My travels continue and I must admit that I am enjoying myself. I spent the last week basking in the sunshine in Fort Lauderdale. Now I am about to jump on a cruise ship.
I'll spend next week on board Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, along with many other genealogists. This cruise is sponsored by RootsMagic, the popular genealogy software for Windows. The cruise will depart Port Canaveral and make stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Cococay, Bahamas. The ship returns to Port Canaveral at the end of the one-week cruise.
Like most genealogy cruises, the RootsMagic cruise combines genealogy classes at sea, daytime excursions in exotic ports, and luxurious accommodations at all times.
This is the first-ever cruise sponsored by RootsMagic and it looks like it will be a good one. The majority of presentations are not specific to RootsMagic. Indeed, there are classes and seminars covering many genealogical topics for beginners, intermediate genealogists, and experts alike. Speakers include:
Deborah Abbott
Bruce Buzbee
Jana Broglin
Michael Leclerc
Rhonda McClure
Leland Meitzler
Diana Smith
Gary Smith
and myself
RootsMagic users will have several presentations about the program to choose from. The RootsMagic-specific talks will be given by Bruce Buzbee, company CEO and chief programmer.
A list of all the presentations is too long to include here. You can find that and many more details about the cruise at http://rootsmagiccruise.com.
I think the speakers are going to be very busy as the cruise features three simultaneous tracks for all three days spent at sea! Yes, just like the national genealogy conventions, attendees will be able to choose from three different simultaneous presentations. I believe this is a first in genealogy cruises.
Internet connectivity is available on cruise ships but is always expensive and can sometimes be horribly slow. Don't be surprised if some of the daily editions of this newsletter and even the weekly Plus Edition get delayed for the next week. I will be traveling with a laptop and a variety of wireless networking equipment. However, good ol' Murphy of "Murphy's Law" fame is never far away. Besides, I can probably find something else to keep me entertained while on board a cruise ship or while in St. Maarten or in St. Thomas!
