Announcing SkepTours: We're going to Jamaica and Egypt!

[Jeff Wagg]

Greetings fellow travelers...

It's time for me to announce

SkepTours (http://www.skeptours.com).

We've organized two trips for 2011 (so far), and we're announcing them today.

http://skeptours.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/stingraycity.jpg

SkeptTour 1: Pastafarian Pilgrimage (http://skeptours.com/jamaica/)
Join us for a fun-filled adventure to the classic Caribbean ports of Miami, Jamaica’s Ocho Rios, and George Town on Grand Cayman. You and your fellow skeptics will travel aboard the elegant Celebrity Century which will serve as home-base for six days of on-shore exploration, and on-board edification. Pricing starts at just $749, and includes tips, taxes and fees!


http://skeptours.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pyramids-310.jpg
SkepTour 2: Pondering the Pyramids (http://www.skeptours.com/egypt)
Yes, it's true... we're going to Egypt. Leaving from Istanbul (2 days) aboard Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas, we'll travel to Haifa, Ashod, and then spend two days in Alexandria, Egypt. On the way back, we'll stop in Ephesus for a tour of the ruins and then back to Instanbul for a total of 10-days. Pricing starts at just $1999. Traveling with us will be an archaeologist and author of Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain.

These trips are organized by the same people who took you to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and the Galapagos, but they are not officially affiliated with the JREF.

As a standard feature of every SkepTour, YOU will be given a chance to address the assembly with a talk or presentation. This was very successful on our last voyage to the Caribbean, and we saw a wide variety of interesting topics.

More information is available at http://www.skeptours.com.

I'll answer questions here or you can e-mail me at jeff@skeptours.com (mailto:jeff@skeptours.com). Thanks for reading!

[Jeff Wagg]

To explain a bit.. Mark Twain wrote Innocents Abroad (http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/innocent/iahompag.html), which informed a generation about the region we'll be visiting. We have a talented gentleman who is a professional Mark Twain impersonator joining us.

[paperskater]

I must figure out a way to go on one of these!!


How long can someone live off of ramen noodles?

*starts budgeting*

[ve2vfd]

One of those? =D

Sooo tempting!

Pat

[Horatius]

So, you decided against the Jeff Wagg Expeditionary Foundation? :(

[Jeff Wagg]

Well, you know, some people still think my name is made up. I've seriously had pizza orders not come through because they didn't believe me.

[Chris H]

So, you decided against the Jeff Wagg Expeditionary Foundation? :(


Ha! JWEF! That's awesome! :D

[Horatius]

Ha! JWEF! That's awesome! :D



The product of a really late-night drinking session the last night of TAM7....

[Wowbagger]

The Egypt one sounds very tempting.... sooo tempting....

[Flops]

Since I decided not to take a job that would have cut my vacation time from four weeks to two, I will be able to go on a cruise next year. Now to figure out if we can possibly afford the Egypt trip...

Felicity

[phoenixphire24]

So are these going to replace the Amazing Adventures, even if they are not JREF official? I remember Egypt being mentioned as a possible AA on the last cruise.

[DrJen]

Perhaps not surprisingly, I'm going to go to both of these. I'm just extra-special excited that Egypt is going to be my first >1 week vacation from work ever :)!

[hcmom]

I guess I'd better get that second job as a bank robber.

[Hutch]

Sign me up for Egypt, Jeff. Been wanting to see Istanbul for some time (now if you can stick a Upper Egypt side trip onto it, you'll have my undying gratitude).

[Jeff Wagg]

So are these going to replace the Amazing Adventures, even if they are not JREF official? I remember Egypt being mentioned as a possible AA on the last cruise.

This is being done completely separately from the JREF. I don't know if they plan to do more Amaz!ng Adventures, but these opportunities came up and I decided to make them available.

[Morrigan]

Holy crap, I am SO going to the Egypt one. :eek: It's in one year? Plenty of times to start saving, people.

Edit: aww, only 2 days in Egypt? Well, the rest sounds great as well, but I'd have loved more time in Egypt to be honest.

[phoenixphire24]

We probably can't make the one in March, unless Brandon can convince the Navy this is a medical conference he needs to speak at. We'll start saving up for Egypt though!

[Hamradioguy]

While I may not fond of cruises, that Egyptian trip may be impossible to resist. Wonder if my Macchu Pichu roomie is looking for an Egyptian tour roommate?

