USS Blandy DD-943 Reunion Cruise Newsletter
President's Letter

Greetings Shipmates,
Well the plans for our cruise reunion are all set and we are getting a fantastic response so it may turn out to be the most attended reunion so far. We have a few of the Blandy Belles and a couple of shipmates making phone calls to the roster list and explaining what we're doing and how you can get registered to take the cruise with us.

We will have a “Cruise In” weekend at the International Palms Resort at Cocoa Beach, which is about a 5 minute ride from the ship. We have booked a block of rooms for two nights and the hotel said they would honor the price for even 3 nights before the cruise and 3 nights after the cruise. The hotel is beautiful and I think we will enjoy the weekend of fellowship we will have there. The cost for the hotel is $79.99 per night plus tax and you will need to contact the hotel at 1-321-392-1647 and mention the reunion code letters “UBS” so that you get the special price to reserve your hotel room. If you are a guest at the hotel then you can leave your car in their 24 hour secured parking lot while on the cruise for free. There is a shuttle that will take us to and from the ship for $5 per person each way. The hotel currently does not have a web site you can check out but they are a top quality hotel with many amenities. The hotel recently changed hands from Holiday Inn to International Palms Resort and I'm hoping that they will set up a web site and when they do I'll post it on our home page at the USS Blandy web site.

Here are the details of the cruise. The ship's name is Carnival's Sensation and it departs from Port Canaveral, Fl on November 7, 2010 and will return on November the 11th. We have gotten a great deal from Carnival Cruise Lines thanks to George Cassidy of White Travel Service Inc. The inside staterooms cost is approximately $700 and the outside or ocean view staterooms are about $800. We can also have a balcony room for about $1200. These prices are for double occupancy so that is the total price for you and your better half. The price includes the stateroom cost, the port fees, taxes and the cruise insurance. It will include all of the food and snacks you eat on the ship as well as coffee, tea, milk and juice. Alcoholic beverages and soda pop are added to your bill as well as any of the extra services offered such as: sauna, beauty parlor, gambling, ship store purchases and shore excursions. We will stop at Freeport and Nassau. You can check out the ship and the shore excursions at the Carnival cruise line web site. www.carnival.com

The USS Blandy Association has made a deposit for 60 rooms at $50 each to lock in the current price for those first 60 outside staterooms. These rooms are going fast and by the time you receive this newsletter we may already be booking another block of rooms and the prices could change by then. We encourage you to get your first deposit in as early as possible so you can lock in your price. You will need to send a check to the USS Blandy Association for your initial $50 deposit to our treasurer Bob Leech at 4454 Old Pittsburgh Rd, Wampum, PA, 16157. Paying the association for your deposit allows the association to be paid back for securing your room for you at the current price. As Bob receives your deposit checks he will send your name to White Travel Service to add you to the cruise attendance list.

Then by June 10th you will need to call George Cassidy at White Travel Service Inc 1-860-535-1171 with your next deposit of $250 payment by credit card after this payment the balance of your cruise cost needs to be paid by September 8th to George Cassidy in the same manner. We are encouraging you to not wait until the final days to call in your deposits to George Cassidy to ease the numbers of incoming calls to White Travel Service on the same day.

If you are booking a balcony room do not send a deposit to the association. Instead you need to contact George Cassidy at 1-860-535-1171 and give him a $300 deposit for your balcony stateroom. This will be your only initial payment and then you will need to make your final payment by Sept 8, 2010. Anything you charge on your bill while aboard the ship you will get a bill the night before we get back and you will pay the purser before departing the ship.

I hope I didn't leave anything out but if you have questions then give me, or Debi a call at 574-293-8760 or you can call Dan or Ginger Hauk at 217-868-9375 to get the answers to your questions. Lets get signed up early and make this a reunion to remember.

Now that I have finished explaining the details of the cruise I have sad news for you and that is that we have lost the shipmate who is responsible for our getting together every two years. Vinnie Sobral BT2 61-62, didn't survive open heart surgery that was performed on November 24, 2009 in an attempt to help him live a while longer. Vinnie passed away at about 5 PM on November 25, 2009. He organized the very first USS Blandy DD-943 reunion and it was held at Boothbay Harbor, ME. This reunion location is still one of my favorite locations and I hope one day we can go back there. We owe a lot to Vinnie, he attended the first reunion but because his health began to deteriorate within a couple of years. He was never able to attend another one, but he often told those of us who communicated with him that he had plans to attend another one someday. Let's keep Vinnie in our thoughts during this reunion and be thankful to him that he decided one day that we all needed to get together again.

Fair Winds,
Bruce Cogswell - President
USS Blandy DD-943 Association