Please read the entire message before responding. If you wish to book one
of our cruises, the booking information and additional information on the
cruises is on the conference blog at http://www.iajgs2016.org/blog/ . Due
to limited availability, our travel agent will have to take deposits on a
first-come first-served basis. First of all, we want to thank all of you
who indicated to us that you were interested in taking an Alaska cruise
either before or after the Conference in Seattle, next summer. When we sent
out the message, we hoped we might get 20 or 25 responses, enough to put
together a group of about 40-50. We received over 60 responses, indicating
an interest >from a total of over 130 people, including spouses and families
(and, in at least one case, neighbors) Due to the timing of cruises
available, many of the cruises we looked at were already close to or
completely sold out. We determined that by booking through Sharon Furlong,
a travel agent who is very experienced with Alaska cruises, we could offer
each cruiser a personalized experience based on their interests. There is
no additional charge for this service, and she will make you aware of
discounts available, which may include retired military, AARP, former
cruisers, etc. In addition, depending on the size of each group, the cruise
lines involved will make a contribution to the Conference as a sponsor.
Instructions for booking follow the descriptions of the cruises. All
cruises depart >from the Seattle Ship Terminal Pier 91, which is a convenient
10 minute cab ride >from the Conference hotel. As noted, some of these
cruises have specials for people who book quickly.

In order to make the cruises available to the most people possible, we have
decided to offer three choices:

Pre-Conference Cruise

A Pre-Conference Cruise departs Seattle, Friday afternoon, July 29, 2016 at
5:00 PM, returning to Seattle on Friday morning, August 5, 2016 at 8 AM
onboard the Celebrity Solstice.

Two Post-Conference Cruise Choices

We have elected to offer two post-conference cruises, both departing Seattle
on Sunday, August 14 at 4 in the afternoon and returning Sunday, August 21
in the morning. Boarding begins at 1:00 PM and you must be aboard by 3:30
PM. Both ships appeal to slightly different clientele, so you may wish to
consider this.

The Ruby Princess offers a variety of opportunities for a family oriented
cruiser

The Holland America Lines' MS Amsterdam departs Seattle and offers a more
adult-oriented cruise.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE BEAUTY AND GRANDEUR OF ALASKA. >from THE EPIC
LANDSCAPES AND THE INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE TO THE HISTORIC AND COLORFUL CULTURE,
THE GREAT LAND IS A DESTINATION THAT WILL INSPIRE, AWE, AND LEAVE YOU WITH
MEMORIES YOU WILL NEVER FORGET.

Booking Your Cruise

We have made exclusive arrangements with Sharon Furlong , a Travel Agent who
has over 30 years of experience with Sharon's Travelers, an affiliate of
Incentive Connection Travel, to book cruises on behalf of the Conference
attendees. She has already reserved a limited number of cabins for each
cruise for conference attendees and their families and friends. You may
contact Sharon Furlong by Email at sharonstravelers@hotmail.com, mentioning
IAJGS Cruise in the subject line, or contact Sharon directly at (631)
357-7947 for voice or for text messages. Please do not call her between the
hours of 6 PM to 9 AM, Eastern Time (GMT-4), as this is her cell number.
Sharon is the owner and she will personally handle your booking. Please do
not contact the Conference chairs or IAJGS, as Sharon has all the
information available on these cruises. Sharon and the cruise lines will be
donating a portion of all fees for the cruises to help underwrite the
conference.

Additional information, including the itineraries of all three cruises is
now on the conference blog at http://www.iajgs2016.org/blog/. When these
cruises are sold out, we will not be able to accommodate anyone else, so do
not delay!

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to seeing you in Seattle and
enjoy a lovely cruise! Bon voyage!

Janette Silverman
Chuck Weinstein
Phyllis Grossman
Co-Chairs 36th Annual IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy August 7-12,
2016, Seattle, WA
Co-chairs@iajgs2016.org
www.iajgs2016.org
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