[Jeff Wagg]

We need his expert medical advice.. because.. Umm.. let's see. It's Jamaica. There. That's my reason.

[Horatius]

Here's a question or two: How far in advance can you plan these events? Or is it possible/desirable to have one in April rather than March? The end of March is when my yearly vacation allotment starts, so most of the time, I have very few vacation days left in March. It was fluke that I had the time to go last year, as we had just signed a new contract that gave me an extra one-time week off.

If I knew about a cruise much earlier, or if one was a few weeks later, I could plan my time off much better.

[Jeff Wagg]

Horatius.. I could do April, but I already have bookings on this March cruise to Jamaica. For this year, that time period is full. In the future, I'll try to announce trips much farther ahead.

And in that vein, I will tell you of one more cruise we have planned. On 12/21/2012.. we're going to be at some Mayan ruins in Mexico...

[The Central Scrutinizer]

What if I don't want to go to Jamaica?

[phoenixphire24]

And in that vein, I will tell you of one more cruise we have planned. On 12/21/2012.. we're going to be at some Mayan ruins in Mexico...

Whoa, that's so awesome. Now I just have to convince the relatives that this>Christmas get together.

[Horatius]

Horatius.. I could do April, but I already have bookings on this March cruise to Jamaica. For this year, that time period is full.



I'm shocked, Shocked! that you can't re-arrange your entire schedule for this year just to accommodate me! :D



In the future, I'll try to announce trips much farther ahead.

And in that vein, I will tell you of one more cruise we have planned. On 12/21/2012.. we're going to be at some Mayan ruins in Mexico...



That's two days after my Birthday*! I'll start saving now!





*Or as we'll call it that year, "LastDay" :)

[Jeff Wagg]

What if I don't want to go to Jamaica?

Stay on the boat and drink.

[DrJen]

@Phoenixphire24 Well...since I'm going to do a medical talk, and Brandon could do a medical talk, I think that pretty much constitutes a medical conference. We could even apply for CME!

[ve2vfd]

Well, this guy is signed up for the Jamaican cruise! We'll see you there folks! :D

Pat

[Jeff Wagg]

Considering offering a land tour of Scotland sites, with an emphasis on Loch Ness. What would be the best time of year?

[ve2vfd]

Having spent new years in Scotland a few years ago I can say with assurance that winter is NOT the best time to be visiting! =D

Pat

[hcmom]

Too much good stuff, not enough money...

[Susan Gerbic]

Mark Edward says the best time for Scotland is Sept. It isn't cold yet and prices are really down.

I WANT to go to Scotland!

Susan

[Jeff Wagg]

Still looking into Scotland... we might have an interesting guest joining us. :)

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Still looking into Scotland... we might have an interesting guest joining us. :)

Sean Connery?

[SkepticScott]

Still looking into Scotland... we might have an interesting guest joining us. :)Nessie?

[Jeff Wagg]

Nessie?

Umm, I highly suspect not, but I'm open to the possibility.

[kittynh]

Scotland, when school is in session please. Fall isn't bad. There are certain times of the year where it does NOT rain everyday. Or maybe that's 2 days a year. I know when we were there we would plan to go in Fall or early Spring, and didn't have much problem with rain. Also a TON of ghosts and such there. To day nothing of 2 Endinburgh grave robbers. I seem to remember some ghost experiments by a well known skeptic being done in Edinburgh....we see ghosts because evolution has taught us dark places with shadows aren't safe!

Anyway avoiding rain (or having better chance) is a MUST.

[Hamradioguy]

Hoot mon! Scotland for sure. Want to visit the ancestral home and sample a wee bit of Grant's whiskey. Craig elachie!

[xenxabar]

Jamaica is very tempting.

[kittynh]

hmmm whiskey tour! You see Nessie better after a few drams

[Dicon]

What if I don't want to go to there's still a price on my head in Jamaica?


Fixed. You're welcome.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

What if I want to go to Turkey and Egypt, but not Isreal? I'm afraid they would try to make me wear one of those beanies there.

[ve2vfd]

You know, the funny thing is that I have never really wanted to go to israel, but as part of this trip and with an archaeologist I think it's going to be a really cool stop!

Jeff, any details on the Egypt trip yet? As much as I look forward to the Jamaiican cruise, the Egypt trip will really by the highlight of my year!

