you know, I am so excited about this, I never have gone to a con before, never went on a cruise before, so why not combine both :P I was like the second person to join their yahoo group(which should not collapse under heavy loading *cough*). And I loved the promise of no secrets and (bad) surprises. It should be mentioned in case people aren't aware these are the same folks wh omade the done the impossible DVD... so hopefully they will manage things quite well(and on time this time :P).

kurya | December 15, 20:05 CET

Sounds fun...I might have to look into this.

SillyD | December 15, 20:18 CET

That will be around my last 1-2 weeks of teaching that semester... bad time to take off... :(

WhoIsOmega? | December 15, 20:33 CET

These always intrigue me, but I've never been. It seems like such a commitment, like, my big vaca for the year.

Can anyone who's ever attended a convention-themed cruise let me know any details? Do you prefer it over regular cons, or regular cruises and vacas? Lemme know. (=

numbereleven | December 15, 21:16 CET

Why, why, why do people have to keep scheduling things in December??? Has no one heard of the holiday that happens in that month, and all the cash that usually uses up??

Sigh.

*resolves self to never being able to do any of these things and sobs quietly*

rockgoddes | December 15, 21:24 CET

Rockgoddes there is a payment plan! so you can use your other money during the year and still have money in December!!


(Now, must find my own "other money" hmmm)

mifeng | December 15, 21:28 CET

Wild horses with spaceships flying just overhead couldn't keep me away from this cruise.

lexigeek | December 15, 21:41 CET

Get it paid off in the summer, then it will not feel like such a burden come x-mas. I'm one of those weird people who find gifts throughout the year. I find that I have less stress this time of year, even with the objects being thrown at me by angry, last minute shoppers. ;)

JohannaHunnie | December 15, 21:47 CET

Does anyone know any information about the organizers? Or, the history of how this came about?

killinj | December 15, 22:06 CET

We had two reasons for scheduling in December.
- Very inexpensive crusing.
- Most of Hollywood shuts down in December easing the possible scheduling conflicts with the VIPs.

JeremyN | December 15, 22:08 CET

Yay! I'm going to this sight unseen with my girlfriend, so I can't wait. :)

BrianRubin | December 15, 22:13 CET

Does anyone know any information about the organizers? Or, the history of how this came about?

Check the cruise website. There's initial information on there already. It's the Done the Impossible gang plus others, including one with a degree in recreation management and event planning.

(Hi, I'm b!X, once again imposing myself into the ongoing unofficial task of "information flow".)

[ edited by theonetruebix on 2006-12-15 20:15 ]

The One True b!X | December 15, 22:14 CET

b!X - I actually did check the website before asking these questions and I didn't find much useful info, hence my post.

It looks like they plan to put information up about the organizers, but currently it's not hyperlinked to anything.

killinj | December 15, 22:22 CET

It looks like they plan to put information up about the organizers, but currently it's not hyperlinked to anything.

Yeah, I just noticed it's in the News section, not on the forthcoming organizers page.

The One True b!X | December 15, 22:25 CET

My bad, we'll get the organizers button linked up shortly. Bix, thanks for helping out. I'm monitoring a bunch of sites, plus I'm supposed to be doing the whole work thing...

JeremyN | December 15, 22:37 CET

I am so doing this.

Charmuse | December 15, 22:57 CET

I understand the proximity to the BDHs, but could you people try looking a few miles east occasionally? It's a lot harder to do this kind of thing when you have to pay for the cruise and $500-600 for plane tix each. And maybe the BDHs would like to get totally away from the left coast for once. *grumble grumble* And everyone knows all the best cruises are in the Caribbean. *grumble gumble*

Yes, I just woke up and haven't had my coffee yet. Why do you ask? o.O

cabri | December 15, 22:59 CET

Yay! Char! Come on the cruise! We'll have a Goners party! Cab, you have to come too!

mifeng | December 15, 23:22 CET

Points taken, and we seriously considered all these factors, but in the end the advantages of sailing out of SoCal outweighed the downsides. Hopefully it's early enough that plane tickets can be had for decent rates. For example, JetBlue flies from NY to Long Beach for $99 each way many times of the year, though it's too early to say whether December 2007 rates will be in that ballpark.

JeremyN | December 15, 23:25 CET

Cabri, I HEAR it, man.

Has there been a Whedon-theme convention or event on the east coast in ages, anyway? We get no options. No AVAILABLE cons.

What's wrong with Cleveland, anyway? That was a perfect spot that I attended a Buffy con, and that was the last Whedon event available to me. Like, three years ago.

numbereleven | December 15, 23:26 CET

I'm very interested in this. I think I may be unable to resist...
In spite of having Flan2 blow up in my face, I have to say that I really enjoyed our Browncoat Backup Bash, and I loved the Browncoat Ball this year, so that makes me believe that this cruise could be amazingly fun!

embers | December 15, 23:29 CET

I don't suppose the "Goners" crew fancy paying out for their Captain to come along?
Thought Not. ;-)

[ edited by StevieB on 2006-12-15 22:06 ]

StevieB | December 16, 00:06 CET

Ah, crap. *thinks hard* Goners party... *thinks again* Out of San Diego?

This one might be a no-brainer, for me... (Ah, c'mon, Cabbie, think about it... We can all give you extra useless superpowers, if that'll help...)

Captain? Can't you take it out of the petty cash jar in the galley?

