Taps & Hotel Selection

TAPS

I received a card from Bessie Golden informing me of the passing of her spouse, George Golden on January 30, 2009. George served in the engineering department in 1944-45. Our condolences go out to the family.

HOTEL SELECTION

During the week of May 23rd, Carol and stayed in Jacksonville and visited 9 hotels to evaluate them as a reunion site. Two stood out as top contenders and we actually stayed in each one so we could fully evaluate each hotel and it's location. One was in the downtown and the other was very near the airport.

Both hotels had excellent rooms, very nice complimentary hospitality rooms for our "Bull Session",and comparable banquet rooms and meals. To help make my decision I calculated the cost difference for a couple to stay 3 nights at the reunion.

The downtown hotel had higher room rates, parking fees and no complimentary airport shuttle. I calculated it would cost a couple from $252 to $273 if we used the downtown hotel for the reunion. I felt this was too much of a cost difference to ask the reunion attendees to pay.

I selected the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the airport as our reunion site. Even though it is at the airport there was no airport noise during our entire stay and there are plenty of stores and restaurants nearby. The hotel provides free shuttle service to and from the airport and also free shuttle service to the River City Marketplace shopping area. It is less than a mile from the hotel and the spouses may want to visit while shipmates are telling sea stories.

Parking is free at the hotel and even has room for RV parking if you wish to park there. Carol and I will probably bring our RV but will stay in the hotel. If you are driving, the airport is very near Interstate 95 and easy to locate.

The room rate at the hotel will $88.00 plus 13% Room Tax which brings the cost per night to $99.44 per night. You do not need to make a room reservation yet but they must be made by April 13, 2011. There will be more information on that later and you will be able to reserve online but must use a "code" to get our reduced room rate.

The complimentary hospitality room we will have is on the ground floor and has a patio so the smokers can go out side and "light the smoking lamp". If our group gets large enough to crowd the room I can arrange for an adjoining room to have more room. Many hotels will require you use them to supply drinks and snacks in a hospitality room but not so here. We will be able to bring our own beer, wine, soda and snacks. Your Reunion Registration Fee pays for these items. The hotel said they would even supply ice for us.

The banquet menus are reasonable in cost for a banquet. We will have the opportunity to select from a fish, beef or chicken menu and the cost, including taxes, should be around $35.00 per person. A cash bar will be set up prior to the banquet.

If you are not a member of the Priority Club, you should join before making your reservation. Membership is free and you get free perks if you are a member. The best of the perks is an upgrade to you room and you will be in an exclusive section of the hotel that has coffee and snacks available. I sure enjoyed the Ben And Jerry's ice cream during our stay!!!

Sign up for the Priority Club at http://www.priorityclub.com/ or call 1-888-211-9874.

If you would like to see the hotel go to http://www.cpjacksonvilleairport.com/ with just a click on the link.

I will be sending out a postcard to non-email shipmates informing them of the selection of the hotel. An email will sent to those with one informing them to visit this site to get information about the hotel.

More information will be coming as I get it.

Smooth sailing, Jim Julian