You are invited to join members of MOAA on a cruise headed for sunny skies and clear waters – and you have options.
Two cruise vacations hosted by MOAA chapter and council leaders will depart in 2020 from the Port of Baltimore on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas.
The Maryland Council of Chapters is hosting a 12-night trip, Jan. 11-22, to the Southern Caribbean. Destinations include St. Croix, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Barbados and St. Kitts & Nevis. Click here for more details.
"It's a unique combination of ports, and a longer trip than what normally runs out of Baltimore," said Col. Harvey Kaplan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Ret), who led efforts to plan the council cruise.
In September, the Uniformed Services Nurse Advocates Virtual Chapter and the Surviving Spouses Virtual Chapter will host a 6-day, 5-night cruise to Bermuda.
On this trip, explore pink sand beaches, pastel-painted estates, military strongholds and enjoy underwater adventures, fine dining and brilliant golf courses.
Both cruises are possible through a partnership with MOAA Vacations. As an added benefit, a portion of the sales go directly to benefit the MOAA chapter or council hosting the trip.
Col. Jeri Graham, USA (Ret), founding member and president of the virtual nurses chapter, decided to organize the Bermuda cruise as a way for the online groups to meet face-to-face.
But neither trip is limited exclusively to chapter or council members. All are invited for the cruise.
There are 159 cabins available for the Bermuda trip exclusively to MOAA members, family and friends. Reservations start at $429 per person for an inside cabin, with options available for ocean view balconies and suites. Click here for more details. All room prices are based on double occupancy.
Graham has even established a “hugely successful” Cabin Mate Finder program to help members traveling by themselves to find a roommate for the cruise. To participate, just fill out this compatibility form on the MOAA Vacations website, and Graham will pair you with another MOAA member who has similar interests.
The Cabin Mate Finder program can “help people meet other people and help split expenses” for the cruise, Graham said.
On at-sea days, Graham plans to hold chapter and advocacy meetings with breakout sessions to discuss MOAA’s key legislative issues. She is also hoping to have a few high-profile speakers as well.
“We’ve invited the three surgeons general,” Graham said.
Nearly 60 MOAA Members and their family and friends have already signed up for the January cruise to the Caribbean, Kaplan said, but cabins are still avaible.
This past summer, hundreds of MOAA members attended MOAA Vacations cruises to Normandy. These trips, which sold out quickly, centered on the 75th anniversary of D-Day, took travelers down the Seine River and stopped in Paris, Versailles, and Utah and Omaha beaches.
“There was this sense of camaraderie that you got. Shared experiences, and now enduring friendships that evolved,” MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins said of the D-Day cruise. “At the end, one of the things that most of the passengers wanted was a contact list.”
There’s another trip planned for September, a 10-day tour through Germany during Oktoberfest, from Berlin to Munich. For more information on this trip and more, visit MOAAVACATIONS.com.
For MOAA Chapters looking to host their next event through MOAA Vacations, call 800-211-5107 or send an email to mail@moaavac.com.
