It's all about choices

I haven't been to a genealogy conference for a while and it's time to get my fix but I know that I can't go to everything that's on offer. It's all about choices.

I have been umming and aahing about whether I would go to the NSW/ACT State Conference in Wollongong in September but have decided that I won't attend. I will miss catching up with many of my genealogy pals but having perused the program I find that it doesn't align closely with my particular interests.

Instead I have made the decision to go on the short 3 night 6th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise out of Sydney in October that offers two full days and more of genealogy conference at sea combined with the delights that a big cruise ship like the 4.5 star Celebrity Solstice can offer (I am a cruiseaholic). I have confirmed with Alan Phillips of Unlock the Past this evening that I will be presenting on technology topics (TBA) on the cruise, that will be fun as I love presenting to fellow genies.

I snapped this picture of Celebrity Solstice as she sailed out of Sydney last year

Having looked at the cruise program I find that it aligns with my specific needs and interests. Firstly there is a convict stream presented by Cathy Dunn (a Norfolk Island Expert) and, as someone with over ten direct ancestors who are convicts, this is right up my alley, secondly there will be experts from the three eastern states presenting on research in those areas. Carole Riley will be covering New South Wales and Shauna Hicks will be covering Queensland and Victoria. These experts will be available to give one on one assistance in the research help zone. I am hoping that I can get some guidance from Cathy about one of my Norfolk Island people.

If I was a user of Family Tree Maker software I would definitely be joining this cruise as Australian FTM guru, John Donaldson will be presenting a stream of talks about the package. He will also be available in the research help zone to help users with particular issues. Rosemary Kopittke will complete the lineup of presenters.

Information about this cruise that is priced from just $969 (twin share) can be found on the Unlock the Past Cruises website.

I hope to see some of my mates on this geneacruise.

The History Detective Newsletter

A geneacruising mate of mine is Australian author Carol Baxter. I recently interviewed Carol in a Google Hangout which you can vuew here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDmgPq63zQ

On my reading list each month is  "The History Detective Newsletter" which Carol emails out to subscribers each month. This free publication has lots of tips and information for genealogists, historians and writers. The topics covered n the latest edition include:

- Details about author talks.

- Publishing Pointers: Printed matter categorisations     

- Words to the Wise: Malapropisms

- Unlock the Past Baltic Cruise, July 2015

If you would like to subscribe just email Carol at : c_baxter@optusnet.com.au

The Podcast Queen of Australia

One of the most knowledgable, modest and  gentle presenters on the recent Unlock the Past Cruise was Maria Northcote who has done so much for genealogy in Australia through her Genies Down Under podcast series.

I thoroughly enjoyed Maria's presentation on the cruise not only because of the content but because I gathered a few tips on presenting through observing Maria in action. I am certainly going to incorporate her BINGO activity in some of my future presentations.

While on the cruise Maria conducted for a future podcast a few audio interviews with cruisers and I was privileged to be interviewed together with my blogging mate Pauleen Cass from Darwin. Gathered around a table in a lecture room late one evening  with Dot Elder and her sister Cathy for company we had our interview. The atmosphere was informal and great fun with lots of friendly banter and laughter.

Last night Maria emailed that she had published her latest podcast "Episode 30: Cruisy stuff for genies: Genealogy news from aboard the 4th Unlock the Past History and Genealogy Cruise (Part 1) (March 2014)" and that the Interview with Pauleen and I was included. In this session she also interviewed Alan Phillips and Chris Paton.  It was no surprise that Maria did a super job by interspersing the various interviews she posted with  relevant commentary.

You can listen to Maria's podcasts on your computer, if you are an iPerson you can download to your device via iTunes. As an Android user I use the Doggcatcher app to download the podcast recordings to my tablet. These podcasts are a wonderful resource for all genealogists.

Thank you, Maria, for featuring me in your podcast. 

Mixing it up - Effective Presentations

I should have had it recorded or videoed!

