What do we do now? We will plan for 55th anniversary class reunion at Gallaudet in October 2026. That is the plan for now.
Want more information and keep up with classmates? How? Through our class blogspot. It is the best way for now. We will give and show you the website links (at the end of the vlog).
If you have any ideas or suggestions, we will also give you the email address.
I am truly sorry that we could not get together sooner but many have good reasons for not going. I can understand that.
Be safe – “ILY” (hand sign).
The white board is shown below:
https://www.gallaudet71.
Email: gallaudet1971@gmail.com
Hello! Hello! Class of 1971 Members
I am Lance Fischer, Class of 1971 President.
The reason for this vlog is to give you an updated report on Class of 1971 Reunion Cruise – New England to Canada cruise in October 2024.
So far, Kerstin (our travel agent) informed me that eight to ten have already made the deposits toward this trip. We realized that it was not a real reunion with a small number of classmates. We hope that there would be about 30 to 35 or more to sign up.
I asked some ‘71ers if they would sign up. They gave me different reasons. The first reason is not wanting to leave the USA but to stay in America. Secondly, the pandemic concern – another COVID or strain will appear during that time. Thirdly, our age – between 75 and 80 and it is time to stop traveling. Fourthly, the money may be the issue regardless of reasonable price or not – just can’t go. And there are other reasons as well.
I understand that you do not want to sign up. Maybe we should look for another option – somewhere in the USA. We do not know for now.
But I want to give Kerstin some time before she will cancel the cruise. If we don’t have at least 35 members by January 30th. Then we will have to drop it.
Anyway, I wish all of you a Happy New Year and a healthy one, too. “ILY” (thumbs up)
P.S. Lance asked me to include our travel agent, Kerstin Fox’s contact if you need booking papers.
Kerstin Fox
Kerstin’s Deaf Travel
VRS: 561-452-5480
I wanted to update you all, the class members, about our class cruise reunion – New England/Canada on October 17 – 28, 2024.
So far, we have 9 people booked. Your people show interest and plan to book – Currently, we have a total of 14 people. It is a slow start – not what I wanted.
Our travel agent, Kerstin Fox, keeps our cruise tour closed to our ‘71ers only (cabin-mates can be non-‘71ers). If the numbers do not increase, Kerstin may let this tour open to other people – maybe beginning this December. I hope not as I truly wanted to see all classmates - brothers and sisters together.
If you need more information about the cruise, I suggest you look in our class blogspot. The website is:
https://gallaudet71.blogspot.
That has a lot of information there.
If you are interested, please contact Kerstin Fox for booking papers and it has prices for different cabins. Her email address is:
Please email her as soon as you can to secure your cabin.
Otherwise, it will be open to others if the number of people remains small. I do not want it to happen and I wanted to stay together with you all, our classmates.
Handsigns of “ILY” to you all.
Have a nice day. “ILY”.
The air booked with Oceania is only in Economy Class complimentary and only if the guest arrives at the day of embarkation and departs at the day of disembarkation. Flights are complimentary from selected airports in the United States and Canada so please check to be sure your airport is included.
Previously I mentioned that you will receive 3 shore excursions at no cost but I did not mention you have three choices. You may want to choose a different option other than the 3 shore excursions. Pick only one of 3 options. The OLife options are:
3 free shore excursions per person
$300 onboard credit per person
Pre-paid beverage package
I made a mistake when I said you will receive an onboard credit of $300. Actually an Onboard Credit is $150 per person or $300 per cabin. It is not $300 per person!
Kerstin Fox's corrected email address is kerstin@kerstinstravel.com
The final payment for the cruise is due on April 15, 2024. You have a year and half to make the monthly payments to Kerstin if you wish.
Thank you for your understanding. Hope you will join us on this fun-filled and memorable class cruise.
Lance
Click the video link at: https://youtu.be/sY7e-
Transcript (abridged):
Hello. This is Lance Fischer, Class of 1971 President and I am responsible for a follow-up on class reunion cruise in 2024.
