Ultimate Floating Seminar Cruise 2010 Newsletter 4

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1 Ultimate Floating Seminar Cruise 2010 Newsletter 4 Welcome Once Again Fellow Cruisers Land Based Seminar Details As many of you will already be aware, this cruise package is offering you even more of an opportunity to really get the highest possible interaction with your mentors. As well as seminars on board the Carnival Splendor, the Grants and Blackburns have decided to also give you a full day and a half day seminar to be held in Los Angeles immediately before the cruise begins. For this reason, the seminar will start at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel on the morning of Saturday December 4 th The times for this land based seminar package are: Sat December 4 th : am 4.30pm Sun December 5 th: 9.30 am 1.00 pm The Saturday evening has been kept free to offer you the opportunity to travel around and to check out Los Angeles, Rodeo Drive, Beverley Hills, Hollywood Walk of Fame or maybe to just catch an early night before the cruise. The seminar sessions will be held at: Sheraton Gateway LAX 6101 West Century Boulevard Los Angeles, Ca The hotel is offering a special all-inclusive accommodation package to our group, In addition to the accommodation deal, private coach transfer has been organized from the hotel to Long Beach Carnival Cruise Port on December 5 th. The cost of this transfer is US$15 per person, which includes a tip to the driver. Details on both the accommodation and road transfer deals are provided later in this newsletter. A booking form is available to allow you to reserve your accommodation online. Not all booking forms have arrived back to us yet Please make absolutely certain that you get these forms back to us in the next few days, as opportunities to join our cruise are about to be released to a much wider group of clients, and unless we hear back from you about your intention to join us in the next few days, we may have great issues in working to ensure that we can properly meet your accommodation needs. Remember that you can either fax the completed form back to us on: , or the document back as an Page 1

2 attachment to: We are currently working on the implementation of online forms for your cruise reservations. Once these forms are operational, we'll put a notice up on the Cruisemarketer website. Feedback Again, we're delighted with the comments and questions that we keep receiving from a number of you relating to the newsletters that have gone out so far, and also about aspects of the cruise. If there is anything that you would like to know more about, please send us an , because you can be sure that others will also be hoping for more information. Questions and Answers One of the things that we plan to help you with each week is to provide answers to the questions that any of you ask. Q: How do we find out if the cabin that we have requested has been allocated to us? A: We continue to work day-to-day with the representatives of the cruise line, and are just in the process of finalising the allocation of cabins to those who have responded to us with their booking forms. We plan to send an to each of you who have sent us your booking form to let you know about the status of your booking request, and let you know the amount of money that will be needed to provide the final payment to the cruise line. Q: When will you be accessing our account to make the final payment? A: Final payments to Carnival Line are due during the final week of August, so we will be deducting funds to transfer to the cruise line during the week beginning 23 rd of August. As a courtesy, we'll send you an notifying you of our intention to deduct the funds prior to the action, so that you are able to ensure that there will be sufficient funds in your account to meet the transfer. Q: What is included in the cost of the cruise? A: The cost of the cruise fare includes all of your: accommodation, entertainment, all meals (except for any specialty restaurants on board which do have a small surcharge attached), gratuities to ship's staff port fees and taxes The only additional costs for the cruise would be for: road transport to and from LAX and the Long Beach cruise terminal ($US15 per person under the special deal negotiated for you) alcoholic beverages and some soft drinks onboard costs of any shore excursions that you intend to take during the days that we are docked laundry services, either through the ship's laundry or using the self service laundries purchases made in shops on board internet usage spa and salon services gambling losses incurred!! Q: I've heard about a fuel surcharge. What is this? The fuel surcharge is a method introduced by cruise lines several years ago to offset the fuel costs of their cruises. Many airlines have at times used a similar process to implement a user pays principle into the travel industry. Page 2

3 Typical fuel surcharge rates for cruises have been of the order of $US 5 per day per passenger. Carnival Cruise Lines does have a policy that reserves its right to re-introduce a fuel surcharge should the cost of crude oil exceed a given price and maintain that price for a certain period of time. However, Carnival's Chairman and Chief Executive recently announced that the world's largest cruise operator currently has no plans to reinstate unpopular fuel surcharges on cruise passengers -- even though oil prices far exceed the level the company has said could trigger such a move. At the time of that announcement, the barrel price of crude oil was around $US 84. The current price has dropped well below that figure, so the chances of the fuel surcharge being re-introduced for our cruise seems pretty remote. Q: I suffer from motion sickness, and therefore worry that I won't enjoy the cruise. What can I do? A: For those of us who do feel prone to bouts of seasickness, there can be a real concern about whether the cruise may turn out to be an ordeal rather than an enjoyable experience. The following points may help you to feel more confident about your decision to travel with us: The Carnival Splendor is quite a large ship (113,000 tons) and has good stabilisers that should take out most of the wave motion whilst they are in use. This part of the Pacific Ocean is generally not too rough at this time of the year, but we need to point out that being the Pacific, this can't be totally relied upon. We also understand from researching the experience that others have reported on that the worst day of a 7-night cruise to the Mexican Riviera is likely to be the last day where the ship is travelling at a higher speed to return to Long Beach on time, and may well have the stabilisers retracted. - however by then, you should have your sea legs. The ship does offer seasickness medication from the purser's desk if and when needed We do strongly recommend ginger as a great way to reduce the impact of motion sickness - either in the form of tablets or as crystallised ginger One of the main causes of mal de mer (seasickness) is a conflict within the brain between what our eyes are telling us and the message from the balance organs within our inner ear. If our eyes show that everything is stationary, while our balance senses tell us that significant movement is happening, then we begin to feel queasy. One of the best ways to offset this is to be located in a cabin with a window that can offer a view of the horizon. This helps us to match the messages that our brain is receiving, and thus reduce the degree of seasickness. We plan to carry some ginger with us for those of our group who feel that they may benefit from this form of treatment. Q: I understand that there will be formal nights and Captain's functions on board. Do I have to attend these? A: Most cruises do include at least one opportunity for the passengers to frock up and enjoy a formal night hosted by the Captain. However, there may be some among you who don't enjoy such activities but are concerned that failure to attend may prove to be an issue. The only compulsory aspect of any cruise Page 3

