SwingFest 2008

[ncmd_couple]

Friday morning.

I guess this will be a bit of a travel log. Got to the airport at 6:00am on Thursday morning to the most unbelievably slow check in line at the airline. Then they said that we were too late to get our luggage on the plane. Then, the line at TSA was backed up half way around the airport! We got on the plane just as they were closing the door. The flight was good and short, only two hours. Upon arrival, we went to the baggage claim anyway. Boy were we happy when we spotted our first bag! Everything made it! So there is hope for the day!

We arrived at the hotel at 10:00am. Now, they had said that check in was at 4:00pm. So everyone should have been prepared for that, but obviously many weren’t. So we checked in understanding that our room would not be ready for a while because there had been another convention here and a lot of the attendees of that one didn’t check out the day before as expected. The hotel is excellent, very attractive, and when we got there finally, the room was great. Pools and beach are excellent. But make sure you bring either a lot of cash, your credit card has space. Drinks are at resort prices, i.e. expensive!

Check in for SwingFest was supposed to open at 11:00am, but they were about 15 minutes late. Now, I knew that this was their first event, so I was going to be tolerant of little glitches as much as possible. A lot of the problems that we experienced were really tied to the difficulty of registering early for this event. After this is all over, I am sure that the owner of this event will either get these things fixed, or slit his throat! But they did jump through hoops to fix things. Considering the confusion at first, it didn’t take long to check in at all.

Probably the biggest problems were caused by attendees. There was a long line at the event desk, and long lines at the hotel registration desk. Some people are just plain jerks! Standing at the registration desk yelling about their room not being ready and demanding comps was just plain rude, and it kept the clerk from doing his job, which was to get us in our rooms! What an ass. Of course the pay back was that I patiently worked with one of the clerks and we had our key and our room while that ass was still down their complaining. Also the hotel slapped on some restrictions that weren’t there before because some jerk called the hotel a couple of weeks ago trying to arrange for something and decided to try to make a threesome date with the young lady he was talking to.

The hotel is packed with swinging couples and I understand that the overflow has gone to other hotels in the area. Talked to one couple who is staying at the Roof Top, and they say that place is a real dive. All age groups, races, etc., and they have come from all over the world. We have met a lot of really nice people!

Ok, problems. The biggest problem has been one of unintended consequences. They originally set this up so groups could all have rooms together. So everyone had their room numbers weeks in advance. This was a good idea from a swing event standpoint, but a logistical nightmare for the hotel. This is what caused the long delay in everyone getting their rooms. As the cleaned the hotel from the previous event, the rooms became available as they worked. But unfortunately, as our reservations were tied to a specific room, not class of room, we had to wait until that specific room was available. Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought of this as a problem in advance either.

Also a couple of the seminars that were originally listed as included, now that we have arrived, are not. I haven’t checked into this yet, but I will let ya’ know what they say about it. Also there have been complaints voiced about the fact that there is no nudity at the pool. From talking to the owner of the event there are two reasons for this. The first is that when they started planning this event, the pool was positioned so that it is private. But since the beginning, a high rise condo has been completed and that privacy no longer exists. Also the jerk who hit on an employee made the hotel really clamp down.

A group had a meet-n-greet last night. We went for a little bit, but honestly, we had been on the go since 3:30am, had been sitting in the bar visiting and sipping beer for 6 hours waiting for our room, and we were pooped. So both of us were snoozing by 10:00pm. But the party was started. It could still be heard at 3:00am this morning, and people were in the pool.

Overall, this is a pure swinger’s event so far. But the day is young, and I will send ya’ another report tomorrow!

[SecretAsianMan]

Good luck & I hope y'all have a great time!!

Looking forward to a full report as the festivities continue

[2inSanDiego4u]

Originally Posted by ncmd_couple

Overall, this is a pure swinger’s event so far. But the day is young, and I will send ya’ another report tomorrow!

Sounds good! We want to hear all about this event. Thanks for sharing!

[Pepper & Drew]

Oh this is great! We're getting a blow-by-blow It's like getting a trip report from DennyP's. Keep the reports coming.

Pepper

[sweet_tna]

Some friends of ours (and fellow board members) are down there for Swingfest, too. I haven't heard from them, so I look forward to your travelogue.

=)

[JustAskJulie]

Hopefully you will be having too much fun to report often, but do share when you can... we'll take no report as a good report (until you tell us otherwise).

