[Nolose 2007 Venue] the cruise lady replies

Tue Jan 2 22:18:11 EST 2007

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Can I Go Travel <amy at canigotravel.com>
Date: Jan 2, 2007 7:13 PM
Subject: RE: nolose conference
To: Max Airborne <maxairborne at gmail.com>

 Hi Max,

Thanks so much for your reply! It is great to hear the needs of the group. I
am actually a member of Nolose myself and the more I learn the more I like
the purpose of the group.

ok, there are no cruises that leave from San Francisco, or shall I say no
short cruises. However, there is a 3 night cruise out of Long beach. It
sails Friday to Monday and goes out to Ensenada. This would be on the
Carnival Paradise. There are also 4 night cruises out of San Diego. We would
have access to free meeting space while onboard for seminars, parties,
conferences, gaming events, etc. This is a great value addition for the
group.  The other option would be to plan a land based conference, which we
also handle and would be happy to work on a quote for you.

Regarding the fundraiser on the cruise idea: Since I see on the site that
you guys are a 501c3, we can actually make this cruise a fundraiser if you
would like. Here is how that works. You are given a certain amount of points
for every group cruise sailing. You can do many things with your points,
such as have a private cocktail party, send each cabin champagne and
strawberries, etc. With your points, you can also opt to make the cruise a
fundraiser. Carnival will match funds donated by your guests, up to $5 per
person per day (for the first two people in the cabin). So, on a 3 night
cruise, you can have your members donate $15 per person person and Carnival
will match. Nolose makes $30 per person for each person that travels. If you
have 100 people that travel (two people per cabin) you will earn $3000. You
can always add a larger amount into the donation. If you add $35 per person,
Carnival offers $15, then you make $50 per person and Nolose raises $5000.
If you would prefer to not turn the cruise into a fundraiser, then you keep
all the points for fun stuff, such as I mentioned above. This addition in
the cruise fare is completely disclosable to your members! They can and
should know they are helping raise funds for the organization!

Now...onto your questions below. While there are many cruise ships that
don't have good environmental or labor practices, Carnival is actually
recognized for their leadership and forward thinking on these issues. Check
out these links which will share more info about it.
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/environmental_virtual_.aspx  and
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Articles/employeetraining_award.aspx

As for the disability issue, I completely understand this should be well
addressed. I have worked with several groups in the same situation with much
success. Here is a great article that will tell you how these issues are
taken care of, with the utmost sensitivity and respect.
http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Static_Templates/EMB_guest_special_requirements.aspx
At
the bottom of this form, you can see a link to each ship and see all of the
modified cabins that are available for the groups usage.

Here is an idea on cost, as of course that is a huge part of the idea! These
are the rates for the 3 night sailing from Long Beach:
10/26/07 (lots of options available on dates, I just picked the most
affordable 3 night in October to give you an idea). The rate is so fabulous
for everything you receive!

$230 least expensive inside cabin (based on two people in a cabin)
$111.71 port charges and taxes
$341.71 per person

Note: we will offer all kinds of cabins, not just inside cabins, but I
wanted to give you this info as an idea on price.

optional: $? for the fundraiser donation and pre-paid tips of $30 per person
($10 per person per day)

This cruise fare includes the cruise, port charges and taxes, meals onboard
(except specialty restaurants), some beverages (sodas, bottled water and
alcohol are additional), entertainment, and so much more! The possibilities
are truly endless for the group.

If you have 100 people in attendance, based on double occupancy cabins, you
would earn 6 free cabins (only fee is port charges and taxes are extra). One
of these cabins can be used for an escort from our agency (which would be me
since I am a member) if you would like to have us onboard to coordinate all
the private events and what not. We always recommend an escort when you have
over 50 people in a group. It makes it so much easier on you guys as we do
all the work! The other 5 cabins would be given to your organization to give
away to board members, use in a fundraising raffle, etc. So many ideas!

What we do for you is handle all the reservations, money, information to
your members, etc. We handle everything onboard as well. All you guys need
to do is get the word out about the cruise. We'll have a special link on our
website where your members can click and reserve their cabin. It's that
easy!

Please let me know what you think and what other questions I may answer for
you. I would be so thrilled to work with you and take great care of you all
and your members!

I look forward to hearing back from you!

All the very best!

Amy Sierra
Owner, Can I Go Travel
512-258-2855

-----Original Message-----
*From:* Max Airborne [mailto:maxairborne at gmail.com]
*Sent:* Tuesday, January 02, 2007 6:19 PM
*To:* Can I Go Travel
*Cc:* venue at nolose.org
*Subject:* Re: nolose conference

Hi Amy,

We are currently seeking a location for our next conference, to be held in
October. We've got about 100 attendees, and would need to leave from San
Francisco on a Friday, back on Sunday.

We are a social justice organization, and are concerned that cruise ships
often don't have good environmental or labor practices. Can you address
this?

We also have a large number of members with disabilities, and would need to
be sure that accomodations were accessible.

Please tell me what the possibilities are and what kinds of rates we can
expect.

Thanks,

Max Airborne
NOLOSE board of directors

On 1/2/07, Can I Go Travel <amy at canigotravel.com> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> My name is Amy Sierra and I own a travel agency just outside of Austin,
> TX. We specialize in group travel, for both non-profit and for profit
> business'. I wanted to see if you would be interested in planning your
> next conference on a cruise ship? There are so many benefits to this
> option including unlimited free meeting space, great rates, and not to
> mention alot of fun! If Nolose is a 501c3, we can even make the cruise a
> fundraiser for the organization! Also, the organization earns free cabins
> for each person that travels on the group, so the owners and potential
> others in the organization will travel almost free (only payable are port
> charges and taxes).
>
> If you would like to discuss this further, please let me know. I have been
>
> in the travel industry for 13 years and thoroughly enjoy my field. I look
> forward to speaking to you soon!
>
> Best,
> Amy Sierra
> Owner, Can I Go Travel
> 512-258-2855
> www.canigotravel.com
>
>
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