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Dear Master Gardeners,

I am excited to announce along with Troy Marden we will be hosting a private small ship cruise of Fiji (really, a large yacht!) in 2023.  The cruise will take us through the islands of FIJI for 11 days beginning October 31, 2023!!!

You will find the full itinerary attached here, but we wanted to make a few special points:

1.  Jason Reeves and Troy Marden are partnering with Premier World Discovery on this cruise. This is the same company that is sponsoring the Passion Play/Danube River cruise this fall that some of you are participating in with Troy.

2. Premier World Discovery has very graciously and generously offered to work with us to offer an exclusive, private tour, just to our travelers. They are making an enormous financial investment, as you might imagine, to book an entire ship. To that end, we have between now and May 1, 2022, to fill 34 cabins. Any cabins that are not filled by that time will be offered to other small group tour operators so that Premier is guaranteed a sellout and to get the best possible return on their investment. Obviously, our goal is to have these 34 cabins sold before May 1 to keep this cruise truly private and just for our travelers.

3. Should you decide to join us, please let us know, but we would STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you book your tour directly online. You can do this by going to www.premierworlddiscovery.com<http://www.premierworlddiscovery.com> and clicking on "Book Now With Web Code" in the upper right of your screen. You will be asked to create an account and then enter the booking code (155846) that is on the front cover of the attached brochure. After creating your account, you may navigate through the registration process without making payment, and we encourage you to do so. There are more Terms & Conditions in the online booking process than what are printed on the itinerary. Please read them carefully.

Once you have officially decided to join us, you may make your initial deposit of $500 per person (required to secure your space) and your 2nd installment of $2,000 per person (due by October 31, 2022) online by credit card, if you wish. If you choose to opt into the Travel Protection Plan (trip cancellation insurance), you must do this with your initial $500 deposit. Then, if you pay your final balance due (July 30, 2023) by check, you will receive a $200 per person discount on the total price of the trip. You may make the "final payment" in more than one installment, if you wish, and still receive the booking discount as long as all "final payments" are made by check. Your "final balance" is any balance after the initial $500 deposit + the Travel Protection Plan, if you opt in, and the $2,000 second deposit due by October 31.

4. Airfare is included! However, the price is set at main cabin pricing with a departure from Nashville. If you will be departing from another city, the total price of your tour will be adjusted to reflect the difference in the cost of the airline tickets. From the east coast, this could be slightly more, while from the west coast, it may be slightly less. Just please understand that the published price could be variable based on the cost of flights from your departure city. Also, if you prefer to fly in business or first class, you may choose to pay for the cruise package only and book your own airfare. You will be given instructions on when you need to arrive in Fiji, etc., but Premier does not have the capability to upgrade your flights to business or first class based on their contracts with the airlines. If you are interested in flying business or first class and wish to pay only the cruise cost, please contact Troy Marden ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) and I will tell you how to proceed.

5. Travel Insurance--You will note that Premier World Discovery does offer a Travel Protection Plan (TPP). We have opted not to include it in the price and leave it to your choice. However, we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of the Travel Protection Plan and it must be paid ($595 per person) with your initial deposit. This can also be done online, as part of your reservation. For a tour of this price, the TPP is quite reasonable and it does protect you against financial loss should you be forced to cancel your trip after you have made your 2nd payment of $2,000 per person by October 31, 2022. Again, we STRONGLY encourage you to take advantage of this reasonably priced policy.

6. Cancellation Policy--This is clearly outlined on the Reservation Form, but we want to clarify a couple of things: Prior to October 31, 2022, your initial $500 deposit is nonrefundable, but IS transferable to another Premier World Discovery tour should you have to cancel. The cost of the Travel Protection Plan ($595 per person) IS refundable until October 30, 2022. From October 31, 2022, when your 2nd payment of $2,000 per person is due, your Travel Protection Plan will be in effect and cover your financial investment as outlined under the "Premier's Travel Protection Plan" heading on the Reservation Form.

7. Final Payment--Will be due 90 days prior to departure, or July 30, 2023. As mentioned above, if you pay your final balance by check, Premier is offering a $200 per person discount on the total cost of your trip.

8. Gratuities--Gratuities for guides, resort staff, and others on your island excursions are included. At the end of your week on-board the M.V. Fiji Princess, if you wish to tip the crew, you may do so directly at the Gratuity Box at the reception desk on board the ship.

Thank you for your continued support. We could not be happier that we are reopening and ready to travel once again!

If you have any questions please let us know. You are welcome to call or email either of us, but Troy will be out of the country from March 24 - April 27 leading his first two tours in more than two years. After March 24, please only use email to contact him. He will be checking email daily and will reply in as timely a manner as possible.

Some answers to some other questions that have come up recently:

The only meals that are not included are lunch and dinner on Day 3 and Day 11--arrival day and departure day.

Breakfast IS provided on both of those days, but lunch and dinner will be on your own at the resort where we spend the first night before boarding the ship and on the last DAY after disembarking that morning and getting a "day room" prior to our flights home that evening.

Wi-Fi is available in public areas of the ship when we are within reach of a Wi-Fi signal--most likely when we are anchored near shore near some of the resorts and possibly in the evenings, depending on how remote our anchoring locations are for our overnight stays.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Jason Reeves
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
731-425-4765

Troy Marden
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>

===========================================================
Jason Reeves
Horticulturist
West TN AgResearch & Education Center
605 Airways Blvd.
Jackson, Tennessee 38301

731-425-4765 Office / 731-424-1643 Office
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Identify and Control Crapemyrtle Bark Scale<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwest.tennessee.edu%2Fornamentals%2FBarkScale.asp&data=04%7C01%7Csbowma23%40utk.edu%7C3f2bd724a3314918ee2c08da0e0a13e6%7C515813d9717d45dd9eca9aa19c09d6f9%7C0%7C0%7C637837734127843170%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=4yexvFC0DSowL1tgRUzUat46jw%2FSg1og2yp3oXdbqBU%3D&reserved=0>
http://taes.tennessee.edu/recs/wtrec/ornamentals/BarkScale.asp<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftaes.tennessee.edu%2Frecs%2Fwtrec%2Fornamentals%2FBarkScale.asp&data=04%7C01%7Csbowma23%40utk.edu%7C3f2bd724a3314918ee2c08da0e0a13e6%7C515813d9717d45dd9eca9aa19c09d6f9%7C0%7C0%7C637837734127843170%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=1zhZZnUV3LHh3kXMvLNGmpabI7bDkm5%2FTF1cJWYowJc%3D&reserved=0>

Crapemurder!!! STOP THE CHOP!
Learn more about the proper care of crapemyrtles at:
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