After a four hour, drive to Southampton, my week started with a visit to Regent Seven Seas offices. We talked Ultra Luxury cruises, the type of cruise where some people say, "Oh very nice, I'd love to go but…” Did you know that 1.9m people cruised in 2016 - 30% of those people spent as much at the end of their cruise as ultra-luxury cruise costs?
With a fleet of four medium sized ships that have an easy- going relaxed atmosphere, they are the most luxurious all-inclusive cruise. The Navigator is the smallest ship with 245 suites and holds 490 guests. Their newest ship the Explorer is their biggest ship and the most luxurious ship ever built with 375 suites and capacity to hold 750 guests.
When you cruise with Regent everything is included from flights, transfers, drinks including cocktails and champagne, fine dining, shore excursions which are bookable 180days before travel to Wi-Fi, tips and service charges. Plus, selected cruises include a three-day land package.
Regent Seven Seas are five-star winners of recommended Which Provider for cruise February 2017, and promise to deliver total luxury on every cruise.
Day two started with a short bus ride from the hotel to the cruise terminal. The welcome was fantastic, greeted with bucks Fizz and live Bands to entertain us before embarking on the flag ship of the Cunard fleet the Queen Mary 2.
The sun came out and gave us the real holiday feeling as we toured this beautiful ship. Following the recent 90m remastering of the Queen Mary 2, a luxury really is in the detail with more space at sea, elegant suites and staterooms, world class entertainment, exceptional dining and even kennels staffed by a dedicated kennel master taking care of your furry family.
Did you know that the Queen Mary 2 is 72m high - 26m higher than the Statue of Liberty and is 345m long equivalent to 37 double decker buses?
We were treated to a superb lunch and entertained by the Royal Cunard singers and dancers in the Queens room, which has the largest dance floor afloat. The hospitality we received whilst on board was incredible it was such a shame we had to leave.
The 11th CLIA2017 Conference got underway on day three of my trip to Southampton. 2017 was the largest CLIA Conference to date with over 600 cruise suppliers and agents from across the country which had a real together feel.
The conference theme was built around cruise entertainment. Starting with Robbie Williams and "Let me entertain you" unfortunately not the real Robbie but Mike Williams certainly got the room smiling, singing and dancing!
Stuart Leven Chair CLIA UK & Ireland spoke about the crazy world we live in and we fell silent to remember the victims of the Manchester Terror Attack. He spoke about reasons for the industry working together to offer customers the right dreams so they can create great memories. Brexit and how it's business as usual for us and our customers. We heard about the latest developments at Carnival & Royal Caribbean.
Did you know that one in every two cruise passengers in the world travels on a Carnival Corporation Ship?
A surprise guest appearance from Country File Presenter John Craven shared why he loves river cruising. He was converted after a rough crossing and decided calmer waters appealed to him and his wife. Another reason why River Cruise gets John’s vote over the ocean is that you get to see more of the destination and get a real value for money feel, although he did say he still enjoys ocean cruising in the Caribbean.
A definite highlight of the day was being invited to spend a week on board an AmaWaterways River Cruise, which is an exciting opportunity to experience river cruise discover local culture and sights and then hop back onto the luxurious river cruise ship and sail to the next stunning city or charming town. The hard part will be choosing which itinerary in Europe or Asia.
Did you know that Cruising is one of the safest ways to travel? Moving back to the theme of entertainment and Marc Hogan Edinburgh Festival comedian talked about what makes a great communicator, having a can-do attitude and seeing that opportunities are all around us. Our final treat of the day was from the Wilkes Academy of Dance and more singing and dancing this time from the musical Greece.
The final day of my trip to Southampton and everything cruise saw us embarking onto the Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas. Again, the hospitable was fantastic. The day started with an Ice Dancing performance before leisurely wandering around the ship, watching families excitingly arriving to start their own cruise holiday experience.
The ships incredible features include the FlowRider® surf simulator, climbing wall, outdoor cinema screen, and a host of amazing restaurants serving delicious cuisine from around the world, and again lunch certainly did not disappoint.
Jonathan Wilkes from the Wilkes Academy of Dance spoke about the future of entertainment and the talent on board cruise ships. Think Broadway shows complete with Broadway actors and actresses.
The final word came from Nick Weir Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, before inviting us to experience Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas next May, was to tell everyone to get over the stigma of the cruise, try it and they will not be disappointed!
They say that there is a cruise ship for everyone and I must admit that cruise conference week, opened my eyes and mind to cruising and can’t wait to take my own family on board one of the amazing ships the cruise travel industry as to offer.
