Cruising is an ever-popular way to vacation, but long, boring days at sea have kept many people from choosing a holiday on the water. However, genealogists and others interested in family history have several options for combining the educational aspects of a conference with the fun of a shipboard vacation. Cruises from Australia and the U.S. are some of those options.
Wholly Genes Software Cruise to the Carribean
Wholly Genes Software is offering a cruise to the Southern Caribbean, leaving fort Lauderdale November 13, 2011 and returning November 20. The ship will visit Aruba, Curaçao, and Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Classes on genealogical research methods, sources, tools, and the latest technology will be offered by industry experts Pam Boyer Sayre, C.G.; Rick Sayre, C.G.; Craig Scott, C.G.; Dick Eastman, John Humphrey, CG, and Audrey Collins.
Promoters of the cruise say that none of the lecture times overlap, and that all classes are scheduled while the ship is at sea, leaving participants plenty of time to spend in port.
Unlock the Past Australian History and Genealogy Cruise 2011
This seven-night cruise is set on the Pacific Dawn ship owned by P&O Cruises Australia. The ship departs Brisbane, Australia on 19 March 2011, stops at Noumea, New Caledonia, Lifoua in the Loyalty Islands, and Port Vila, Vanuatu, and then returns to Brisbane.
Genealogy classes are planned on:
- Life at sea, then and now
- Military history
- Australian, New Zealand, English, Irish, Scottish, and European research
- Early medicine & DNA
- One name studies
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Legacy Family Tree, a genealogy software company, and World Cruise Headquarters are offering cruises on board Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Legacy Family Tree’s cruise, set for the Royal Caribbean ship, Explorer of the Seas, runs from September 29, 2011 to October 8, 2011. This nine-day cruise of New England and Eastern Canada starts at Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey, and then visits Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Boston, Massachusetts; and returns to Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey.
Classes on the Legacy Family Tree software program, taught by Legacy experts, are scheduled for days at sea.
World Cruise Headquarters is offering two family history cruises in 2011, one on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas to the Eastern Caribbean, and the other on Explorer of the Seas, heading for Bermuda. Participants in the genealogy classes will each be offered a private half-hour session with an expert genealogist who can help solve problems and suggest research avenues.
The Eastern Caribbean cruise runs June 5-12, 2011 on the Freedom of the Seas. The ship departs from Port Canaveral, Florida, and stops at Coco Cay, Bahamas; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and then returns to Port Canaveral, Florida.
Class topics include:
- 10 Things Genealogists Can’t Live Without
- How to Find What to Search Next
- Flesh on the Bones: Placing ancestors in historical context
- Lassie! Go for Free Genealogy Help!
- Genealogy Internet Gems
- There’s Method in My Madness – Proven Steps in Successful Searching
- Tesoro!: Beginning Italian Research
- U.S. Census Research for Beginners
- Using Newspapers & City Directories to Help Fill in the Blanks
- Family Tree Maker for Beginners
- Family Tree Maker Tips & Tricks
- Adding Photos and other Media to Your Tree
- Sharing Family History with the Genealogically Challenged
- Exploring Thy Quaker Roots
- Getting the Most from Your Ancestry.com Subscription
- Schlepping to Emess: The Basics of Jewish Research
- Stuck Going Backward? Move Forward: Tracing Descendants of Your Ancestors
- Getting Started in African-American Research
- Googling Great-Grandmom
- Organizing Your Clutter
The cruise to Bermuda runs October 22-27, 2011 on the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. The ship departs from Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey, and stops at Kings Wharf, Bermuda, returning to Cape Liberty Cruise Port, New Jersey.
- Class topics include:
- Who Do You Think You Are? Behind the Scenes on TV shows
- Sharing Family History with the Genealogically Challenged
- Canadian Ancestors: Where to Find Them and Exactly what ARE the Drouin Records?
- Exploring Thy Quaker Roots
- Getting the Most from Your Ancestry.com Subscription
- Schlepping to Emess: The Basics of Jewish Research
- Stuck Going Backward? Move Forward: Tracing Descendants
- Getting Started in African-American Research
- Googling Great-Grandmom
- Organizing Your Clutter
- Cold Cases: Genealogists, Coroners and the FBI
- Irish Resources – online and offline
- English Records – searching the Parish Registers
- Military Research with Dr. George Schweitzer
- Tracing Ancestors Back Across the Atlantic
- Scottish Research
- Family Tree Maker for beginners
- Family Tree Maker Tips and Tricks
- Adding Photos and other Media to Your Tree Using Family Tree Maker
- Online Trees: See Why They are Changing the Way We Do Genealogy
- Special evening lecture: Remembering Our Ancestors
No Cruise Announced by Rootsmagic
Rootsmagic, a software company that has previously sponsored cruises, has said it is not planning to sponsor a cruise in 2011.
Take a Cruise Vacation and Learn Family History
The opportunities for learning more about genealogy range from Who Do You Think You Are? programs to genealogical classes, conferences, and workshops. Cruise lines offering genealogy classes along with a relaxing and fun cruise vacation can only become more popular as people discover the pleasures of both.
Sources:
To learn more about other opportunities for genealogy education, read about the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research and the National Genealogical Society Home Study Class.
Katharine Garstka - Katharine Garstka specializes in genealogical research and in historical and genealogical writing.
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