Corporate Travel Destinations

There are many different companies offering cruise meetings and cruise events, which means that consumers actually have a choice. This might not be immediately obvious as many people still consider cruise meetings to be an alternative meeting format. Despite this common misconception, there are a few things that one needs to consider when evaluating different cruise lines: What is their focus? Some cruise lines handle cruise meetings but have a focus on specific aspects or target audiences.

• Where do the cruises go? Not all cruise liners travel to all parts of the world. If certain locations are important then there is going to be a limitation placed on the available cruise lines to meet business needs. Fewer choices tends to drive price up.
• Do they charter? Some cruise lines offer chartering of small, medium, and even full-sized cruise liners for the right amount of money. Chartering cruise liners can actually be surprisingly affordable for businesses with the means, especially compared to the alternatives.
• What are the meeting facilities like? Most cruise liners have meeting facilities, though space is always at a premium aboard a vessel at sea. This means that larger meetings need to be held in dining halls, theaters, and other rooms. Sometimes this can be the perfect invitation for unique meeting formats, so be willing to be flexibile.

Cruises are unique corporate destinations for a number of reasons, but one of the least considered reasons would be the fact that the trip really is the destination. Consider how much time busy businesspeople waste every year traveling all around the world in order to get to Conference A or Seminar B. Now take that time and multiply it by an executive salary, add in hotel and travel fees from multiple companies and the number quickly balloons in the billions or trillions of dollars.

Consider the difference that cruise meetings have ot offer to the bottom line:

• The amount of time that expensive business people spend on cruises tends to be more productive than time spent on aircraft and/or airports.
• Most cruises feature multiple ports of call, which makes flights shorter and less airline/airplane transfers likely.
• Businesspeople also get to recharge their mental and social batteries while on cruises, and that alone is difficult to put a price tag on. It certainly beats allowing high-powered individuals to take time off and spend time on the golf course.
• The fact that the method of travel is actually a destination in and of itself means that more work and more relaxation can be enjoyed.
• By getting more services from a single vendor, in this case the cruise line, it is possible to save lots of money.

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.

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.