[vegaskid]

A blow-by-blow report would be nice. We were going to attend the Las Vegas one but it was cancelled.

[des1re06]

Hope you're having a great time! Check-in day is always a madhouse.

Talked to one couple who is staying at the Roof Top

Yeah, this is what bothered us when we called to get information. They couldn't guarantee where we'd be and we couldn't stay in our RV and attend.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Mrs. D

[ncmd_couple]

Well, I have quite a bit to write about yesterday. I will probably sit down and do that between dinner and the parties that start at 9:00. Good and bad, but they are trying to correct their mistakes, which I have to commend them for, they are truly trying I think. But there are some unhappy folks about some things, but honestly, they party goes on! The pool was packed when I crashed at 3:00 this morning. I'm going to try to attach a couple of pics. Sunrise Friday morning. Pool party Friday afternoon. Bigger party going on at the moment!

S

[2inSanDiego4u]

Jay Leno was making fun of Swingfest 2008 on his show last night. The first thing he said was that there are 5000 couples there and that he'd hate to be the one to have to clean up after it was over.

[ncmd_couple]

Actually, it has been one heck of a party for the last two days, and isn't over tonight by a long shot. But even after the day long party at the pool, the place is pristine. The attendees are using the trash cans and are being extremely polite. I was concerned Thursday evening, but I am glad to report that my concerns were unfounded. I don't really expect that the rooms are worse off by much. The attitude of the hotel management and staff has relaxed a whole lot also. Of course the fortune that they are making off of this weekend probably had something to do with that. I'm killing a few moments while "L" changes to go out for the evening, so I will write some stuff.

Security. Every entrance to the hotel grounds is guarded with at least two security guards. And if you don't have the right color pass for the day, you aren't getting in. As this is a total hotel take-over, including the convention center. You have to pass security to get into the convention center even coming from inside the hotel. Then you have to pass security again on each floor, and again to get to the area where parties are going on. This evening I was in front of the hotel grabbing a smoke before dinner. An older couple approached and the young lady stationed out front asked to see their passes. The lady explained that this is where they had a special day or something, and the security guard told her that the hotel was closed for an event. The woman insisted, so she directed her around to the convention entrance where the registration desk for the event was. As the couple left the guard turned to me and I said, "she is in for one hell of a shock!" The young female guard made a big smile and laugh.

Now, even with all of that security, it is not obtrusive unless you have hidden your pass. Then there is a very polite, "excuse me, may I see your pass." The funniest thing was this afternoon when two Florida State Police Troopers went walking through the lobby. You should have seen the look on their face, it was priceless!!!! There are over 5,000 women all over the place wearing their sexy club wear. Quite a site to behold! I noticed last night when the pool party started around midnight, that all of the security in the pool area disapeared except for the security at the two beach entrances and the hotel entrance. They have backed off after dark.

I have mentioned before that this hotel is expensive. But for that, the service is the very best. If you call for something, towels, something doesn't work, you need a fridge, what ever, you better put some close on when you hang up the phone because two minutes later there is a knock at your door. And a few minutes after what ever you have asked for is taken care of, you get a call to confirm that you got what you needed or what ever was broken was fixed. The food in all seven restaraunts is fantastic! And their best restarant, the Holliday Prime, I have never received better service, had better food, or paid as high a bill, in my 50 years. If you come here, eat their once. But one piece of advice. You and your partner order one side, one entrey, etc., then split it between you. The portions are hughe! "L" ordered the lobster, that thing weighed 3.5 pounds! My prime rib? That steak was cooked to perfection and melt in your mouth, but it was five inches thick and weighed 44 ounces! Thankfully we met a couple that lives in FL, we gave that hughe bag of leftovers to them to take home with them tomorrow.

Ok, my baby is all beautiful now, so I have to go. I'll write more when I get a chance!

S

[fordman460]

That sounds like SO much fun. I will need another job to afford to go to the next one.

[gatorvol64]

I'm sooo glad you are having such a good time. It has been nice of you to share with us.

Vol

[sweet_tna]

Wow, that really does sound like fun. And it's great to hear that the security and service are so good.

Thanks for the update. Btw, I think I see my friends in that pic of the pool . ..

=)

[ncmd_couple]

Originally Posted by vegaskid

A blow-by-blow report would be nice. We were going to attend the Las Vegas one but it was cancelled.

Vegas,

If there is an event in Las Vegas, I don't think it is connected in anyway with Swingfest. So far from what we have seen the next one will be next year at the same hotel.