June 2010 Cruise Critic Group Aboard the Solstice: Prices have gone down!

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The 2010 Cruise Critic Scuba Cruise aboard the Solstice

 

Celebrity Cruises has once again won top honors in one of the most trusted surveys of consumer travel preferences in the world. The prestigious Conde' Nast Traveler magazine’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards in the February 2010 magazine ranked Celebrity number one in the new Mega-Ship Cruise Lines category, recognizing the Celebrity Solstice with the honor!

 

So it goes without saying that Cruise Critic picked a great ship to host it's annual Scuba Cruise; divers and non-divers are welcome, though we currently have room for only two more divers.

 

Back by popular demand, the fifth annual Cruise Critic Scuba Cruise will be heading back to the Western Caribbean in 2010! This 7 night voyage aboard the luxurious Solstice will depart from Fort Lauderdale on June 20, 2010 and call on the ports with some of the best diving in the Caribbean: Cozumel, Roatan, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya! It combines the luxury of a Celebrity cruise with the best the Caribbean has to offer divers and non-divers alike.

 

Please visit our group forum for detailed informaiton or download a copy of our group brochure and dive package. Prices were recently reduced on this sailing, and space is very limited. This group cruise is nearly sold out and has room for only 2 more divers and 6 non-divers!

 

For questions or more information, please email the group leader.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

 

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Itinerary

 

 

Day 1

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Depart 4:30 PM

 

Day 2

At Sea

 

Day 3

George Town, Grand Cayman

Tendered

Arrive 7:00 AM

Depart 4:00 PM

 

Day 4

Cozumel, Mexico

Docked

Arrive 9:00 AM

Depart 6:00 PM

 

Day 5

Costa Maya, Mexico

Docked

Arrive 8:00 AM

Depart 6:00 PM

 

Day 6

Roatan, Honduras

Docked

Arrive 8:00 AM

Depart 5:00 PM

 

Day 7

At Sea

 

Day 8

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Arrive 7:00 AM

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Here are some YouTube videos on the Solstice that might give you a better idea of what the ship is like:

 

Ship Tour

 

News Report

 

Passenger Video

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Dive Package Information

 

Certified scuba diversin the 2010 Scuba Cruise Group can purchase a four port dive package that includes two tank boat dives in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan and Costa Maya. Members (defined as divers who are booked into the group through Cruise Critic’s agent at CruCon) are not compelled to dive in all four ports. Dive boat space in each port is limited to 12 members; we recommend you check out the most recent dive boat list at Cruise Critic as to which ports sill have space. Divers must be on the dive boat list in order to purchase dives – you can do this yourself.

 

Please note that the dives are not included in the cost of the cruise; therefore, you must purchase your dives independently from a company called ShoreTrips. ShoreTrips has been around for a while, and Liz Gonzalez, our group dive coordinator, has been putting together our dive packages for four years now. The dives offered to our group through ShoreTrips are not the same as those available to the general public at their website. Our rates and which dive operator we dive with, not to mention which dive sites we visit, are negotiated specially for our group. Only people booked into the group through Cruise Critic’s booking agent at CruCon are eligible to purchase the dives in our dive package – no exceptions to this.

 

Our custom dive package will include round trip transportation (where necessary) to all dive operators. As of this message date of January 26, 2010, pricing is not yet available, but will be soon. All dives MUST be purchased in advance of the cruise no later than May 1, 2010. ShoreTrips has a 100% refund policy up to 11 days prior to diving in the event you are unable to dive or go on the cruise. They will also refund 100% if we are not able to dive because of weather conditions or the ship is not able to make it to the port. In addition to this, if we experience an itinerary change, they will work on rebooking the dives in the new port.

 

There will be a mandatory Pre-Dive Orientation Meeting the first full day of the voyage – Monday, June 21, 2010 at 9:30am. Please refer to the Group Cruise Planner at our group message board for detailed information about this and other group activities. If you plan to go diving with the group, please email Suzi, the group leader. Dive specific communication is done through email, so it’s important you provide contact information.

