Hi Katch,

 We also booked our flight. We are leaving from Boston to Miami to PLS.

We are getting married in Canada this September, so this will kinda be our honeymoon.

Look forward to meeting you..

Kapa  (Katie & Pam)

Dear Joyce and new partner,

 I just wanted to say congratuations to you both.  I too am a veteran traveller with Olivia and you WILL have a wonderful time.  Like most others, you too will probably become addicted too, but it is a safe addiction for a change.  I am a master photographer of 25 + years and your support of your friend Joyce is incredible and I look forward to looking at her website. 

I will look forward to meeting both of you, Stay in touch, check the blogs/groups topics and it only gets better if everyone stays involved.

Have a good one ladies of Olivia (get used to that saying too) and I will look forward to the next time!!!!!!!!!

With Thanks ALLWays,  Katch

Hey ladies!! This will be our first Olivia experience and after reading all of the posts from veteran travelers, we are soooo excited!! After almost a year of planning our commitment ceremony, we will be thrilled to just get away from it all and relax.

 Looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great time!!

Joyce

While planning our ceremony, we found it very difficult to find many publicly gay friendly vendors. In the process we came across our photographers. They have been great. I randomly started working for them on addition to my weekday I.T. job. If you want a great photographer I highly recommend Sierra Blanco. While based in Phoenix, they shoot weddings all over the country and have reasonable pricing. If you are interested in booking with them, tell them Joyce referred you and they will give you $100 off.

http://www.sierrablancophotography.com

http://www.joycedayphotography.com

Hey Kapa,

I went ahead and booked my flight because with all the flight stuff going on in the world, I wanted to make sure I had a secured seat was covered with my travel insurance.  I usually study the fares history and get a general idea of what is a fair fare amount to pay.  Now, this doesn't have to do with flight, but it does have to do with insurance...One of my friends on my last cruise had an accident while at port and she didn't have insurance and wow that was a big bill that she wasn't expecting.  I am a huge advocate of the insurance.  I travel quite a bit with my photography studio and have had trouble before, so I know about this one little subject especially in the travel industry these days, the insurance is almost a must-at least for me.  Now to go back to the flight stuff.  I was lucky to get a direct flight from Charlotte CLT to PLS on USAir.  Of course I would have loved to use some of my miles that I have generated over the many years of travel, but that truly seems to be a joke, scam or something that I don't understand, but I found a flight at a price I was not toooo upset with, but you have to keep in mind the resorts are a little less expensive then the cruises (depending on cruise room choice), but (the resorts) are all inclusive-of course, I am not a HUGE drinker for it to really make a difference, but no biggie, so it all evens out I think, but I really think it is less expensive than the cruises any day of the week.  I have found that FareTracker gives very good suggestions and they will email you everyday, but be prepared to be upset someday and ready to book the next-it can really be a crap shoot.  Sometimes, you just gotta go with your gut and delete the farewatcher account for that trip and never look back I say.  Have fun, I know all of us will.  Take care and chat with all of you later.

ALLWays, Katch

Hello Ladies of Olivia heading to Laugh Out Loud!

I just wanted to come in and say hello again and see if we can't get this party started a little early.  I show 70 people in this group so far and I know there are more than 70 people going or who have booked their trip by now.  I really do encourage you to join this group and introduce yourself to each other and give a quickie hello.  You don't have to do another profile--we can get that if we want it-wink.  Just a hello, if this is your first time, solo, couple, celebrating anything special, or how many trips you have been on--see, simple stuff.  I don't bite, I promise--now that statement will probably start something up in here.  Stay beautiful ladies and I look forward to meeting you with a smile Nov.1-8 2008 and checking back in here often as I FINALLY have everything taken care of except for packing, but I need some clothes to wear in the coming months.....

ALLWays, Katch

Hit MJean and Michelle-

I think I'm addicted too. But this is my first trip!! We are sooooo excited. I can not wait.

We live on the east coast too. Delaware. Flying out of Phila.

Keep in touch.

Amber

Thanks! We're really looking forward to it. Can't wait. This will be our very first trip and also our honeymoon. We got married in Jersey last month.

Thanks for the message.