Several months ago after Thomas MacEntee, Pauleen Cass and probably some others blogged  about Ethical Dilemmas facing genealogists I pitched the idea of having a panel session on that topic on the program for the 4th Unlock the Past Genealogy cruise. Alan Phillips liked the idea and added it to the program.

My role was quite simple really, I had to think up a few questions/problems, invite some panelists to join the panel, put together a bit of a powerpoint and moderate the session. The panelists I invited were Mixing it up - Effective from my social media contacts that I knew would be on the cruise; from the work they do in the genealogy world I knew that they were top-notch solid performers. I was thrilled that Pauleen Cass, Kirsty Gray and Maria Northcote agreed to join me as panelists.

Kirsty, Pauleen, Jill, Maria

I am just kicking myself that I didn't record the session as I would love the opportunity to sit quietly, listen and mull over the contributions made by the panelists. As I was busy watching the clock and being nervous I wasn't able to concentrate on the session content  as fully as I would have liked. A recording of the session would have been a useful resource for sharing with the wider genealogical community.

After the session I received many compliments,  this was due to the quality of the panelists and the format of the presentation which allowed panelists to bounce ideas off each other. I encouraged some audience interaction during the session and that gave more people opportunities to add to the conversation.

I believe that at such events we need more interactive sessions and more opportunities for group participation than that offered by the lecture or "chalk and talk" format. Someone said to me in an email I received after the panel session " I particularly enjoy conference sessions when there is a bit of interaction so the more sessions like the panel type session, the better."

I realise that "the sage on the stage" approach is necessary when an expert has new knowledge or information to impart but it would be refreshing if conference or event organisers could mix up the type of sessions on offer. Our individual learning styles need to be accommodated.

By adding in more panel sessions, Q&A sessions with an expert and moderator, hands-on workshops (BYOD), poster sessions, sharing circles, jigsaw groups and team games eg Genealogy Trivia a program can be made more interesting. The Bingo method that was used so effectively by Maria Northcote in her podcasts session on the cruise kept the audience engaged and on their toes throughout the talk (and it was fun).

So how about it organisers of genealogy events? 
When you are programming your next event try to add a little bit of variety.

Chatting with a Geneablogger from Victoria

In this interview on the 4th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise I chat with Lee-Ann Hamilton, one of my geneablogging mates at The Pear Tree Cottage Blog.

Chatting with a Boer War Boy

One of the pleasant tasks I undertook on the recent Unlock the Past Cruise was to host a couple of Google Hangouts on Air and to conduct a few interviews with cruisers.

In the first video I interviewed several cruisers in one hit but,on viewing it, realised that having people hop in and out of the interview seat was a little problematic. I then suggested to the congenial Mr Unlock the Past, Alan Phillips, that it might be better if I conducted a series of short interviews. Alan agreed so I made a date with our young camerman, Lachlan, and proceeded to find some victims to interview. I tried to select a diverse range of people. I hope you enjoy watching these short vidoes from Unlock the Past's Youtube Channel.

My first volunteer was Geoff Doherty a serial geneacruiser who is interested in the Boer War.

The Problem Solving Presenter

My head is swimming after nine days at sea on the 4th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise.

I had every intention of joining this cruise so after I booked when I found that one of the presenters was to be Family Historian expert and FHUG Site Administrator, Jane Taubman, I was especially chuffed. As a relatively new convert to the Family Historian  software package I am still a novice and need all the help I can get.

I learnt lots about the program from Jane in the six workshops I attended at sea and two subsequent ones on land but I doubt that I will retain much of this. More importantly I was convinced that I made the right decision in moving over to  Family Historian. A software package that contains lots of data must give users many ways to retrieve and massage the data it contains. Some programs make it very easy to input data but extracting data in a palatable format can be a trial.  Family Historian  is excellent in this regard.

