Corporate Travel Destinations

The first step in planning a group cruise is to determine either the time of year that the cruise needs to take place, or the preferred destination. This is because some destinations are available – and a viable option – throughout the year, while others are not. Therefore, if you want a group cruise to Alaska, but were hoping for a winter departure, you may want to rethink either the timing or the location.

Here are the most popular cruise destinations and the months that group cruises to these destinations should be planned:

• Alaska – April through September
• Bahamas – January through December
• Baltic/Scandinavia – January through December
• Bermuda – April through October
• Caribbean – January through December
• Costa Rica – January through May
• Dubai – January through December
• Hawaii – January through December
• Mediterranean/Greek Isles/Riviera – January through December
• Mexican Riviera – January through December
• Pacific Northwest – March through June or September through November
• Rivers of Europe – March through December
• Rivers of North America – January through December
• South Africa – September through April
• South America – November through March
• Tahiti – January through December

If you would like to learn more about the best time to cruise to different destinations or to take advantage of group cruise planning tools that make cruise sourcing and planning simple and convenient, visit Seasite.com, where you will find helpful information, ideas for planning cruise events and group cruise planning tips and tools.

When planning incentive travel packages, travel planners are always looking for great travel deals, tools that make planning easier and more convenient, and ways to save money without cutting quality. On top of all of the normal planning duties that corporate travel planners face, they must not only ensure that incentive travel packages are well-organized and the trip will go off without a hitch, but also that the trip will have the appeal needed to serve its function as a motivator for employees. In order to achieve this, the incentive travel package must have certain qualities.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the trip must be affordable for winners. Just because your company is footing the bill for transportation, accommodation and some additional expenses, that does not mean the trip will automatically be affordable to the winners. This is why it is important to pick a location that is enticing and exciting, but not so high-end that some winners may not be able to enjoy the destination.

One way to ensure that all winners, regardless of their level in the company, can enjoy incentive travel is to opt for a group cruise event. All-inclusive group cruises provide a fun, luxury vacation, while also ensuring that all of your participants will be able to fully participate in the incentive travel awarded to them. Because all-inclusive group cruises cover accommodations, meals, drinks, onboard entertainment and activities and many extras, your winners can choose to spend on additional activities, tours and souvenirs, or can simply enjoy everything that is included in the price of the cruise.

Bulgaria is growing in popularity as a destination for business and leisure travel; however, it is still in its teenage years of this growth. This provides the perfect opportunity for corporate travel planners to take advantage of exceptional meeting planning packages and travel deals, while allowing attendees to enjoy a distinctive European culture without the crowds of more established tourist areas.

Bulgaria is one of the few places in Europe where travelers can still experience life as it was in old-world villages 150 years ago, while still being just a short drive away from major cities, seaside resorts and all of the modern conveniences to which we have grown accustomed. Coastal resort towns along the Black Sea are ideal for corporate travel, with new resorts springing up on a regular basis. There are several options with rooms and meeting spaces for large groups, as well as many that can accommodate smaller groups of attendees.  In addition, the Black Sea is an excellent destination for an incentive cruise.

Aside from the glorious beaches on the Black Sea coast, there are also mountain ski resorts offering skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and other snow sports, as well as luxury spas, including the two most popular mountain resorts: Bansko and Borovets. Bulgaria is also perfectly positioned for excursions to nearby countries, including Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece, making this affordable destination a great choice for international corporate travel.

It is one thing to know your way around your favorite venues that happen to be on land, but corporate travel planners who incorporate cruises into their corporate meeting and event planning, incentive travel planning or other corporate travel endeavors should pick up a bit of shipboard lingo to show that you know your stuff, or at least to help you fake it ‘til you make it while planning your onboard events.

Here are a few of the terms that it is helpful to know when onboard:

Aft – toward or at the rear of the vessel
Amidships – toward or at the middle of the vessel
Below – Beneath the main deck
Bow – the front of the vessel
Bridge – the navigational control center of a ship
Companionway – interior staircase
Free Port – a port with no customs or duty
Galley – ship kitchen
Gangway – ramp or stairway between the ship and dock
Helm – steering apparatus
Port – the left side of the ship when facing the bow
Starboard – the right side of the ship when facing the bow
Tender – a small vessel for passenger transportation when at anchor

Of course, these are just a few examples of the many terms used on ships, but this should be enough to get you started on the road to immediately understanding what the cruise ship staff says when discussing the location of your attendees’ rooms or meeting rooms, or where they will meet you to show you around your event venue.

Seasite.com is designed for meeting and event planners who want more control in the cruise sourcing and planning process. It’s the fastest and easiest way for group organizers to master the world of cruising, building on all that’s been learned by Landry & Kling, who are credited with being the first distribution channel between the cruise industry and corporate America. Now, 28 years since their startup, they have responded to changing times by creating Seasite.com, with innovative cruise sourcing tools that enable meeting planners and other travel intermediaries to be more pro-active and confident in booking group cruises. Seasite group pricing is the same as booking direct, with the advantage of impartial Cruise Advisors to assist as needed.

For a different kind of group cruise experience, you may want to consider barge cruising on rivers in Europe. This type of laidback cruising is ideal for groups of 12 or less and offers a casual, intimate atmosphere that is perfect for an executive retreat, a teambuilding experience or small-scale corporate meetings and events. Barges are often captained by the owner and cooking is often taken care of by the owner or the spouse of the owner, with local foods that are purchased daily before leaving the night’s mooring spot in the morning. This adds to the houseguest feel of barge cruising, and generally also makes for wonderfully outfitted barges that show distinctive pride of ownership.

