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sunny46
02-16-2015, 04:27 PM
Is there a cruise club in the Villages for info on cruising?
Arctic Fox
02-18-2015, 09:46 AM
Is there a cruise club in the Villages for info on cruising?

There certainly is, Sunny:

discounted cruises, cheap cruises, low prices, the villages, florida (http://www.cruisewithtraveldepot.com/requestaquote.html)

This is for booking cruises. I don't know of one where cruisers can get together and discuss cruising.
LittleDog
02-18-2015, 10:48 AM
The gentleman who sends out these cruise deals formerly had a cruise club that met at the Chatham rec. center. He brought in cruise representatives to make presentations. He was in the cruise business but there was no "hard sell" by him at these meetings. However, from what I understand the powers that be didn't want him to continue because they felt he was having an unfair advantage over AAA which has offices in the Villages. This occurred about 3-4 years ago.

Personally I miss these meetings.

John
Arctic Fox
02-18-2015, 11:17 AM
The gentleman who sends out these cruise deals formerly had a cruise club that met at the Chatham rec. center. He brought in cruise representatives to make presentations. He was in the cruise business but there was no "hard sell" by him at these meetings.

How many attended?

Maybe we could get it going again on an unofficial basis?

Would be a good way to get groups together to get further discounts.
Madelaine Amee
02-18-2015, 11:41 AM
How many attended?

Maybe we could get it going again on an unofficial basis?

Would be a good way to get groups together to get further discounts.

If you are really thinking of doing this, it would have to be off-site. We were at the meeting when the club was actually shut down by "the powers that be" and it was not pretty and very embarrassing. We were actually locked out of a rec center!
LittleDog
02-18-2015, 12:26 PM
How many attended?

Maybe we could get it going again on an unofficial basis?

Would be a good way to get groups together to get further discounts.

I would say about 50 to 75 attended. Right now there are plenty of cruise information meetings sponsored by local travel agencies.

John
Arctic Fox
02-18-2015, 05:02 PM
If you are really thinking of doing this, it would have to be off-site. We were at the meeting when the club was actually shut down by "the powers that be" and it was not pretty and very embarrassing. We were actually locked out of a rec center!

Wise words, Madelaine

I was thinking of holding them in someone's house, rather than a Rec Center, but as LittleDog says around 75 attended then that could be a little crowded :-)
JoMar
02-18-2015, 06:47 PM
If you are really thinking of doing this, it would have to be off-site. We were at the meeting when the club was actually shut down by "the powers that be" and it was not pretty and very embarrassing. We were actually locked out of a rec center!

Do we know why it was shut down?
justjim
02-18-2015, 07:25 PM
There are several churches outside of TV and in TV where such a meeting could take place---- at least as an "unofficial" Cruise Club or you could call it a Tri-county Cruise Club and open it up to the entire area. We Occasionaly take a cruise but this is not our biggest activity. Those that Cruise a lot generally belong to various "clubs" sponsored by the Cruise Lines themselves.
kstew43
02-18-2015, 08:12 PM
Do we know why it was shut down?

the villages only allows one travel agency, AAA, on villages owned land.

The other 2 agencys are not on land owned by the villages.

This is my opinion is a monopoly and should not be allowed.
MelZ
02-19-2015, 11:28 AM
Isn't there a travel agent in Walmart on Villages land?
Arctic Fox
02-19-2015, 02:38 PM
Isn't there a travel agent in Walmart on Villages land?

Each WalMart is outside The Villages
dbussone
02-19-2015, 02:43 PM
Each WalMart is outside The Villages

If you are including the WalMart just off 466, I believe it is not "outside" TV. That's why it is golf cart accessible.
Whatever
02-19-2015, 03:46 PM
A brief hijack. Does anyone know of a real travel agent who is local, i.e. between Leesburg and Ocala, who will actually sit down with you to plan a land trip, book the hotels, make air arrangements, sightseeing, tours, and tour groups etc. and is not just about cruising.
Arctic Fox
02-19-2015, 03:53 PM
If you are including the WalMart just off 466, I believe it is not "outside" TV. That's why it is golf cart accessible.

Are you sure?

I can't see the likes of WalMart, Olive Garden and Red Lobster agreeing to hand over a percentage of their gross takings?
dbussone
02-19-2015, 04:22 PM
I'm not 100%. But it seems unusual that TV would agree to golf cart accessibility and have a tunnel strategically located to make that happen. The developer goes to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen.
Arctic Fox
02-19-2015, 05:05 PM
I'm not 100%. But it seems unusual that TV would agree to golf cart accessibility and have a tunnel strategically located to make that happen. The developer goes to great lengths to make sure that doesn't happen.

That is certainly true - looks like a TV tunnel right by that WalMart