QuoterGal | December 16, 00:09 CET

This sounds like the coolest thing EVER! If I hadn't just been completely burned by the Flan disaster (and of course it it wasn't a week before my finals) I would TOTALLY go! Cruises all my all time favorite vacations..I think I've been to ever Caribbean island there is!

kballgetlost | December 16, 00:11 CET

*throws a handful of change in the petty cash jar* Did that help any, Captain?

mifeng | December 16, 00:16 CET

This does sound interesting, though I've never cruised before or visited those ports in Baja California.

For those who aren't near San Diego (and that's most of us), sure plane fare is part of your cost. But its part of the cost of any cruise, unless you happen to live in the city it's leaving from (sorry Cleveland). But unless you're flying internationally or only can get to a tiny regional airport, there are lots of fare options if you search wisely. Use the big fare aggregators like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. to see what they'd be asking for. Think about flying in a day or two early or leaving a day late so that you're not trying to get a ticket on a Friday - if you share a hotel room the extra cost may be much less than the airfare difference and you can hang in pretty San Diego and see the Zoo or a bunch of neat sites. Also consider driving a bit further to a larger airport that offers more flights and more competition for your fare - when I lived near NYC, I'd look at all three major regional airports AND look as far afield as Philadelphia, Albany and Hartford for more options of time and cost. Buy early or watch prices for a sharp drop and then buy - again, putting up your money early means that it has already been paid for when the trip (and the holiday) gets closer.

These are just some ideas of how to cut your airfare costs, look around the travel sites on the net for more suggestions. Me, I'm gonna' look at Amtrak and see if that works for me since I'm coming from NorCal and the coastal train is supposed to be a pretty ride.

Kyrax | December 16, 00:23 CET

Sounds cool, but I can't miss those last weeks of the college semester.

fortunateizzi | December 16, 00:32 CET

Jeremy posted, over on their own board, some ballpark info:

We aren't announcing pricing, but if you want ballpark: our goal is for the full event pass will be well under $1000 (inside cabin, quad occupancy) and less than $400 for the non-event pass, which will still get you into two shindigs.

...

A comparison for you all:

Flan-like con: $250 - $500
Hotel 5 days: $395 - $800
Meals for 5 days: $100 - $300

Total: $745 - $1,600

Browncoat Cruise: less than $1,000 (fancier cabins will cost more)
(Plus it's a cruise!)

The One True b!X | December 16, 00:37 CET

Since I live in San Diego, I might have to look into this since I won't have to pay to get to the starting point!

goth_huntress | December 16, 00:38 CET

Well the Goners Crew can always pull a caper to pay for the Captain's cruise. Someone wake up Hooligan on bridge.

Charmuse | December 16, 00:49 CET

Um, are you sure its a good idea to broadcast on the interweb that you will be engaging in highly ambiguious moral and legal activities?


ETA: If anyone is curious here is a thread onthe B3 forum about the browncoat cruise, hilarious stuff indeed and maybe some additional info.

Here

[ edited by kurya on 2006-12-15 23:12 ]

kurya | December 16, 00:57 CET

Oh, those prices are great! They're certainly in my ballpark. :) Can't wait to see what the final prices will be. Any idea how many people this con will have? Will there be a limited number of "event" tickets, or is the goal just "fill the boat"? Assigned seating based on when ticket was purchased? The reason why I have a crick in my neck right now? Maybe I should wander back to the cruise forum.

Dizzy | December 16, 03:34 CET

I was so looking forward to BE Bash this summer because I could actually drive to it!! Plus I figured all the East Coast Whedonites would be there. Too bad it's off my calendar now. :(

I sincerely hope Joss sets Goners somewhere close to the right coast, perhaps in the Great Lakes steel belt where we have lots of seething underbellies for locational atmosphere. At least that way we might get ourselves a con.

And I'll see if me and GS can figure out a way to save up for a cruise that fits in with payment schedules. But I'm not optimistic...

cabri | December 16, 03:41 CET

Well Whedonesque has its own airship adventure holiday (see Paris and then fly over it), so naah naah naah ;).

For some reason, I have the urge to hum the Love Boat theme I really don't know why.

Simon | December 16, 03:45 CET

Loveboat! That reminds me of the Firefly gagreel where they made the Serenity crew into the Loveboat crew, set to the Loveboat theme song. Heehee, good times.

electricspacegirl | December 16, 04:38 CET

Cabri, you have to come! And QG! One short dinner was not enough!
I love cruises.

Lioness | December 16, 07:45 CET

Yep, I'm a San Diegan too, so I'm thrilled I might get to do this. I don't know anyone to bunk with so I don't know how the quad occupancy would work out for me. However, if I had started the process of getting the amendment to my birth certificate last Summer, I would not now need to sweat out the 7 months it takes to get it done, then the 6 weeks to get a passport. Apparently. So I have to think long and hard whether to go for it.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2006-12-16 22:35 ]

Tonya J | December 17, 00:17 CET

well you have 12 months, right? ;)

kurya | December 17, 01:21 CET

Yep, but you know U.S. bureaucracy. They could have a big snafu and hold up my paperwork. I know, I know, focus on the positive!

Tonya J | December 17, 01:26 CET

Sigh... my daughter's 15th birthday is during that timeframe, so no cruise for moi. I'll look forward to LOTS of pictures and bawdy tales! :-)

OzLady | December 17, 23:38 CET