Genealogy cruises are great ways to combine a family vacation and multiple genealogy workshops. These "genealogy conferences at sea" provide some of the best educational and entertaining experiences available to genealogists.
Today, Wholly Genes, Inc. announced the company's latest cruise initiative. Not only will this be one of the biggest cruises, it is also being held on a brand-new cruise ship that hasn't even been launched yet! (The launch is planned for July, 2010 and the genealogy cruise will be held on board September 18 through 25, 2010.)
Quoting from the Genealogy Conference and Cruise web site:
The genealogy cruise and conference will be held on board the Norwegian Epic, the newest and one of the largest cruise ships in the Caribbean. It is so new, in fact, that its maiden voyage isn't until July! Its size can be described as nothing short of massive -- but that size offers some great advantages. While carrying 16% more passengers than any of the Wholly Genes previous host ships, it is 35% bigger and has 41% more staff -- so it will feel spacious by comparison and you will be pampered throughout.
What's more, the Epic offers tremendous new facilities, including modern meeting technology, widespread internet access, 20 dining options, and even some single cabins. Of course, there are the requisite bars and lounges, casino, swimming pools, spa, sports complex, and even a bowling alley and 17-degree ice bar!
The line-up of nightlife alone is stunning with performances by Blue Man Group (yes, the real one), Second City Comedy Troupe, and Cirque Dreams, an acrobatic dinner theater, among many other options.
The 15+ hours of genealogical lectures are completely software-neutral and presented by the preeminent experts in their fields. Additional, non-competing time is set aside for The Master Genealogist users who want to learn how to make the best use of that software's features and companion products. The ship's itinerary still includes three days at sea (so lectures that don't interfere with vacation time).
Here is the announcement from Wholly Genes, Inc. at http://www.whollygenes.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?screen=CRUISE:
ANNOUNCING THE 6TH ANNUAL GENEALOGY CONFERENCE AND CRUISE
The largest family history conference on the seas.Wholly Genes, Inc., of Columbia, Maryland, is proud to announce the 2010 Genealogy Conference and Cruise, September 18-25, 2010. With an impressive list of world-class speakers and as many as 450 researchers, this annual event has earned the reputation as the largest family history conference on the seas and is nearly always sold out. But this year it will truly be an EPIC event.
This year the conference will be held upon the Norwegian Epic, the newest and one of the largest cruise ships in the Caribbean. It is so new, in fact, that its maiden voyage isn't until July. The Epic offers tremendous meeting facilities, dozens of dining options, and an amazing nightlife that includes Blue Man Group, Second City Comedy Troupe, and Cirque Dreams, an acrobatic dinner theater.
Over the course of the week, the ship will travel round-trip from Miami, visiting Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Roatan, Honduras, plus three days at sea during which the group will hear from a star-studded line-up of genealogical speakers, including:
- Lloyd Bockstruck, the 30-year veteran Supervisor of the Dallas Public Library. Upon his retirement in 2009, he was described as "easily the most sought after lecturer for annual seminars of local and state genealogical societies";
- Dr. Stephen P. Morse, whose long resume includes the development of the "One-Step" web portal, the extremely popular search engine for the Ellis Island databases and dozens of other on-line resources;
- Hank Jones, FASG, noted genealogist, author, popular speaker, singer, songwriter, and former Hollywood actor;
- Megan Smolenyak, professional genealogist, extremely-popular author and speaker on research methodology, DNA, and other topics;
- Craig Scott, CG, certified genealogist, publisher, speaker, and military record expert.
Although Wholly Genes makes family history software, the 15+ hours of genealogical lectures are completely software-neutral and presented by the preeminent experts in their fields. Attendees from around the world will soak up new knowledge and skills through a lecture series that rivals any regional or national genealogy conference. And, unlike many traditional conferences, none of the lecture times overlap so conference-goers won't have to make those difficult choices.
Of course, users of the company’s software, The Master Genealogist (TMG), will also find a variety of opportunities to learn how to make use of its features and companion products from the developers themselves, technical support staff, and expert users. The company’s annual conference is the only time that you will find so many TMG experts in one place.
“We’re very conscious of the economic conditions and go out of our way to make this conference a great value and extremely cost-effective event,” said Bob Velke, President of Wholly Genes, Inc., “which in part explains its popularity.” The price of the conference has not substantially increased in five years. “In fact,” said Velke, “with the early-bird discount that expires on March 15th, the starting price is lower than any of our conference/cruises since 2005.”
“The ship this year also includes single cabins so researchers won’t need to have a roommate,” said Velke. Prices include the cruise, food, shipboard entertainment, and attendance to all conference events. A roommate-finding service is also available. Complete details can be found at www.WhollyGenes.com/cruise.htm.
About the company:
Wholly Genes Software is a privately held corporation founded in 1993 with the goal of providing professional-caliber software tools to family historians. Its flagship product, The Master Genealogist, is among the highest rated family history project managers and is in use in more than 30 countries around the world.
