Conference Fun in Ft. Lauderdale

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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 🙂

 

 

World’s Largest Cruise Night, 2010

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The single biggest cruise promotion of the year is almost here. Sponsored by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA,) the date to save on your calendar is October 13, 2010.

On this day, you will find savings and special offers from just about every cruise line in the industry. Offers may include reduced deposits, ship board credits or dollars off. It’s a great time for consumers to book to take advantage of the savings. Keep in mind in most cases your cruise deposit is refundable, so you risk nothing in locking in the prices.

Here’s a sampling of special offers and incentives cruise lines have already announced.

  • Carnival Cruise Line  is offering upgrades on virtually all departures through December 2011.  To sweeten the deal, Carnival will offer not only best available upgrades, but up to a $200 onboard credit per stateroom for all Carnival Magic Europe voyages booked on October 13.  The WLCN best available upgrade offer applies to new individual bookings. The Carnival Magic Europe offer includes best available upgrades and a $100 onboard credit per stateroom for seven-day Europe sailings and a $200 onboard credit per stateroom for nine- and 12-day sailings.
  • Celebrity Cruises will have a 3 sale (Oct 13-16th,) for cruises sailing April through December 2011.  For new bookings receive – onboard credits of $50 per stateroom for oceanview accommodations; $100 per stateroom for veranda accommodations; and $150 per stateroom forAquaClass (only on Solstice-class ships), suites, and Concierge Class.
  • Norwegian Cruise Line is offering: up to 4 category upgrade plus reduced deposit plus up to $250 onboard credit per stateroom.
  • Disney Cruise Line is offering $100 onboard credit for 14-night transatlantic cruise sailings May 14, 2011 and Sept. 10, 2011,  $75 onboard credit for 7-night, 10-night and 11-night Mediterranean cruises sailing May 28 through Sept. 3, 2011 and a $50 onboard credit for 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises sailing Sept. 25 through Dec. 11, 2011.
  • Royal Caribbean International is presenting a two-part offer to travel agents for World’s Largest Cruise Night on Oct. 13. New bookings in ocean-view or higher category staterooms on select sailings made between Oct. 11 and Oct. 15 get an onboard credit of $25 per stateroom for three- to five-night sailings, $50 onboard credit per stateroom for six- to nine-night sailings, and $100 for 10 nights or longer. In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering two extra Groups Amenities Plus (GAP) points on new group bookings to redeem for additional onboard incentives, such as complimentary welcoming bottle of wine and other additional value items.

If you are thinking of cruising, now is the time to book with all of these special promotions going on.  I’d be happy to help you plan your dream cruise vacation!

Happy Sailing!!  🙂

Cruising to Bermuda

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Wow! What a gorgeous island. My new husband and I just took our honeymoon to New York City followed by a 7 night cruise to Bermuda where we spent 3 full days. A little different than we are used to, no changing ports each day. It gave us an opportunity to explore the island a little more. The water is absolutely breathtaking, so blue!! On our first day we did an excursion that involved snorkeling in the Bermuda Triangle. I’m scared fish, so my poor husband had a clingy snorkel partner. The second day we toured the Crystal and Fantasy Caves. What an interesting find in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Horseshoe Bay Beach and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse on the 3rd day wrapped up our stay in Bermuda. Our ship was our hotel the entire time we were there, which meant no packing and unpacking, yeah!!! We finished each evening on board with Norwegian’s entertainment. A production of Bollywood was definitely a highlight and a favorite of both Jason and mine. We sailed on the Norwegian Dawn and had a fabulous time. Lots of BBCs and Bushwackers 🙂 Thanks to our Honeyfund users we enjoyed lots of cake, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, canapes, cheese and fruit tray all delivered to our stateroom. Ah the perks of a honeymoon. I would absolutely sail Norwegian Cruise Line again, hopefully on the new ship, the Epic.

World’s Largest Cruise Night

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Did you know that October is National Cruise Vacation Month?  Time to celebrate one of the most fantastic ways to spend your vacation time off!  My business, Curious Compass, will be hosting a Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night on October 14, 2009.  Watch for more details starting October 1st.

CLIA’s Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night

The World’s Largest Cruise Night (WLCN) is just one of a series of innovative initiatives launched in celebration of October’s National Cruise Vacation Month (NCVM), a North American celebration of the cruise experience. CLIA member Travel agencies across the U.S. and Canada are focusing their promotional efforts to educate travelers on the value and diversity of today’s cruise vacations

CLIA member travel agencies across North America are going high tech to get the cruise vacation message out in October with a “Virtual World’s Largest Cruise Night”. This provides you with an opportunity to view up to 5 brief cruise line videos online, hosted by a CLIA member travel agency, Curious Compass.

Click here to visit my World’s Largest Cruise Night site and find out more information about your favorite cruise lines!

 

Happy Sailing!