CLIA Conference 2018 - Life on the ocean wave

Recently I was lucky enough to attend the CLIA conference in Southampton. This was four days packed full of everything cruise. I visited 2 amazing cruise ships, the Oceania Marina and the Princess Royal Princess. They were both very different and would appeal to different people. The Marina was more for an adult market and was certainly very luxurious. The Royal Princess was more aimed at a mix of passengers and catered very well for families with kids clubs available as well. I even saw Timothy Gallant from the TV programme The Cruise whilst we were on there, he is the same off camera. Hilarious! I also attended a presentation given by Sir Ranulph Fiennes one of the world’s greatest explorers and a truly inspirational super human. I feel very privileged to have been able to listen to him tell stories of his adventures first hand. I, like many other people, until recently, have been under the misconception that cruise holidays are for wealthy retired couples. How wrong was I, there is definitely a cruise to suit everyone and many of the cruise lines have fantastic offerings for families. There are different categories of staterooms/cabins so something to suit every budget. An inside cabin with no window is cheaper than a cabin with a balcony or a suite. Many of the cruise lines are now aware that families want to travel as multi-generational groups so can offer interconnecting suites so that grandparents can travel with their children and grandchildren. There are few holidays that will have something to suit all ages and cruising is the perfect solution for this type of holiday. A cruise holiday has many benefits: • Visiting many ports of call all on one holiday, onshore excursions are available in all ports to ensure you can see the main highlights • Lots of facilities on board including shops, cinema lounges, water parks on some cruise ships, kid’s clubs, concierge service • Gourmet dining. There are many choices of where to dine including a main restaurant and speciality restaurants, snack bars, late night buffets, afternoon teas, service to your stateroom • West End and Broadway style entertainment shows • Lots to do for children including kids’ clubs on particular cruise ships • Many cruise lines will offer drinks packages making your stay on-board All Inclusive • Only needing to unpack once • There are some UK departures making foreign travel more accessible to passengers who do not wish to fly • Excellent value for money • State of the art technology on-board many of the cruise ships • Cruise companies offer great loyalty schemes meaning there are many perks for repeat bookings I can arrange your cruise with any of the cruise lines and where necessary add your flights and transfers providing a complete package. You will pay the same price as you would by booking directly with the cruise line and sometimes Travel Counsellors have exclusive offers available as well, but you will also have the added benefit of my service. This means that you only need to speak to me and not someone different every time you call reservations, I will take care of all your paperwork and the administration of your booking. I can book all your onshore excursions in advance for you making sure that you get to see the particular sights which are top of your list. You have the benefit of the Travel Counsellors unique 100% financial guarantee. If you have previously been on a cruise I can ensure that any rewards and loyalty discounts are applied to your booking so that you don’t miss out. #generationcruise #theresacruiseforeveryone