Pat

[Morrigan]

I'm sad that there isn't a stop at the Valley of the Kings. :(

[Jeff Wagg]

News on Egypt...

I've been negotiating a bit, and I *THINK* this will happen.

First off, we're going to change things a bit and INCLUDE a tour of the pyramids, sphinx and museum in Giza. And we're going to be led by our own guide who will say the things we want them too.... er, give a skeptical tour.

And, we're going to have a former rabbi lead us through Jerusalem. He's an atheist now, so I think he'll have an interesting perspective.

That's all tentative, but it looks pretty solid. At any rate, we ARE including a trip to the pyramids. (It's $260 if you use the cruise line).

Stay tuned. I'm working on some stuff for Jamaica too.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

First off, we're going to change things a bit and INCLUDE a tour of the pyramids, sphinx and museum in Giza. And we're going to be led by our own guide who will say the things we want them too.... er, give a skeptical tour.

So we'll get the truth about the aliens who built them? I think the official guides try to deny it.

[kittynh]

ohh Jamaica special side trip... nice...

you might see pyramids...

[Jeff Wagg]

Egypt is now available for booking! I had to rise the price a little bit, but I'm able to include TWO tours... one of Jerusalem an another to pyramids of Giza. (Sphinx too!). Those two tours would cost about $400 if purchased from the cruise line.

http://www.skeptour.com

[Wowbagger]

I'm skeptical of this claim:

By special arrangement, none other than Mark Twain, who’s popular book Innocents Abroad detailed his journey to this region with the requisite amount of humor will be joining us for the duration of the voyage. He’ll dine with us and be present for socializing and lectures.

Can you elaborate, perhaps with evidence?!

[Philip]

I'm skeptical of this claim:



Can you elaborate, perhaps with evidence?!

See the second post in this thread.

[Wowbagger]

See the second post in this thread.
Ah, but that's different from what the site claims.

Why is Jeff purporting one "fact" on his site, backing down on it, a little, on this thread, but not correcting the original source?!

[AZAtheist]

Skeptical cruising is fun. Nancy and I have been on 4 of the JREF cruises (we didn't go to Galapagos with JREF because we went earlier with CFI, and Richard Dawkins). This Skeptours program is confusing to me. We may have to sit this one out until the circular firing squad runs out of ammunition.

[Jeff Wagg]

AZAtheist, I'd be happy to clear up any confusion you might have.

As for Mark Twain, yes he'll be joining us. Samuel Clemens will not. We'll have an excellent interpreter for Mr. Clemens working with us, complete with unruly white hair and matching suit.

[Hutch]

Jeff, as a couple of others have mentioned, this doesn't include Upper Egypt (I've seen the pyramids 3-4 times already).

Think you could look into a side trip (much like the Machu Piccu side trip w/the Galapagos) for 3-5 days to see Luxor, Aswan, and the Valley of the Kings?

Just a thought

[Morrigan]

^ Agreed!

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Can we book The Bangles?

[Wowbagger]

So far, I think it looks good that I'll be going on the Egyptian tour!

I don't know which type of stateroom I want, yet. And, I suppose it might be a good idea to acquire a nice roomate to carry along with me. But, other than those sorts of issues to iron out, the plan seems to be going in place, for me.

Think you could look into a side trip (much like the Machu Piccu side trip w/the Galapagos) for 3-5 days to see Luxor, Aswan, and the Valley of the Kings?I'd probably go on this, too!

Can we book The Bangles?
Or at least a Bangles tribute band?

Think about how awesome a Bangles/Mark Twain jam session would be!

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Or at least a Bangles tribute band?

No

[Kevin 251]

Can we book The Bangles?

And They Might Be Giants?

[hcmom]

So far, I think it looks good that I'll be going on the Egyptian tour!

I don't know which type of stateroom I want, yet. And, I suppose it might be a good idea to acquire a nice roomate to carry along with me. But, other than those sorts of issues to iron out, the plan seems to be going in place, for me.

I'd probably go on this, too!


Or at least a Bangles tribute band?

Think about how awesome a Bangles/Mark Twain jam session would be!


I'm nice. And can be acquired for the low sum of whatever the cruise and airfare would be...

[Jeff Wagg]

I've looked into extended tours of Egypt. Because the trip terminates in Istanbul, visiting more Egypt would require flying BACK to Egypt, which would be prohibitively expensive. Also, the idea of going on there on a tour from the ship isn't very attractive as it's hundreds of miles away.

