Nautica Queen, April 25, 2009

“Great;” “Fantastic;” “We’ll talk about this one for years;” “We must do this again;” “Make my reservation for next year now!”  These were just some of the comments from fifty-four active, retired, and soon-to-retire ACCESS members and their guests who enjoyed a beautiful day aboard the Nautica Queen for the third annual ACCESS Retirement Celebration on Saturday, April 25th. 

With temperatures in the eighties and a warm breeze, attendees enjoyed a wonderful buffet lunch and DJ music in the Nautica Queen’s upper enclosed deck.  Many then moved up to the observation deck to enjoy the sun and view.  The short cruise took passengers from the Nautica Dock out to the Cleveland break-wall for a great view of the city from one end to the other. 

Reservations for the luncheon and cruise were $28.00. Boarding began at 10:00 AM with the cruise and luncheon beginning at 11:00 AM. The boat returned to dock at 1:00 PM. After the cruise, the celebration continued at the Rock Bottom Brewery in the Nautica Powerhouse at the Nautica Entertainment Complex on the West Bank of the Flats.

The group was composed of 20 active members, 6 new retirees, 20 former retirees, and 8 guests.  All 249 new and former retirees were listed in a program brochure with their date(s) of retirement and job title.  Much fun was had going through the list remembering retired coworkers.  Congratulations go to our Over-Ten club, those with ten or more years in retirement who attended (listed in order of seniority): Marge Klingenburg, Marilynn Cumming, Florida Henderson, Jan Galvin, and Sally Lacombe.  Notably, our group of educators was joined on the cruise by a group of high school students.  All joined in the fun on the dance floor. 

This year in an effort to reduce prices and increase fun, the decision was made to move to a Saturday luncheon cruise with optional activities after the luncheon.   Also, the date has been moved up to April in an effort to not conflict with work-site or individual retirement parties. 

The 2009 Luncheon and Cruise is the third annual retirement recognition that ACCESS has held.   The first two dinners were held at the Independence Holiday Inn.   Download Reservation Form.  To see pictures from these events, click Retirement 2008 and Retirement 2007.

Plan now to attend next year.  The tentative date for next year’s Nautica Cruise Luncheon is Saturday, May 1st 2010.  

As pictures come in, they will be posted on our Scrapbook Luncheon/Cruise 2009 page.