WHOSE ON BOARD???

Although most of us will most likely never even see DECK 13, I thought it was time to get this party started with a video picture montage of the folks who have already booked their passage on our CRUISE OF A LIFETIME Vacation. These are scenes of those individuals enjoying some of the good times we've shared in the past, and I hope that this REMINDER of all the good times in the past will get you all revved up for the good times we're going to have in just a few short months ! I hope you enjoy the video, and please feel free to challenge me to make a new updated montage by getting yourself booked. If you're already booked, challenge my video-making skills by convincing another one of our peeps or your peeps to join us because as we all know, THE MORE THE MERRIER....especially when you're talking 'bout that EDWARDS CLAN!!!!

Don't forget to bookmark this site or save it to your favorites because as you can see, it contains everything you'll need to be prepared to make this CRUISE OF A LIFETIME the vacation YOU HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED OF TAKING ;)

Your Wish Is My Command

At the request of one of one of my favorite bloggers (that would be you Mega!), I am posting all of the pertinent information regarding our CRUISE OF A LIFETIME vacation.

The trip is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 21, 2008 as you will be reminded by the counter in the left margin immediately upon arriving here! November being what it unpredictable weather-wise in the midwest and with the ship departing from the port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at 4:00 PM that Friday afternoon, many of us plan to practice the old addage "it's better to be safe than sorry" and travel to Florida on Thursday. For that reason, I have added links in the left margin to two "economical" hotel chains which have establishments in the local area that provide breakfast and pick-up from the airport as well as drop off at the pier. The hotel research was provided by another of our cruisers, Valerie E. so a big thank you to her for making my life that much easier!

Once we embark, here is the path we will follow:

The prices shown above are the current per person price based on cabin category if the cruise were purchased directly through Carnival. As part of our group, the prices that have been contracted are as follows:

• Interior Cabin $644.56 per person


• Ocean View $744.56 per person


• Balcony $934.56 per person

These prices are not dependent on a minimum number of individuals actually participating and thus are not subject to change in the event someone decides not to go at the last moment. In Carnival's system we qualify as a group as long as we have a minimum of 8 cabins booked, and currently we have 13 cabins booked. As a group we will receive a few additional perks (have not yet determined), including a private reception/party in one of the ships public areas which will be reserved for our group exclusively during that time period.

The original deadline for booking at these prices was June 11, 2008. However, last week I spoke with the travel agency and was told that they are still holding 11 cabins at these same prices for our group. Seven are inside cabins, two are ocean view, and two are balcony category. I don't know how long these will be available as the cruise line can release the hold at anytime at this point; so if anyone is interested in joining us, NOW is the time to make the decision as you can see there is a significant financial penalty involved if you later decide to book directly through Carnival.

To reserve your cabin, you will need a $300 per person deposit. Once that deposit has been made your reservation will be held and the balance will be due to the travel agent by August 22, 2008. So, if you do wish to reserve a cabin simply contact me as soon as possible and I'll take it from there.

So there you have it friends and countrymen...Here's hoping more of you will decide to join us!

Splendor On The High Seas!

You guessed it! That is indeed our home for the week of November 21st through November 29th, 2008...THE CARNIVAL SPLENDOR!

She has been completed and delivered to her new owners at Carnival Cruise Lines and is preparing even as we speak to make her first voyage across the sea. For those who would like to check out SPLENDOR's creation in photos, click here.

Splendor is without question a one-of-a-kind vessel with her 5000+ square foot Carnival Kids Club accommodations, Poolside Movie Theatre and Pool with fully retractable dome, and last but not least her luxurious spa known by the name Cloud 9 which is rumored to be one of the largest spas afloat!

From her formal dining rooms inspired by the Pearls of the Oceans to her sushi bar, casino, and fabulous theatre where live vegas-style shows and comedy acts will perform, SPLENDOR was designed not to disappoint. With around the clock access to room service in your cabin to formal assigned dinner seating, to a quick bite on the Lido Deck, SPLENDOR has set her sights on sending you home a "much bigger person" than you were when you arrived ;)

I don't know about you, but my current address doesn't sport amenities like these so I simply can't wait to relocate temporarily to these new digs! To learn more about SPLENDOR and all that she has to offer, click this link and you will be taken to her home website. Go there and take a look to ensure that you don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of everything SPLENDOR has to offer.

Get your temporary change of address cards ready kiddies...November will be here before you know it!

Also, while you're here, check out the poll in the left margin and weigh in on whether or not you would be interested in a group excursion while in one of the ports and if so, vote on which type of activity you would be interested in participating in as a group excursion. You may select more than one activity or type in any other suggestions on the "OTHER" line.

Are You Deck 13 Material?

Back in October 2003 ten members of my family took a cruise vacation on the Carnival Triumph. We had several teens/pre-teens in our group including my son Ryan, my nephews Brandon and Armani, and my cousin Candace. One of the greatest assets Carnival makes available to its younger passengers is access to their Carnival Kids Club. Shortly after our cruise began, these younger members of my family were asked to follow one of the Kids Club chaperones up to Deck 12 where they were to participate in a planned activity. Like the wonderfully well-behaved children they are known to be throughout the entire carribean (*smh*), they did as they were asked and followed the chaperone. Here's where the story gets a bit fuzzy as there are many explanations for what happened, none of which make much sense, but to make a long story shorter, suffice it to say that instead of stopping at Deck 12 as planned the chaperone continued on to Deck 13 instead. Followed by her young charges, the poor chaperone did not realize the error she had made until she swung open the doorway to Deck 13 only to find to her horror (and before she could shield her young charges' eyes) that she had somehow brought children to the nude sun bathing deck! So to those of you who will be joining us on the cruise of a lifetime I ask the following question:

ARE YOU DECK 13 MATERIAL?

I can assure you that I am most definitely not Deck 13 Material, so I'll just hang out on the other 12 decks with Grandma thank you very much! LOL!!

In the hope of avoiding situations like the infamous DECK 13 INCIDENT, this blog has been created to keep track of all the things that need to happen to make this cruise go as smoothly as possible. I plan to post all the relevant information on this site as it becomes available, thereby making it available to you 24 hours a day whether you are able to reach me or not. You will be able to access any forms, paperwork, or anything else you may need by cutting and pasting it from this site or simply by clicking the appropriate link which will take you directly to wherever it is you need to be.

As we move closer and closer to our departure date, you will be able to come here to find the answers to everything I've already told you in my email updates that you failed to save as requested when they were sent ;b

Additionally, I plan to provide links to this site to those family members and friends who are not currently booked to travel with us in the hopes of making them jealous enough to get off their butts and join us before it is too late...hahahaha!

Finally, once we have actually gone on our vacation of a lifetime and returned home, I will post stories, pictures, and video of our exploits here and any of us will be able to drop in here any time we wish we were back there on the CRUISE OF A LIFETIME!

So join me as I launch this wonderful electronic memory bank of our journey to our journey and beyond!

FIVE MONTHS AND COUNTING...are you cruise-ready yet? ;)