I'll get pricing if someone really wants to pursue this, but it would likely be as expensive as the cruise.

[Fitter]

I may stay on the boat during the Jerusalem tour. (http://www.atheistnation.net/video/?video/02478/atheist/jerusalem-syndrome-psychosis-alert/)

[Horatius]

Well, once again an interesting confluence of events has made it possible for me to join the cruise this March!

I've just now gotten off the phone with Joe Wagg, so my room on the boat is booked, and so is my flight.

WooT!

[JJM 777]

SkepTours
(...)
Pricing starts at just $749
(...)
Pricing starts at just $1999
This is a skeptic forum (and you organize skeptical tours), so it would be a fresh idea for once to end the price with some other digit than 9, and omit the word "just" because we skeptics don't believe that it has any meaning anyway.

[Cleon]

Well, once again an interesting confluence of events has made it possible for me to join the cruise this March!

I've just now gotten off the phone with Joe Wagg, so my room on the boat is booked, and so is my flight.

WooT!

w00t! indeed. The GF and I are going as well. It should be much fun.

[ve2vfd]

I'll be visiting my parents in Florida in march again this year, so deciding to get on the boat with y'all was a no brainer for me! :cool:

Pat

[Horatius]

WooT!

[ve2vfd]

Any info for a recommended hotel near Port Miami where we can get together for the night before? (remember folks, this cruise leaves from Port Miami and not Port Everglades!)

Pat

[paperskater]

I am lustily drooling after the tropical tour, but I'm afraid I must save up money for the Egypt trip!

[Cleon]

I am lustily drooling after the tropical tour, but I'm afraid I must save up money for the Egypt trip!

:(

[Cleon]

OK, who else is coming on the March cruise?

So far I have:

Cleon +gf
DrJen
Horatius
Jeff Wagg
Loon
ve2vfd
xenxabar

[The Central Scrutinizer]

OK, who else is coming on the March cruise?

So far I have:

Cleon +gf
DrJen
Horatius
Jeff Wagg
Loon
ve2vfd
xenxabar

I likely won't know until after the 1st. I doubt the boat will sell out.

[Doubt]

I am thinking about the Jamaica cruise.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I'm actually considering the Egypt cruise, but I have to first see what the dates are for TAM London III.

[saganite]

Have fun, you lucky bastids.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Have fun, you lucky bastids.

Maybe you could sell the kid to come up with the money?

[saganite]

Maybe you could sell the kid to come up with the money?

Last I checked, she'd only bring in enough to reserve an interior stateroom. I have standards, you know.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Last I checked, she'd only bring in enough to reserve an interior stateroom. I have standards, you know.

I could invite you over to sit on my balcony. :)

[saganite]

I could invite you over to sit on my balcony. :)

Is that what the boys are calling it these days?

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Is that what the boys are calling it these days?

You naughty girl! :eek:

[Fitter]

I'm actually considering the Egypt cruise, but I have to first see what the dates are for TAM London III.

I'm pretty certain I'm doing Egypt, I should be so lucky that timings line up to do TAM London also.

[paperskater]

Jamaica sounds really awesome, considering all the crappy winter weather that's happening.

[Cleon]

Jamaica sounds really awesome, considering all the crappy winter weather that's happening.

It does, doesn't it? It would be a nice way to reward yourself for suffering through winter in Colorado.

[Merko]

The Egypt tour sounds very interesting. Anyone looking for a roomie? I don't smell, snore or projectile vomit. Additionally, my TAM7 roomie survived.

[saganite]

Additionally, my TAM7 roomie survived.

Really? Where are they? Why haven't we heard from them?

[paperskater]

It does, doesn't it? It would be a nice way to reward yourself for suffering through winter in Colorado.


Cleon, you are a bad bad man.

[Cleon]

Cleon, you are a bad bad man.

Only as bad as you want me to be.

Now, back to talking you into coming on the March cruise... :D

[Geek Goddess]

I'm pretty certain I'm doing Egypt, I should be so lucky that timings line up to do TAM London also.

Is that anything like 'Debbie Does Dallas"?

[Fitter]

Is that anything like 'Debbie Does Dallas"?

Thanks for reminding me, gotta get get the goat porn off my hard drive before crossing international borders.