July 28, 2007

Hello Family Members and Friends,

In August 2005 we all pulled together and were able to pull off an amazing
surprise birthday party for Grandma. Some said it could not be done, but
with faith and a little hard work, we as a family (with the help of some very
special friends who may as well be family) came together and made it
happen! This experience reminded me of something I always knew but
sometimes forget: WE ARE ONE HECK OF A FAMILY!

So I got to thinking about what other spectacular things we could pull-off

and one of the first things that came to mind was a family vacation. As most
of you know, I love traveling and thankfully I have been blessed to be able
to travel a lot. Though I have had many great adventures in my travels, I
would have to say that my favorite vacations have been the cruises I have
taken. I am sure that some of the other family members who have had the
opportunity to go on one or more cruises would say the same (Right? John,
Jackie, Patsy, Chris, Tracy, Armani…).

Now at this point, some of you are already thinking “I’m not going out in the
middle of no ocean!”. I understand your hesitation, but I would really like to
encourage you to call up one of your relatives who have done this before
(especially Patsy since she is TERRIFIED OF WATER) and ask them what it
was like. I promise you that if you never want to see the ocean, you really
don’t have to even know it is there.

Cruises are great for a lot of reasons:

1. Once a cruise is paid for, your entire vacation (including room, food,
and activities on board ship) is paid in full. Alcoholic beverages and
on-shore activities are extra.
2. When you take a cruise, you get to go to several places for one price.
This allows you to get a taste of a few different places and if you like
one a lot, you can plan a future trip directly there to spend more time.
3. Cruises have things for people of all/any age to enjoy. When the
Jenkins’ went on their family cruise back in 2003, their ages ranged
from 5 year-old Justin to 60+ year-old Patsy and everybody had a
ball and had no trouble finding plenty to do.
 4. Activities include: Kids’ clubs that plan age appropriate activities for
kids throughout the day so parents can take a break, a casino on the
ship that is open whenever the ship is out to sea, clubs offering night-
life for teens and adults, jazz and Karaoke bars on some ships, Vegas-
style shows and comedians performing most nights, BINGO, tax-free
(duty-free) shopping, and food available at no extra charge around
the clock.

As I said before, cruises are great!

Hoping to get as many of us together as possible to take this trip, I took a

few things into consideration:
• I tried to find a cruise on a bigger ship with stablizers so that most of
us would be less likely to experience any motion sickness/sea
sickness.
• I tried to find a cruise that had at least 3 to 4 stops (ports of call) so we
could see as many places as possible.
• I tried to find a cruise scheduled in March (@ Easter) or November
(@ Thanksgiving) because they are cheaper during these months, and
because most of the kids would be out of school for at least two days
those weeks and would therefore only miss 3 days of school.
Based on these considerations, I came up with two cruises that could work
for us. Both leave from Florida, one from Miami and the other from Fort
Lauderdale. Both are gone for 8 days and 7 nights and stop in four different
ports of call. Unfortunately the cruise at Easter won’t work as all monies
would need to be paid in full by December 31, 2007 while the Thanksgiving
cruise for 2008 would not have to be paid in full until September 1, 2008. I
have attached the itinerary for the Thanksgiving cruise and the cost
(depending on the type of cabin you choose) to this letter. These prices
would be the cost for each of the first and second persons in each cabin. If
you are planning to bring your children and have them in the same cabin
with you, the cost is discounted for the third and fourth persons in the cabin.

In addition to the cost of the cruise, we would also need to be prepared to

pay for transportation to Florida to get to the ship. We could drive our own
cars, rent vans, or fly. Airlines are not currently able to give their prices for
these dates yet. Another option for transportation to Florida is to charter a
bus to take us all down. I am looking into the cost of a bus and renting vans,
and will send that information out as soon as I have it available.
Cruises must be paid in full 45 days before departure this is why all money
for the cruise must be paid by September 1, 2008. Based on the cost, I have
been able to set up a payment plan of 5 payments per person:

Inside Oceanview Balcony

• Deposit 8/9/07 $25 $25 $25

• Payment 1 1/31/08 $155 $180 $228

• Payment 2 4/15/08 $155 $180 $228
• Payment 3 6/30/08 $155 $180 $228
• Payment 4 9/1/08 $155 $180 $228

I have already reserved 40 cabins, but in order to hold them we need to make
an initial deposit by August 9, 2007. If that is not possible, I will have to
cancel the hold on the cabins and make a new reservation later. Keep in
mind that this is a new ship and will sell out quickly as it was just added on
the website and this is a holiday week we are looking at. I have more
information which I will share at the picnic, but I wanted to write out the
basics.

I think this would be a great adventure for all of us, so I hope many of you
will be able to make it happen. Just think of the memories we will have
hanging out together in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands. I
KNOW we can do this family so let’s broaden our horizons and experience
more of the world together!

Love y’all,

Louise (Sharon)
New Ship Spring 2008!!!!

Total Price with taxes and port charges per person for the 1st and 2nd people
in each cabin:
Interior: $644.56
Ocean View: $744.56
Balcony: $934.56

Total Price with taxes and port charges per person for the 3rd and 4th people
in each cabin:
Interior: $594.56
Ocean View: $624.56
Balcony: $694.56