In 2019/2020, the New England/Canada cruise was all set. However, the coronavirus pandemic began and the cruise was cancelled. It was a shame. Currently the coronavirus is manageable. We are ready to re-set this cruise again.
The committee members are Hummels (Mike & Karyl), Zinza (Leslie), Wendy Bachman and me. We discussed and concluded that it was better to reschedule the New England/Canada cruise.
There are two different companies which are NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) and Oceania. We reviewed these cruises. NCL’s price is lower and Oceania’s is a bit more. But we looked at what we are getting for the money and quality which are important. See the comparison below:
NCL Gem
965 feet long
2,394 passengers
7 days with 7 ports
Embark: Boston
Port: Bar Harbor
Port: Portland, Maine
Port: Halifax & Sydney
none
Port: Quebec City
one port in Quebec
Disembark: Quebec City
No onboard credits
Crew tips ($16-$20 per person per day) waived
Flight fares not included
Non-Alcohol drinks to buy
Bottle of water at $6.49 plus 20% gratuity complim
Specialty restaurant at $15 plus 20% gratuity complementary
WiFi at $20 per device per day
Laundry service at charge
Playground for children
Cruise – very big & a lot to walk s
Research shows that large cruises tend to get coronavirus easily. The small cruise is safer due to our ages and concerns. We do not want to get sick on the ship.
In 2020, most opted for post-cruise which cost more such as four nights hotel, 12 meals (four breakfasts, four lunches, four dinners) and transportation from Quebec City to Montreal.
Some people mentioned that one day in Quebec City is not enough. You are right but you can return to Quebec on your own. But most people are satisfied with the itinerary.
Overall, Oceania includes 11 days while the NCL includes only 7 days. The Oceania gives four more days.
Think about the expenses on hotels, 12 more meals – four breakfasts, four lunches, and four dinners – cost more if we use NCL. So, the cost for both will be about the same.
The specialty restaurants in Oceania include Italian and Steakhouse at no extra cost. Our travel agent Kerstin will reserve one night for an Italian restaurant and another night for Steakhouse for all of us. If you wish to go again, you can make reservations on your own at no extra cost!
As for WiFi, I will negotiate in hoping we can get two devices per room at no charge.
I asked Kerstin which ship would be better for us considering our ages and some with physical limitations. She highly recommended Oceania and I agreed with her. It is upscale, luxurious and nice.
The reunion will take place in two years from now. We can start paying monthly to Kerstin. By the end, you will love Oceania! Because of our age and health, it may be our last time to get together on the trip – the very last trip. Please join us.
If you need more information or questions, feel free to ask Kerstin or talk to me at any time.
Have a nice Labor Day weekend.
Bye with mwah!
Hope all is well with you.
As you already know that the Class of 1971 had to cancel our New England/Canada cruise in 2020 due to pandemic (Covid-19). We are now pleased to announce that the cruise is now back with some changes. It’s for October 17, 2024 to October 28, 2024.
With the old itinerary our cruise was for 7 days, leaving Boston and ending in Quebec City. Many of us wanted to go to Montreal and we were debating on ways we can travel from Quebec City to Montreal. With the new itinerary (11 days) we will stop in Quebec City and we will still sail to Montreal. This itinerary is even better.
The ship is Nautica and is owned by Oceania Cruises. It’s smaller ship and it is upscale. The fares look to be high but they are including many things at no extra cost and even they are covering our tips, some excursion tours, air travel, all soft beverages, use of speciality restaurants, and more. They are even providing us free internet and $300 spending money (onboard credit) per cabin.
To make it easier to pay for the cruise you can make monthly payments to Kerstin.
You will receive a flyer and an email from Kerstin. It is long but it contains a lot of valuable information. Read carefully.
We had nearly 50 classmates signed up for the cruise in 2020 and I’m hoping for more than 50. Let’s do it. We do not know if we will be able to do more class trips after this reunion cruise. It’s a great opportunity for us to get together and have fun for 11 days.
I want to thank class reunion committee members for their hard work making a decision to do this itinerary. They are Wendy Bachman, Karyl and Mike Hummel, and Leslie Zinza. Also thanks go to Helena Schmitt for providing support service.
