Wishing you all a Happy Christmas from Cruise.co.uk

It must be Christmas time as i have just returned from our annual cruise.co.uk Christmas conference. For those of you that don’t know each year around this time all our staff come together to celebrate another great year with cruise.co.uk. Due to being homeworkers we are based all over therefore our yearly conference is a great way to catch up with old friends and make new ones who have recently started.

During our weekend we get a preview from the cruise line on all the fantastic offers we will be selling come January this year we were joined by Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Holiday Extras, Silverseas, MSC and our hosts Fred Olsen. Also we have a final update on how well we have done before the party begins and we all  eat, drink and really let our hair down.

This year for conference we joined Fred Oslen for the 2nd year running on board the Boudicca. In previous year we normally travel to the xmas markets in Bruges but this year we were so excited for a 3 night mini cruise from Liverpool to Dublin. The Boudicca is one of their smaller ships which is always good for large groups like ours, the ships staff were fantastic as well as the entertainment onboard which especially on the first night was sourced locally and we were treated to a fantastic Beatles bootleg band.

After last years 70’s night success, our first night cruise.co.uk decided to bring back the fun this time with 80’s. Remember me saying I HATE FANCY DRESS, well that hasn’t changed but once again i was total astounded by the creative ideas my colleagues came up with and as a 80’s born girl i embraced the theme with a old favourite from the era a Rubix cube.

Here are a few of my favourite costumes from the evening…………………

By the powers of Grey Skull!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wedding of Charles and Diana!

Computer game heros.

Various others.

Aside from our 80’s throw back evening my favourite part of the weekend was our day in Dublin. The last time I there was for my Hen night in 2005,  and it was still just as fantastic all these years later. Our day started with a short city tour on a old fashion yellow London bus. We saw all the top spot including the Guinness factory, Trinity College and St Patricks church.

Did you know that Arthur Guinness bought St James’s gate where the factory is today in 1759 on a £45 a year lease for 9,000 years, and they brew 3 million pints of the black stuff a day (of which we helped them shift a fair few of on the Saturday, you are welcome Mr Guinness).

Once we were dropped close to Temple bar we were given the rest of the day to enjoy at our leisure we visited Grafton street for some Christmas retail therapy before the inevitable happened and we found ourselves in the bar. Our afternoon was spent in a local Heritage pub called O’ Donoghues which is famous for its links the  Dubliners who played there on many occasions.

And on a personal note, during the afternoon I was also able to have a 22 year over due catch up with my childhood best friend Caitriona who moved back to Dublin when we were 14 years old and  when I knew we would have a free afternoon was able arrange to meet her and her lovely family which was lovely.

Overall the whole weekend was fantastic and now feeling suitably Christmassy ready for the festive season spent with my family and loved ones.

l will now be away until 8am Wednesday 28th December, and from myself and everyone at cruise.co.uk we would like to wish all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. I will look forward to speaking you in the new year ready to plan all your fantastic future cruises.

Marie x