What is a “Low-Carb Cruise” anyway?
The “Low-Carb Cruise” is an annual opportunity to gather together with your fellow low-carb friends online to spend a few days of fun, fellowship, education and inspiration supporting your low-carb lifestyle. The cruise itself is just like any other cruise you go on except we have arranged to have a fabulous line-up of special guest speakers to provide exciting presentations on the latest and greatest developments in low-carb living on the days we are “at sea.” You’ll cherish the memories of meeting some of your favorite low-carb superstars while cultivating face-to-face friendships with real, everyday people who support a healthy low-carb lifestyle you’ve only previously known virtually through the Internet.
Is the mandatory embarkation drill at the beginning of the cruise laborious?
If you’ve ever been on a cruise, then one of the most miserable experiences has got to be the embarkation drill that takes place soon after setting sail. Most of the past cruises we’ve been on they make you wear a lifejacket, go to various muster stations and then crowd together like sardines in these very tight spaces in case we have to use the rescue boats attached to the side of the vessel–usually lasting about an hour. For the Carnival Freedom, they’ve significantly streamlined this process by not requiring you to wear a lifejacket and you simply go straight to your letter-assigned area–we were done in about 15 minutes. Easy peasy!
When is the “Low-Carb Cruise,” what port is it leaving out of, and where is it going?
For the first time in the four-year history of the “Low-Carb Cruise,” we will be embarking on a 6-day journey leaving out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida port down to Key West, Florida, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It will be taking place May 1-7, 2011 on the Carnival Freedom. We will board the ship on Sunday, May 1, 2011 between 12-4PM and set sail around 4:30PM. The ports of call will be in Key West on May 2nd, Grand Caymans on May 4th, and Jamaica on May 5th. The ship will dock back in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 5:30AM and you will be able to disembark by 6:45AM. When Christine and I took this cruise in December, we were completely off the ship before 7:00AM–so it is possible to catch an early flight home if you need to. We believe this is truly the BEST cruise we have been on to date. Check out this YouTube video about some of what you have to look forward to if you come:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tIYltU0f10
Do I need my passport to get off on the ports of call?
Except for Key West (which is still in the United States), yes you will need your passport when you go to the Grand Caymans and Jamaica. This and your Sail & Sign card (which is the lifeblood of everything you do while on the ship) will get you back on the Carnival Freedom when you’re finished with your plans at each stop. You’ll go through a checkpoint at the port and then come back through a metal detector when you re-board the ship. It’s usually a pretty smooth process as long as you have your paperwork in order.
Will I need to convert my money over from dollars to something else?
No. All of the merchants in each of the ports accept U.S. dollars as payment for any souvenirs or excursions you may want to go on. In fact, a lot of the merchants also accept major credit cards if you want to purchase T-shirts, knick-knacks, or whatever, your Visa or Mastercard will do the trick.
What about the excursions? Do I have to book it with Carnival?
Excursions are totally optional. There’s always plenty to do when you’re off the ship that you can do on your own without spending hundreds of dollars for recreation. Keep in mind that Carnival gets a cut of the proceeds generated by the excursions they endorse and it is reflected in the price. You could probably find a cheaper excursion on Google and book it yourself ahead of time or do so when you arrive in the port of call. The choice is up to you. If you do decide to book an excursion with Carnival, they make it so easy to do right through the television in your cabin. And they have vetted these companies out so you can feel confident you’ll be taken care of and not taken for a ride. Whatever floats your boat…literally! In Jamaica, Christine and I hired a driver to take us up the mountain to the rainforest, meet a witch doctor, take us on the back streets to see the culture of the Jamaican people, to a private beach, on an romantic river raft ride, and so much more! It was a fantastic time.
Will they be serving low-carb food on this cruise?
This question always cracks me up. It’s a cruise after all, so there will be all kinds of food available to consume on board the ship. Sure, there will be plenty of carbohydrate-based options like French fries, bread, and sugary desserts. But you will also have lots of fat/protein-based options available to you as well to fit your dietary needs. And the food will be plentiful so you can gravitate specifically to the choices YOU want like eggs and bacon for breakfast, meat and non-starchy veggies for lunch, and some truly incredible 5-star restaurant-quality food (order as much of whatever you want from the menu) when we sit together for dinner in the “Chic Restaurant” (there’s even an optional steak restaurant you can go to for $30 a person that includes a seven-course meal, but it’s not required). By the end of the week, the buffet line cooks will automatically know you want your burger without the bun and your servers will be ready to offer you low-carb, sugar-free dessert options. There’s a new cuisine theme each day for some variety. Additionally, there’s a deli, a 24-hour pizzeria, a fish and chips bar, and even a sushi bar. You won’t go hungry on this boat!