Please keep in touch. Its nice to have people to communicate with, so you know others when you get there. But then again, you're never alone, "We're all Family".

Amber

Hello Ladies,

 I just wanted to introduce myself as I am really hoping to take both trips in November since this is a slow month for me with my company.  I think it is wonderful that there are a group of newbies and regular addicts of Olivia like me.

Regardless of the questions I have seen posted here, I feel really comfortable say that everyone will have a blast--NO MATTER WHAT!!!

I am going Solo, but please know that I speak with everyone, so if and when we cross each others paths, please say hello to me or if I see you first then I will share a smile your way.

It really will be here, right before we know it.

I am still trying to figure out which way I am going to go.  Solo-room to myself or share a room with someone.  Of course it is always nicer to save a dollar or two, so I am talking with others who might share interests that are similar to mine.

Looking forward to contnuing to get to know one another as it makes it an extra treasure of a vacation gift.  I have Olivia friends from all over the globe.  They really are lifelong friends and I wouldn't trade a single one.  All I would suggest is let's all stay in touch with one another.  Some also include their myspace page info in a private message to one another to stay in touch since some people are not on Olivia everyday.  I liked that idea from a recent trip I was on mainly because the profile information was a little lore in depth.  Then I also like the idea of right before the trip, you can see on other post where people put their room numbers, so they could reach eachother once they were there.  Please note that these are only suggestions that you can choose to take or leave either way.  Just really looking forward to some warm weather in the winter.....  woooooooo hoooooooo

Have a Great One and Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself!!!!!!!!!!

Katch 

Hey Sarah - cute picture. Where's my copy?

Hi,

Sarah said it all - freedom and friendship. My partner and I became friends with Sarah and Barbara on the Alaskan cruise in 2006 - we are going on our third Olivia vacation with them. We expected fun; the long-lasting friendship is an unexpected treasure. I'm beginning to think it is impossible to not have a good time.

Hi Amber.  This is the 6th Olivia vacation for my partner of 21 years, Barbara, and I.  We love the freedom.  We've met many wonderful people on these cruises from all over and we usually meet up with our new friends on subsequent cruises/vacation.  Barbara and I live near San Francisco on the east side of the bay.  We're meeting up with 3 other couples we've met on Olivia cruises to Mexico, Alaska and the Galapagos.  You'll have a great time.

Hello Everyone:

M. Jean and Michelle here...  We were booked on the 35th Birthday Bash but something has come up and we are now doing Turks!  Turks will be our 7th Olivia resort in 5 years...  Think that maybe we are addicted???  After the first trip we were hooked and would have a very hard time doing a vacation without Olivia...  We are also from the East Coast about 1 1/2 hours from Ptown!  Fly out of Logan (Boston) and will also have to leave in a winter jacket and then get into shorts...  Believe me you will get use to it...  This past November 12 of us flew out of Boston to Puerta Vallarta with Olivia, loved it...  By the way we went to see KD Lang in Boston last night - Unbelievable!!!!  Anyone that gets a chance to see her GO!!!!  Keep chatting...  Maybe I can take a page out of my friend Indie's book and set up something so that everyone here can meet up on day one in Turks...   Cannot wait to hear from everyone!!!

M. Jean and Michelle

Hi There,

 The ceremony is one group Ceremony.  It is done nicely, however If you are wanting something personalized just for the two of you this is not it.  There are usually several couples, when we did it there were probably 30-40 couples.  Many other couples that are spectators that are there to support, cheer and clap for you.  It was a nice experience, however Lisa and I will be having our own private ceremony to make it more intimate and meaningful.

Hope this helps.

Hi Tamara,

  I have been looking at flights but it seems complicated and expensive to get there. Un fortunately Air Canada doesn't start its direct flights until the 3rd of November. We may fly to via Miami with AA and then direct home with Air Canada but can't seem to get any info from AC yet. I will keep watching and see what comes up. Must also decide just how much extra time we want to spend there. Definitely want more than just one week. I just noticed Olivia/Club Med offers 2 extra days for $169 per person which may carry us over until AC flys back to Canada. Overall, flights seem very expensive right now...about a grand. By the way, where did you go to on your first Olivia trip?