07 Sep 10 What kind of inclusive incentives can be had on a cruise ship?
Cruises are popular for many reasons, but one of the most appealing reasons to businesses is the fact that cruises come with all sorts of travel incentives that are built right into the price. Inclusive incentives are popular with businesses for so many reasons, including:
- Easy pricing – Inclusive pricing is great, and inclusive incentives are simply amazing. What kind of incentives, how about food, fun, activities, and possibly even souvenirs?
- Less time spent shopping around – Nobody like spending their day calling 100 different caterers trying to see who will offer the best deal on a specific set of meals. The good news is that no caterers need to be called as the cruise price has top notch meals and a staff ready to serve them on call 24/7.
- Plenty of options – Want to make sure that you and your guests are pampered? Ask for free time with a certified massage therapist or personal trainer be included with the price of each participant.
- Some cruise lines go the extra mile – Concierge services are truly amazing, and can add a little something extra. Don’t be shy when asking, because you might be surprise to find out that some cruise lines offer business customers a wide range of time and money saving services such as special assortments of alcohol and even access to branded products/gift baskets made to order and placed in the cabins of participants prior to the cruise.
Tags: Assortments, Branded Products, Business Customers, Caterers, Certified Massage Therapist, Concierge Services, Cruise Lines, Cruise Price, Cruise Ship, Extra Mile, Free Time, Fun Activities, Gift Baskets, Money Saving, Personal Trainer, Rsquo, Ship Cruises, Time And Money, Top Notch, Travel Incentives
25 Aug 10 Could a Cruise Meeting be In Your Organization’s Future?
Cruise meetings are a time honored and tested alternative to holding meetings in more traditional locations, yet they strangely remain a secret. The tendency of cruise meetings as an alternative to land-bound meetings is puzzling, especially with the amazing incentives and tantalizing prices being offered by cruise lines. Could a cruise meeting be right for your next event? Maybe, but ask yourself these questions first:
• Are you and your guests looking to see amazing views? Some people just like the same old boring office interiors all day, but they won’t get that on a cruise ship. On the other hand, many people will actually benefit from the creative art designs on most cruise ships as it can get the mind working in new ways.
• Are you ready for 5 star meals and entertainment? Cruise ships have an amazing assortment of top-quality restaurants and amazing night clubs. Add to this gyms, pools, and other activities, and you really have two choices: schedule some downtime or run the risk of people being a little late to meetings because of all the entertainment. The good news is that alternative meetings are available as are group-specific mixers or bar nights.
• Are you ready to be pampered? This is more of a trick question because just about everyone says yes! That is what you and your guests will get when you plan cruise meetings. It sure beats hotel service at the same price by an unbelievable margin.
Tags: Art Designs, Assortment, Creative Art, Cruise Lines, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Downtime, Gyms, Hotel Service, Incentives, Lines Cruise, Mixers, New Ways, Night Clubs, Office Interiors, Pools, Quality Restaurants, Star Meals, Trick Question, Two Choices
09 Aug 10 Keeping Group Cruise Planning Simple
Planning a group cruise can seem like a logistical nightmare at first, but is not actually a complex as it might seem on the surface. Follow these three basic tips to keep your sanity and composure while simultaneously planning a great group cruise:
- Create lockdown dates – If last minute changes drive you crazy, then eliminate them simply by letting everyone know that the cruise line has a lockdown date for final planning. This works even when cruise lines do not have such a date, or if you put your lockdown date a little bit ahead of theirs. Remember to stick to whatever date you provide participants via e-mail or memo.
- Get help – Most cruise lines have concierge services that can take a fair portion of the planning and logistics off of your shoulders, but they need to know what you want. It might be a good idea to contact the concierge service/planner and make a point of contact that can provide you with options and details that can be passed on to participants/decision makers.
- Have alternatives ready – If you suspect that Bob Jones from sales is going to request something that is unavailable, having an alternative that is acceptable is better than a no. Be sure to explore alternatives before using those terrible two little letters: N and O.
