All Work and a Little Play Makes Jen a Happy Girl!

[jenseib]

Nov. 16, 2017, Thursday


Rise and Shine…we are in Sunny Fort Lauderdale!


hilton8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I really liked my view!


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I got ready and waited in the lobby for a few people and then we headed off to the conference center again.


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We all met outside the doors to our big conference room again and we were more prepared to make the mad dash in for breakfast. We found a table quickly!


Breakfast was sponsored by MSC Cruise line this morning.


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It was good, but not over the top great…but it is conference food, which means they usually have to make mass quantities and as cheap as they can.


As we were finishing up the music got loud and a lot of commotion was going on. We looked to find this!


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MSC is the official cruise line for the Miami Dolphins!


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Lots of dancing and shaking going on!


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We then had the Vice President of Sales for MSC Cruise lines speak. He was a really great speaker as well. I didn’t know a whole lot about this line beforehand….but knew they had been around for quite some time in Europe and were just breaking into the US market over the last few years. I learned quite a bit from him and I really want to try this line out.


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After then it was time for a quick break before our first class.


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The cheerleaders were out and many people wanted a picture with them… and ironically more men lined up. Hahahaha.


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They also had the dolphin out walking around too, but I don’t see my picture of him loaded.



Our first class today was with Carnival. Class can’t be too bad if it is with the Fun Ship Company, right? Brook, Wendy, and Marianne had this class with me today.


As I said earlier, Carnival has this motto “Travel Agents Rock” and they dressed the part!


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We kept laughing at them.


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It was a fun and informative class!


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Time went by fast and after that class we had another little break and then it was time for lunch! We now were pros at getting a table for all of us.


Wonder what lunch will be today…remember yesterday we had salad with chicken in it…


And today…….


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Salad with chicken in it!


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And fruit for dessert.


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Lunch today was sponsored by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise lines.


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Our talk after our meal today was from Richard Fain, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean.


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What an EXCELLENT speaker. They all had been so good, but he was even above that.


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We had another speaker and Marianne and I got a little antsy and got up for a quick bathroom break and walked around a bit. We made a stop for a picture at the Carnival booth.


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[jenseib]

After our mini break we came back in in time for the Presidents Panel…..which is super cool! These are like rock stars to us!


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It was a great talk!


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Time was going over and people were getting antsy and wanted to move on. They kept making announcements after each speaker to please stay as there was more to come. I was feeling antsy too.


Then we got a treat!!!! Royal Caribbean has a production of Grease on some of their ships. They told us it was a combination of the movie…which we all know and love ….and the musical. And they had a cast ready to get on a ship and they were going to do a mini performance for us!


Video I took


https://www.facebook.com/jenseib/videos/vb.1256074446/10215060700491695/?type=3


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And more video


https://www.facebook.com/jenseib/videos/vb.1256074446/10215060812814503/?type=3


world8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


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It was really an awesome performance. We were all excited to get to see this.


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They told us that the cast doesn’t have costumes yet, as they get them on the ship…..so the cast wanted to make it special for us and put together costumes to wear on their own.


And then we were let out with the mad rushes and some of the cast was walking through to get changed.


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Marianne and I went outside for some air before heading to the Exhibitor Showcase. As we came back in we ran into some of the cast leaving and we let them know what an awesome job they did.


We headed to the trade show and met up with some of our friends and walked around looking at different vendors.


Norwegian had a virtual reality thing where you could drive a go cart to simulate what they are putting on some of their new ships.


Ellen did it first and was totally laughing as she kept crashing. Then Marianne did it and said it made her sick. My turn.


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I had to quit before I was done as I was so motion sick from it.


We then saw the Sandals booth and went over to say Hello to Jermaine. I am not sure if he remembered us or not. We pulled up a picture from our trip with him and he was totally laughing.


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Of course he said we needed to get a nice one now too.


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We looked around some more. I had a rolling suitcase with me because we were given so much stuff. Brochures and other info, tote bags, ornaments, note pads, pens, chapstick, candy….etc.


It was time to separate then. As a Star, we had been assigned to several vendors and given times to meet with them. We basically had a 10 minute slot and we were to show up and meet with a designated person to learn more about what they offer. This was a new thing for Star’s this year. I will say now, it needs tweaking.


I had all my appointments early, but many of my friends had them later. Already at my first appointment they were running behind and this became the case for most of them. On top of that, they were not near each other so I had to look at my map and try to find the next one and some had such small booths that they were hard to find. I found out that many people with later appointments ended up seeing if they could get in earlier as well. And for those that didn’t, by the time they got to their appointment, the vendor was gone or no longer cared about meeting with them.


