CruiseDot Conference 2018 – The Craic and The Carpets…………..

I would like to start by wishing all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous year in 2019, let’s hope its a good one for all of us! One of the final events of 2018 for me was our annual company conference which was held on board Cruise and Maritime Marco Polo, doing a three night mini-cruise to Dublin. Now it has been seven years since I last attended conference, on that Occasion the North Sea was very rough which put me off a bit, so what could possibly go wrong crossing the Irish Sea on a 22,000 tonne ship this time? Force 8, that’s what! Suffice to say I was flat out on my bed by 7.30pm so my fabulous Cat in a Hat fancy dress costume didn’t make an appearance on the first evening – maybe next year!

Although the sea was rough and knocked alot of us for six it really was fantastic to catch up with colleagues who we don’t get to see very often, as many of them work from home, and to have what the Irish call ‘the craic’. How ever infrequently we see each other, once we are all together the fun starts, even during Conference itself which is great fun thanks to the organisers and the cruise line reps who join us each year, not to mention the fun and merriment in the evenings when we are relaxing.

While in Dublin itself, on the second night, the company hired out Bobs Bar in Temple Bar for the evening which was wonderful. I am not a fan of Guiness but I really enjoyed a couple of pints the the proper stuff that is brewed in Dublin itself, I will certainly be back for more I can tell you.

Marco Polo itself probably isn’t a ship I would choose to sail on again, a bit too small for me as I don’t have great sea legs, especially sailing across the Irish Sea, although one big advantage is that all the public area’s are on one deck so you don’t have to traipse from one end of the ship to another getting to different places. We do tend to lose each other on a larger ship and don’t you walk some miles!

All in all it was a great few days that I thoroughly enjoyed, mainly thanks to the company I was with, some great colleagues. Of course, I wouldn’t come back from a ship without a few photos of the carpets on board so I hope you enjoy these offerings!

For now, happy cruising folks and I look forward to speaking to you all during 2019.