|
 David
Rojahn, president of DTR Travel in Centennial, Colorado booked a family reunion
for 24. The reunion coincided with Alan and Jean Aldridge's 50th wedding anniversary.
As a creative golden anniversary celebration, the couple paid for the family to
fly to Los Angeles for a three-night Baja cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Viking
Serenade. Getting a group this size to the same place proved easier left to a
professional.
Almost
a year passed from the time the idea was suggested to the date of the cruise.
It was a good thing planning began so early because, as Rojahn remembers, logistics
and numbers were changing at the last minute. When
he was first approached to organize the reunion, the group was slightly smaller
than the final numbers. No one, including the Aldridges, was aware there was going
to be another grandchild and the due date was dangerously close to the reunion
cruise date. The
family reunion was blanketed with uncertainty. Between baby on the way, normal
family upheavals and different travel arrangements for each of sibling, the participant
number was constantly fluctuating. Rojahn worked with each family member to ensure
safe, convenient travel to Los Angeles from across the country. His job was made
easier because he was an unbiased third party whose only concern was ensuring
everyone got to the destination in time for the family reunion. Rojahn
organized itineraries and arranged accommodations meeting everyone's specific
needs. Hotels were booked for those arriving in Los Angeles the day before the
cruise and transportation for those who arrived on the day of the cruise. When
all was said and done, everyone attended, including the newborn grandchild. Rojahn
made last minute changes to room assignments to accommodate the new baby but the
reunion went off without a hitch. And, the Aldridges were surprised with a cabin
upgrade arranged through Rojahn by their children to help celebrate their anniversary.
Everyone had such a good time, there is talk of repeating the cruise in a few
years. |