 

Estimated Cost for Diving

 

Below is an estimate of the cost of diving; the total should come to just under $400pp if you were to dive in all four ports of call. All prices are for boat dives, and do not include equipment rental. In Grand Cayman, there will be a choice of diving from shore or doing a boat dive. If you want to dive from shore, you will need to make arrangements to do so with the group leader.

 

 

Day 3

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

George Town, Grand Cayman

Tendered

Arrive 7:00 AM

Depart 4:00 PM

 

Approximate Cost for 2 Tank Boat Dive: $120pp

 

Approximate cost for shore diving: about $20 per tank

 

Day 4

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Cozumel, Mexico

Docked

Arrive 9:00 AM

Depart 6:00 PM

 

Approximate Cost for 2 Tank Boat Dive: $85pp

 

 

Day 5

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Costa Maya, Mexico

Docked

Arrive 8:00 AM

Depart 6:00 PM

 

Approximate Cost for 2 Tank Boat Dive: $90

 

Day 6

Friday, June 25, 2010

Roatan, Honduras

Docked

Arrive 8:00 AM

Depart 5:00 PM

 

Approximate Cost for 2 Tank Boat Dive: $90

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What is a Cruise Critic Group Cruise Like?

 

The 2010 Scuba Cruise aboard the Celebrity Solstice is being sponsored by Cruise Critic. Five million visitors strong, Cruise Critic is a critically acclaimed interactive community comprised of avid and first-time cruisers who enjoy the fun of planning, researching and sharing their passion for cruising. No other single resource covers the world of cruising as thoroughly as CruiseCritic.com. Cruise Critic’s world-renowned editorial staff offers objective cruise reviews, features, ports of call profiles and destination stories not to mention, group cruises. The Cruise Critic message boards are the most active in the world.

 

Since its inception in 1995, Cruise Critic has earned the status of being the most influential cruise site on the Web, and an innovator of consumer-oriented cruise travel news.

 

Cruise Critic utilizes CruCon Cruise Outlet to handle the cruise booking for this group cruise. CruCon’s agent, Johna, deals directly with the Celebrity Group Coordinator to accommodate our group’s booking. All group cruises are open to members of Cruise Critic, their families and friends. You do not have to be a certified scuba diver to book this cruise. Typically, Cruise Critic Scuba Cruises consist of about 30% divers and 70% non-divers.

 

All Scuba Cruises tend to be low key and focus on diving, but non-divers are welcome. We include everyone booked into the group (through CruCon) in all our shipboard activities.

 

All group members will receive a cruise planner prior to the voyage outlining the activities scheduled for the group that include a Bon Voyage Party on embarkation day and other get togethers. There will be a pre-dive orientation meeting the first full day at sea for all the certified scuba divers scheduled to dive with the group, a group photo shoot, impromptu gatherings and photo download parties on select nights. Members will also have the option to order group tee shirts, usually available 30 days prior to the sail date.

 

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Note to Non-Divers

 

Since the first Scuba Cruise in 2005, we have always had a strong non-diver presence in our group. Though the focus for the divers is naturally going to be the dives we do together in port, non-divers who join the group are extended invitations to ALL group activities.

 

Many non-divers join the group to take advantage of our group perks and pricing, while others have a connection to the divers in the group. Regardless of how you found us, please know you are welcome!

 

We will be posting non-diver information at our group forum, where you will find cruise reviews, information about the ports of call and shore excursion information. Please don't hesitate to email me, the group leader, if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Thanks.

[Sailfish]

2010 Scuba Cruise Web Page

 

I want to bring your attention to our group web page - we have a lot of excellent information about the Scuba Cruise there, including ship reviews and other stuff.

 

Enjoy!

[Sailfish]

Though our dive group is sold out, we still have a few cabins available for any non-divers who would like to join us!