Gluten Free Cruise

[Timber4est]

Armeta, your husband can talk golf, over beer, with my husband in the sports bar! That would make them both happy. I think but am not certain that this ship has virtural golf.

Also, I purchased the domain name Open Original Shared Link What I have completed so far is on that site. I loaded some stuff up last night to it, but it is far from complete.

Do me a favor and don't share this domain, I know many of us are sooooo excited to share it, but it isn't ready for the world to see and most unprofessional at the moment. I will load up the community forum when I get a chance, later tonight is the hope once the website resolves to our hosts servers. The site that is there now, is green and filled with google ads. This is NOT our website, this is a dynamic generated site from the domain name registration. When you see the CC (Celiac Cruise) logo, that is our site, again, don't share it, it will give the wrong impression.

I am going snowmobiling today and won't be doing much. If it resolves today while I am gone, I will code the forum tonight so that we can carry on our conversations in there as far as the website goes and for those helping out with this projects.

I have a Volunteer already to head up the Kids activities and gave her an email address to the site yourname@celiacfreedomcruise.com. These individuals will be listed on the Contact Us page of the website.

I will need volunteers for several other things to include:

State representatives (though most general cruise questions can be filtered through the travel agent, that is her job and what she is experienced in). The state representative will become that states "go to" person on the cruise.

Dining or food and beverages - This person will mainly answer questions about the gluten-free menu that Celebrity has to offer. Yes, they offer breads, pastries, pastas, cakes and so mush more. They will also provide us with an electronic copy of the gluten-free menu options that this person could send out to those wanting to know more.

I would like international representatives if at all possible, though our travel agent can answer most of these questions as well. I simply think have this person while waiting for the cruise to get here and then giving them the "go to" person on the cruise would be nice.

If individual support groups are going to be speaking with their members about this cruise, it would be nice to have one "go to" person in the planning phase and the actual cruise.

If there are any other kinds of volunteers you think we might need, please let me know. I spent several hours designing the website with a volunteer working on the main page. We chatted on msn messenger, I made changes and she would hit refresh and tell me what she thought. It is a difficult task and I certainly can't do it all. By the time I work out the code and graphics for each page, my creativity is shot so text ends up sounding more like prattle. It really helps having others assist.

This is all of our cruise and I would like to make sure we represent it correctly and in a professional manner.

Anyhow, again, if the website resolves today while I am gone snowmobiling, when I get home I will code the forum on the website tonight so we can move our conversations about this to the forum where I have the ability to remove the posts once we have taken care of the items :-)

With your help, I hope to have this fully completed in a week or so (depending upon how much information our Travel Agent is able to get).

Deborah

Do I have more volunteers?

[Timber4est]

The site has now resolved to our server, you can visit Open Original Shared Link to view what is there so far.

I have made the community board where we can move the cruise topics into there. There is a thread where you can indicate if you would like to attend at: Open Original Shared Link

Until we have the final quote from the cruise line, I can't really complete the site, though I do have the prices they have given thus far (our travel agen is negotiation a better price, or at least trying).

I mainly have a forum for bugs, text changes/suggestions and or typos. There is also the volunteer section for those of you that would like to help out in some way.

I have yet to complete the "contact us" page which will have the contact information to those of you that are willing to take a specific segment to field questions. As well as the sponsor section which will take through the weekend to complete.

I really didn't know what you guys would like to see in the Freedom Community, which once the quote comes in will turn into a general chat and meet your shipmates section. This will be (I hope) where people ask their questions. Anyhow, details on everything are on the site.

Deborah

[Rusla]

You have done an awesome job and if you need someone for the Canadian contingent then you can call on me.

[JodyW]

As I sat down for the past five days or so, trying to plan a cruise for my husband and I, I realized that in the “special diet” section only two ships show Gluten Free in the needs. When I called the others on the phone, several more also provided Gluten Free menu items. However, the planning phases of a nice cruise for 2007 (in the cruise industry not to early). Most of the ships have some really good chefs on staff and offer cooking classes on-board as one of the daily activities. Then it dawned on me.

