The Jamaican Waterslide Team's 6^th annual meeting has now gone into the history books and was a huge success for all who participated.  We arrived at our favorite resort with just a few less than 100 people this year, which included an interesting mix of new travelers and seasoned veterans of many visits to Hedonism III.  The group ranged in age from the 20's to the 60's with everything in between and represented a nice cross section from all walks of life and from all points of the compass.  It also included an interesting mix of singles and couples.

We spent a lot of time planning for this trip and most of us carried way too much luggage, but with several theme nights of our own this year, everyone wanted to be prepared.  Each member was greeted by our welcoming committee headed up by Philly Dave, who gets better at his duties every year, including greeting everyone with their favorite pre-ordered drink to enjoy while they checked in.  All the members were presented with a welcome packet which included a distinctive JWST lanyard and name tag.  Each member found a small number on the back of the name tag which three others also shared.  The chore was to find the other three people with the same number over the first couple of days in order to qualify for a drawing for three future nights at Hedo III for two. The fun was in meeting all of the others in the group while you searched for your matches.

Sunday night in the Disco was our now famous theme night called "Wear Mesh and Glow".  This was really a great event because almost everyone had brought tons of glow material with them so we really lit up the disco.  We even awarded a prize for the best costume.  Many of the staff got into the mood as well and showed up with their own glow jewelry. 

Monday afternoon we held our welcome party with drinks and food in the Disco and were welcomed by the staff and our host General Manager Kevin Levee.  Out theme for the party was "Rude T-Shirts" and we asked a half dozen staff members to select the best male and female slogans for the prizes.  Some were subdued, but most could never be worn in public back home.  The event was hilarious and the staff had a tough time selecting the winners.  We also presented door prizes to some lucky winners donated by Manny, from the Duty Free Shop.

Monday evening we held our group annual team dinner at an area reserved for us outside the main dining room.  We do this outside every year so as not to inconvenience any of the other guests.  We also schedule our official photograph for the group.  This year the theme for the ladies was "Sexy Little Red Dress" and the result was absolutely unbelievable.  The ladies showed up with some of the sexiest red dresses ever seen at Hedo III before, and completely astounded the rest of the guests. We had many requests from people who wanted to know how to join the JWST.

Tuesday was a quiet day and many folks just lounged by the pool or went off the resort on excursions or sailing trips.

On Wednesday afternoon we held our annual Erotic Gift Exchange and a large group participated this year with some really way out gifts. Our chair-ladies, Lori and Teri, kept things moving and kept a high level of fun in the event.  Based on the gifts we saw, we wondered how some of them got through security bag searches at the airports. 

In each the Welcome Packets issued by Philly Dave, there was a sheet of $100 worth of JWST bucks (funny money) in $10 bills.  The money was for men only.  Ladies did not receive any.  On Wednesday following the gift exchange, our head Auctioneer "Jake the Snake" conducted a Personal Servant auction of 7 guys who volunteered to serve their buyers for three hours.  Duties included going for drinks, running errands, applying suntan lotion or whatever they all agreed to.  Problem was that only men had the money and only women could bid in the auction.  The woman had to figure out how to amass enough money to bid effectively during the course of the several days before the auction.  They also were allowed to form consortiums to pool their money.  This was obviously a very fun and funny event and everyone had a great time.

Wednesday evening was the celebration of Hedonism III's 6^th anniversary.  Since we started coming on the first anniversary, it now is a regular event for the JWST to be there to celebrate with the Hedo III staff.  It was a Grand Gala with excellent food and a terrific floor show, followed by a fun night in the Disco.

We try not to schedule too many events, and so that people don't feel too pressured to run from event to event, we spread them out over several days.  So the rest of the week was spent enjoying the whole Hedo atmosphere, eating, drinking, laying out in the sun and kicking back.  The best part of the week was meeting new friends, sharing experiences with old friends and spending time with some of the nicest people we've ever met. 

As always, service by the resort was superior.  Kevin Levee and his staff go far beyond what any other resort might do in making sure all the guests have a great vacation experience.  We have often said that we don't come back to Hedo III each year because it is the classiest resort in the Caribbean.  We come back because most of us have never found another resort with the friendliness and the interaction of every member of the staff from the General Manager down to the guy who rakes the leaves. 

Particular note should be given to Donna Grant (hotel manager) and her assistant Jerome, Paulette Lewis and her right hand lady Ingrid Nelson (who we hear has taken over with Paulette's departure to Couples - Swept Away Resort), David Ewan and his dining room supervisors Nola, Carol, Raquel and Mureen.  Of course we can't forget Renford Williams the overall bar manager, his supervisors Suzette and Alrick,  and his capable staff of guys and gals who kept the liquor flowing with lots of smiles and good cheer.  We also appreciate the efforts of Garfield Collins, Adrian Harrison and Michelle Davis in Public Relations for their efforts, and the Guest Relations ladies Christine and Karen.  They were always there with a smile and a "No Problem" answer for every request. 
We also could not forget the superior efforts of Head Chef Marc and his new Executive SousChef Joseph.  The food was great, presentations were wonderful and service was superior.  Finally, a special thanks to Kevin's Executive Assistant Sophia Leahong who worked with us tirelessly throughout the year of planning in answering questions, running interference and just helping make things work for the group. 

A final comment that what truly made this a memorable week were the diverse personalities that make up the Jamaican Waterslide Team  The group has grown from our meager beginnings of only 20 or so people 5 years ago to where it is today.  Very few repeat guests to Hedonism III have not at least heard about us by now and that is because we are a fun group that has no agenda or purpose other than pursuit of fun which we find day after day.  The biggest liability most of us share on our return home are the sore muscles in our face from laughing and joking.  Upon reviewing the photos of the group this year, we could find no pictures of anyone who was not smiling or laughing like crazy.  We've truly become more than a travel group and many of us now count the members of this team as lifelong friends.