I was "drafted" to help organize a 30-year college reunion event about a year ago.
Right at our first committee meeting, we decided to have a multiple-day mini cruise instead of the traditional one-day hotel banquet that's been done by many before us for such an event, as we thought a cruise trip would be more fun and offer more time and better setting for alumni to enjoy.
After one year of planning (cruise selection/negotiating, flyer/
The ship set sail almost right after all 2000+ guests had checked in while we sat and enjoyed our first luscious dinner on board, sensing no ship movement at all if not for the departing shoreline and the setting sun against the ocean waves we saw through the panoramic window pane..
It had arrived and "parked" at Ensenada pier the next moring when we woke up. It's a free off-board excursion day for everyone. After taking some group pictures in front of the cruise ship--an army of orange polo shirt (a reunion souvenir everyone got at the boarding) that made up a most conspicuous group among all cruise attendees, we set out to downtown Ensenada, and then decided to take a tour to the "Blow Hole" scenery point for the excursion.
It took us about an hour to arrive at Blow Hole. It is a seaside hill spot where as the ocean tide surges in, the water shoots up a spectacular splash against the cliff. After taking some pictures and drinking a whole ball of coconut juice of the most natural kind from a street vendor, we headed back to Ensenada downtown and returned to the cruise ship for our reunion program of the day.
It was a session of remembering the old and discovering the new--seeing a collection of old campus pictures, group pictures, and yearbook photos makes you marvel how young and handsome we looked 30 years ago (and of course the girls all look as beautiful today as 30 years ago), and how so many old campus buildings and much scenery had been replaced and transformed by new ones throughout the years.
I checked out the gym room after the reunion program and was pleasantly surprised by the ample and quality exercise equipment it had there. So I took advantage of it and did a 40 minute bike ride that burned off 320 calories, getting all ready for the coming big meal dinner.
Besides the usual high grade entrees (lobster tail and shrimps is what I ordered this time), it's a formal dressing night too. So I slung on the suit I brought to look my best, took some pictures with my ever more beautiful wife, as well as all the other perfect looking ladies and gentlemen at and around our table, and enjoyed the wining and dining and happy conversations with my college pals and their family through a 2-hour dinner course.
After dinner, we went to one of the nightly shows presented by the cruiseline. It was 50 minutes of great dancing and singing, energetic, ebullient fun and enjoyment through and through. Probably inspired by it, many of us went to the disco lounge after the show and danced like those 20 something around us for over two hours, till midnight. I thought I might have triggered my old foot injury again when I lay down on my bed and felt the sore of my both feet..
Luckily I woke up the next moring feeling pretty darn good, and went for an early breakfast buffet while my wife was still at sleep, met a couple of reunioners and had a good chat with them, took a stroll on the deck and found a great jogging runway and a nice mini golf course on the very top deck, and with the early morning sunshine and the mountainous coast in the background, it probably made for the best looking outdoor scene of the whole cruise I'll say. I then went back to the cabin to pick up my wife and up to the cafeteria for another, lighter session of breakfast again, and a pleasant chat with another group of friendly reunioners.
The second session of our reunion program started right after lunch that day. By now we all knew each other better through two days of dining, chatting, outing, or even just passing each other by on ship, and besides the usual old-song karaoke singing, the program hostess threw some interesting games and quizzes at us. For example: who among us has the youngest kid right now (the winner was a girl from the History department with a 12-year-old); who's moved most times so far (winner: a Econ dept. graduate turned professional gambler who had been to casinos over 58 different countries). I was in particular touched by a "testimonial" by a girl from History department: Her family moved so often when she was growing up she learned to avoid becoming part of a group for fear of losing friendships she just established when she would have to move again. She was then very touched and thrilled when one of her old calssmates, a committed member of ours, went through all the trouble to locate and invite her to the reunion, that made her feel she's part of some permanent group again, now and forever.
After the reunion program, we moved on to the deck area to continue chatting and joking around and taking some pictures. Then it's dinner time again, more dining and wining and happy talking, and then another great show of the night, and then some went dancing, while others went shopping, or watching other night shows..
Then when we woke up the next morning, it's Monday back in Long Beach again. It's just a short weekend getaway, after all, but funnily it felt like coming back from a long vacation, having met so many people and done so many things in such a short time..
No doubt we have pulled off a successful reunion event this time, as I can see everyone enjoy it whole-heartedly at the end. A cruise does offer great setting for people to mix and mingle aplenty as they wish, with not only old friends, but new ones as well.
And I have to tip my hat to the girl members of our committee, for the tremendous passion and devotion they show to the reunion cause and their superb people skills. We guys tend to be grand scheme planners and talkers, but these girls are the real hardy doers, and the sweet gel that tie all things and people together. I am humbled by these girl powers I saw!
And we all need reunion from time to time--even though I sat with a couple of my college classmates who I have occasional contacts with throughout the years here in Southern California so I thought I knew them relatively well, I still found out a lot more things about them and their family that I didn't know that well before, and plenty of interesting new subjects to talk about too, as I spent 3 long dinners with them throughout the cruise, not to mention meeting and getting to know many new friends with interesting backgrounds and life experiences from all over.
I am glad I got drafted to help and participate in the reunion.
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