We hold in our hands a way to:

#1 Get to know one another in real life

#2 Have a whole series of lectures from experts in the field of Celiac from diet, cooking, fitness and so much more if we can find interested parties.

#3 Take command of a whole ship, forcing those chefs to learn how to make us our cakes so we can eat them too. And then teach us their gourmet ways.

#4 Take a whole vacation without worrying about “Where the next gluten-free meal is going to come from”.

In addition to all the onboard activities there are many excursions in the ports, most of which I doubt have ever been forced to figure any snacks outside of fresh fruit for the one or two passengers they get for the port day-trips. If all or most of their days customers were gluten-free, they too would have to take into consideration our special diet needs, thus spreading the word about Celiac Disease” a little more.

After brain storming a bit, I got back on the phone with several of the nicer cruise lines and found out they do have group discounts, conference rooms and would have no problem with focus groups and their organization. For the “lectures” or focus groups, I thought that splitting things out into topics such as:

#1 Help, I’m tired and can’t get up

#2 Athletes with Celiac and how to cope

#3 Cooking the Celiac way (A title I have been toying with for my new cookbook)

#4 Coping with Celiac (for those that support us through our strange diet)

The possibilities are endless here. I priced out a 7-day vacation in Hawaii at a reasonable hotel with air fare and rental car (mid sized) and realized that it would be more expensive and didn’t have any activities or meals for our family of three included in the price. The ship includes everything except some of the shore excursions.

Most of the cruise lines offer the children clubs, where they break them down into smaller age groups, some cruise lines do this better.

The two cruise lines that have the most extensive gluten-free menus in place already are Holland and Princess, but after calling Celebrity, they also have a good gluten-free menu. My bet is that with a whole gluten free group, this menu would expand and grow. Thus, making cruises easier in the future for whichever cruise line we opt to take a “group cruise” on.

What do you guys think? If we were able to put together a Celiac Cruise and found some people willing to do a daily workshop like they do occasionally, would you be interested in it? When I called the cruise lines, they need to know the approximate anticipated size of the group prior to quoting out prices. My sister-in-law is a travel agent and has put together several group cruise packages kind of like this one, she said she would help me out if there are enough people interested to make it viable.

It would have to be in 2007 or 2008 depending upon the size of the group. But if done in 2007, from the planning aspect, time is short in getting it done. 2008 would be easiest from a planning stand point!

Anyhow, what I would like to know is who would be interested if we had one, what type of people would you like to see there for lectures (dietician is a given), what kind of focus groups and where would you like to set sail?

Price wise, Princess is the most reasonable, Celebrity offers the most for your money and Holland will pamper you like crazy (for a higher fee). I have more details if anyone wants to know them, but don’t know how much work I should continue doing on this idea if there is no interest.

A cruise would be nice, as it would open up people from the entire world and bring us all together in a gluten-free melting pot.

Deborah

A cruise is right up my alley. Celebrity would be my choice of asked. We've been on many cruises with different cruise lines. Let me know of a date and price.

[JodyW]

Prices on a 7-day cruise. Prices listed are with airfare from my airport (considered one of the most expensive in the U.S.). Keep in mind this is without a group discount.

Holland offers only one 7 day (6 nights) cruise in April and it has no stops, you get on in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and get off in Ft. Lauderdale.

The price for 2 people per cabin is $3,983 or $1,991.93 per person (inside state room) 147 sq ft

The price for 3 people per cabin is $5,486.79 or $1828.93 per person (larger inside state room) 147-187 sq ft

The price for 4 people per cabin is $ $6,769.72 or $1,692.43 per person (larger inside state room) 147-187 sq ft

Celebrity offers 7 night Eastern Caribbean Sorry guys, all the economy class state rooms are already booked, they only have suites! People book their cruises so far in advance. I won't be providing the price quote here as is is suite only. Now I myself (due to arthritis and limitations will be getting a suite that has a hot tub on the balcony because I have to have this if I want to move after a busy, active day!)

