This is it!!! After Friday 2-14-03 this will no longer be available!!!


I know this is going to be long, but please read the entire message as there is A LOT of information for those interested! Although this is a DC Metro MINIs event it is open to ALL MINI owners!

Retrace the path your MINI took to the US (if you took delivery in the North East :) ), and do so in the lap of luxury onboard one of the newest ocean liners in the world, Cunard?s RMS Queen Mary 2 during her inaugural year!

The ship departs Southampton England, September 11, 2004 arriving in New York 6 days later.

Diane Mason of the Cruise Planner will be handling all the details. Any and ALL questions concerning the Cruise can be answered by contacting her directly.

E-Mail: diane@thecruiseplanner.com
Fax 636-272-8619
Toll-Free: 1-888-202-4136

Rate Information
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Category D5 - Interior Stateroom (accommodate up to 4 people)

Cruise Rate: $1364.00* per person based on double occupancy (1st & 2nd passengers in the cabin)

Cruise Rate: $914.00* per person for 3rd or 4th passengers sharing the same cabin with passengers 1&2
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Category C2 - Ocean View Stateroom (accommodate up to 4 people)
Cruise Rate: $2012.00* per person based on double occupancy (1st & 2nd passengers in the cabin)

Cruise Rate: $914.00* per person for 3rd or 4th passengers sharing the same cabin with passengers 1&2

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Category B6 - Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony (accommodate up to 4 people)

Cruise Rate: $2115.00* per person based on double occupancy (1st & 2nd passengers in the cabin)

Cruise Rate: $914.00* per person for 3rd or 4th passengers sharing the same cabin with passengers 1&2

*Please add the applicable taxes of $25.30 per person.

*IMPORTANT* Any one who will require a 3rd and/or 4th person in their cabin must contact Diane immediately regarding deposit and payment information. There are limited cabins on board that will accommodate a 3rd and/or 4th passenger.

Other classes are available if you prefer, contact Diane for specific rate information?.

These fares INCLUDE one way economy class airfare (except tax and fuel surcharges) from over 100 North American air gateways to London, plus all transfers from the airport to the ship in the UK and from the ship to a NYC airport. Airfare upgrades and airfare from NYC to your home gateway is available from Cunard as a supplement. Contact Diane for more information.

So how do these prices compare to those already published?
Our Discounted

Category Full Fare Per Person Rate Group Per Person Rate



D5 (Interior) $1424.00 $1364.00

C2 (Ocean View) $2137.00 $2012.00

B6 (O/V w/Balcony) $2249.00 $2124.00


Deposit Information:
1. First deposit is 25% of the Full Fare per person rate to hold your cabin.

2. Final Payment/Balance is will be due no later than June 6th, 2004

Cancellation Policy for sailings 6 days or less:
Number of Days Prior to sailing Cancellation Fee

More than 120 days $50.00 Fee per person

120 to 91 Days 10% of Full Fare

90 to 61 days 25% of Full Fare

60 to 31 days 50% of Full Fare

30 days or less 100% of Full Fare

No Show/No written notice 100% of Full Fare

We will be making arrangements for special events onboard for MINI owners. Planning is also underway for additional touring before the cruise departs if you can join us as well. I will post more details based on the number of responses and the amount of interest.

Important Information

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PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: VALID PASSPORTS REQUIRED FOR ALL PASSENGERS. NON-U.S. CITIZENS ARE REQUIRED TO CHECK WITH THEIR LOCAL CONSULATES OFFICE FOR VISA REQUIREMENTS.
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Insurance is recommended for all passengers. Most insurance companies do not cover you once you leave the U.S. We offer a 3rd party travel insurance through Travel Guard. This insurance allows you to cancel up until the day of departure for ?Medical Reasons Only? with a doctor?s note to receive a refund. Also if purchased within 6 days of depositing your cruise it will cover pre-existing medical conditions. ************************************************** ******************************************
Cunard Cruise Lines is offering Free One Way Air from a number of select cities in the U.S. to London. You will be required to pay the applicable air taxes, and are responsible for providing your own transportation upon arrival in New York, City. Please contact Diane Mason for more details. Air Taxes and fuel surcharges are additional and vary by gateway city.
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Remember:

If you should have ANY questions, please call Diane directly at 1-888-202-4136. I want everyone traveling to be as informed as possible and to feel confident about the Cruise we have selected.

For those of you in the US, did you catch the spot Peter Greenberg and the TODAY show did on the ship? It looks fantastic!!!

I have good news... We still have room and great rates available on this spectacular ship!! Even if your just mildly interested, call Diane at 1-888-202-4136 and request a brochure, it's free and she won't pressure you into anything.

Looks like this sailing will be SOLD OUT!!! Get in before it's too late!!! You must get your deposit in by this FRIDAY 2-14 or the cabins will be released to the general public!!!

