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Introduction
Early-bird
pricing!
Register
by March 15th and get a $50 on-board credit per
person, making the effective starting price less
than any of our conference/cruises since 2005!
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This year we're back to the seas with the 6th Annual Genealogy
Conference and Cruise! With an impressive list of world-class
speakers and
as many as 450 researchers, it has earned the reputation as the
largest family history conference on the seas and is nearly always
sold out. But this year it will truly be an EPIC event.
We'll be traveling on
the Norwegian Epic, the newest and one of the largest cruise ships
in the Caribbean. It is so new, in fact, that its maiden voyage
isn't until July! Its size can be described as nothing short of
massive -- but that size offers some great advantages. While carrying
16% more passengers than any of our previous host ships, it is 35%
bigger and has 41% more staff -- so it will feel spacious by comparison
and you will be pampered throughout.
What's more, the Epic
offers tremendous new facilities, including modern meeting technology,
widespread internet access, 20 dining options, and even some single
cabins. Of course, there are the requisite bars and lounges, casino,
swimming pools, spa, sports complex, and even a bowling alley and
17-degree ice bar!
The line-up of nightlife
alone is stunning with performances by Blue
Man Group (yes, the real one), Second
City Comedy Troupe, and Cirque
Dreams, an acrobatic dinner theater, among many other
options.
Whether this is your
idea of fun or you prefer a quiet evening with a book and a glass
of wine on your private balcony, the Norwegian Epic is nothing short
of magnificent!
With all of the options,
it is easy to forget that, over the course of the week, you'll wake
up at three different tropical ports where you can go sightseeing
or shopping, tour historic Mayan ruins, swim with the dolphins,
or just soak up the sun on a beach, among dozens of other options.
All This
and a Genealogy Conference Too?
What could be better
than a Caribbean vacation and a first-class genealogy conference
all rolled into one?
Although Wholly Genes
makes family history software, the 15+ hours of genealogical lectures
are completely software-neutral and presented by the preeminent
experts in their fields. You'll be among friends (old and new) and
fellow researchers from around the world as you soak up new knowledge
and skills through a lecture series that rivals any regional or
national genealogy conference. And, unlike many traditional conferences,
none of the lecture times overlap so you won't have to make those
difficult choices!
As popular as our lecture
series is, many veterans of our conference value something else
even more. That is the opportunity to share a meal with a world-class
genealogist or to schedule one-on-one time to discuss their
specific research challenges. Come armed with your records and be
prepared to hear about new resources, repositories, and finding
aids that will help you to break down those brick walls. Some people
find these private consultations alone to be worth the trip.
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The
15+ hours of genealogical lectures are completely software-neutral
and presented by the preeminent experts in their fields.
Non-competing
time is set aside for TMG users who want to learn how
to make the best use of that software's features and
companion products.
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Of course, if you're a user of our software, you'll also find a
variety of opportunities to learn how to make use of its features
and companion products from the developers themselves, technical
support staff, and expert users. Our annual conference is the only
time that you will find so many TMG experts in one place!
While more than 98% of
attendees to our previous conferences have rated it "good"
or "great", we're always looking for ways to make it better
so we're implementing many of your suggestions. For instance...
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- The
ship's itinerary still includes three days at sea (so lectures
that don't interfere with vacation time), two ports of call
that we haven't previously visited, and a return to the most
popular port, Costa Maya, the entranceway to ancient Mayan
ruins and other historic sites.
- The ship includes
a number of studio cabins - so single travelers don't need
a roommate.
- This year all
of our genealogical lectures will be in a single
venue (the ship's main theater).
- You'll hear presentations
from world-class speakers who are new to our conference, as
well as some who are returning by popular demand:
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- First,
we are honored to bring you Lloyd Bockstruck,
30-year veteran Supervisor of the Dallas Public Library,
who has been described as "easily the most sought
after lecturer for annual seminars of local and state
genealogical societies."
