MacMania 8 Roams the Eastern Mediterranean

What do you get when you combine a higher-end off-the-shelf cruise vacation with a choice selection of on-board seminars presented by well-respected Mac experts, plus some 170 passengers who are dyed-in-the-wool Mac-heads?

What you get is called "MacMania," and what a fitting name that is.

The eighth edition of MacMania roamed the Eastern Mediterranean last month, offering a great itinerary with often spectacular shore excursions like the site of the ancient Olympic games near Katakolon or the pyramids of Gizah. And while the ship was at sea, luminaries like Apple's automation wizard, Sal Soghoian, the New York Times' David Pogue, or web geek extraordinaire Bebo White presented entry- to mid-level classes on topics as diverse as "One-Finger Automation Tricks in Leopard", "iPhone: The Missing Manual", and "What's Left in User Interfaces?".

The real magic during a MacMania cruise, however, lies in meeting so many people from all walks of life: from cartoon colorist to social activist, from pro videographer to Hollywood writer, from retired doctor to education specialist, and many more -- and the one thing that gets them together in one spot is their passion for the Macintosh.

If you haven't been on a MacMania cruise yourself yet, you can get an idea of what it feels like by reading other MacManiacs' personal blog posts and checking out some of the photos they took, especially those found in the shared MacMania 8 group on Flickr.

For a more official view, have a look at Macworld's coverage of the event by Shawn King, mastermind behind the Your Mac Life Show, and whose wife, Lesa Snider King, was one of the presenters on this cruise.

(On a side note, if the seeming European inability to stand in line and not push, shove and butt their way in front of you bothers you, Shawn, put Great Britain on your list of countries to visit next time you come over to Europe. You'll be amazed!)

To find out more about upcoming MacMania cruises -- visiting China in 2009 and exploring Latin America in 2010 --, just navigate over to the Insight Cruises website.