I’m on a Boat: An Evening with Lady Sandals

Hello loves!

Whew, WAVE Season has had your girl BUSY, I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote. The busyness is good news, but I have to do better about checking in and saying hello. Plus so much has happened in the past 45 days or so with regard to the travel world…I have to keep you all in the know!

However, in the meantime I’m going to discuss a recent event I attended here in Tampa. Because—fun!

The CEO of Sandals Resorts Inc, Mr. Butch Stewart, has a lovely yacht by the name of Lady Sandals that travels all over the world. On occasion, she makes her way to Florida and we agents are subsequently invited on board for dinner, drinks and a brief chitchat with our local Sandals Business Development Managers (BDMs). Our turn in Tampa came very recently, and I was honored to have the opportunity to go.

This wasn’t my first time on Lady Sandals; I went a few years ago with my hubby in tow, and I remember the yacht being full of people. Just packed. Fortunately, this time the crowd was smaller…but I couldn’t bring Mr. B. My introverted self would have to go it alone, and I didn’t know if I’d know anyone else there. The joys of being a home-based, independent agent; working alone.

Of course, I got onboard and knew no one. Went straight for the rum punch, lol. In spite of that, it ended up being a lovely event. They took us down the Hillsborough River down to where it ends and meets Tampa Bay, then up Sparkman Channel toward the Port of Tampa. They served us salmon, chicken, rice and veggies and gave us free reign of the yacht. Let me tell you; this livin’ aint hard.

The captain shared that they were heading up to New Orleans, back down to the Caribbean, then over to France “because the boss wants a holiday”. I love it.

And, of course, I had the chance to chat with our local BDM Chad, who I was meeting for the first time after replacing my boy Jake. These are the relationships that matter when it comes to working with a travel professional and how we can add value to your vacation experience: relationships with the resort brands.

Overall, I just want to give Sandals a shoutout for their ongoing support of travel professionals and providing cool opportunities such as this one. I hope you enjoy the pics!