Jane Taubman at work on Voyager of the Seas

Jane knows the  Family Historian  package inside out. Her style of presentation that wasn't scripted except for a short introduction was excellent. Jane taught us how to use the program with live demonstrations of the software's capabilities, she coped admirably with questions from participants and happily went off on tangents to address their particular needs.

Jane was a patient and knowledgeable teacher with super problem solving skills and this is where she shone for me. Many people are able to teach but often they don't have the knack of taking a student's issue on board, mulling it over and coming back with a workaround or solution.  There are one or two features that I miss from my old program. Jane went away, thought about them and returned the next day with solutions. What a lifesaver!

I am anxious to get stuck into my research once more and further explore Family Historian. Mr GeniAus has agreed that I can take some time out of our trip to the UK later in the year to attend some of Jane's workshops at Dillington House in Somerset. By then I should have lots of further questions and may be even ready to start retrieving info from my database. For the moment I will concentrate on data entry and editing.

Jane gave one of the most talked about sessions on the cruise to a nearly packed house. In her Snapshots to Photographs presentation she gave all the budding photographers present many tips to improve their images. As a snap happy person I really enjoyed the advice Jane proffered by using examples from her collection of photographs. What a visual treat we had.

I am sure that I would have enjoyed the cruise without Jane but her presence was just the icing on the cake.

Back on deck...

On deck on Voyager of the Seas

....well, that's not quite right. I'm actually back on Terra Firma after a fabulous nine days at sea geneacruising on The Voyager of the Seas.

Sitting here in my cabin study it feels like I am at sea because my home internet is playing up and there are things I mustdo. This reminds me of the frustrations of internet at sea but at least my home internet does not cost a bomb and charges by the byte not by the minute.

I hope to churn out a few blog posts over the next few days and plan a  GeniAus Hangout on Air real soon but firstly I need to mind my manners. There were some people on the cruise who particularly enhanced my cruise experience and they deserve personal thanks so I am off to send out a few thankyous.

I will then return to my regular blogging perhaps with topics around Questions and Statements, Many Heads - Meatier Results, A Holiday Inn Cruise Experience, Names and Faces, Is Social Media ****? The Problem Solving Presenter, Data in Data out and Failure at Rootstech.

And of course I must start planning for my next geneacruise.

#UTPCruise - It's already Day 7

As soon as we arrived in port I phoned Mr Geniaus and said that I couldn't decide if I should get off the cruise ship to see Hobart. He suggested that if I didn't have cabin fever I may as well stay on board.

As I have lots of genealogy work to do and I have visited Hobart on a number of occasions I took his advice and have remained closeted in my cabin since we docked. I don't feel confined as I have my balcony door open. I have a fresh breeze wafting in and I am able to see the city and Mount Wellington.

I just spent twenty minutes recording a Hangout on Air that relates my experiences of the last two days. Unfortunately although it appeared that the video in the hangout was recording it does not appear on the recording. Don't you just love technology?

If you would like to hear my recording you can do so from here.

Time out

No matter where I go on the ship I bump into a fellow genie.

Patrice from Victoria is enjoying some quiet time in the ship's library prior to our presentation this evening.

#UTPCruise - Day 4

Laziness has taken over again and, instead of typing a report on Day 4, I have recorded a Google Hangout on Air.

Tessa Keough on Google+ this morning challenged me to talk about the genea business cards I have collected so far on the cruise so I took up her challenge and discussed them in the video I recorded.

Already 44 people have watched the first Hangout I posted from the cruise so I guess that it is a medium that people appreciate. This afternoon I am hosting a Hangout on Air for Unlock the Past in which I hope to interview some cruisers and presenters whom I have met on board. Shortly I am going exploring around the ship to find a suitable location as the internet connection in the Conference Center is not strong enough to support a Hangout. I had thought of going out on deck somewhere but the wind is whistling and making a terrible racket so indoors will be the best bet.