4 is the lifeboat drill that is held on the first evening. Beyond that, you're able to enjoy those things that make you feel comfortable. You should also remember that on this ship there'll be some 3,000 passengers, and that your absence won't be noticed if you decide not to attend. Q: Why haven't I received the earlier newsletters? We are loading everyone's addresses onto our mailing list as we receive your registration information. If you haven't received previous copies of the newsletters then it is very likely that for whatever reason we haven't been given your contact until after the last newsletter was notified. However, all of the previous editions of this newsletter can be accessed at the following URL: Q: I haven't sent back my booking form yet. Do I need to get it back? A: We really do need to get the booking forms back as soon as possible. We have already run out of several of the original categories allocated, and definitely need to know if you have any intention to upgrade to another level of accommodation or wish to bring others along with you. Remember that the complimentary tickets are for a berth in a inside shared twin cabin, and if you delay getting your form in to us quickly, you may not be able to change this allocation. Travel And Accommodation Options Most of us will be travelling from Australia to join the cruise. If you would like to talk with a travel professional to assist you with this aspect of the planning the trip, we recommend that you speak with our preferred agent, Josh Zuker. Josh knows the travel needs of our group, and will be very happy to help you assemble a travel itinerary that will meet your budget and flexibility needs. Josh and his associate Joanne Geary can be contacted at Escape Travel Southland by phone on: Contacting Us If you have any questions or for any advice about the cruise, please contact us by at: info@cruisemarketer.com We really do welcome your questions and comments, because we do want to offer useful and helpful advice to everybody who will be travelling with us on the cruise, whether they be experienced cruisers or first time travellers. Our aim is to make sure that this cruise will be an experience that you won't forget for a long long time. Page 4

5 The 2010 Ultimate Floating Success Seminar Cruise In order to ensure that you will get absolutely the most out of your participation in the 2010 Ultimate Floating Success Seminar Cruise, the Grants and Blackburns have decided to include a full day and a half day seminar in Los Angeles on the days before the cruise begins. For this reason, the seminar will start at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel on the morning of December 4 th 2010 Seminar Times am 4.30pm on Saturday December 4 th 9.30 am 1.00 pm on Sunday December 5 th Where: Sheraton Gateway LAX 6101 West Century Boulevard Los Angeles, Ca The Sheraton Gateway is conveniently located near LAX airport at Los Angeles for those coming in direct from Australia or the UK. There is a complimentary shuttle service from the airport to the Gateway Hotel about a 5 minute drive. The hotel has been recently renovated and now combines a distinctive blend of classic luxury with current technologies and resort amenities. Amongst recent reviews for the hotel are: The hotel was very nice with a trendy/contemporary vibe. The room was very tastefully decorated, clean and beds were comfortable. The hotel was quiet and we slept well. Check in/out was quick. The breakfast bar the next morning was delicious and fresh. I can tell you that the service at this hotel is consistently better than anything I have ever experienced including that at 5 star resorts in major cities throughout the world. The Sheraton Gateway has offered a very reasonably priced all-inclusive deal especially for participants of the 2010 Ultimate Floating Success Seminar Cruise This special deal includes accommodation in a king or twin bedded room that can sleep up to 4, complimentary transfers from the Los Angeles airport, breakfast for two, free inroom wireless internet services and State and County taxes. The deal is available for the 3 rd and 4 th of December, and can be extended for up to 3 days prior to the seminar on request. The all-inclusive price that has been negotiated is US$ per room per night Features of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel include: The casual, lobby-side Brasserie restaurant serving traditional breakfast and lunch. The Rendezvous Cocktail Lounge Page 5

6 The Paparazzi Italian cuisine restaurant - Open for dinner A full-service Starbucks Cafe located in the hotel lobby 24-hour Room Service complimentary 24-hour Fitness Center a business center complimentary shuttle service direct to and from LAX Airport outdoor heated pool and outdoor whirlpool. One of the great outcomes from our past cruises has been the amazing growth and joint venture opportunities that have formed as a result of contacts and networking relationships formed amongst the group. One of the real advantages of staying in the hotel providing the seminar is the opportunity to mix with and get to know others in the group even before boarding the ship, and thus improve an increased chance to build these relationships early. In order to take advantage of this special offer, you'll need to complete the booking form and submit it to Karen Caba, the person who is looking after this aspect of the cruise package. Remember that there are a limited number of rooms available under this offer, and booking applications will be processed strictly in the order that they are received. There is an online booking form on our website at the following address: This form is based on secure (SSL) technology that protects your personal and financial information. All you will need to do is to fill in the details requested on the form, then click on the Submit button. Page 6