During the day, guests will enjoy slowly making their way down Europe’s inland waterways, and then will have the opportunity to go ashore to visit quaint villages or wineries before heading to bed each night. Many barge cruises include tours of sites of historical or cultural importance and sometimes have eclectic, impromptu entertainment during the evening. Some barge cruises also offer optional extras, such as hot air ballooning, which can make your corporate travel even more memorable. Exclusive ship charters allow you to organize an intimate awards ceremony or relaxing incentive travel package that is sure to appeal to your attendees.

When planning an incentive cruise for your next corporate travel destination, you may want to take into consideration the possibility of including time on a private island. Several cruise lines now offer trips to private islands, particularly in the Caribbean, as part of their cruise itinerary. While the cost of food, beverages, water sports equipment and other items will almost always cost more on a private island than they would at a typical location for an onshore excursion while in port, there are many luxurious benefits to opting for cruise lines that include stops at private islands.

Private islands may be populated with other tourists, but they are not filled with hustlers or pickpockets, as are some public beaches, which creates a more relaxing situation for visitors. Security is always present to ensure that visitors will have no worries about being mugged or having their belongings stolen as soon as they turn their backs, and visitors can rest assured that the beaches will be spotlessly clean and always pristine. Banana boat rides, scuba diving, snorkeling, massage and spa services, beverage bars and cafés are common offerings on private islands, making them an ideal choice for day-long beach parties, and possibly even organized events, depending on what kind of deal you can negotiate with the cruise line.

Santo Domingo, located on the coast of the Dominican Republic offers the perfect blend of modern amenities and rich history and culture. Christopher Columbus first came upon this region in 1492, with his brother, Bartolome Colon, founding the city of Santo Domingo de Guzman in 1498. As the first city in the New World, UNESCO naturally awarded it status as a World Heritage Site and visitors can still walk along the cobblestone streets of the original city, now called Colonial City, where the first university, church, hospital and monastery constructed in the New World can still be seen.

A popular destination for the cruise meeting industry, the Port of Santo Domingo has two cruise ship terminals: the Don Diego Terminal and the San Souci Terminal. Each of these terminals allows passengers convenient access to nearby Colonial City, as well as a number of important historical sites and landmarks, many dining options serving scrumptious local cuisine and nightspots that come alive each evening with the vibrant sounds of merengue. Santo Domingo is considered one of the most important cultural capitals of the Americas and offers a wide variety of entertainment, dining, shopping and cultural attractions, such as the museums of the Plaza de Cultura, the Columbus Lighthouse and the Parque Colon.

A well-established, modern public transportation system makes getting around this historic city a breeze, which will allow your attendees to take in all that Santo Domingo has to offer between scheduled meetings and events.

If you are looking for an exciting, innovative venue for an upcoming convention, conference or trade show that will ensure great attendance with its wide-ranging appeal, you may want to consider hosting your next event on a cruise ship. Whether you opt for a dockside charter or an event at sea, cruise ships – which can accommodate up to 5,000 people – will significantly increase the appeal of your event.

Attending a conference or convention on a cruise ship will be something new and exciting for most people, and will be enticing enough to convince indecisive folks that they should definitely attend.

Cruise ships offer a self-contained venue with all of the services and amenities you need for a successful event or meeting at sea and can be organized in a way that will support a variety of event budgets. They also provide the opportunity to have a willingly captive audience for your event, particularly if you opt for a full-ship charter, which allows you to customize the entire venue and schedule, including liberal logo placement to increase awareness and recognition of your brand.

When you opt to host your next conference, trade show or convention on a cruise ship, it is sure to be a memorable event that will have the attendees talking about you and your planning services long after they are back on shore, ensuring that they will remember your company name the next time they are in need of event planning services.

If you are planning a cruise for your next corporate or incentive travel event, you may be considering whether chartering a ship would be a more appropriate option than booking reservations on a cruise line containing unaffiliated passengers. It may or may not be, depending on a number of considerations.

First of all, it is important to know your options. When chartering a cruise ship, you often can choose between group, half-ship and full-ship charter options. Full ship charters obviously allow for the greatest freedom, customization, exclusivity and prestige, while group-level charters will likely be most cost-effective.

Each of these options comes with pros and cons; however, they all offer distinct benefits for those determine that chartering a ship is their best option.

In order for chartering a ship for your next cruise event to be a good idea, you will need to have a solid headcount of attendees, a good understanding of your meeting space needs and the resources to make a significant financial commitment upfront, generally guaranteed by a letter of credit.

Once these things are in place, your next task is finding the perfect cruise ship to fit your event needs. This will need to include appropriately-sized meeting spaces, overall costs that are within your planning budget, a suitable destination and an overall quality that suits the level of service and prestige required by your cruise event.

There is a misconception among some segments of the corporate meeting and incentive travel industry that cruises are an extravagantly expensive option for corporate meetings and travel. On the contrary, opting to plan your next corporate meeting onboard a cruise ship can be quite cost-effective and can result in significant cost savings when compared to corporate meeting destinations that are land-based. This is particularly true when travel and event planners take advantage of enticing packages available when planning meetings with multiple attendees. The cost savings can be even greater if most of the attendees live near a port or cruise terminal, avoiding the need for air travel.

The idea of attending a corporate meeting at sea event is also much more exciting and appealing to attendees, which results in them actually looking forward to the trip, rather than dreading yet another event where they spend hours locked in a boring meeting room in Omaha or Kansas City. Onboard activities and entertainment are an excellent way to wind down after a long day of meetings, and offer plenty of options for days off. Stopping in interesting ports of call also adds appeal to shipboard corporate travel, and allows attendees to spend time enjoying attractions, dining, entertainment and shopping off the ship as well.

Plan your next corporate meeting on a cruise ship and you will find that attendees will be happier and more productive as they enjoy the opportunity to both work and play onboard.