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JAMAICAN
WATERSLIDE TEAM
FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 2003
The fourth Annual
meeting of the Jamaican Waterslide Team is now history and the
culmination of a year of preparation has been declared a total
success.
We'll dispense with all of the resort and travel
related information except to say that travel was uneventful for
most of us, except for those who missed their flights from
hangovers, and had to arrive later than planned. We also
had some folks whose flights were cancelled only a week or two
before departure, so be sure to check with the airlines a couple
of times before it gets too late to make satisfactory alternative
arrangements. We'll also say the bus trip to the resort is
long and tedious because of road construction, but it's getting
better all the time.
As to a resort update, we received
superb service from all departments. The management team that
Kevin has put together is head and shoulders above any other
resort we've ever visited. They were all visible,
friendly, outgoing and checked with us several times daily to
ensure we were satisfied and had no problems. Minor issues
were dealt with immediately and corrected. They are serious about
making sure every guest is well taken care of. There were
no illnesses reported and the sanitary/food handling procedures were
as good as you will find anywhere. Kevin called Bill
personally before the visit, to re-assure us that the problems
experienced a few weeks ago was isolated, and they had reviewed and
revisited all of their food handling procedures. The
results were obvious.
The key to the success of the trip was
our 100 members, and the many old friends from previous years who
re-joined while we were there. The group was by far the
nicest, friendliest, and most fun group either of us has ever
been affiliated with. We had a nice mix of couples and singles
ranging in age from 20's to 60's. Lots of folks
volunteered to help out with various committees and made everyone
else's vacation even better. Our theme night ("Wear Mesh
and Glow"), our welcome party and our nude catamaran cruise were
the best ever. We also held a group dinner under the stars one
night and everyone enjoyed the camaraderie of just being
together after so many months of planning, waiting and endless
Emails.
The beauty of going with a group is that from the
moment you arrive, you are among friends. We don't form
"cliques" and welcome all with open arms. We don't care what
you do, how you look, or where you come from. We greeted
almost everyone with their favorite drink as they stepped off the
bus, and had personalized welcome packets waiting. Upon arrival
at the nude pool, we provided lots of support to the new folks,
and the veterans spent lots of time renewing old
acquaintances. The other advantage of the group is that
you never have to go to lunch or dinner alone, and you always have
lots of friends in the Piano Bar and Disco. There is no
apprehension or fear about staying late in the disco or hot tub,
because someone you know will also be there.
Each morning
we set a few tables aside in the dining room, way out on the edge of
the room, so as not to inconvenience the other resort
guests. We held court there and had a rotating line of members
joining us with stories about some things many of us wanted to
forget about last night. It was fun and a nice way to spend the
morning. Many of the management staff often joined us just to
show their support. Our afternoons were spent at the nude
pool and evenings in the piano bar and disco after dinner.
Our Waterslide Captain reported that we completed a total of
1691 individual trips down the Waterslide during the week.
She led most of the assaults from the nude pool several times daily
with her whistle. It proved to be great entertainment for
the folks on the prude side many of whom came over to see what
we were up to.
All in all we consider our trip to have
been a huge success. Our members had so much fun that 75% have
already signed up to return next year and many more will be
joining us as well when their travel/business/ family plans are
worked out. We owe a special note of thanks to Kevin Levee and
his outstanding management team headed up by Brian Sang. We also
want to thank all of the individuals who did their jobs so well
as waitresses, bartenders, housekeepers, front desk staff,
gardeners, pool and watersports staff and of course, Bevon and
his entire entertainment staff. These were the people that really
made it happen. And a special thanks also goes out to
Paulette (Front Desk Manager), Michelle (Public Relations
Manager) and Anne-Marie (Watersports & Scuba Manager) who
are now official members of the Jamaican Waterslide
Team.
Respectfully submitted,
Phil and Sunset
Bill Co-coordinators Jamaican Waterslide
Team
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