Take care and stay safe.
Lance Fischer
President
Class of 1971
=========================================================================
Message from our Travel Agent Kerstin Fox
Dear Class of 1971,
It is great that you decided to travel again.
Let’s start with the cruise planning process by reading the information below carefully.
When you are ready to book the cruise, please send an e-mail to kerstin@kerstinstravel.com. Upon receipt of your e-mail, I will send you the booking papers.
Attached you will find the cruise flyer and the ship map.
A deposit of $500 per person is due NOW in order to make a firm booking. The travel insurance is 10% of the total package price (without air discount). Travel insurance rates will increase as soon as components like a pre-cruise hotel package, air, etc. booked with Oceania are added. The travel insurance is non-refundable once Oceania Cruises’ cancellation penalties apply.
Oceania Cruises’ travel insurance covers only services purchased with Oceania Cruises. Independently booked air or independently booked hotel nights, etc. is not covered by Oceania Cruises’ travel insurance.
The final payment is due by June 19, 2024.
Monthly or quarterly payments (a minimum of $500 per person) are accepted after the deposit payment has been submitted and can be paid via check or credit card.
Oceania Cruises’ cancellation policy can be found at
https://www.oceaniacruises.
In case of a cancellation, you must contact Oceania Cruises at 800-531-5658 notifying them about the cancellation request AND send an e-mail to kerstin@kerstinstravel.com.
If the guest cancels the booking, a non-refundable cancellation fee (not covered by the travel insurance) of $300.00 per person charged by Kerstin’s Deaf Travel will apply at any time. If the tour is canceled by Oceania Cruises or because of a natural or public disaster, act of God, act of terrorism, etc., Kerstin’s Deaf Travel reserves the right to charge a service fee of $100 per person.
The itinerary is subject to modification at any time without prior notification. No price reduction or compensation will be given in case of an itinerary or price modification.
Included in the cruise price for our group is
- Unlimited Internet for one device per cabin.
- Several times dining at Specialty Restaurants.
- Still and sparkling waters, soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas.
- One option out of the 3 OLife choices. See details below.
- Airfare with restrictions. See details below.
- Airport transfers at day of embarkation/disembarkation if air is booked with Oceania.
- Pre-paid gratuities on the ship as a group benefit.
- $150 per person Onboard Credit as a group benefit.
Choose one option out of the three below listed OLife Choices:
•3 pre-paid shore excursions for guest 1 and 3 pre-paid shore excursions for guest 2 (excluded
are: Oceania Select, Oceania Exclusive, Executive Collection, Food & Wine Trails, Wellness Discovery Tours by
Aquamar, Go Local, and Culinary Discovery Tours). All excursions must be chosen at least 14 days prior to
sailing. Shore excursions are based on availability.
OR
•Onboard Credit of $300 per person
OR
•Pre-paid beverage package for guest 1 and pre-paid beverage package for guest 2. The beverage
package is the House Select Beverage Package. Beverage packages are only for lunch and dinner.
When we set up your booking we select the pre-paid shore excursions since this option usually saves the guest the most money. If you prefer one of the other options, please let us know when you send us the completed and signed booking papers.
Guests in the same stateroom have to choose the same option. Restrictions to the 3 options apply as shown on the following website: https://www.
The air arrangement can be booked through Oceania Cruises.
- Option 1
Oceania’s Free Economy Air (restricted air itineraries) is inclusive from 26 airports in the U.S. and Canada (see list below, subject to change at any time). Oceania will choose the air itinerary. Guests will not have any choice regarding the air schedule, departure and arrival times, airlines, etc. Airline schedules will be available 75 days prior to departure and final air schedules will be ticketed 60 to 30 days prior to departure. Air is inclusive on air itineraries selected by Oceania Cruises from the following US and Canada airports only on the day of embarkation and disembarkation:
Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW, Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), La Guardia (LGA), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Midway (MDW), Montreal (YUL), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Ottawa (YOW), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Savannah (SAV), Seattle (SEA), Tampa (TPA), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), Washington (IAD), Washington (DCA). Air from other airports can be booked for an additional charge. Restrictions apply.
