iran. I've travelled throughout Europe. I've been to 40 or so states. I've never been on a cruise though, and the thought of joining my fellow forumites on one - even if it's just an ad hoc collective vacation rather than a formal conference is very appealing.

I'm not sure my friend Jami would be able to make it depending on timing and her vacation time, but after taking her to Mexico twice and two TAMs, a cruise is my last undone travel goal with her. Her coming wouldn't make or break my decision, but if she could it certainly would encourage me.

As far as locations? Well, there's my dream locations which include Alaska, the South Pacific (or Indian more so since I want to see Bali and Sumatra) and - Nordic members be proud - a cruise of the North Sea and Baltic including Jutland and the Fjords of Norway.

Realistic locations - the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean. An eastern route would be cool for me since I've been to Cancun and Cozomel, but never to any of the islands.

If this develops beyond the brain storming stage... count me in.

 

[Brown]

I've never taken a cruise. My parents just completed their first cruise (around Hawaii) and they loved it!! But they were baffled by the comments of others who said that the cruise didn't pamper the guests as much other cruises do. My parents thought that they had been well taken care of, and could not figure out what other cruises may have had that theirs lacked (and those who complained did not give specifics).

My parents were very impressed by the entertainment on the cruise. They said it was like Las Vegas entertainment. They did not say whether or not the cruise ship had a casino.

I would not mind taking a cruise down south and seeing some southern stars. I'm pretty familiar with the stars here at forty-five degrees north latitude, but I know there are some pretty interesting constellations just below the horizon.

If we go north, that would be fine, too... but we should go far enough north to be able to see the aurora borealis.

 

[shanek]

We all have to speak like pirates the whole time too.

"Arggggh, those darn evangelists should be hung from the highest yard arm...."

Then we'll have to go the weekend of September 19th—because, after all, that's Talk Like A Pirate Day, matey! Hyarrr!

 

[shanek]

We can do a lot of stargazing.

Can you do a lot of stargazing on a cruise ship? Won't they have a lot of exterior lights on at night?

 

[CFLarsen]

yeah, and which came FIRST...

Catriona or Katrina???

Roar came first. After that? Who cares??

Just checking, but one of my kids has Catriona for a name.

Don't look at me. I was in Lindisfarne at the time.

 

[Hutch]

OK, I am sold on doing this as a JREF Forum-type activity (with maybe a speaker or two). Question is when and where.

As to when, well, in conjunction with TAM would be best, but since most writing here are thinking Caribbean, that would mean an extra cross-country plane trip to/from Las Vegas. There are 3-4 night cruises from Los Angeles to Catalina and Baja that are pretty cheap and could probably be blended in with the TAM, but the January weather might not be the best or the warmest.

Going in the summer months is the best, but also the most expensive. Plus, it would mean another vacation and travel for those overseas folks (who come to TAM) which is probably out of the question for most.

So maybe the best is to look around for what is cruising from the Port of Los Angeles in January 2006 and see what is available. I'll do some searching myself if I get the chance.

 

[exarch]

For most overseas people (more specifically Europeans) vacation time is plenty, cash is not so plenty. Compared to Americans anyway.

So extending TAM with another activity would be interesting, since it would mean only one expensive cross-Atlantic flight for double the fun.

While a separate $500 cruise is a nice idea, if it means spending another $500 to $800 on a flight to the US unrelated to TAM, it's not that cheap any more. What's more, it'll still be quite a bit more expensive than TAM itself, probably even more expensive than if TAM would be held in a place like LA or NY. I can only afford one TAM-like expense a year ...

 

[shanek]

While a separate $500 cruise is a nice idea, if it means spending another $500 to $800 on a flight to the US unrelated to TAM, it's not that cheap any more.

It's not that much cheaper for domestic flights, depending on where and when. It cost me almost $400 to fly to Vegas.

(But still...if the hot European guys like exarch and deBergerac can't go, that's less competition for me...Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep Mercutio away! )

 

[Luciana]

Can you do a lot of stargazing on a cruise ship? Won't they have a lot of exterior lights on at night?

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. It's just that the night sky in deserted beaches are so awesome, that I just extrapolated. Maybe the lights could kill most of the view. Those who have been in cruised could give their opinion!

To me, things could be separate. In January, in Vegas, TAM. Summer, cruise, forumites. Those who can go to both, go. Those who can't, choose. Considering I'm not enthusiastic about leaving more money in Vegas, I'd choose the cruise anytime.

 

[Mercutio]

(Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep Mercutio away! )

Problem solved. The grant that allowed me to go to Vegas has gone dry, and with kids getting ready for braces, college, etc., there is no way for me to justify such an expense. I simply do not make that kind of money.

Have fun, though.