Apologies that at about the 12 minute mark the following video got patchy (blame Telstra) but PLEASE persevere as the quality improves after a few seconds.

#UTPCruise - Day 3

Sailing along the southern coast of Australia I'm wondering if I can get this posted before I lose internet access via my Telstra wi-fi gadget.

I woke naturally this morning after sleeping like a log and decided that, as I had several geneatasks that I needed to accomplish, I would stay on board the ship instead of doing some touristing in Melbourne. The sail in this morning was most attractive and I found that I took around 100 snaps as we approached Station Pier.

Good Morning Melbourne

Station Pier, Melbourne

I opted for a leisurely breakfast in the Dining Room and was delighted to see Eggs Benedict on the menu and it was the best meal I have had so far on the ship. On Conference Days I cannot afford the luxury of a proper breakfast so I take the option of a grab and go meal.  

Eggs Benedict - Yumm

I escaped from the cabin to grab a coffee when the steward came to do my room and found Kath and Joan from Victoria in the Coffee Shop, they had also decided to hang around and 'do genealogy', naturally I had to chat with them for a while. I was interested to learn about the free resources that their society in Bendigo has shared on its website and of the great work members are doing in indexing local resources.

Kath hard at work

I accomplished quite a bit during my enforced solitary confinement in my cabin (including a successful Google Hangout) and rewarded myself with lunch around 2pm. By this time the tourists were starting to return to the ship so I spent quite a while chatting with old and new friends as they stopped by for a bite of lunch. I find this casual networking aspect of the cruise/conference experience so valuable.

Next stop was the conference centre for the Software Special Interest Groups and Research Help Zone meetings. Groups convened to discuss Family Tree Maker, Legacy and Family Historian; Jan Gow seemed to have quite a large following for her Legacy session.  I found myself quite busy (and feeling rather impotent) as I was the only speaker available in the research help zone where several of the questions were out of my league or area of expertise. I was, however, able to suggest names of those who would be able to help. Thanks to Margaret Doherty and Jackie van Bergen whom I grabbed to help with a couple of queries for their assistance.

Tonight's panel on the future of genealogy hosted by Thomas MacEntee was engaging as the four panelists had differing opinions on some of the issues raised. It was a very lively discussion around a series of questions posed by Thomas. I was pleased that three of the four panelists, Shauna Hicks, Chris Paton and Kirsty Gray saw the value of using social media for genealogy purposes while still emphasizing the importance and value of traditional records and research methods.

The Future of Genealogy - Panelists

What I found particularly exciting today is that several people have approached me to learn about blogs and blogging. If I can find a quiet public area on the ship when in port I have promised to teach them how to set up a Blogger blog. 

I was pleased that I stayed on board as I met some lovely new people including a delightful couple from South Africa around the ship today. Getting my tasks done and having plenty of time for informal discussions in a less crowded environment made for a super day.

#UTPcruise - Day 2

Instead of typing up a report on yesterday's cruise activities I scheduled a Google Hangout on Air. I was thrilled that Tessa Keough from The US joined me.

#UTPCruise - Day 1

This busy bee hasn't got time to type too much so I'll post some pictures to tell the story.  I'll be doing a Google Hangout on Air to tell you about my experiences.

That's our boat - taken from the Cahill Expressway

Registration in the Conference Center

Backing up for another geneacruise - Rob (Victoria) and Diane (W.A.)

All fuelled up and ready for take off

Not a bad view from my balcony

Coffee with Marg from W.A.

Safety First - Lifeboat Drill

Lifeboat Station B11

Shauna Hicks is ready to cruise

Dinner Table mates - Alan and Ann (S.A.)

Peter and Irene (Victoria)

Tucker Time - a bit tough

Genealogy Rockstars - Thomas MacEntee (USA), GeniAus and Kirsty Gray (UK)

Orientation Session

Ahoy there Geneabloggers

Spit and Polish

In need of a polish

The furniture in my home is in need of a good polish.