Day 1 Sun, Apr 08 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Departure Depart 4:30 PM

Day 2 Mon, Apr 09 At Sea

Day 3 Tue, Apr 10 Casa De Campo, Dominican Rep Docked Arrive 1:00 PM Depart 11:00 PM

Day 4 Wed, Apr 11 San Juan, Puerto Rico Docked Arrive 10:00 AM Depart 8:00 PM

Day 5 Thu, Apr 12 Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Docked Arrive 7:00 AM Depart 6:00 PM

Day 6 Fri, Apr 13 At Sea

Day 7 Sat, Apr 14 Nassau, Bahamas Docked Arrive 12:00 PM Depart 5:30 PM

Day 8 Sun, Apr 15 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Arrival Arrive 7:00 AM

[/quot

Sounds a little high. We are going on Dec.9 for 2 weeks round trip from L.A. to Hawaii, with air from Orlando,fl,Ocean view room, total--- $4,378.74, including trip insurance

[dkhilton]

I think this is a fantastic idea. I'm Australian and have both coeliac and IBS illnesses. It would be great for me if I could have my food completely organised to my even more restrictive diet than for most coeliacs...and be confident that they will do as I ask.

I too was considering a cruise for me and my wife (who isn't coeliac) around October 2008....but in Eastern Mediterranean. I say October because that is the time of cheapest flights from Australia (and believe me flying from here is expensive!). I've seen a Costa cruise that leaves from Venice and goes to Rhodes, Dubruvnik, Bari, Olympia (I think), Santorini and Mykonos with a free day. This seemed like a very attractive itinerary. It is only 7 days, but there are longer. You could probably get some Brit coeliacs interested too.

I know your plans are well underway for the Caribbean, but if there is anyone else who wants to or is organising a similar thing for the Med, please let me know. It really is a good idea to organise it like you guys are. The fares for the 7 day cruise were only about $1 400 per person (Australian dollar which is only worth 75c US), but I don't know much about Costa and their gluten-free situation.

Anyone sailed with Costa who has coeliac (celiac to you North Americans?).

Does anyone know anyone organising such a thing as this for Europe?

Thanks

[Nantzie]

Timber (and everyone else!) --

I'm glad this topic popped up again. I really want to do this. I'm just overwhelmed by the price and that it's two years ahead. I wonder if that's why there wasn't much definite interest, and maybe we could address that.

I've only been on one cruise, but I remember a friend of mine a long time ago got on a payment plan to go on a cruise. He booked it a year or two in advance and made payments. By the time they sailed, it was all paid for. I'm not sure if the payment plan was through a travel agency or through a cruise line, or how common that is. But I think that if something like that could be arranged, it would be a lot more do-able, or less overwhelming, at least.

Another thing that I learned from my friend who is "The Planner" of the group is that you just pick the time and place. If you ask everybody what they want to do and where they want to go, and what time they want to get there, nothing ever gets decided and everything falls through.

So maybe we vote on a month, a coast, a cruise line, and then just pick a date out of a hat.

California doesn't really get hurricanes and such. So that expands the times that we can go without worrying about extreme weather. Personally, I'd rather go to the Carribean, but would be a little nervous about going during hurricane season, which of course is pretty much the whole summer to one degree or another.

Another question is how many people do we need with a definite confirmation in order to book a group thing like this? I know Timber, that you said that your sister said that there would need to be enough people to make it viable, but are we talking 20 people? 100? More? And how much money would we have to put down on it, if we can arrange a payment plan.

Nancy

[Kasey'sMom]

We're interested in going on a cruise but it also depends on the depends on where the cruise port is. We're going to be cruising on RCCL out of FL this fall beacuse there's a big price difference. I'll be sure and post how our trip goes.

[Turtle]

WOW, WOW and WOW!!!

I'm speechless!

You have really outdone yourself! Thanks so much!

[Green Fingered Gaelic]

Deb,

I can't possibly read all the replies before I reply.

Just gotta say GREAT IDEA.

Where do I sign?

Quin

Then again it could just be a holiday. We could have an annual global coeliac festival