Tags: Bob Jones, Composure, Concierge Service, Concierge Services, Cruise Line, Cruise Lines, Decision Makers, E Mail, Group Cruise, Little Bit, Logistical Nightmare, Logistics, Minute Changes, Participants, Point Of Contact, Sanity, Service Planner, Shoulders, Terrible Two
07 May 10 Simplify Incentive Travel with Group Cruise Deals and Convenient Planning Tools
No matter if you are a corporate conference and event planner, a wedding planner or a corporate travel planner, a detailed knowledge of group cruise packages and how they can help you and your clients is essential to successfully incorporating cruise ship venues and destinations into your planning services. It is one thing to have experience with sourcing cruises for executive retreats or incentive travel packages, but understanding the convenience and cost savings of taking full advantage of group cruise packages opens the door to noteworthy budgetary benefits, as well as developing alternatives for the types of events you may think about hosting on a cruise ship. From weddings with fewer than 10 guests to meetings at sea with a entire ship charter, meeting, event and incentive travel planners will find that cruise ships can be a cost-effective option that offers noteworthy advantages and enhancements when compared to land-based events.
Opting for a group cruise event can result in up to 40 percent cost savings over selecting a land-based venue and provides the added advantage of being perceived as a luxury option, even while costing far less than a typical luxury resort on land. Beyond the noteworthy cost savings to be enjoyed with group cruise deals, planners will also find that organizing meetings at sea can be far easier than making arrangements for their land-based counterparts. While events on land require planners to organize most components independently, including venue, catering, decor, entertainment and equipment, planning events on cruise ships is much simpler and more convenient. Cruise lines are well-versed in hosting events on-board and are well-equipped to provide everything you need for a successful event. From themed decor to audio-visual equipment, cruise ships already have all of the components you want, as well as built-in dining and entertainment options at no additional charge.
After you have determined that group cruise packages are well-suited for your event and travel planning needs, the next step is determining the tools you need to make group cruise sourcing easy and convenient. It is essential that you are able to simply get your hands on the information you need, such as which cruise lines are a good fit for groups, the meeting facilities, accommodations and other pertinent ship data for particular cruise ships, and which cruise lines have options for the dates and destinations you require. It is also extremely advantageous to be able to compare cruise lines and ships side by side and to have the ability to create a single RFP that can be sent to each potential provider. These tools will make your group cruise planning even easier and will assist you in finding the best group cruise deals available.
Taking advantage of group cruise deals for your incentive travel or corporate event needs is an excellent way to stay within your travel budget, while providing participants with a rewarding, luxury travel experience and a topnotch meeting or event.
Seasite.com offers the first online group cruise planner that allows event planners to source cruise events conveniently with a single RFP.
Tags: Added Advantage, Audio Visual Equipment, Corporate Travel, Cruise Deals, Cruise Lines, Cruise Packages, Cruise Planners, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruise Weddings, Entertainment Options, Event Planner, Executive Retreats, Group Cruise, Incentive Travel Packages, Luxury Option, Luxury Resort, Ship Charter, Travel Planner, Travel Planners
07 Apr 10 All-Inclusive Weddings Cruises
Many people want a special wedding but break out in a rash at the thought of all the planning that goes into it. Booking your wedding on a cruise ship can keep the joy and help eliminate the stress.
All the major cruise lines offer weddings at sea. Couples must book a cruise before they are able to go forward and plan the wedding. An on-board wedding planner will be right there to help the couple select music, cake, flowers, location on the ship, and other details pertaining to the ceremony. Photographers and/or videographers are available to memorialize the ceremony.
A license is necessary and the wedding planner will advise the couple about where and how to apply for a license. Photo IDs will be necessary and birth certificates or blood tests may be needed as well. In addition, if one or both parties have been previously married, a copy of the divorce decree or annulment may be needed. If either or both parties were widowed, death certificates may need to be made available.
If you have the budget, friends and family can be booked as part of the package for all or a portion of the cruise. An all-inclusive wedding cruise can be an intimate ceremony or all out party for the wedding group. Either way, it will be more memorable at sea!
