Connecting to Cruises
From Scrapbooking to Laughter Yoga to eBay Classes
by Barbara Brill

Cruises, what were once a luxury for the rich and the famous, are now being enjoyed by the multitude, from the young to the old and everyone in between. And, it's not surprising, since there are prices that vary from the we-can-afford-it to jaw-dropping figures.

What also has inspired people today to take cruises is that they know they no longer are limited to spending their days in deck chairs. The list of activities and programs is endless, with new ones being added constantly, such as scrapbooking, laughter yoga and eBay classes.

"The scrapbooking cruises have been a big hit," said George Aballi, who owns, along with his wife, Marlys, Connection to Cruise, the travel agency that has been offering the program for the past year.

Seven more are planned for the rest of 2007 and one in early 2008.

They include: Scrappin in the Hills on Aug. 10, Ever After Scrapbooking on Aug. 24, Now and Then on Sept. 7, Alin Scrapbooking on Sept. 14, Once Upon a Memory on Sept. 21, Collective Journey on Oct. 19, Strickly Scrapbooking on Nov. 2, and Screamin Susie's Scrapbooking on Feb. 15, 2008.

All are on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, all are weekend round-trip cruises from Los Angeles to Ensenada, and all are hosted by John Gamblin, who has been in the scrapbooking business for 16 years.

What Gamblin does is work with Connection to Cruise and coordinates with retailers to put together the programs that accommodate between 35 and 50 people on each cruise.

"I have a conference room set aside so the women can work there as much as they want. Many don't even get off the ship when we are in Ensenada," he said, pointing out that scrapbooking is one of the top hobbies in the United States today.

"This is a great way for the scrapbooking enthusiasts to spend a weekend doing what they like and learning new techniques. They can leave the cooking behind and enjoy fine dining in the evenings, and when they want a break, they can go out for a walk or take advantage of any of the activities on the ship," said Gamblin.

Because there are many repeat customers, and since space is limited, booking should be done early.

For those who are interested in a guaranteed way to have fun, Connection to Cruise is offering for the first time - on Oct. 12 -- a laughter cruise.

Jeffrey Briar, director of the Laughter Yoga Institute, along with staff and members of the Laguna Laughter Club, will be coaching people with the latest fitness trend to hit the United States -- to laugh for no reason at all. To chuckle and snort and giggle.

"This is a great opportunity for people to break the ice. Within seconds, everyone is friendly," said Briar, pointing out that laughter has many benefits, such as burning calories, relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, increasing lung capacity and massaging internal organs. And, he pointed out that some of the club members no longer catch colds and the flu, and hay fever symptoms are minimized.

Briar, a certified laughter leader, received his laughter yoga teacher certification in Switzerland from Dr. Madan Kataria, who started public laughing clubs. He has been teaching traditional yoga for 34 years, and he is now on the staff at Irvine Valley College, where he teaches courses in music, creative writing, hatha yoga, laughter yoga and film history. He's also a successful comedy actor and an accomplished concert pianist.

For more information about Briar and the Laguna Laughter Club, visit www.JoyfulB.com

Another first will be an eBay cruise on Sept. 28, with O'House On Line, featuring Jim Orr, an eBay power seller and recognized eBay specialist.

Although his classes are for those who have had some experience selling on eBay, Orr will show how to start and set up an eBay, and he will share some of his personal secrets that will help drive traffic to an eBay store and increase sales. Participants will receive a 200-page handbook.

"This will be a very powerful and fast paced interactive program. I'll have everyone's head swimming with ideas," said Orr, adding that people during the cruise will have a chance to shop and load up with items in Ensenada and then learn how to sell them.

The laughter yoga and eBay cruises will also be weekend trips from Los Angeles to Ensenada on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas.

Connection to Cruise also specializes in group cruises, parties for families and friends, and fundraisers.

For more information, or to make reservations, call toll free (888) 798-9133 or visit www.connectiontocruise.com.

(South Coast Magazine - Spring 2007)