I can't say the same for my presentations for the 4th Unlock the Past Cruise, they are being polished to within an inch of their lives. I just can't seem to say "that will do". One of my sons asked me today, when I said that I had to get home to finish off my presentations, "How many do you have to finish?".

My reply was that they are all finished but that I am still working on them.

As I need to pack my bags and do some work around the house I have decided to save and back up all except the presentation that is scheduled for the first morning of the cruise. I will go through "Beaut Blogs: what makes a blog stand out from the crowd?" just one more time and then I'll call it a day.

Hangout Habit

I've got it bad, the Hangout Habit that us.

I just love logging on to a scheduled Hangout on Air and seeing who will join me to chat about Genealogy topics. It's such a lottery as one doesn't know who will join in until their image pops up on the filmstrip at the bottom of the screen. I am always relieved when the first person joins in prior to starting the recordingas I know I won't have to deliver a monologue.

I seem to be developing a group of Hangout regulars who have joined me on a few occasions and in each session a couple of newbies appear - what a nice mix that is. As we are all learning about the medium the sessions are quite casual and we often digress to learn about and master some part of the Hangout setup.

Tonight was a bit of a challenge when I, as host, dropped out of the Hangout. Thankfully tthe others realised I was missing and carried on valiantly. Although our topic was packing for a geneajaunt we did stray a little and discuss things that were specific to the cruise some of us will soon be taking but amongst the chatter I picked up a few excellent tips for organising myself, preparing for visits and notetaking for all my geneajaunts. There was also some specific advice given for people attending Rootstech.

Thanks to the fabulous group of ladies who hung out with me tonight. You are stars that make the GeniAus Hangouts on Air so bright.

You can view the video from here or on my Youtube Channel.

A Virtual "Meet and Greet"

Oh, boy, am I nervous and excited.

Tonight I am hosting a Hangout on Air about Genealogy Cruising for Unlock the Past. I am nervous because Mr Unlock the Past, Alan Phillips, has put his faith in me to carry out this task for UTP. I will try my best no to besmirch the reputation of his organisation.

Sometimes the Google Hangout application can be a bit flaky and sometimes my internet connection is dodgy (I do have a backup plan) so that adds to my anxiety. I also don't know exactly who will be on the panel until they actually join so I can't really script the activity. I just make do with a rough runsheet.

Overriding all of this is my excitement. I love the Hangout tool which allows people from distant places to join together in an online teleconference that is livestreamed to the world. Potentially thousands of people could watch our little broadcast tonight.

I am excited because I am going to meet fellow presenters and cruisers prior to our cruise in three weeks time. I know that presenters from three countries will join me (technology willing) as well as seasoned cruisers and some first-time sailors. We plan to chat for 45 minutes (but may have to stretch to 60) about who we are, why we love geneacruising and what we expect to get out of the cruise. We hope that our newbie or any potential cruisers come armed with questions to ask.

This Hangout will be of interest to anyone who wants to meet some renowned genealogists, find out about geneacruising or just spend some time with fellow family historians. While the 4th Unlock the Past Cruise will be our focus we will share details of future cruises and geneacrusising in general

You can watch this event at 8:00pm Sydney time tonight directly from here on the Unlock the Past Youtube Channel.  If you wish to comment or pose questions during the event you should join the Unlock the Past Hangout Community on Google+. You need to have a Google account for this, if you have a Gmail account you can log in to plus.google.com with your Gmail username and password.

Disclaimer: As their Hangout Host I am being compensated by Unlock the Past. The excitement is all my own.

Pre and Post Cruise Accomodation

I posted this information for those who were joining the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise in Sydney last year and, as it is useful for those joining the 4th cruise, I am reposting it with a few amendments (in italics).
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I received a message from a genealogy contact " XXXXX has asked me for suggestions re accommodation in Sydney before and after the above cruise. His preference is downtown prior, and maybe near the beach after. As I am more QLD'er than NSW re this thing, if you could offer him some suggestions, I would appreciate it."

