After saying ‘au revoir’ to Cannnes, we set sail for Italy to our next port of call, Carrara, located at the foot of the Apuan Alps in northern Tuscany and famed for its decorative white marble.
As usual, we’ve brought along some talented people to lead our morning coaching sessions and they don’t disappoint.
Digital marketing guru, Charles Bentley, talks fervently about captive captions, providing tips on how to create a hook to start an online conversation followed by a call to action.
Many of the consultants on the trip are amazed at just how much they are enjoying the sessions and Virgin’s adult-only, scarlet coloured ‘edgy’ ship. Over half of them have never been on a cruise and admit their preconceptions were totally unfounded.
“My fear was that I would be too old for this cruise and that it would be too ‘in your face’,” says Doug Tanner. “My opinion has been turned around – if you want it, it’s there. If you don’t, just relax.”
Doug’s absolutely right and this morning we head off to the social club on deck 7 to participate in ‘The artists scavenger hunt’ a brain teasing tour which helps us discover incredible works of art that are dotted in nooks and crannies all over the ship.
Later we go shopping, then put our feet up on enormous daybeds sipping cocktails to the tropical house beats of DJ Aitor Robles before heading for ‘Gunbae’ for some drinking games and incredible Korean BBQ food.
We’ve all been eagerly swapping tips on the best restaurants to try each evening and the Virgin Voyages app makes it incredibly easy to book activities and restaurants.
While some consultants head up to deck 16 to watch the sun set, others head to The Miss Behave Game Show which feels like something straight from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Offbeat and engaging (you get points for shouting out the answers), it’s also slightly rude but incredibly fun… It’s not often you watch a show which ends with the whole audience having a fight with inflatable balls…
The evening draws in and while some agents slope off to enjoy a quiet drink in the Sip Bar,an opulent, art deco-style bar with laid back grooves of an electric guitarist, others (including, of course, our co-founder, Paul) opt to party hard in the Manor nightclub, a pulsating two-storey, three bar venue, that’s named after Richard Branson’s first recording studio.
Day 4
We wake up in the port of Carrara and plan our day whilst eating eggs florentine and french toast overlooking the majestic Italian mountain ranges. Some consultants are keen to take the train to Pisa, there’s so many options it’s hard to decide.
Before we disembark, the morning’s training focuses on luxury cruise with our cruise gurus, Duncan and Gemma, at the helm.
Co-founder Steve also gives tips on how to use the new cruise website while social media whizz, Amy-Louise, teaches consultants how to have confidence on camera.
“I’ve got the most out of the social media training,” says travel consultant Natasha Oliphant.
“It’s great having the marketing team here to ask questions and for them to actually demonstrate things to you. And as the ship and all the training is completely different from last year’s Seminar at Sea on NCL’s Prima, it’s been really worthwhile.”