- This year
will also feature Dr. Stephen P. Morse, whose
long resume includes the development of the "One-Step"
web portal, the extremely popular search engine for
the Ellis Island databases and dozens of other on-line
resources.
- In response
to your pleas, we've manged to coax professional genealogists
and most-popular speakers, Hank Jones, Megan
Smolenyak, and Craig Scott to come back for
return engagements. (See below for more about the speakers.)
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- Even in the case
of returning speakers,
every lecture will be new to our conference.
- Lectures will
cover a wide spectrum of topics, including methodology, record
types, repositories, finding aids, technology, online resources,
international research, and case studies. (Specific lectures
have not yet been announced).
- In addition to
the regular lecture series, the meeting schedule will include
longer lunches, the casual late-night roundtable discussions
which have been so popular, and more time to socialize with
other researchers (e.g., at cocktail parties).
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So join us for an educational
and fun-filled voyage to the Western Caribbean while we learn about
genealogical research methods, tools, and technologies from some
of the most popular speakers and authorities in those fields. Don't
miss this opportunity to learn new research techniques from the
experts while also enjoying relaxing jaunts to warm and exotic ports
of call. It will be a memorable trip!
This
event is nearly always sold out so register early to avoid
missing your chance to join us!
The Speakers
As always, we offer an incomparable lineup of all-star
speakers:
Lloyd
Bockstruck
Genealogist, author, columnist, and 30-year veteran
Supervisor of the Genealogy section of the
Dallas Public Library.
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Hank
Jones , FASG
Author, professional genealogist, popular speaker,
singer, songwriter, and former Hollywood actor.
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Dr.
Stephen P. Morse
Genealogist, designer of the
"One-Step" web portal, and architect of
the original Intel 8086 chip.
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Craig
Scott, MA, CG
Certified genealogist, publisher, speaker, and
military record expert.
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(Click
on a speaker's name for more complete biographical information)
Users
of The Master Genealogist (TMG) family history project manager will
also hear specialized presentations about that software and its
companion products. Our annual conference is the only time that
you will find so many TMG experts in one place, including:
Bob
Velke
President of
Wholly Genes and lead developer of TMG
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John
Cardinal
Expert TMG user and developer of "Second
Site"
and "TMG Utilities"
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Lee
Hoffman
Editor of "Getting the Most Out of The Master
Genealogist" |
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Dorothy Turner
Senior Technical Support Representative, Wholly Genes
Software |
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Lectures
and Other Events
All speakers will conduct
a limited number of one-on-ones (private 15-minute consultations)
and hosted breakfasts (casual meals at a table of eight). Genealogical
speakers will also provide three one-hour lectures.
The lecture schedule
and topics will be announced later in the year. None of the genealogical
presentation times will overlap and all will be scheduled while
the ship is at sea. You can therefore attend all of those
lectures and not interrupt prime vacationing time! Plans for two
cocktail parties and other special events are also underway.
The speaker list is not
expected to change but we reserve the right to adjust any details
to accommodate unforeseen circumstances.
The
Itinerary
Journey with us to these
exotic ports of call. Spend your days exploring the local sites,
wandering the colorful street markets, or just soaking up the sun
on a tropical beach. You can go on a nature
expedition, take an historic tour, take a ride on a glass-bottom
boat, swim with the dolphins, or choose from a long list
of other optional guided shore excursions.
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Date
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Port of Call
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Arrive
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Depart
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Sat, Sep 18
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Miami, Florida
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4:00
pm
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Sun, Sep 19
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At Sea
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Mon, Sep 20
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Costa Maya,
Mexico
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8:00
am
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6:00
pm
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Tue, Sep 21
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Roatan, Honduras
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8:00
am
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5:00
pm
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Wed, Sep 22
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At Sea
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--
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--
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Thu, Sep 23
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Cozumel, Mexico
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8:00
am
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6:00
pm
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| Fri,
Sep 24 |
At Sea
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--
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Sat, Sep 25
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Miami, Floria
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8:00
am
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--
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The
Ship
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The Norwegian Epic is a brand new "F3 class"
ship whose maiden voyage will be 17 July 2010. It is
153,000 tons and holds 4200 passengers and 1690 crew
members. It has a large
theater for all of our genealogical lectures plus
20 flexible dining options, including French, Italian,
Chinese, and American cuisines.* There's even a "big
top" dinner venue with acrobatic entertainment.
