As the starry night sky draped over San Diego, the excitement for the evening grew as over 1,000 PLNU students and guests gathered on Nov. 2, 2018 for Fall Ball at SeaWorld, hosted by PLNU ASB.
Students came dressed to impress with hopes of a fun night with thrilling amusement rides, aquatic entertainment, and community.
ASB Activities and Design Director, Julia McCurry, spent months planning this event with the Campus Activities Board (CAB). McCurry shared their vision to “create an event that would bring a lot of people together for a good time. We wanted to reach as many people as possible for Seaworld has food, roller coasters, arcade games and dancing.”
With the anticipation built up from last year’s Fall Ball raving reviews, tickets for this year sold out quickly. Students were ready for a great time, but was this event more of a bust and less of a ball?
Several students who attended the event were left unsatisfied as they encountered long lines to get in and even some being turned away at the door. PLNU sophomore chemistry major, Sara Versailles, shared how “when we arrived, we were told that they had already met maximum and we could not come in. Also, we were told that we could not be refunded which was disappointing.”
Though some struggled to make their way through the door, others noticed that the event had misleading advertisement.
PLNU sophomore psychology major, Ashlyn Dixon, shared her disappointment with the arcade. “I was expecting the arcade to be free but, then found out we had to pay separately so that was a bummer.” Advertising for the event sent out by ASB President Forrest Case stated “Everything is included in your $10 ticket!”
Though the event had a few hiccups, many found the enjoyment in the company they shared. Dixon reminisced how “it was good and fun to ride the new rollercoaster! Honestly so thankful that our school does this for us.”