I rushed around and did my best, but I did totally miss my last one. No one was around when I went and I was tired so I didn’t wait.


After the appointments I walked around some more and did talk to some vendors I was interested in. The cruise line areas were nice and pretty big. Some had a party atmosphere going with games and raffles and drinks!


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We had put our business cards in several spots, so we would gather at the designated times to see if we had won a trip or something else.


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I found some of the girls after a bit just leaning on the wall. Wendy asked me if I had put my card in for an Amazon Echo Dot…..Oh no…I missed that one. She led me over and just as I was arriving they said they were going to draw. I believe they had 10 to give away. I ran up saying WAIT!!! I want to throw my card in! And I did so.


They shuffled the barrel and they called out a name. That person was not there. They shuffled again and called out another name…and they weren’t there. And the process went on again….and you must be present to win!


And the next name was mine! Woohooo! I was excited! I have an Amazon Echo that I use for work. I now have the dot in my kitchen for all of us to use!


Sadly no one else in our group won. They did pull a lot of names that ended up not having the person present, so we thought the chances of someone else getting one was good, but it wasn’t meant to be.


A lot of raffles were taking place now so we went from spot to spot to see if anyone was a winner…..and we were not!


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As the Trade Show was winding down, we gathered our stuff and headed back to the hotel. Our plan tonight was to get together with some other girls for dinner.


We got ready and met in the lobby. We ordered an Uber and headed over to S3 at another Hilton. A couple of the girls in our group decided not to go. We met several more there and we had a big table where we had a lot of fun.


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When I had looked at this menu online it seemed to have a lot of things I would like. The menu tonight was different. Another gal who had been here before said it totally changed.


Marianne and I ordered some things to share, but I didn’t get pictures of everything because we were talking so much and just having a good time.


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The food was good, but I doubt I would go back as most of it was just not my thing. We had a great time though and it was a nice way to end the day.


After we were done, one of the gals went into the gift shop, so we used the restroom and walked around the lobby area.

Brook and I always joke about how Skip stalks her online. He always says Brook…(using her last name)…is doing this today. Or Brook… is doing that today.

So we had to take a selfie and tag Skip.


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And then Marianne and Ellen could not be left out either.


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We got an Uber back to our Hilton then and chilled out.

I was so tired and just going to go to bed, but Marianne asked if I wanted to meet out by the pool bar and I am a sucker and said yes! Ellen joined us too and we just sat and talked and talked until we were about ready to fall asleep in our chairs. We called it a night and headed back to our rooms. Tomorrow was my last day and I would be going home in the evening….so sad!

 

[Beth D]

LOL about the bland conference food! Gotta play to the masses... my coworker once went to a trade show where you had to eat dinner at the show (they pay for you to travel, so mandatory attendance) and they were served something that looked like bland pork loin or chicken. But it was fish! What if someone had an allergy? i would have been out of luck - I don’t eat any seafood or fish.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Between sessions we would have 10-15 minutes to get to our classrooms, go to the bathroom or whatever else needed to be done.

That does not sound like a lot of time especially with the number of people that are milling around at an event like this.

Around 6:45 the day was done. It was another really long day and busy!

That really was a long day.

I learned quite a bit from him and I really want to try this line out.

There new ships look amazing.

Our talk after our meal today was from Richard Fain, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean.

I would love to hear him speak in person. I heard him speak on the live feed for the Celebrity Edge launch last year and I was very impressed.

Then we got a treat!!!! Royal Caribbean has a production of Grease on some of their ships. They told us it was a combination of the movie…which we all know and love ….and the musical. And they had a cast ready to get on a ship and they were going to do a mini performance for us!

Wow, that is quite something.

Norwegian had a virtual reality thing where you could drive a go cart to simulate what they are putting on some of their new ships.

Two of my co-workers went to the launch of Norwegian Bliss last week and the go cart track looks so much fun.

We basically had a 10 minute slot and we were to show up and meet with a designated person to learn more about what they offer. This was a new thing for Star’s this year. I will say now, it needs tweaking.

I did something like this last year, which was organized by CLIA in the UK and I came to the same conclusion.

I found out that many people with later appointments ended up seeing if they could get in earlier as well. And for those that didn’t, by the time they got to their appointment, the vendor was gone or no longer cared about meeting with them.

That is a real shame.