I'm in! Thanks for posting the note guys - I read it this morning and really appreciate it. I spoke with Diane this morning and I'm booked for this cruise! She has my deposit and all the necessary information. This trip is going to be GREAT! Now I just need to find some MINI luggage............. *laugh*

- Mike

Mike you're going too?

wow, you guys this looks like a really fun trip, expecting lots of good pics and stories! :)

Mike you're going too?

wow, you guys this looks like a really fun trip, expecting lots of good pics and stories! :)

Yup, looking forward to it! :D Should be some good stories afterward :) MP and MM, I thought you guys were considering the trip as well? :confused: :D

early on we did, just couldn't swing it. we had our time over there last year...never been on a real live ship before!!! :eek: sounds like fun

watch out for Bugged :p :p

You guys are killing me. Have fun!

Some cool factoids from the Cunard website:


QM2 is five times longer than Cunard's first ship, Britannia (230 ft.)

QM2 is 113 feet longer than the original Queen Mary

QM2 is more than twice as long as the Washington Monument is tall (550 ft.)

QM2 is 147 feet longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall (984 ft.)

QM2 is more than 3 ½ times as long as Westminster Tower (Big Ben) is high (310 ft.)

QM2 is only 117 feet shorter than the Empire State Building is tall (1248 ft.)

QM2 is more than three times as long as St. Paul's Cathedral is tall (366 ft.)

QM2 is as long as 41 double-decker London buses (31 ½ ft. each)

QM2's whistle will be audible for 10 miles

We have reservations for a plant tour of the MINI factory in
Oxford which should be great. Our time in England will also consist
of driving rental MINI Coopers (we have 2 reserved, this should be
interesting driving on the left side of the road *laugh*) through
the countryside and visiting Stonehenge, Cambridge, John Cooper
Garages, 007 museum, etc etc etc.

Here is the tentative schedule:

Sept 2 (Thurs): 3 MINIacs fly to Paris
Sept 3 (Fri): Arrive in Paris morning, tour Paris
Sept 4 (Sat): Tour Paris, 2 more MINIacs fly to London
Sept 5 (Sun): Leave Paris, travel by high-speed train to England
Sept 6 (Mon): Pickup rental Coopers in Winchester, drive to Oxford
Sept 7 (Tues): Tour MINI factory (2 hours), continue driving
Sept 8 (Wed): Tour England - JCW, Stonehenge, 007 museum, etc
Sept 9 (Thurs): Tour England, 3 more MINIacs fly arrive in London
Sept 10 (Fri): Return MINIs, Oxford plant tour, all meet in London
Sept 11 (Sat): Head for Southampton and board QM2, others in London
Sept 12 (Sun): QM2 on route for NYC, other MINIacs tour London
Sept 13 (Mon): QM2 on route for NYC, remaining MINIacs fly home
Sept 14 (Tues): QM2 on route for NYC, fun and games on board
Sept 15 (Wed): QM2 on route for NYC, fun and games on board
Sept 16 (Thurs): QM2 on route for NYC, fun and games on board
Sept 17 (Fri): QM2 arrives in NYC morning, travel home to VA

We would love to have a few more people join us, particularly in the
week of Sept 6-10 for all of the MINI adventures! There are 3
people renting 2 Coopers with the possibility of adding more so
there is definitely space for more people. We may also meet up with
our fellow UK MINI owners for a drive or bite to eat.

If anyone is interested in joining us at ANY POINT during the trip,
send me an email (mjangier@comcast.net or angierm@wyeth.com) as soon
as possible so we can plan accordingly.


On a side note, I have reserved a balcony cabin on the QM2 with 2
double beds and would be happy to share it with another MINIac. So
far, no luck in convincing my girlfriend or friends to join me .


Thanks,

- Mike

Sounds fantastic. How many you have going? :D

nice trip you have going there. As your heading to Stone Henge are you going to head to Bath and m,aybe Bristol? This is my neck of the woods and would be more than happy to give you a guided tour.

Paul

Sounds fantastic. How many you have going? :D

We have 8 people total, 6 of whom (including myself) will also board the QM2 :D

nice trip you have going there. As your heading to Stone Henge are you going to head to Bath and m,aybe Bristol? This is my neck of the woods and would be more than happy to give you a guided tour.

Paul

Thanks for the offer Paul! Yes, we will be heading to Stonehenge and Bath but I don't yet know what day. We'll keep you informed! :cool:

cool - loads of hotels and B&B's in Bath. Well worth a visit and maybe a quick trip to Bristol which is only 9 miles away. Bristol is the home of Concorde and the worlds first suspension bridge and the first cross atlantic steel liner - the SS Great Britain so worth a quick nights run too.

Let me know when it will be and I'll book a days hloiday and give you the tour!

Paul

cool - loads of hotels and B&B's in Bath. Well worth a visit and maybe a quick trip to Bristol which is only 9 miles away. Bristol is the home of Concorde and the worlds first suspension bridge and the first cross atlantic steel liner - the SS Great Britain so worth a quick nights run too.

Let me know when it will be and I'll book a days hloiday and give you the tour!

Paul

Wow, good information! I am fascinated by the Concorde so Bristol would be cool to see.

Paul, I'll be in Bath in May. Really looking forward to it. ;)

well guess I'll have to give you a tour too then Ruthie!

