Genealogy and cruising are a perfect combination, so much so that it has become known as geneacrusing. Afterall you get to stay in lovely accommodation, have a genealogy conference onboard, and you visit amazing places along the way. And that’s without mentioning the great food, onboard entertainment, the only unpacking once … and so on.
I have been on a few genealogy cruises now, but have never been to the Baltic, and I’ll be honest, I never expected to. But the Baltic is where I’ll be in four months time, thanks to Unlock the Past Cruises enticing me with their 8th Unlock the Past cruise. So let me tell you a little about it.
THE SPEAKERS
The Unlock the Past cruises have become known for their high quality, and varied speakers. And it was the list of who was going to speak on this cruise that first got my attention. Seriously how could I NOT go with this lot? It really is mighty impressive. Carol Baxter (Aus), Carol Becker (US), Chris Braund (Eng), Tricia Fairweather (Aus), Janet Few (Eng), Caroline Gurney (Eng), Shauna Hicks (Aus), Cyndi Ingle (US), Eric Kopittke (Aus), Rosemary Kopittke (Aus), Michael Leclerc (US), Paul Milner (US), Gordon Nuttall (US), Chris Paton (Scot), Helen Smith (Aus), Jane Taubman (Eng), and Barbara Toohey (Aus).
THE SHIP
Then there is the ship. Now that is truly something else. Seeing what it looked like clinched it for me. That was it, no questions asked. I was going!! I’ll let the videos show you what this ship looks llike. The first is from 2013, with the second from 2015.
This ship goes into drydock in April 2015 for a refit to be completed in Mary 2015, during which time it will include a number of new features which you can find here.
AND THEN THERE’S FINLAND …
This cruse starts in England, then goes to Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and then back to England. So I’ll certainly be seeing a little bit of a lot of countries during the 14 days.
And while I’m sure there’s plenty of interesting places to see at each port, it was Helsinki in Finland that REALLY got my attention.
You see, my great grandpa Otto Rafael Winter came from Helsinki, Finland. And it would be nice to see a little of his home city. Not only that, I’m hoping to catch up with some distant relatives in Finland who I do keep in touch with, but have never met in person yet. So fingers crossed, it could be a very exciting 11 hour stop in Helsinki.
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So that’s all the reasons that got me going on this cruise … every thing else is a bonus.
But I do need to mention two other important things. Firstly the date, and then the program. From that you’ll see what an awesome genealogy conference this really will be.
THE WHEN This 14 night cruise runs from Saturday 11 July 2015 to Saturday 25 July 2015. That’s 14 days of sun, cruising, touristing, genealogy learning, and socialising. All up that equals a whole lot of fun.
THE PROGRAM
While the speakers list is awesome, as is the ship … the topics covered also help make up the whole package. And with over 70 topics on offer, there truly is something for every researcher on this cruise. Click here for the latest program. There are talks on DNA, military record, Scottish, German, English and Irish research, diaries and letters, genealogy software, Evernote, Flip-Pal. Google, scanning and restoring photos, writing, research methods and a whole heap more. So as you can image there’s a whole heap of learning that I’m looking forward to.
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So in four short months time (yes I say short, because time really does fly), I will be in Southhampton, England getting ready to board for my next geneacruise for a total geneadventure!!
Who’s with me? As the ship isn’t yet booked out yet, it’s not to late to book if you do wish to come.
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