- Option 2
If guests don’t depart from one of the above listed Free Economy Air airports or don’t want to book Free Economy Air, they receive an Air Allowance of $500 per person. The Air Allowance amount is subject to change at any time changes are made to the booking. Those guests have the option to book Custom Air with Oceania for an additional cost. Custom Air allows guests to pick the itinerary, airline, etc. The Air Allowance will be applied towards the Custom Air.
- Option 3
If guests decide to book their own air, they receive an Air Allowance of $500 per person (amount is subject to change at any time changes are made to the booking). The Air Allowance will be applied to the guest’s vacation package as a discount called “Air Credit”.
Our agency will charge a $55.00 per person air booking fee for flights booked through Oceania Cruises.
Terms & Conditions regarding Oceania’s Free Economy Air, Custom Air, and the Air Allowance can be found at www.oceaniacruises.com
Prices listed on the attached cruise flyer cannot be combined with any other offer. Offers or discounts cannot be retroactively applied to the prices on the cruise flyer.
All guests must follow Oceania Cruises’ time table for embarkation on embarkation day in Boston, Massachusetts. If you miss the sailing, any and all expenses related to joining the cruise at another location, if possible, is your sole responsibility. For guests who book their own air, I highly recommend that they arrive in Boston at least one day prior to sailing.
If you book the air on your own and you purchase Oceania Cruises’ airport transfers, you MUST follow Oceania’s guidelines regarding the latest permitted flight arrival at the day of embarkation and the earliest permitted flight departure time at the day of disembarkation. You MUST contact our agency prior to making your air arrangement regarding Oceania’s guide lines for the latest permitted flight arrival at the day of sailing and the earliest permitted flight departure at the day of disembarkation.
Specialty Dining opens for reservation on September 2, 2024. For each guest in our group, our agency will reserve one night at each specialty restaurant during the entire cruise. The information is subject to change. Kerstin’s Deaf Travel reserves the right to set up Specialty Dining for our group. The group will dine together.
Kerstin’s Deaf Travel reserves the right to select the shore excursions that will be provided with interpreter service. At least one shore excursion in each port will be provided with interpreter service.
Discount coupons, gift cards, or similar offers are not accepted for this cruise.
Oceania Cruises will only be welcoming fully vaccinated guests on board its ships. Guests must be fully vaccinated and submit a Covid-19 test. Please visit the following link for more information about the vaccination, booster shots, and test requirements: https://www.
It is the guest’s responsibility to check frequently the following website regarding the entry requirements for the countries listed on our itinerary: https://www.
Guests must check with a health professional which vaccination and medication in addition to the Covid-19 vaccination are needed. The following website is a guideline for vaccinations: www.cdc.gov/
Appropriate physical fitness is required since the tour includes walking at each stop.
A passport, valid for 6 months beyond the completion date of your travel is required for all passengers. We highly recommend that your passport has at least 3-4 blank pages for immigration stamps.
Non-US citizens: It is your responsibility to identify and to obtain all the necessary visas before commencing this cruise.
Oceania Cruises’ policies, Terms & Conditions, and the Guest Ticket/Contract, Passenger Bill of Rights, Health & Safety Protocols are applicable to this cruise and can be viewed at www.oceaniacruises.com:
Guest Ticket Contract https://www.
Passenger Bill of Rights https://www.
Health & Safety Protocols https://www.
Booking this cruise, you agree to Oceania Cruises’ policies, Terms & Conditions, Guest Ticket/Contract, Passenger Bill of Rights, and Health & Safety Protocols.
Oceania Cruises reserves the right to collect any increases in fuel charges, government fees, taxes, or similar charges in effect at the time of sailing even if the fare has already been paid in full.
The travel documents and air tickets will be issued as electronic documents.
I am not always in the office since I travel with my deaf clients frequently. However, you can reach me via e-mail most of the time.
Kerstin’s Deaf Travel is registered with the State of Florida as a Seller of Travel, Registration No. ST37804.
Respectfully,
Kerstin Fox
Kerstin's Deaf Travel