And the next name was mine! Woohooo! I was excited! I have an Amazon Echo that I use for work. I now have the dot in my kitchen for all of us to use!

Well done on winning.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

LOL about the bland conference food! Gotta play to the masses... my coworker once went to a trade show where you had to eat dinner at the show (they pay for you to travel, so mandatory attendance) and they were served something that looked like bland pork loin or chicken. But it was fish! What if someone had an allergy? i would have been out of luck - I don’t eat any seafood or fish.

My mom says all the conferences she goes to serves chicken too...It' cheap and most people will eat it. They did have vegetarian option....which was just taking chicken away.

That does not sound like a lot of time especially with the number of people that are milling around at an event like this.

I know they need to get a lot done each day, but the time between was just too short.

There new ships look amazing.

They do...on my bucket list...which is long. hahahaha

I would love to hear him speak in person. I heard him speak on the live feed for the Celebrity Edge launch last year and I was very impressed.

he is amazing

Two of my co-workers went to the launch of Norwegian Bliss last week and the go cart track looks so much fun.

How fun!

I did something like this last year, which was organized by CLIA in the UK and I came to the same conclusion.

It really didn't run well. I don't know if they realized it or not, but they need to do a lot of tweaking for this year.

Well done on winning.

It was my lucky trip!

 

[jenseib]

Nov. 17, 2017, Friday



Our last morning! Well mine at least. Most of the other gals were staying a day or 2 more.


I got up and ready and packed my bags. I went through stuff from the trade show and got rid of anything I knew I wouldn't use and wrapped up any of the breakable type items given. I then headed down and put my bags in to be held for later.


I met up with a few girls and we walked over to the conference center.


We waited to be let in and then found a table for all of us and started in on the breakfast pastries.


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Balanced by a little bit of fruit.


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Breakfast was sponsored by Windstar today.


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After we ate, we had a talk from the Vice President of Windstar.

Then Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival.


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And then a talk on Visiting Florida.


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Marianne and I were getting antsy after a bit so we took a walk to stretch our legs and a bathroom break.


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And look who we ran in to…Orlando Ashford from Holland America.


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We then messaged Ellen to come out as we had wanted to get a picture of the 3 of us at the Carnival booth and it was empty and a perfect time to do so…so she came out.


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We saw Mike Julius who is the Vice President of US field sales…and also does a monthly webinar….and we asked for a picture.


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And then we spotted Adolfo Perez, who is the Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Marketing with Carnival….and easy on the eyes. We asked for a picture and he went all out and popped right in the Carnival booth with us.


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We were so excited!....now when we had asked him to get a picture….no one was around. By the time we were done there was a line waiting to get a picture with him. LOL. It’s like they sensed it and all came out of the woodwork to get a picture. I am not sure how long he stood there doing pictures and I felt a little bad that he was now stuck with a line of people. I know one lady a few people deep did get one as I saw her later and she showed me her pic.


We headed back in and finished up with the speakers and then it was time for some classes. They were interesting, but one was on social media and I am pretty sure this lady gets a kick back from Facebook. She was really pushing to do paid posts and I had actually done a class about a year ago that said NOT to do paid posts anymore as the way Facebook puts them out now is not like how it used to be and not as many people see them.


Time for lunch! We gathered once again around the doors to be let in and wondered what our lunch would be today. The last 2 days it was salad with Chicken in it…would it be 3 for 3?


We were let in and we found a table and there was a salad, minus the chicken sitting in front of us. And cheesecake…..Ok you can’t go wrong with cheesecake.


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Lunch was sponsored by Norwegian today.


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Our menu!


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So today we were having salad AND chicken! LOL.


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My personal favorite was the dessert!


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After lunch there were more talks.


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MSC cruise lines was giving away a cruise and also putting that person on a magazine cover…they had a contest and the finalist were there and hoping to win and promoting us all to vote for them all week. Sadly I wasn’t able to see who won as I had to head home before they did the announcement.


I held out a little longer than I planned but I finally had to leave so I wouldn’t be late. I said my quiet good byes to my friends and snuck out and walked back to my hotel to grab my bags. I then ordered a Lyft to take me to the airport and was promptly dropped off.


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There was a little line but not too bad. I soaked up the last of the warmth and sunshine….not knowing that this literally was the last of it for quite some time since it has been a dreary winter. I then headed in, using the TSA precheck line, which went fairly fast. I found my gate and got seated only to have it switched just as I got settled in.

