Riding Along on the Crest of a Wave – cruise.co.uk Christmas Conference 2018

It was time for our annual cruise.co.uk conference, and this year it was going to be onboard the Marco Polo.  This was the first ship I had been on since January 2019 when I finished working on Voyager, so I was happy to be back at sea.

The conference gives us an opportunity to catch up with old and new colleagues, some we may never have met before and others only once or twice.  This is because as homeworkers we don’t get many opportunities to meet up so three nights together was a chance to get to know each other.

Waiting to board!

We embarked Cruise and Maritime’s (CMV) Marco Polo at Avonmouth near Bristol on a cold December morning but all full of excitement.  The terminal area was abuzz with chatter and screams.  I’m sure the other passengers wondered what was going on especially as our group were called first to board.

Our cabin was adequate but wouldn’t want to spend more than a week or two as limited on space but for 3 nights we managed.  The ship was looking a little tired but my favourite spot was the Columbus Lounge which was a small, quiet area to chat and have a drink.

We set sail and the winds began to pick up but we were all looking forward to our fancy dress evening.  After an afternoon of conferencing, we headed for dinner and then to our cabins to change for the evening’s frivolities.  Although the ship was moving a bit I was surprised when I got to Scott’s Bar how many of my colleagues were suffering from sea-sickness, my cabin mate being one of them.  There were some fantastic costumes on display – take a look at a few.

Our Team Managers.

Our Directors.

Colleagues and me!

We arrived in Dublin the next morning, much to the relief of those passengers that suffered on the way over.  We continued with the conference until just after lunch and then it was time to hit Dublin where cruise.co.uk had arranged for a private party for us in Temple bar area called “Bad Bobs” including drinks, food and a live band.  It was a great evening although being a little older I, and a few colleagues returned to the ship a bit earlier for a night-cap.  We had the most amazing taxi driver, Brendan who is 78 and loved life.  He was singing to us and telling us all about his grandchildren.  He was a real character.

Brendan.

The next morning we left Dublin with the forecast predicting force 9 winds so people were on tenterhooks for the crossing back to the UK.  Our last morning of the conference was a quiet one with colleagues coming in and out due to sea-sickness.  We had an inspirational guest speaker, a young woman by the name of Claire Lomas.  Wow, what an amazing lady.  I bought her book, ‘Finding my Feet’ and I would recommend it.

The final night was Gala night and I would say at least 30% of the ship didn’t make it to dinner as the sea was a little too choppy for some.  As this was my birthday night I and my cabin mate Claire made it to dinner along with another couple of colleagues on our table, however one left before the main course.  There were a few tables around us of 3s and 4s but it was very quiet.

After the crew paraded the ‘Baked Alaska’ around, we were served this and I was given a piece with some sugar toffee.

Next, the Restaurant Manager and several of the crew appeared behind me with a cake singing Happy Birthday and presented me with a personalised copy of that evening’s menu.  I was very touched and the cake was very nice too.

Despite the bad weather, it was a fantastic conference and our suppliers provided us with information on new ships, itineraries and so much more.

One last thing – Happy New Year to you all and your families.  I wish you health, happiness and prosperity.

See you in 2019 where I will have some amazing offers for you.