CLIA Conference!! A Dream Come True!!

Well, what can I say?! I have been wanting to attend the CLIA Conference for many years and this year was finally the year. It was an absolutely incredible few days and I was so grateful to be invited by Carnival Cruise Line as one of the many benefits of being one of their FUN Ambassadors.

Myself & Jess from Cruise.co.uk chilling in Eden on Celebrity Edge!!

Here was the exciting schedule for the week;

Wednesday 15th May 2019

09:00 – 14:30 CLIA Welcome, Ship Tour & Lunch On Board Celebrity Edge

Once onboard we were lucky enough to see a snippet of Celebrity’s fabulous show Kaleidoscope (head to my Facebook page for a video). We then learned more about the Edge and what is coming up from Celebrity including Celebrity Apex coming to Southampton in 2020. Celebrity Edge is a beautiful and unique ship, many areas around the ship are a first for the cruise industry. This includes the amazing magic carpet, It was actually a lot bigger than I thought. My favourite places on board would have to be Eden or the Rooftop Garden. Both areas were absolutely stunning!!

Photo’s from around Edge!!

14:30 – 18:00 CLIA Conference Trade Fair in Ocean Terminal

The trade fair literally blew my mind. When we were on route to the trade fair my expectation was that we could talk to staff from many suppliers/cruise lines and maybe get some free pens, everyone knows that Travel Agents ‘love a pen’! On arrival, I quickly realised how incredible the fair actually was. There were all the major Ocean and River Cruise Lines there along with other suppliers within the industry. We went from stall to stall and were greeted by the staff and we gained valuable information. We were also given a free gift bag which was full of branded items inside. I don’t think I have ever gotten so many freebies in one day. I even walked away with an amazing Fred Olsen River Cruise.

Fun Photo’s & the amazing freebies I got at the trade fair!!

Thursday 16th May 2019

09:00 – 16:30 CLIA Conference with Guest Speakers from the Industry

What an incredible and informative day. The day was filled with guest speakers from various parts of the industry, including; Larry Pimentel ‘Luxury Larry’ from Azamara Cruise, Kelly Craighead from CLIA and Tom McAlpin from Virgin Voyages. One of the big surprises of the day was that Sir Richard Branson came to take about Virgin Voyages. Everyone was in shock, he is such an inspirational man and I felt lucky to be there at that moment.

Conference Time!!

19:00 – 00:00 Gala Dinner with the Final of The Voice of the Ocean with Princess Cruises

The Gala Dinner and the whole evening was amazing. Firstly, the 3-course meal was delicious and the service at Southampton Guildhall was great. The three finalists for the Voice of the ocean (Princess Cruises version of ‘The Voice’ for travel agents) were Kat, Jordan and Micia and oh my god they were all incredible singers. But in the end, Kat (Team Andy Harmer from CLIA) )won it for me as her performance of ‘Never Enough’ gave me goosebumps. She then went on to win the whole competition, for this she won an amazing cruise onboard Sky Princess. Once dinner was done, we had a great band perform for the rest of the night and the venue turned into a dance party.

Fun at the Gala Dinner!! #ShadesDay

Friday 17th May 2019

09:15 – 14:45 CLIA Closing, Ship Tour & Lunch On Board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2

I knew Cunard’s ships would be amazing but I don’t think I was quite expecting how amazing QM2 would be. Our first port of call once on board was a visit to the Q2 Duplex Suite, it took me a while to pick my jaw up off the floor. I would definitely love to spend a week in that suite, not sure if I would be able to afford it, maybe one day. We saw the theatre team put on a show which was brilliant and straight after we headed to the Britannia Restaurant for dinner. The food was amazing, I had crab for my starter and duck for the main…yum!!

Being a Queen for the Day!!

I have included my video below from the trade fair but I have many more on my Facebook Page. Click HERE to check them out!!