What about any low-carb desserts?
Carnival has something they call “Diet Cake” that is sugar-free and sweetened with Splenda…but it’s still loaded with white flour. This is available in all of the buffet dining areas. However, at dinner time when we are all gathered together, there are other options you may want to consider, including sugar-free vanilla ice cream and a low-carb cheesecake. We can request at the beginning of the week for this cheesecake to be made available to our group every night since there will be over 100 of us. The flexibility of the chefs onboard the Carnival cruises has been amazing.
Do we have to stay with the low-carb group the entire cruise?
Absolutely not. Although we are booked as a group, this is YOUR cruise to do whatever you’d like to do on it. Other than the days at sea when we’ll have the low-carb conferences and dinner each evening, you’re on your own to play the casino, sunbathe on the Lido deck, shoot some basketball or play some volleyball, run on the treadmill or lift weights in the gym, or just plop down and sleep in your cabin. It’s VACATION after all and there’s no sense in wearing yourself out. Many of us like to hang out in the karaoke lounge after dinner and it’s always a great time just to chit-chat and get to know each other more. And the Carnival Freedom has something EXTRA special on a few nights during karaoke–A LIVE BAND! So you don’t just sing with a track that could skip…you’ll have your very own back-up band. How cool is that?! For you night owls, sometimes we’ll head up to the 24-Hour Pizzeria to scrape the toppings off and enjoy more time together. As you can see, there’s a LOT of time to congregate and learn more about each other.
Who’s coming to speak this year and what are they gonna talk about?
This year is gonna be an awesome group of speakers who will articulate a wide range of topics related to carbohydrate-restriction and it’s impact on health. The conference days will be on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 and Friday, May 6, 2011 featuring the following:
Dr. Michael Fox
“The Effect of Low Carbohydrate Nutrition on the Female Hormonal System”
Tom Naughton
“Science for Smart People”
Jackie Eberstein
“Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”
Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt
“The Food Revolution – Eat real food and get healthy”
Fred Hahn
“Why You Want Muscle”
Dr. Mary Vernon
“Carbohydrate-Restriction In Clinical Practice”
Dana Carpender
“Looking Behind The ‘Low-Carb’ Headlines”
Jimmy Moore
“Following Your Passion To Change The World”
In addition, we’ll have lots of low-carb bloggers and other recognizable names and faces in the low-carb community coming with us on the cruise who will be recognized and share briefly about the work they are doing, including Kent Altena, Ramona Denton, and others. And a group of low-carb, high-fat fans from Sweden will also be with us on the 2011 Low-Carb Cruise as well. How exciting! By the way, not a single one of our guest speakers is being paid to attend the “Low-Carb Cruise.” They are paying for their own way to be on the cruise with us because each of them are committed to spreading the positive message of livin’ la vida low-carb with as many people as they can. I’m grateful for their willingness to come voluntarily to the benefit of those low-carbers who attend.
I hear there’s a formal night on the ship. Do I have to dress up?
Yes, there are actually TWO formal nights on this particular cruise since it is a 6-day voyage. Many of the men like to dress up in either a suit and tie or a tuxedo. Ladies can come in a dress or formal outfit. Think “Sunday morning church” attire and you should be fine. They will not allow people into the dining room on formal night wearing shorts or a T-shirt, so pack accordingly.
How is the Carnival Freedom different from the past cruise ships we’ve been on?
This ship is so much bigger than the Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fascination we went on the first three years of the “Low-Carb Cruise.” That means there’s more room to navigate on the ship, lots more opportunities to do stuff, and extra spaces to check out and hang out in. If you like to smoke cigars, they even have a special “Habana Bar” just for you. And the theme of the ship is “Freedom,” so there are images reflecting this everywhere–most notably, a huge Statue of Liberty replica in the dining area on the Lido deck that’s pretty awesome! There’s also a place called the “70′s Room” with televisions galore adorned across the walls and even at the entrance for those of you who like to dance the night away in a unique atmosphere. There’s also more live music on this ship than I remember from the others we’ve been on, including a fantastic one in the pool area of the Lido deck. Speaking of the Lido deck, there’s also a huge big-screen television that runs 24 hours a day with all sorts of entertainment from concert footage, movies, news, and more. You can’t miss this thing! Christine and I also liked the special “adults-only” section of the ship that includes these really comfy hammocks where you can rest and relax the stress away.
