cruise3sixty Wrap-up: Day One

Although tomorrow is “officially” day one of the conference, we started the festivities a day early with a tour of the beautiful Queen Victoria this afternoon.

Queen Victoria is one of only three ships in the fleet of Cunard. The ship is infused with a sense of luxury and tradition, from the Royal Court Theatre, which includes the first private viewing boxes at sea, to the signature two-story library, featuring a spiral staircase and nearly 6,000 volumes. There’s also “Cunardia” — the first Cunard museum display at sea. The ship also recently made history with the line’s first female skipper, Captain Inger Olsen.

We were able to do a self-guided tour of the ship today, plus we were treated to lunch in the beautiful Britannia dining room. We’ve posted photos from our tour on our Facebook page – be sure to check them out.

Our impressions of the ship:

I (Chris) was very impressed by the beauty of the ship overall but especially the spa facilities. For a ship that regularly sails the open seas, the spa would be a great place to spend many a sea day.

Scott was most impressed by the Queen’s Lounge, a huge “grand ballroom” with a place for a large orchestra and giant dance floor. Imagine dancing the night away in this gorgeous space.

Jennifer enjoyed the white glove service including attendants at the elevators. She was also impressed by the overall luxury of the ship, which she says reminds her of the ocean liners of the golden era.

Tomorrow is the first “official” and full day of cruise3sixty. The conference kicks off with a full day of educational seminars and cruise line updates. Discussions will include cruise ship safety, interacting with suppliers, hosting events at sea and the first of three lunch-time General Sessions. The general sessions typically include panels featuring cruise line executives discussing the latest trends in cruising and updating us on their lines’ newest ships and itineraries. Then, each session ends with a motivational or comedic speaker to inspire us all to greatness.

More tomorrow from Fort Lauderdale and cruise3sixty 2015.

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