Dear Sweeties,
Only 10 weeks left before our big adventure! To say we're excited to meet you would be a gross understatement. We're bursting at the seams with glee.

I talked to the Hotel Monteleone peeps today. Our room block is filling up fast, so if you want to stay with the Sweet crew, please call 504.523.3341 and reference"Sweet 2." Also, we'd love to have you join us for our pre-cruise hijinks in New Orleans. It's an incredible package. I know a history tour might sound boring to some of you (or maybe I'm projecting). I had the opportunity to preview the tour in April, I was blown away. The history of New Orleans, especially the lesbian tour, is scintillating. Yes, scintillating.

We're feverishly updating our cruise FAQ with the answers to your most frequently asked questions. Here are some of the most common ones:

Who are you going to meet on our Sweet Caribbean Cruise?
The main attribute our guests share is their enthusiasm for playing hard, living life to its fullest and making a difference. We love answering the phones because totally rad people call us, all day, every day. You're all bright, fun, articulate, compassionate and, you guessed it, sweet. I can't wait for you to meet each other.

Are you going to be the oldest or the youngest one?
Probably not. Our average age is 40. Our youngest guest is 21, our most experienced guest is 90. Astrologically speaking, there's a strange confluence of pisces, gemini and libra folk on our voyage. Oh, and scorpios, don't forget the scorpios, you know how they hate to be left out of anything.

When should I arrive in New Orleans?
If you're joining our Extra Sweet New Orleans package, you should arrive around 2pm on Thursday, Nov. 5. If you're coming in on Saturday, Nov. 7, you'll want to arrive in plenty of time for our bon voyage party (details coming soon) at 8pm. And if you have to fly in on our departure day, we start boarding the ship at noon. Please give yourself a lot of wiggle room in case your flight is delayed. Our all aboard is 4pm. I really don't want to wave at you from the ship.

Insert shameless plug for our partners at Southwest. We love Southwest, 2 free bags, no hidden fees, corny jokes, affordable prices, excellent customer service and the best peanuts in the sky. If you book Southwest, do it from the Sweet Southwest page.

When should I book my flight home?
Minimize your stress, book your return flights after 1pm on Nov. 15. If you absolutely have to get on an earlier flight, we'll make every effort to accommodate you, but we can't make any promises you'll make it. It's a busy day at the port port and the airport.

When can I book my excursions?
We'll send information on booking your excursions 30 days prior to the cruise. The dolphins can't wait to see you.

Can I bring my own alcohol on board?
The short answer is no. NCL will allow a special bottle of wine for each person. Corkage is $10. NCL will hold any alcohol over that until the end of the cruise, at which point, you'll get it back. The good news is that drinks on board are affordable and the tip is included in the price.

When do I get my cruise ticket in the mail?
You don't! We're doing everything electronically. Whoo hoo, saving paper!

A few housekeeping items:
- Please sign our electronic terms and conditions, if you haven't already. We need your e-signature before we can take you anywhere.
- Payment plan folks, please sign our payment plan agreement, too.

To reach us, call at 877.793.3830 or ping us on our live chat at discoversweet.com or email us. We love your calls, IMs and emails (like pin-them-on-our-fridge love them).

Stay Sweet,
Shannon

P.S. I know I should say something gracious like, "it's such a pleasure to be nominated," but I want to win. Please vote early and often for Sweet as Best LGBT Tour Operator on MTV's TripOut Gay Travel Awards.