Or you can get room-service 24-hours a day.
Modern accommodations
include single, double, family cabins, as well as a
variety of deluxe cabins, suites, and penthouses. Unlike
most cruise ships, every oceanview stateroom
has a balcony. The new single studios have private access
to a two-story "Living room" area with big
comfortable seats, wide-screen TVs, and a coffee and
coctail bar.
The ship
also has a comedy club, jazz club, sports bar, ice bar,
and a variety of other lounges, plus an art gallery,
casino, pools, spa, fitness center, and many other amenities.
For the more active bunch, there is even a bowling alley,
batting cage, rock-climbing wall, aqua park, and a comprehensive
program to keep children engaged, entertained, and occupied.
For those
who can't stand to be out of touch, there's an Internet
Cafe and wireless Internet avaialble throughout every
inch of the ship!
* Specialty dining restaurants and some entertainment
venues may incur a cover charge.
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Pricing
Prices start at $874.46
(inside cabin, double occupancy) subject to availability.
But register
before March 15th and get a $50 on-board credit per person, making
the effective starting price just $824.46. That's less than
any of our conferences at sea since 2005!
The price includes food,
port fees and taxes, shipboard entertainment, and attendance to
all conference lectures and group events. The price does NOT include
travel to/from Miami, alcohol, tips, or optional guided shore excursions.
Pre- and post-cruise
hotels will be made available at group rates for those who want
them. Roommate-matching assistance may also be available. Please
see our Seeking
Roommate forum or tell the travel agent if you need help finding
a roommate.
Cabin
type
(click
here for descriptions) |
Price
per person*
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Effective
Price after $50 on-board credit
Until
March 15th only!
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| Inside
Cabin |
$874.46 |
$824.46 |
| Single
Studio |
$1064.46 |
$1014.46 |
| Balcony
Cabin |
$1254.46 |
$1204.26 |
| Deluxe
Balcony Cabin |
$1489.46 |
$1439.46 |
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Other accommodation choices may be available.
Contact our Cruise Web agent for details.
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Reservations require
a deposit of $600 per person upon booking with the balance
due by June 5th. Cancellations before July 5th will forfeit
$350 per person of the deposit (and more after July 5th).
Travel insurance is available at a group rate and may cover
the cancellation fee under certain conditions.
Register by
March 15th and get a $50.00 on-board credit per person.
You can use it to get a massage, go to the casino, get a golf
lesson from a pro, reserve a shore excursion, buy alcoholic
drinks, or anything else on the ship.
To make your reservation, download this registration form:
http://www.WhollyGenes.com/cruiseregister.pdf
Then print it and send the completed form to our group
travel agent by fax (240-487-0153) or scan and email it to
Juliea@cruiseweb.com.
If you do not get a confirmation within 24 hours (or you have
any other questions or concerns), please call The Cruise
Web toll free between 9am and 5pm Eastern (M-F) at 1-800-377-9383
and press "8" for the special Wholly
Genes reservation hotline.
During business hours, a bank of operators is standing by
but the reservation line is expected to be busy at times.
If you are asked to leave a message, your place in line will
be preserved and an operator will return your call.
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 Read
What They've Said ...
Post-cruise
survey:- respondents who rated the overall cruise and value for
the money as "good" or "great":
- 2009: 98.4%
- 2008: 99.5%
- 2007: 99.4%
- 2006: 98.8%
- 2005: 98.2%
Dick Eastman's
reviews of previous cruises that he attended:
Passenger's
blogs:
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