REFLECTIONS FROM 2014 FLORIDA CRUISE

2014 FLORIDA CHAPTER REUNION

CARIBBEAN CRUISE, MARCH 13-17, 2014

Almost 30 1818 members, a son and a few grandchildren met on the Constellation on March 13. We were split almost evenly between Florida residents and refugees from up north, plus two adventurers from Kenya. Some of us were very experienced cruisers – Shiva and Charu on their 13^th cruise - others like me, were novices.

From an event organizers standpoint, the cruise was ideal – no decisions about where to stay, eat, entertainment, tipping, everything was in one place. Even better – it was inexpensive. But personally, I had been dreading the event – supposing we all came down with food poisoning? The boat lost power and we were adrift at sea? But, all was smooth sailing and many are now confirmed cruisers.

Cabins (staterooms they were called) were excellent – comfortable, clean and well-furnished and our verandas proved great for relaxing, reading and entertaining..

Service - outstanding; staff consistently met all needs with a smile.

Food – amazingly good and excessive. I clearly recall some asking, without batting an eyelid, for several desserts simultaneously. Rather surprisingly, this proved contagious. Did I mention the free ice cream bar? Open 11am-11pm, wide range, sprinkles aplenty and enjoyed by many, who will also remain anonymous.

Rambunctious bunch, who would have guessed!

Oh, and the weather? Wonderful. Warm, sunny with slight ocean breezes. I suspect that some of our northern cruisers may still be at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, courtesy of the late season snow fall that shut down DC on our return. I’m afraid some of us Floridians just cannot understand why our former colleagues insist on shoveling snow and paying state income taxes.

Destinations – one day in Nassau. More interesting than many anticipated. Some went swimming with dolphins, others sunbathing, hiking (several forts to visit), some stayed on their verandas and read. Sunday was spent in Key West – again a wide range of activities were enjoyed - snorkeling, kayaking, biking and sampling the islands wide range of key lime pies. Plus lots of history - Hemingway’s house, 6-toed cats, latrinal and bars and Truman’s Little White House Annex.

On board – plenty of activities, swimming, good music, dancing, shows, extravagant spa, an excellent gym although I didn’t see too many 1818 types in there. One evening Shiva brought us up to date on the World Bank agenda and the latest in ‘change’ management there, plus on 1818 and its 14 chapters. Alex Keyserlingk entertained us with his recent China experiences and somewhat unorthodox approach to learning Mandarin – which brought forth a wealth of ‘China’ experiences from the group. Not least – from the well-named Adrienne Nassau: Adrienne’s first Bank project was an urban upgrading project in Nassau, which she re-visited on our arrival there: apparently it does not currently meet her project supervision standards.

Next year reunion? Seems that many would like to join another cruise. This time, there will be plenty of time to plan with 1818 and negotiate. Till then!

Sandra Hadler, Chair, Florida Chapter, 3.18.2014