We had some tough obstacles to overcome, but in the end, our week-long cruise was one of the most enjoyable vacations many in our group have ever experienced. The ship is phenomenal: the food, the activities, the superb service and the emphasis on fun in a nutshell: we had an absolute blast!

Sometimes things just don't go as planned. Despite all our best efforts, hundreds of phone calls and emails plus two site inspections, details were still up in the air as we set sail on the Voyager of the Seas.

With the unfortunate distinction of being the second inline group to sail on Voyager (the first group reeked havoc throughout the ship) the on-board group coordinators were not too friendly at our first face-to-face meeting.

Ernie and Amy Printzen and Steve Ebenoza of Get-In-Line Events and Jeff and I quickly assembled a schedule and at the same time tried to squeeze more group time from our coordinator. We set up command central in our designated conference room, then had to get the word out to all the skaters in our group. Royal Caribbean wouldn't give us a list of the people in our group nor would they make an on-ship announcement or even put up a sign at the purser's desk. Hence, many skaters missed our first meeting. We eventually were able to get the roster to all our group.

Thankfully, things improved dramatically from there. Barry Publow and Valerie Gaston, our awesome instructors, immediately put skaters through their paces on the observation deck. With the magnificent blue Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop, skaters took a plyometric crash course. Hundreds of other passengers on this huge ship, watched in amazement as the training continued, with many wanting to join in on the fun.

The Voyager had strict rules about where skaters could wear their skates--the inline track--that's it! Graciously, were were able to secure private time to go through drills and practice new techniques learned in the clinics.

Our hats are off to Barry and Val who were able to put together impressive skating clinics while not on skates. Everything from fitness, strategies to equipment was discussed and the workouts were hard. Everyone had a great time and were ready for the next challenge.

Wednesday, race day in Ocho Rios, held another disappointment. The roads for our half marathon race were never fixed and for safety reasons the race had to be a tour. Three buses greeted us at the port and drove us to the top of Dunn's River Falls. The start of the tour was at the entrance of the Falls. Adjacent to the staging area was a brand new, paved parking lot. Ernie quickly organized a 1500m race. Five laps with a mass start and prizes to the top male and female (Barry and Val were not eligible to make it fair). As a large group of Jamaicans looked on, skaters took off in a mad dash. With new found fans cheering wildly, Debbie Rice and Matt Moss took the win. What an awesome way to warm up!

Our next big treat was the Jamaican Skate Club showing up to join us on our tour through Ocho Rios. Luke and his skaters are amazing. They wowed the crowd with their tricks, dancing and death-defying feats (safety gear is non existent). They added so much to this event. Skating in a foreign land is one thing, but skating with an outrageous group of locals was an absolute delight! With the Voyager docking in Ocho Rios on Wednesday, we were touched by the fact that these 30 skaters all took a day off from work to skate with us, a tremendous sacrifice. Thank you.

The tour was well-organized by the Jamaican Tourist Board. We were treated to a full police escort, two ambulances, a doctor, television, radio and newspapers. Plus the course was coned off to traffic for the 5 mile journey. The only hairy part came at the end as skaters flew down a steep grade on the way to Mahogany Beach site of our post-race party. It took several minutes to move the water station from the top of the hill to the bottom where the skaters were, and all were happy once it arrived. After photos, congratulations and interviews, we moved our group to the Beach and enjoyed the live band as Jamaican skaters put on a show. Lunch was included with the event as we soaked up rays at the beautiful cove.

Back on ship Thursday night, we held our Cocktail Party and prize raffle. After an open bar reception, race winners Debbie Rice and Matt Moss got first choice of the prizes. We raffled off more goodies for what seemed like hours making sure everyone took something home. We threw dozens of shirts into the crowd and still we had more stuff, awarding the rest in a fun trivia contest the last day of our trip.

It's hard to decide on the best memory of the week: Alan McDonald climbing the rock wall, every night at the disco, skating with the Jamaican club or hanging out with 60 of our new closest friends.

We want to thank the Jamaican Tourist Board, Royal Caribbean (who finally came around realizing we weren't going to tear up the ship), coaches Barry Publow and Valerie Gaston, our sponsors (K2, Rollerblade, Verducci, Rudy Project, Terry Holm Skate Bag, Explore, Bones, Hyper, Eddy Matzger Collection, Barry Publow's Speed on Skates), and all the skaters who joined us. Plans are under way for 2001 so mark your calendars: October 7th to 14th. The schedule includes clinics, tour through Jamaica, marathon and 1/2 marathon in Cozumel, Mexico and tons of fun. Just about everyone on our first trip plans to go again. Details are available by calling Get-In-Line Events 858-336-4350.

All photos are ©Jeff Dowling/FASST