Update – I have official canceled this cruise. We just did not get enough interest by the time we needed to send in non-refundable deposits.

The Idea

A different kind of cruise is being planned for this June. This is a cruise for people more interested in bit rates than bingo, and more interested in RSS than the midnight buffet. The idea is to create a floating unconference on new media. I have had a chance to do a themed based tech cruise and found that it was much more enjoyable and interesting than a regular cruise vacation (shuffle board is not my game). We will spend the time in port exploring but when the ship is at sea we will have sessions of interest to the attendees on new media and social media.

This is a 5 day cruise to keep the costs low with no additional fee for the conference as long as you register through me. By registering together as a group, the ship should provide the necessary meeting space with no additional charge. Also we will sit as a group rotating people through different tables to make it easier to meet people.

What is an Unconference

To keep the costs low it is my intention to do this as an unconference where the people attending will decide what sessions we will have rather than paying for speakers to attend. I would like to provide a place where novices and experts alike can learn something. I have created a discussion in the Amateur Traveler boards called “What do you want to learn?”

The Cruise

The plans for the New Media Cruise have solidified and we have reserved cabins for  cruise leaving New York City on June 28th and returning on July 3rd with stops in Halifax and Saint Johns. The cruise is on Carnival Cruise Line.

Who are we?

I am working with Lorene Romero of the Home Based Travel podcast to pull this off because she is a cruise travel expert and knows how to coordinate this with the cruise company and how to help people book their travel, excursions, etc.

For full and fair disclosure Lorene and I will make money on the commissions to help pay for our time working on this, but frankly Lorene thinks I am a little crazy for not having a registration fee to pay for miscellaneous expenses.

How much will this cost?

The taxes and fees came in a bit higher than I expected (always make sure to check these when you book a cruise because often the advertised price does not include them).

Final costs are:

• Inside Cabin $420 base price, taxes and port charges $198.77 = $618.77 per person
• Outside cabin $480 base price, taxes and port charges $198.77 = $678.77 per person
• Balcony $650 base price, taxes and port chagres $198.77 = $848.77 per person

Like all cruise prices I know these are based on double occupancy.

Also plan on $10 per person per day for tips

How do I book the cruise?

Email newmediacruise@AmateurTraveler.com with your contact info and cabin selection.

Do you want sponsors?

I would be interested in sponsors. If you are interested in sponsorship I would love to find sponsors to:

• host a party the night before the cruise
• fund a group excursion
• subsidize the internet expenses of the attendees

AmberMac of the shows WebNation, commandN, GirlsGoGeek, and Net@Night has offered to host a meetup in Halifax

How can I help?

Please spread the word to the podcasters and new media producers that you know. The more people who come the more fun this will be.

Affiliate Deal

Cliff Ravenscraft had asked if we were doing anything on the New Media Cruise / Podcamp@Sea about sharing the revenue with people who help book the cabins on the cruise. That seems like a great idea to me since what I am trying to do here is get more podcasters. So what I offered Cliff and will offer anyone else is that I will split the fee I am personally making on the cruise 50/50 with you if you bring people with you (let’s say who is not staying in the same cabin with you). That’s not a lot of money since we are doing this cruise without a conference fee but it would be 4% of the basic cruise price (not counting taxes and fees). This will be available even if you personally can’t make it on the cruise.

If you can make the cruise also there is a provision with cruise lines that they call a TC or Tour Coordinator. We get one free birth (half a cabin, a free person) for each 8 cabins (16 people) we book on the cruise. So we can offer you that as well. Bring along 8 people and you half of the cabin is covered. Bring along 16 people and your cabin is covered.

• Inside Cabin $420 base price = $16.80 affiliate payout
• Outside cabin $480 base price = $19.20 affiliate payout
• Balcony $650 base price =  $26 affiliate payout

Remember all prices are based on double occupancy

Make sure people tell Lorene that they heard about the cruise from you from when they write  newmediacruise@AmateurTraveler.com to sign up.

Dates

I should let people know the dates for signing up as they are coming up quickly. We only have cabins reserved at this price until February 6th. We might be able to get someone on the cruise after that date and we might be able to get the same price but we can’t guarantee that.

• 2/6/10 $25 per person deposit due
• 3/1/10 $200 per person deposit due
• 4/29/10 full payment due