Conference Fun in Ft. Lauderdale

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Here I am two months after the event, finally posting about my super fun time attending this conference!  The 10th annual Cruise3sixty was loaded with a lot of surprises, great speakers,  a huge trade show and beautiful ships to tour.

My days were packed with seminars keeping me up-to-date in the social media world to destination workshops and product updates from the cruise line execs themselves.

Then of course there were the ship tours.  Easily, one of the best parts of the conference, in my opinion.   I toured four different ships, each impressing me in one way or another.   While the tours were fast paced, I did manage to get a few pics to share.  The one thing I did NOT enjoy was having to get off the ship after the tour was over 😉

The first tour was on the MSC Divina.  I had never been on board a MSC ship, so this first time was really anticipated.  While I really enjoyed most things about the ship, one particular feature stood out to me:  the four Swarovski staircases.  Wow!!  They have the lighting just right and it sparkles like diamonds in the special lighting all over the atrium.   Beautiful!

Next up was the Celebrity Equinox.  Loved everything about her.  Gorgeous ship, phenomenal food.   The main dining room (called the Silhouette), has a two story wine tower that is just stunning!  The Martini Bar even had a frosted bar top.   The staterooms were chic and spacious.

My third tour was on the Norwegian Getaway.  Again, just a lovely ship.  Waterslides like I have never seen on a cruise ship.   There is even a Carlo’s Bakery on board (you know, from the Cake Boss)!

The final ship tour was on the new Royal Princess.  Wow.  I really just wanted to stay on board instead of heading to the airport.  A couple of things really stood out to me.  The size of the inside staterooms were the biggest I have seen on any Princess ship.  I always feel a bit claustrophoic when I am in an inside stateroom.  Maybe it was just the different layout, but it sure seemed more roomy.   The Piazza/Atrium was enlarged on this new ship and it is beautiful!  I would love to hang out here for an afternoon at sea or in the morning over a mocha.

The highlight and most exciting part of the week was my opportunity to meet Gavin MacLeod –  Captain Stubing from the “Love Boat”.   What a fun surprise!!   Had the chance to chat for a minute and have my photo taken with him.  I was a “Love Boat” watcher when I was a kid and fell in love with the idea of cruising even back then.  Little did I know that one day cruising would be such a big part of my world!

Attending Cruise3sixty is always such a great time.  I love interacting with other agents, hearing their stories, bouncing ideas around.  I truly enjoy the event and am looking forward to the next one in 2015!

Happy Sailing 🙂

 

 

Preparing for Another Travel Seminar

/0 Comments/in /by

I will be attending my 3rd travel seminar in the last 7 months this April!  Loving everything that I am learning!  Best of all, it is so much fun to tour new ships and have lunch on board.

Boston – September 2013 -  My host agency, Dugan’s Travels, sponsors a seminar twice a year.  I have been with Dugan’s for over 5 years and this was the first one I was able to attend.  I am making it a priority to go more often than every 5 years now that I know what I was missing 🙂

Several of our suppliers made presentations.  My favorite though, of course, was Michelle Van Deusen, our BDM (Business Development Manager) for Royal Caribbean International.  She also led us on a tour aboard the Brilliance of the Seas.  Best inspection ever.  We timed it just right when the debarking passengers had cleared the ship and the new guests were yet to board.  Needless to say, we took advantage of that and quickly toured stem to stern, top to bottom, followed that by an amazing lunch with wine flowing and great converstation with my fellow travel consultants.   The Boston seminar was such great fun,  loved getting to know the faces and voices behind the names on our online forums.

Cruise World – November 2013 – Located in Ft. Lauderdale.  This was my first time attending Cruise World!  The conference itself was really pretty good, a large variety of classes available for those interested in technology, selling, river cruising, home port destinations and so on.  I was able to get on board 3 ships for a tour and lunch:  Norwegian Epic, Disney Magic and I actually sailed for one night on Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas.   I must say, that while I loved them all, I loved the Disney Magic even more!  I’m sure that’s because I’ve never been on board a Disney ship and have looked forward to it for a long time!  Disney did not disappoint.  Gorgeous ship, with amazing kiddo adventures and great venues for adults, too.

Cruise3sixty – April 2014 – Also in Ft. Lauderdale, this will be my 3rd time at this conference.  I would have to say between the two dedicated cruise conferences, this is my favorite.  I’m looking forward to 4 days of all things cruising.   New this year is one full day dedicated to presentations from 25 cruise lines!!  I will have to pack a lunch, there isn’t even a lunch break!  I am also very much looking forward to 4 ship tours:  MSC Divina, Celebrity Equinox, Norwegian Getaway and the Royal Princess.  Look for Facebook posts the first week of April when I am at this conference.  So excited!

Happy Sailing 🙂