Cruising and Musing

The time is fast approaching for our First Ever Letterboxing Cruise 2008!!! And this pinecone couple is getting pretty excited! We depart a week from this Sunday.

After receiving permission from NCL to plant boxes on the ship (scavenger hunts, I called them - not wanting to use the word "letterbox,") we've been in somewhat of a carving frenzy. We have 2 series to plant of 6 and 3 boxes as well as 7 different forms of puzzles that, when completed correctly, earn the boxer a unique & very special stamp. And some surprises as well.

There are a total of 37 passengers in this little group out of the 150 that expressed interest in the cruise early on. In an effort to save the group an additional $100, we moved the cruise to June 22 to June 29; the last week before the summer price increases. In doing so, that eliminated many people who have school age children, graduations and the like. If we run this trip again - which will more than likely happen in a few years - we will opt for a week or two later departure so more boxers may be included.

Don't get me wrong - I'm pleased that there is a nice sized group of 37 and it will prove to be a great mixture of many good personalities from around the US. Especially where this is a new trip, I find comfort in the fact that if we fall flat on our pinecone faces at least it's to a limited crowd (and many very good friends of ours that will be understanding!) I've noticed that the first trip, like Dartmoor, is always the most difficult. Details to work out, negotiations with the cruise line, learning how to have Sue & I set up as a travel agency, etc. Now that the work is done, we'll just have to replicate our efforts and make improvements that we spot along the way.

Our Bed & Boxing event will gear up shortly after our return from the pink sands of Bermuda. Funny - we received several emails asking why our events always had a fee involved which eliminated those that want to attend a Pinecone Adventure but might not be able to afford a trip to Dartmoor, a cruise or a weekend at a B & B. We've thought about that pretty extensively and we're starting to think about a gathering - just a plain, old gathering without any costs to take place next year some time. And we might do it in VT. We'll see how that goes. Like any good idea, it has to percolate for a while!

There are no plans to do a diary type report of our trip. Don't know if you've noticed but we still haven't finished our last Dartmoor diary! (I promise I will, Bookworm!) But we'll try to keep a few notes to refresh our memory of any memorable events that occur on the ship. We also have a few other ideas of ways to report our comings and goings aboard ship and playing in Bermuda. Whatever we come up with, as usual, you will be the first to know!

Have a good week.