Rather than just sharing my ideas with one person I said I would put some thoughts in a blog post that may benefit others.

For someone with an unlimited budget who has never been to Sydney there is one standout option. It is the Park Hyatt on the Harbour Foreshore in Sydney Cove in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge. I stayed there once for a birthday treat and it was awesome, I was able to repose on the bed, sip my Moet, and look across the bay to the Opera House while watching the Sydney ferries coming and going. An added bonus is that this is just a short walk from the pier where the ship berths.

The view I had from my room at The Sydney Park Hyatt

The Sydney CBD is dotted with hotels with most of the major international chains being represented. I have stayed in a dozen or more city hotels and serviced apartments ranging from 3 star to 5 star and they 
have been fine except for a couple. A free city shuttle bus, Route 555,  is available during the day, 7 days a week so wherever one is in the inner city one can avail oneself of free transport. The main areas for hotels are the CBD, Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Railway Square. There is more chance of getting a view in Darling Harbour or around the Quay but also note that the City Centre is a few blocks uphill from Darling Harbour. I would give the area around Railway Square and Kings Cross a miss. B&Bs can found in inner city suburbs a few kilometres out of the CBD. 

Sydney City (Darling Harbour is bay at bottom left)
From Google Maps

For the budget conscious traveller theTravelodge Sydney Hotel is a 3 star property that I have stayed in. It is down a side street just a couple of hundred metres from Hyde Park. The Travelodges at Wynyard and Phillip Street are also conveniently located. 

The cruise departs before the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival commences on the 12th February and schools resume at the beginning of February so there is no need to book a hotel way in advance. There are many hotel rooms in Sydney.

Tripadvisor has reviews of Sydney Hotels but check where the hotels are on a map before proceeding with a booking so as to avoid the more dodgy areas of the city. Lastminute.com, Hotels.com, Wotif.com and similar sites offer great last minute offers. Audrey Collins, on her recent trip to Sydney, snagged a room at the Radisson with a partial view of the Harbour Bridge at a really great rate. 

When the cruise returns to Sydney the Mardi Gras will be in full swing so hotel rooms may be in shorter supply. The problem with Sydney beaches is that many of them, especially the Northern Beaches, don't have good hotels nearby. B&Bs can be found in beachside suburbs but I don't know about these. It depends on how far from the city the visitor wants to be. Coogee is a nice safe little beach (not good for the serious surfer) not too far from the city (8 km) that has a Crowne Plaza and Medina Serviced Apartments. There are plenty of restaurants and the Coogee Bay Hotel Beer Garden is a local institution. Nearby world famous Bondi isn't too well served with accommodation. Manly on the northside has both a surfing beach and a harbourfront beach. Cronulla in Sydney's south (29 km from city) has a beautiful beach and some good accommodation options. 

I haven't really given any clear advice in this post just a few pointers. I would be happy to field questions about Sydney from any other genealogists who are joining the cruise.

Watch out - the Boat will be rocking

Because The Voyager of the Seas has stabilisers we should have a fairly smooth ride on the 4th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise  in February.

We will still be rocking along because The Top Six Rockstar Genealogists from Australia and New Zealand will be on board.  Last Year Canadian blogger, John D Reid, conducted a poll to identify Rockstar Genealogists from several countries. Based on votes cast by those who self-identified as living in Australia or New Zealand the top six were:

1. Jill Ball

2. Shauna Hicks

3. Chris Paton (Chris was also voted as number 1 for Canada)

4. Thomas MacEntee (Thomas was also voted as number 7 for Canada and 8 for the US)

5. Pauleen Cass

5. Sharn White

Kirsty Gray who was voted Number 1 for the UK and Ireland will also be on board.

Alan Phillips (Mr Unlock the Past) is to be congratulated on gathering together such a team of rockers.

