Seacruise

#Seacruise is an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel on Galaxynet. The channel was first established in 1995 (on Undernet), and currently has between 30 and 40 regulars. Although many of the 'online chatters' had met over the years (both on land and at sea), we decided to arrange our first official group cruise. The SCGC (Seacruise Chat Group Cruise) was established early in 2001. My wife Gill, myself, and 2 kids (Martin and Lauren) moved to the US from England in 1987. In recent years we've been unable to visit 'home' due to the kid's conflicting school years (traditional vs. year-round). As a consequence, we hadn't seen my parents (the kid's grandparents) for 3 years. Mom's next birthday will be her 70th (May 2002), and we thought it would be wonderful to fly both her and dad out to San Diego (where we live), and treat them to a very special birthday present. This would be their first cruise. My son was born on December 7th, 1983. He is a freshman at a local community college, and has been dating Maureen for 2 years. We decided that the best birthday present we could offer Martin would be a cruise vacation that included Maureen on the passenger list. The full SCGC passenger count was 25. Neither Royal Caribbean nor the Mexican Riviera itinerary were resounding favorites with many of the members of #Seacruise. The cruise line and itinerary came a distant second and third in the decision-making process. The overriding factors were our desire to cruise together, followed by the chance to sail round-trip from San Diego. It was decided long before the cruise that there would be NO 'group' events. Our 'golden rule' was broken only once. A group photo was suggested, and we duly congregated on the second formal night for what turned out to be a very special pictorial record. We designated the Schooner Bar (deck 6 amidships, starboard) as the nightly watering hole. We were all on Late seating, and informal nightly gatherings took place between 7:30 and 8:30. Pre-dinner shows and other activities meant that our daily congregation varied throughout the week. With the exception of one couple (Rollie and Bren who booked independently to join us), all SCGC participants were seated together at three tables located next to one another on the upper balcony of the dining room. On behalf of #Seacruise, I want to thank the official SCGC travel agent, Kathy LaPeyre. There were no document or cabin mix-ups, and the group was situated perfectly in the dining room.