Paul :D

Wow, good information! I am fascinated by the Concorde so Bristol would be cool to see.

Actually they have just moved her into p[osition for the opening of punlic visits so i will find out whats available when I know the date of your visit.

Just so you can see the other bits of bristol - here are a few pics :D

Paul

Just had a quick search for local concoprde web sites for you to see and as usual the good old BBC came up trumps. Here is a site dedicated to her home coming. If you look right under the main pic you will links to some video - the Points West coverage is very good. It's our local evening news show and was dedicated that night to her home coming. Hope you enjoy it as this probably isnt available anywhere else on the net!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/concorde/

Paul

Paul, I'll be in Bath in May. Really looking forward to it. ;)

Ruthie, I'm in Bath, so if you need any pointers or directions let me know - I can probably also recommend a few good B&B's/Hotels.

Mark :indi:

PS do the walking tours, not the bus, you will not see much extra from the bus as Bath is so compact.

Just had a quick search for local concoprde web sites for you to see and as usual the good old BBC came up trumps. Here is a site dedicated to her home coming. If you look right under the main pic you will links to some video - the Points West coverage is very good. It's our local evening news show and was dedicated that night to her home coming. Hope you enjoy it as this probably isnt available anywhere else on the net!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/concorde/

Paul

Paul, the video is great...and kind of sad. :( Why'd they bring her to rest? Must have had something to do with revenues, eh? Sorry, I am not more informed about this. I knew it was happening, but didn't tune in at the time. Thousands went out to see her final arrival. Really amazing. :)

Ruthie, I'm in Bath, so if you need any pointers or directions let me know - I can probably also recommend a few good B&B's/Hotels.

Mark :indi:

PS do the walking tours, not the bus, you will not see much extra from the bus as Bath is so compact.

I know you're in Bath. You are the one who planted the idea in my mind to visit while I am in London in May. :p And, I thank you for that. So, my friend Stu (goonery) is taking me on tour of Bath as he lives near there. If you have inside info, or want to meet up with us, please PM me. Would be fun to meet you too. :)

Paul, the video is great...and kind of sad. :( Why'd they bring her to rest? Must have had something to do with revenues, eh? Sorry, I am not more informed about this. I knew it was happening, but didn't tune in at the time. Thousands went out to see her final arrival. Really amazing. :)
Lots of debate as to the real reasoning... The big one was probably Air France's decision to discontinue Concorde service promptly followed by Airbus announcing that they were going to stop producing spare parts...

Apparently the Air France service never recovered after the crash a few years ago, while the British Airways service was one of their most profitable. British Airways was more than willing to continue operating the Concorde... until Airbus decided they didn't wan't to support the aircraft either... At which point British Airways decided that they couldn't keep the planes operational much longer.

Supposedly Sir Richard Branson made a bid Virgin Atlantic to buy the British Airway's aircraft. However I've heard conflicting reports as to what the bid consisted of. One said 24 Millon GBP per aircraft, another said 1GBP per aircraft (no that's not a typo a single pound) plus the British Government was to significantly subsidize their maintenance and operation.

We have reservations for a plant tour of the MINI factory in
Oxford which should be great. Our time in England will also consist
of driving rental MINI Coopers (we have 2 reserved, this should be
interesting driving on the left side of the road *laugh*) through
the countryside and visiting Stonehenge, Cambridge, John Cooper
Garages, 007 museum, etc etc etc.

[snip]

If anyone is interested in joining us at ANY POINT during the trip,
send me an email (mjangier@comcast.net or angierm@wyeth.com) as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly.


Elizabeth & I are among the "chosen" who signed up for this adventure early. We will get to UK about a week before the Mikes.

In addition to the plant tour (arranged by Goonery), a MUST SEE item on my list is the British National Car Museum (http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/) at Beaulieu. http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/motormuseum/images/nmm_logo.gif
Beaulieu is in the New Forest, about 1-2 hours (depending on traffic) west of Southampton. It is a fantastic place for anyone who loves cars (and it also has a beautiful mansion and gardens). On my last visit, I got a ride around the grounds in a genuine Green 1903 de Dion roadster. A real blast. BTW -- the 007 Museum Mike mentioned is at Beaulieu.

Regards, Tom

Thanks for the link, Tom! Looks like a must-see. :D

Hi guys, noticed you're picking up your rentals in Winchester on 6th September. As this is my home turf, I would be glad to offer you a guided tour of the City, the ancient capital of England and show you the local Pubs if you have time!

Hi guys, noticed you're picking up your rentals in Winchester on 6th September. As this is my home turf, I would be glad to offer you a guided tour of the City, the ancient capital of England and show you the local Pubs if you have time!

Hey thanks! :D :cool: We're planning to hit Winchester Sunday night Sept 5 and part of Monday Sept 6.

Let me know the details and I'll sort something out for Sunday night :D - should be able to take the drivers to pick up their cars on Monday and take you on up to Oxford in convoy :cool: . PM me to hook things up.

Have got to say there certainly are a lot of helpful and courteous people on this thread. If ever you are in the US and I can assist, please call on me. :)