Gearing up for a Geneacruise - The Second Time Around

Atrium on Voyager of the Seas

In a post on the 27th December last year I spoke about the gear I would be taking on the 3rdUnlock the Past Genealogy Cruise.

I made a few booboos with my packing so I will post parts of that earlier post below with comments on where I went right or wrong in green. There are several comments on that first post with good advice so take a look at them too.
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Although I have been known to take a cruise or two for pleasure I am a novice in the Geneacruising stakes.

I should be preparing my talks for the 3rd Unlock the Past Genealogyand History Cruise but instead I am thinking about what I will pack for this learning experience on the megaliner, Voyager of the Seas.

Still haven't learnt my lesson I should be preparing my talks for the 4th cruise.

I won't be sunning myself on deck during the day so I won't need a 2 litre container of sunscreen or a cornucopia of sunhats. 

I'll add some cool weather clothes as it might be cold in Tasmania and it is definitely cool in the Conference Center in the bowels of the boat. Rainwear is essential, last cruise it rained as we left Sydney and I wanted to watch the sailout from up on deck.

I imagine that I'll be too tired at night to enjoy the shows and kick my heels up in the nightclub type bars so I can leave the sparkly cocktail type outfits at home. 

I did take a couple of sparkly outfits and am glad that I did. Most people on this boat took the formal nights seriously with many of the men wearing black tie and tux.

My order for two UTP polo shirts has been placed so I'll need some detergent to wash them and hang them in my shower to dry overnight (I hear you have to pay to use the ship's laundries).

I didn't order the polo shirts this year as I forgot to pack them for the last cruise. 
They didn't even have laundromats on this ship so be sure to pack the detergent unless you want to pay a fortune to have your gear laundered.

Sensible shoes are essential as this is a seriously big boat and I'll be doing lots of walking from place to place and standing on my feet when I deliver my presentations. The stilettos won't be joining me on this trip.

You may get frostbite if you wear sandals or slides in the Conference Center

Mr Geniaus isn't coming along on this journey so I'll be minus a baggage attendant. I need advice on geneacruising fashions that won't weigh my bag down. I would love suggestions from experienced geneacrusiers on what clothes to pack.

Did I take notice of this? No. I decided that, as I wasn't going on a plane and wouldn't have weight restrictions with my luggage, I would fill my big case to overflowing. I had so much in it that the wheels wouldn't work and I nearly had an asthma attack trying to get it to the checkin point. Smart casual is the order of the day for geneacruisers.

I'll be taking my Pacsafe handbag and purse with me in case there are any pickpockets on the high seas or in the ports we visit.

The Pacsafe bags will be having another trip. Remember also to have a light bag to carry the things you need during the day. the ship is huge and some cabins are miles from the Conference Center

The other issue is, of course, gadgets. I'm taking my laptop, a couple of cameras, my mobile phone, a portable hard drive, a voice recorder, a thumb drive, some blank DVDs and power adaptors for the US outlets on the ship. I might even take pens, pencils and some paper. I'll throw in a bundle of business cards as well.

I'll take even more tech this year. Last year I was caught out when the shipThe most important thing will be my 3G USB wireless dongle so that I can access the internet at a reasonable cost while in port. The internet charges on the ship are exhorbitant and the speed is snail's pace.

Definitely get some cards with your contact details and research interests printed on them from a cheap as chips place like Vistaprint. 

What else will I take?

Earplugs. One of our group had the next door neighbours from hell and had interrupted sleeps for the entire cruise. Hopefully there won't be too many young people running in the corridors at night when the genealogists are trying to get thier beauty sleep.but it is better to be prepared.

Water  I'll be taking a few bottles of water on board as the cost of drinking water on board is also exhorbitant. If you like a tipple don't be tempted to take alcohol on board. It is likely to be confiscated on boarding and returned at the end of the trip. That being said I know some people who have put gin or vodka into a 2 litre water bottle and taken it on board.