Several of us made the move the new gate, which was much more crowded and then we were informed we were delayed. Basically the people already in the area were going to take our plane and we would get the next one. I think out delay was only about 45 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad.


Finally we were loading and heading back home.


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A cruise ship heading out!


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And the sun was setting.


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I arrived home and my sister Amanda picked me up and we stopped off for some food and then back to her house to get my car. She was heading back to Toledo too since we would be heading to NYC on Tuesday. Our Aunt that lives in Columbus asked Amanda to stop by since she had money to give all of us for shopping (She was not coming), so Amanda made a detour and stopped there to get the money for all of us and our kids.


I made the drive home and had a happy daughter and husband who were glad to see me.


Laundry was started the next day and I began to pack for the next trip.


I stalked facebook and my friends posting the ship tours and fun things they did in the evening, and I was a bit jealous, but I knew I made the right decision coming home when I did so I could have a wonderful vacation with my family the next week.


Thanks for reading along!

 

[dolphingirl47]

We were let in and we found a table and there was a salad, minus the chicken sitting in front of us. And cheesecake…..Ok you can’t go wrong with cheesecake.

I thought this salad was all you were going to get. I thought this was a bit stingy. The cheesecake does look good though.

I am glad that the trip home was relatively smooth. Thanks for sharing.

Corinna

 

[jenseib]

I thought this salad was all you were going to get. I thought this was a bit stingy. The cheesecake does look good though.

I am glad that the trip home was relatively smooth. Thanks for sharing.

Corinna

Yes! At first I thought so too. This was the best lunch for sure and much more filling.

Thanks for reading along.

 

[jedijill]

Sounds like an interesting event! Nice to catch up with all your friends!

I have a friend on a MSC cruise this week. She seems to like it so far.

Jill in CO

 

[jenseib]

Sounds like an interesting event! Nice to catch up with all your friends!

I have a friend on a MSC cruise this week. She seems to like it so far.

Jill in CO

Oh great. I have heard they are pretty decent for the price you pay.

 

[tammy]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful adventure.

 

[dizneeat]

I loved "coming along", even if it was just in thought. Thanks for sharing, Jen. I hope there is another one of your TRs starting soon.

 

[jenseib]

Thanks for sharing another wonderful adventure.

Thanks for reading along!

I loved "coming along", even if it was just in thought. Thanks for sharing, Jen. I hope there is another one of your TRs starting soon.

And you know I love coming along with you guys too!

 

[Beth D]

Did DCL have any presence there?

I’ve got to go read your NYC tr now, just found out that dh and I will be going in August for 5 days for his bday!

 

[jenseib]

Did DCL have any presence there?

I’ve got to go read your NYC tr now, just found out that dh and I will be going in August for 5 days for his bday!

No they did not. They rarely do it seems for these kind of things. They did have a vendor booth.....so I am told. I never saw it, but I think Ellen did and she said it was really tiny and easy to overlook.

I hope to get that NYC report started in the next few days (maybe if I work on it even tonight). Lots of crazy things going on here lately. I have some paperwork to catch up on then I'll try to work on my report so I can get started. I'll post the link here.

 

[jenseib]

I have started my NYC report now.

You're Driving Straight Through?

 

[Timon]

I read this awhile ago but couldn't comment at the time and then totally forgot about it!

What a fun trip! I am glad you were able to get away for a little you time

How neat that you toured that hotel where they filmed Analyze This! I LOVE that movie and still quote it to this day, so that would have been a huge highlight for me!!

I remember watching your live fb videos from that boat trip, that looked fun

How cool that you got to see some friends too! Love those pics

Thanks for letting us come along with you on this journey

 

[jenseib]

I read this awhile ago but couldn't comment at the time and then totally forgot about it!

Shame on you! hahahaha

What a fun trip! I am glad you were able to get away for a little you time

I'm ready for another get away!

how neat that you toured that hotel where they filmed Analyze This! I LOVE that movie and still quote it to this day, so that would have been a huge highlight for me!!

I don't think I have ever seen the movie...I'll have to look it up and see if I can watch it.

remember watching your live fb videos from that boat trip, that looked fun

We had a lot of fun. We had a great bunch with us.

How cool that you got to see some friends too! Love those pics

It was nice to see them...well most of them. hahaha.. nah....it was all good.

Thanks for letting us come along with you on this journey

I only wish you had been there on this journey too.

 

[DVC StephanieH]

Great trip report! Food looks like it was delicious!

~Stephanie H

#dvcrentals

 

[jenseib]

Great trip report! Food looks like it was delicious!

thanks!