Tags: All Inclusive Weddings, Birth Certificates, Blood Tests, Cake Flowers, Cruise Lines, Cruise Ship, Cruise Wedding, Cruise Weddings, Death Certificates, Divorce Decree, Intimate Ceremony, License Photo, Music Cake, Photo Ids, Photographers, Rash, Select Music, Wedding Cruise, Wedding Group, Wedding Planner
15 Mar 10 All Inclusive Cruises – Best Choice on Land or Sea
If you want your next meeting to impress and still be affordable, an all-inclusive cruise is the right choice. There’s something special about a cruise: the ritual of bon voyage to the work-a-day world and life on land, the great food, the smell of fresh sea air, and the relaxing movement of the ship riding the waves. Cruise ships offer the latest in audio-visual technology and meeting rooms that can accommodate small intimate business meetings or larger groups with the same high level of service.
An all-inclusive cruise may include the price of airfare for your group, healthy activities, and entertainment. Don’t forget food – no one ever complained about too little food on a cruise! Many cruises offer gourmet options along with bountiful buffets of beautifully presented food.
Cruise ship atmosphere is perfect for work and play. Intensely focused meetings easily shift into team building activities while leaving time for relaxation in exotic ports of call. Many cruise lines offer fantastic entertainment that may not be available on land. Interests as diverse as fitness training and casino games are all part of the mix on a cruise ship. Ultimately, an all-inclusive cruise is an exciting, more productive, and more affordable plan for your next meeting.
Tags: All Inclusive Cruises, Audio Visual Technology, Best Choice, Buffets, Casino Games, Cruise Lines, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Fantastic Entertainment, Fitness Training, Intimate Business Meetings, Land Interests, Little Food, Meeting Rooms, Price Of Airfare, Relaxation, Riding The Waves, Right Choice, Sea Air, Team Building Activities
26 Jan 10 Group Organizers See 7 Reasons to Bookmark Seasite.com
Newly launched Seasite.com provides 24/7 access to all cruise brands, and the most content-rich and searchable database for the cruise industry.
Miami, FL (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 21, 2010 — Planning a group cruise requires searching for detailed ship information and not always finding what you need – even on the cruise lines’ own web sites. Now, with Seasite.com, the first cruise portal for meetings and events, group organizers can find all the ship data they need in one place – at no cost.
"I’ve bookmarked Seasite.com – it’s invaluable in selecting the right ship for a group and to verify it’s a good fit before I present it to my client,” said Millie Evans, President/CEO Alliance Incentives and Meetings. "And for operational planning, it has all the info I need – which isn’t on cruise line web sites.”
Seasite.com provides 24/7 access to all cruise brands, and the most content-rich and searchable database for the cruise industry, so that planners can:
1. Find ship data never before offered online or in print, such as:
- Meeting/function room capacities
- Dining room seating, and details for private group dining
- Outdoor group function areas
- A/V equipment lists
2- Search, compare, and save favorite cruises; then create one RFP and submit it to multiple cruise lines. (Group pricing is the same as booking direct.)
3- See the cruise lines most committed to groups, and search their mini-sites (all laid out the same — when you’re familiar with one, you’re familiar with all!)
4- Search by ship name for a chronological list of future Itineraries and Basic Ship Information, and find it faster than a brochure.
5- Search for a cruise anywhere in the world by any date range (as short as several days or as long as several months). Sort your results by meetings-specific criteria.
6- Refer to the Knowledge Center to answer all your questions, including these:
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7- Discover a list of "Cruise Gems” – those rare, hard to find, short cruises.
"Everyone who plans group travel should take a good look, and bookmark Seasite.com if they want to simplify cruise sourcing and planning” said Jo Kling, CEO Seasite.com.
For more information on Seasite.com, A Landry & Kling Company, visit www.seasite.com or call 888-713-1371.
About Seasite.com/Landry & Kling
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 cruises. Seasite group pricing is the same as booking direct, with the advantage of impartial Cruise Advisors to assist as needed.
Tags: Cruise Industry, Cruise Line, Cruise Lines, Cruise Portal, Group Cruise, Group Function, Group Organizers, Line Web, Meetings And Events, Millie, Operational Planning, Outdoor Group, President Ceo, Private Group, Prweb, Rfp, Room Capacities, Searchable Database, Ship Data, Vocus
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