Welcome aboard the 2004 Retire Quickly cruise. My name is Vic Bilson and I'll be your cruise director for the duration of your stay on this web page.

I want to share with you some of the highlights of our experience aboard the Sovereign of the Seas as we sailed together from Port Canaveral to Nassau Bahamas with a stop at the private island, Cococay.

As we left behind our daily activities of answering emails and calling prospects on the phone, everyone could sense the heightened anticipation of the next three days and four nights aboard the luxurious Royal Caribbean ship.

With temperatures in the upper 80's and more humidity than you could cut with a knife, the breeze aboard the moving ship was welcomed as we moved away from the Florida shore.

Being my first time at sea aboard a cruise ship, I enjoyed spending much of my time outdoors exploring the decks and watching the ocean waters.

With my eyes pealed for a glimpse perhaps of a dolphin or shark, I was surprised when I spotted an object off the port side (that's the left side of the ship for us landlubbers). Pulling out my camera so I could get the benefit of the zoom lens, I discovered it was not a shark, but a surfaced submarine. Pretty cool, I thought.

As Tuesday morning arrived, we dropped anchor off a small secluded island located in the middle of the Caribbean's bright blue water called Cococay. Reserved exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests, this tropical paradise has recently been updated with new aquatic facilities, nature trails and a ton of great places to just sit back, relax and enjoy a tropical drink.

With its white-sand beaches and spectacular surroundings, CocoCay is a wonderland of adventure with something for just about everyone.

Now, it's not all fun and sun in the Caribbean. What better place to schedule a business meeting than back on the Sovereign of the Seas.

In one of the two organized business meetings, Kelly eloquently shared the passion of Retire Quickly to helping families in financial distress. He discussed the many challenges faced by RQ over the past six years as we have introduced an innovative financial services package to people in over a 100 countries. Helping people understand what our products actually are and how they can use them was certainly a focal point of conversation. In addition, the challenges we all face with email deliverability was a hot topic of discussion.

Following the meeting there was ample opportunity to share ideas with other RQ reps and get to know one another better.

Perhaps the most valuable part of the cruise for me was to get to meet other RQ reps I've spoken with on the phone or in a web conference. It's amazing how quickly everyone bonded together. Even though many were meeting for the first time, it was almost as if we had known one another for years.

Kelly Reese, John Windscheffel, and Dan Robinson

Early risers on Wednesday morning were greeted with a beautiful double rainbow as the sun rose over the pirate city of Nassau.

For many years, Nassau was a home base for notorious pirates, and it was burned to the ground by the Spanish three different times. Since 1740, however, visitors from all over the world in search of both relaxation and adventure have made Nassau their favorite destination.

Go figure... Mexican lunch while in the Bahamas?

Before heading back to the ship, my partner Kristi Leeper, her family and I stopped at Senor Frog's to experience the wilder side of Mexico for lunch.

With our Nassau adventures behind us, we head back out to sea.

Besides the popular hang out around the pool, there were many activities to keep folks busy while on board. Everything from more shopping, stage shows, 2 movie theaters, a rock climbing wall, outdoor basketball court, formal and informal dining, lots of activities for the kids, and more.

On the final day of the cruise, Kelly Reese shared with the group information about future enhancements to the RQ program while and Matt Hutcheson made a strong point of the value in our business alliance programs.

...And for another time, we all had a great time getting to know one another better and sharing marketing tips.

Well, there you have the Retire Quickly 2004 Cruise through the eyes of your cruise director, Vic Bilson.

On behalf of Jerry Crolius, Kristi Leeper, Vic Bilson, and everyone at Retire Quickly... we look forward to meeting you at the next event...

...and to seeing you Retire in Years, not Decades.