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 🙂

 

 

Cruise3sixty – Amazing Cruise Training Event

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Wow, what a fabulous time I had in Ft. Lauderdale at the Cruise3sixty conference this year!!  Cruise3sixty, the official travel agency conference of the cruise line industry, is also the leader in educational training and networking opportunities for cruise industry travel  professionals.

I was surrounded by people that love cruising as much as I do and every morning I woke up to a different ship in port!  This year I was also able to attend the graduation event to celebrate my accomplishment of obtaining my ACC (Accredited Cruise Counsellor) certification.  My days were filled with CLIA seminars, cruise line product updates, general sessions with top cruise industry executives and of course, ship inspections.  I was able to tour and have lunch on board 3 ships:  the Emerald Princess, Holland America’s ms Maasdam and the Carnival Valor.  This is a great way for me to see the different products offered by the different cruise lines.  I think the one of the best parts of the ship tours this year was having Carnival’s signature Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on the Valor, the best dessert I’ve ever had on a cruise ship.  Super yum!!  We had it almost every night when we sailed on the Carnival Valor for my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary in 2009.

Having been on board over 15 different ships helps me narrow down the style/type of cruise my clients are looking for.  Each cruise line offers something special and it is my job to match up the client with the right cruise line and ship.  The information that I take away from events like Cruise3sixty is priceless.  It helps me grow my business and makes me an even better cruise specialist so I can help you plan the cruise vacation of your dreams!

Happy Sailing!  🙂

Remember “The Love Boat”?

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PRINCESS CRUISES 2

One of my favorite shows as a kid.  I remember thinking how glamorous sailing would be.  How envious I was when I found out that my grandparents were going to sail on “The Love Boat”.  Maybe the actual show ship or maybe a Princess ship that was identical, I’m not entirely sure which as I was quite young when they sailed.   I still remember the photo hanging on their hallway wall of being dressed to the nines on that curved staircase on board.

This past week, Captain Merrill Stubing from “The Love Boat” also known as Gavin MacLeod in real life, celebrated his 80th birthday on board the Golden Princess.  MacLeod is a long time ambassador for Princess Cruise Lines.   On March 2nd, Princess honored him with a cake that was a 5 foot replica of the original love boat, the Pacific Princess.  What an amazing way to celebrate!!

Happy Sailing 🙂

Getting Married?

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Princess Cruise Line Wedding at Sea

Princess Cruise Line Wedding at Sea

Wow, it has been a crazy few months for my fiance and I!  I’ve found it difficult to work a full time job, plan a wedding AND keep up on my blog.  I thought I would pop in and let you know that Curious Compass is still here, just trying to keep up.

Once we were engaged, we talked seriously about getting married aboard a cruise ship.  The ultimate romantic adventure.  We found out that Princess Cruise Line was the only line that allowed the ceremony to be performed at sea.  The “Tie the Knot” program allows the ship’s Captain to perform the ceremony on international waters under the ship’s Bermuda registry.  Princess also offers fleet-wide harborside ceremonies in embarkation ports or weddings ashore in select ports of call. Together these options have created the cruise industry’s most diverse and unique wedding program, offering the convenience of a wedding and honeymoon in one customizable package that makes this important event easy and hassle-free.  To find out more click here. 

If I hadn’t dreamed of being married in front of all our family and friends, this would have been our first choice.  We couldn’t figure out how to get our closest 400 guests on the same cruise ship at the same time!  I definitely see vow-renewals in our future aboard a cruise ship…..