Is there a place to workout on the ship?
Yes, there is a nice gym with both cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights for your workouts. Keep in mind we’ll have Fred Hahn on board the ship providing some demonstrations of his Slow Burn techniques and he will also be available to be hired for personal training sessions. Otherwise, you’re on your own to get up early to watch the sun rise while doing the elliptical or pumping iron into the starry night sky. Whatever works for you.
Will there be a place to stay in Fort Lauderdale the night before the cruise?
Absolutely! Because of the unpredictability of flights arriving on time, many of the low-carb cruisers choose to arrive a day early on April 30, 2011 to spend the night in a hotel. We’ve arranged for a group rate on 30 rooms at a fantastic hotel close to the port that Christine and I stayed in when we were there. Here are the details:
Rodeway Inn & Suites Airport/Cruise Port
2440 West State Road 84
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Phone: (954) 792-8181
When you call Rodeway to make your reservations, tell them you are a part of the “Low-Carb Cruise” group to get the special rate. They have a shuttle bus that will pick you up from the airport to take you to the hotel when you arrive in Florida, from the hotel to the cruise port, and then back from the cruise port to the hotel when you arrive back in Florida on Saturday, May 7, 2011. If you are driving, Rodeway has a special parking place for a small daily fee in their parking lot. Although we’ve traditionally met together for dinner the night before the cruise, it was just too hectic last year when we overran the local steakhouse in Jacksonville with 100 people! Keep in mind there aren’t a lot of restaurants close to this hotel, but there is a sports bar located in the lobby.
What about travel accommodations to get to Fort Lauderdale?
We do not have any official travel agent for setting up flights, but our Cruise Director Becky Gandy highly recommends using Kayak.com for an instant comparison of all the rates so you can get the best deal. You can usually find some really good deals on flights from airlines like Southwest, so find the rate that works for your budget. Of course, if you live in the Southern part of the United States, it’s a beautiful drive down the coast of Florida. Christine and I got there from Spartanburg, South Carolina in about nine hours and we plan on driving down again for this trip.
Are there any special T-shirts for the “Low-Carb Cruise” we can get?
There sure are! Thanks to one of our “Low-Carb Cruise” committee members Debbie Hubbs who designed our logo for us, you can purchase your choice of a variety of T-shirts, hats and bags with the “4th Annual Low-Carb Cruise” logo with all of the destinations on it here. It’ll be a fabulous memento of a trip you won’t soon forget. Plus, it’ll help us find each other as we are on the ship. You’ll find yourself running into somebody from our group throughout the ship and even when we’re in the ports. So much fun!
How much is the cruise and what’s the deadline for booking?
The price of the cruise will depend on what kind of room you want to stay in on the Carnival Freedom. There are some really nice rooms on the upper decks (Christine and I stayed in one of the larger rooms on the Lido deck and LOVED it!) and some more economy rooms that are both inside (pitch black for you light sleepers) and outside (with a window to look outside). Go to LowCarbCruiseInfo.com to download the paperwork to see what fits best within your budget. The absolute deadline for booking with the “Low-Carb Cruise” is by Saturday, February 12, 2011. Please get your paperwork to Becky Gandy by this date to insure your spot on the cruise. If you book the cruise through another travel agent, then you will not be eligible to participate in the low-carb conference. Incidentally, if you find a better deal online, then Carnival will match or beat that price as part of our group–so rest assured we are giving you the best possible deal on this cruise. Also, we’re not charging any extra fees for the low-carb conference–just another way we’re trying to keep the costs as low as possible so that as many people as possible can join us.
What if I have more questions that I don’t see answered here?
I’m sure I haven’t even come close to answering EVERY plausible question you may have about the “Low-Carb Cruise,” but I do have a few more resources for you to check out. Visit the Carnival Cruise web site, book your cruise on the Low-Carb Cruise web site (download the registration papers and fax them to our Cruise Director Becky Gandy), and check out our General Forum about the Low-Carb Cruise. Of course, I’m happy to answer any lingering questions you may have, so feel free to e-mail me directly at livinlowcarbman@charter.net or our Cruise Director Becky Gandy at beckygandy@ymail.com.
