33rd Annual Reunion of USS Harry E. Hubbard DD-748
Orlando FL
October 11th - October 14th, 2023 (Wed-Sat)
Shipmates,
Hotel: Drury Inn & Suites Orlando 7301 West Sand Lake Road Orlando FL 32819.
Reservation number is 1-800-325-0720. Specify group number 10037066, or go to the website www.druryhotels.com and enter the group number after entering the hotel and date. The Hubbard room rate is $130 plus taxes. Special rate is good for two days before and two days after the reunion in case you want to come early or stay after and visit some of the Orlando theme parks and other attractions.
The cutoff date for the Hubbard rate is 9/11/23, so please book now. You may cancel by 12 p.m. on the day before the confirmed arrival date. The hotel provides a breakfast buffet, complimentary soft drinks and popcorn during the day, two drinks for happy hour (5:30 p.m.) and a limited light buffet in the evening. Breakfast is 6 - 9:30 a.m. weekdays and 7 - 10 a.m. weekends. There is no charge for parling. The hotel does not have an airport shuttle.
Sign Up Now: There is no hospitality room fee or registration fee. You do not have to go on all the tours. You are guaranteed a full no-hassle refund if you have to cancel for any reason. Ed and Ely Jose do need to know as early as possible how many are going on each tour and to the banquet in order to reserve the most economical and efficient transportation. If you live within driving range or staying with friends locally, let us know what events you plan to attend and also so that we can print our list of attendees in the next newsletter. Names and Date of Birth have to be provided to Kennedy Space Center when we book.
Wednesday October 11: Check in time is officially 3:00 p.m. but rooms may be available earlier. If not, hang out in the spacious lovvy or our hospitality room, the Mockingbird located between the bar and the reception desk. It is not stocked with food or drinks. Evening drinks and snacks ("Kickback") are available for guests beginning at 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Each adult gets two tickets per day that can be redeemed for wine, beer, or cocktails at the special Kickback bar. A bar located next to the lobby sells a wider range of cocktails and beers.
Tour Thursday October 12: Silver Springs and Lakeridge Winery tour. Bus begins loading at 8:00 a.m. and leaves at 8:30 a.m. We will be travelling northwest to Silver Springs State Park for their glass-bottom boat tour. This is an Old Florida attraction. The large springs in north central Florida are a natural phenomenon that are being destroyed by manmade pollution so we will enjoy them while we can. There is a lot of wildlife in the park. We will eat lunch in Black Bear Pavilion which we have reserved. On the return trip we will stop at Lakeridge Winery for their free wine tasting. We take the scenic route from Silver Springs back to the hotel. Cost per person is $60. This includes park admission, lunch, bus, and boat ride.
Tour Friday October 13: Kennedy Space Centour tour. Bus begins loading at 8:00 a.m. and leaves shortly after. There will be a rest stop midway in the 75-minute bus ride to Cape Canaveral. In addition to the large number of exhibits in the Visitor Complex, there is also a narrated bus tour of the launch and assembly sites at the space center. The price seems outrageous but we are getting the $75 Senior Citizen rate for everyone plus an additional discount of $5. Lunch is on your own, so you can spend more or less time on exhibits as you choose to do so. With the bus included, we are charging $94 per person. It will be cancelled if less than 30 people book.
Tour Saturday October 14: Kissimmee and Memorial Ceremony. The bus loads at 9:00 a.m. We meander southwest to the town of Kissimmee and will have our annual memorial service at the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial at about 10:00 a.m. It is the only such memorial in the U.S. After the memorial and the museum, we will have time for a light lunch and see a few sights in Kissimmee. Like other towns in central Florida, it is centered on a lake. The bus cost is included in the banquet price below. Those who reside in Central Florida and not staying at the hotel may choose to go straight to Kissimmee in order to attend the memorial service.
Annual Business meeting 2:00 p.m. in the Drury Inn Mockinbird Hospitality Room
Banquet Saturday October 14: The annual banquet will be held at a nearby facility with larger facilities. Beer and wine will be provided with dinner but no other alchohol is permitted. Food will be a buffet of Filipino and American cuisine prepared by your hosts. The bus will depart the hotel at 5:00 p.m. Approximate time of return is 9:00 p.m. Cost of the banquet and bus is $40 per person.
Registration: Please list below the name of each attendee. Indicate tours and events for each person and the amount you are enclosing. Remember you are guaranteed a full return if you must cancel for any reason. For the Space Center Tour, list full name and date of birth for each participant.
Names of those attending:
Guest #1: ___________________________________________________________
Guest #2: ___________________________________________________________
Guest #3: ___________________________________________________________
Guest #4: ___________________________________________________________
# for Silver Springs tour _______
# for Space Center tour _______
# for banquet/memorial _______
Name tags (for those who don't have one) are $3.00 each person. Please indicate the name as you wish it to appear on the name tag and any additional information
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Total Enclosed: ____________
Address for refunds, newsletter (if not already on mailing list), or other info:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Thanks,
Ed and Ely Jose, your Orlando reunion hosts
For security and convenience, please use the following address for registration forms and payments.
Richard E. Oliver
USS Harry E. Hubbard Reunion Association
199 Dali Blvd PH-3
St. Petersburg FL 33701-399
Checks may be made out to USS Harry E. Hubbard Reunion Association
