Hello Podfather Cruisers!

We're so excited you're joining us on the sequel to our fantastic event back in January!

We're already very close to the number of people we had with us on the first Podfather Cruise earlier this year and we still have four months to go before we need to close out bookings and final payment is due. Tell your friends!

As many of you know, the wildfires on Maui have devastated Lahaina where we are scheduled to port. Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragedy. Kristine and I have visited Maui many times in the past and are truly heart-broken. I don't have any specific guidance yet from Royal Caribbean on how this will affect our itinerary, other than the following from my direct contact:

• The situation in Maui is definitely concerning, however our departures out of Oahu are a vital part of the ships repositioning from Asia to Seattle/Vancouver. While Maui was originally part of the Ovation and Quantum's repositioning in a few weeks from now, it has been removed however the Oahu departure still remains. We do not know if the port of Maui will be replaced, however the departure from Oahu would not be affected at this time as the ships have to port there for multiple reason on their voyage over.

Our sailing is just over seven months away and a lot can change between now and then. I will certainly let you know as soon as I hear anything.

With that being said, I'm confident that we'll still be departing Oahu on April 30th for a fantastic adventure. Kristine and I have started making some plans and would welcome your input as well.

Group Hotel: Hotel rates in Hawaii are generally pretty expensive, and most hotels have a mandatory resort/facilities fee. In looking for a group hotel I got quotes from several properties and have settled on the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach. We've stayed there before and it's very nice.

The downside is that this hotel (like almost all on Oahu) books up well in advance and has incredibly high "occupancy rates", which means they won't do a group contract unless usage is guaranteed. Without diving too deeply into the details, the short of it is that I can only do a group contract if I get firm commitments for at least 10 rooms.

I have a negotiated rate of $233/night with a discounted Destination Fee of $10 per night. Once you add in all the taxes and fees, it will be right at $300/night total, for 1-4 guests in the room. This includes the Complimentary Daily Breakfast Buffet.

If at least 10 of you email me by next Friday, September 24th that you will book a room at this hotel at this rate, I'll do the group contract. If not, Kristine and I will still be staying there and are happy to have any of you join us but you'll be on your own to make arrangements.

Oahu Activities: Kristine and I plan on arriving on Oahu Saturday afternoon on April 27th. We're probably going to spend Sunday visiting Pearl Harbor (self-guided) and Monday visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center with the Super Ambassador Luau Package. Please email me directly if you'd like to join us on one or both of these activities.

That's all for now. This is our first News Update, but there will be many more and they can all be reviewed here: News Updates.

And come join the discussion in the Podfather of Gaming's Facebook Group.

Thanks, Jeff