June 2012
In 2011, Family Motor Coach Association and Fantasy RV Tours teamed up to launch the FMCA Tour Connection, powered by Fantasy RV Tours. This FMCA benefit offers members the opportunity to embark on FMCA-member-only RV caravans, rallies, and cruises at discounted rates, and also to receive an FMCA discount on any other Fantasy RV Tour event.
The inaugural tour for this program was the Washington, D.C., Rally, held April 4 through 9, 2012. During this event, Fantasy RV’s staff welcomed 50 FMCA member families to the nation’s capital for a week of fun and sight-seeing adventures. Following are just some of the trip’s highlights.
Day one began with an orientation by wagon master Jim Smith and a welcome party, as attendees became acquainted with one another and found out what was in store for the week. The group enjoyed a catered meal that included sliced brisket, barbecue ribs, and chicken.
The next morning the group was divided in half, and each smaller group was assigned to a specific tour bus — yellow or blue — in which they received personalized attention from the staff and tour guides. From the campground, the buses moved out to the U.S. Capitol for a tour. After spending the morning and part of their afternoon there, everyone returned to their respective buses for a short city tour and then on to the National Cathedral, with its ornate architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows. From there it was back to the campground, where folks had dinner and were treated to a social gathering that featured ice cream floats.
The next day, they were off to the Baltimore-Annapolis area to tour the U.S. Naval Academy. During the visit, attendees witnessed the sharply dressed men and women cadets as they went about their business of learning and training to be the future leaders of our forces on the seas. The group also visited the academy’s Memorial Hall, which commemorates the service, sacrifice, and valor of those who have given their lives for their country. Before leaving the grounds, they stopped at the Naval Academy Chapel to view the crypt of John Paul Jones, naval leader during the American Revolution. That day also featured a tour of Fort McHenry, site of the Battle of Baltimore, where Francis Scott Key penned the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814.
Day four took the group to Mount Vernon, the plantation estate of George Washington, where they learned more about the man who commanded the patriots during the American Revolution and then became the first president of the United States. At Arlington National Cemetery they witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. A short ride away was the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, which is set on a hilltop overlooking Arlington and the monuments of Washington, D.C., across the Potomac River.
On the final day of off-site tours, Easter Sunday, attendees were given the opportunity to see what they wanted in Washington, D.C., as the tour buses dropped attendees off at the location of their choosing along the National Mall. This gave folks a chance to visit memorials and monuments they hadn’t seen before or to tour the many fantastic museums located throughout the mall area.
That evening the group gathered one final time for a farewell dinner, during which attendees received a group photo and commemorative pins to keep as reminders of the event. Good-byes and promises to stay in contact were exchanged, with some folks agreeing to meet again at a future tour or other FMCA outing.
The consensus among those who participated in the inaugural Tour Connection rally was that the event was an overwhelming success. “Traveling with an experienced wagon master and guide made this area live,” said Thomas and Gayle Williams of Merritt Island, Florida. “Every single event was a treat. The staff was knowledgeable, friendly, efficient, and dependable. The planning that went into this rally was quite evident and it ran like a well-oiled machine.”
Brad and Sandra Lynch of Seattle, Washington, were just as satisfied with their experience. “All of it was good, but with a military background, we loved Arlington,” Brad said. “It was organized so well; how could you not like anything? The staff was marvelous and we made some friends with the FMCA Tour Connection that we will have for years to come. . . . Our total appreciation and love for a trip that we will never forget.”
While the Washington, D.C., tour was the first event presented through FMCA’s Tour Connection program, Fantasy RV Tours has many more lined up for 2012, 2013, and 2014 to places such as New York City; the Kentucky Derby; and San Francisco and Napa Valley, California. The company also has arranged numerous caravan tours that will visit areas in Alaska; the Rocky Mountains; Baja California, Mexico; and the Canadian Maritimes, as well as cruises in the waters off Alaska and in the Caribbean. For more information about the various tours offered through FMCA’s Tour Connection Powered by Fantasy RV Tours, visit www.fantasyrvtours.com/fmca or call (855) 385-3622.