09 Jun 10 Group Cruising Planning
Anyone considering planning a group cruise event can easily be overwhelmed, especially if they do not realize that there are many resources ready and waiting to help them. Here is a good workflow for anyone seeking to simplify group cruise planning:
Check with the Seasite.com first – they have online tools and services that can make planning virtually everything a one-stop process. Nothing is simpler than an all-inclusive group cruise planning at Seasite.com.
Failing that, start with travel – Participants will need to get to and from their hometowns to the port of call for the cruise ship, and that will often entail flights. Many airlines offer special pricing in such situations, so avoid using sites that specializing in shopping amongst airlines and make direct contact.
Cabins – Try to keep everyone appeased when it comes to cabins, but be aware that some people develop sea sickness based on the side of the ship they are on. That is to say that some people will rarely get seasick if their cabin is on the port side, but the same may not be true if they are given a cabin on the starboard side of the ship.
Meeting rooms and events – Remember to schedule at least a few events, even if they are less than formal. A group meeting in a spinning class or during a game of Marco Polo are interesting alternatives to conventional meetings.
Tags: Airlines, Cruise Ship, Cruising, Direct Contact, Flights, Game, Group Cruise, Hometowns, Marco Polo, Meeting Rooms, Online Tools, Participants, Port Of Call, Sea Sickness, Shopping, Workflow
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
21 Apr 10 7 Day Incentive Cruise on the Carnival Conquest
An all-inclusive, 7-day cruise meeting makes a great incentive for a team shaking off the winter blues. The Carnival Conquest leaves Galveston every Sunday traveling one week to the eastern Caribbean, the next week to the western Caribbean.
The eastern cruise leaves Galveston and travels to Key West, Florida; Freeport, Bahamas; Nassau, Bahamas; then returns to Galveston. If you prefer to travel west, the Carnival Conquest moves from Galveston to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Cozumel, Mexico; and returns to Galveston. The hardest choice to make is which direction to travel.
One of the “fun ships” in the Carnival line, the Conquest is equipped with a 270 square foot television screen. This allows passengers to enjoy movies, sporting events, and special programming on the Lido deck. The sound system uses special technology that results in concert quality sound.
Families are a big part of the Carnival Conquest and are sure to enjoy the swimming pool, basketball and volleyball courts, and water slide. Teenagers will enjoy the video arcade and 24-hour pizzeria. The cruise ship also has a 3,300 square foot children’s play area.
Try an all-inclusive, 7-day incentive cruise on the Carnival Conquest. It will be the most relaxing vacation your team has ever had.
Tags: Bahamas Nassau, Carnival Conquest, Carnival Line, Concert Quality Sound, Cozumel Mexico, Cruise Carnival, Cruise Galveston, Cruise Ship, Freeport Bahamas, Incentive Cruise, Lido Deck, Montego Bay Jamaica, Nassau Bahamas, Relaxing Vacation, Special Technology, Travel One, Video Arcade, Volleyball Courts, Western Caribbean, Winter Blues
12 Apr 10 Adding the Northern Lights to Your Honeymoon Cruise
Many people love the summer months and they seem ideal for a wedding. Flowers burst into bloom and all that gorgeous sunshine represents the glow surrounding a new life together. Consider the 49th state for the ceremony, and then embark on a honeymoon cruise that includes a spectacular view of the aurora borealis. The famous Northern Lights add a romantic mystique to a honeymoon that is hard to find anywhere else.
People often worry that it will rain on their wedding day, but hot temperatures can be just as disruptive to a summer wedding particularly if it is held outdoors. Alaskan summer temperatures are in the mid 60’s, which is ideal for food, flowers, and stress levels. Alaska Glacier Weddings can help plan a Rainforest Garden wedding. Can there be a more romantic backdrop for a ceremony than a beautiful rainforest canopy complete with waterfall?
After the ceremony, the Rhapsody of the Seas cruise ship is available for a seven-day trip starting in Juneau, moving to British Columbia, and finishing in Seattle. The couple enjoys all the luxury of an all-inclusive Royal Caribbean Cruise plus glaciers, whale watching, and the spectacular Northern Lights. Don’t let the summer heat melt your wedding plans, have a cruise wedding in Alaska.
Tags: 49th State, Alaska Glacier, Aurora Borealis, Cruise Ship, Food Flowers, Garden Wedding, Glacier Weddings, Honeymoon Cruise, Moving To British Columbia, Rainforest Canopy, Rainforest Garden, Rhapsody Of The Seas, Rhapsody Of The Seas Cruise, Romantic Backdrop, Royal Caribbean Cruise, Rsquo, Stress Levels, Summer Temperatures, Summer Wedding, Wedding Flowers
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
29 Mar 10 Relax on Your Honeymoon: Book a Repositioning Cruise
A romantic wedding cruise is an ideal honeymoon options. Planning and executing a wedding is a stressful undertaking. By the time a bride and groom journey through the ceremony and reception, they are ready to relax and have some quality alone time. A repositioning cruise is relaxing and restorative.
The main purpose of this kind of cruise is to get the ship from one part of the world to another. The ship does not return to the port of origin. The cruises reflect the changing seasons; for example, a cruise ship in Alaska travels to the Caribbean in the fall so passengers can take advantage of the milder weather.
A honeymoon couple may prefer to spend a few days at sea rather than be caught up in the frenzy of moving rapidly from one port to another. They can use destination port as the base for their honeymoon. Cruises can last from 9 to 18 days making them ideal for travelers who have extra time to indulge in a special, memory-making trip. Repositioning cruises are significantly less expensive than traditional cruises. Reduced rates balance out a slightly higher cost in airfare. These cruises are not for everyone, but honeymooners with few time restraints may find a repositioning cruise an ideal way to reignite the spark cooled by wedding planning stress.
Tags: Bride And Groom, Changing Seasons, Cruise Alaska, Cruise Ship, Days At Sea, Destination Port, Extra Time, Frenzy, Honeymoon Couple, Honeymoon Cruise, Honeymoon Cruises, Honeymoon Planning, Honeymooners, Quot, Repositioning Cruise, Repositioning Cruises, Romantic Wedding, Special Memory, Time Restraints, Wedding Cruise, Wedding Planning
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
01 Mar 10 Typical Amenities on Cruise Ships
For those planners interested in organizing meetings at sea, you may be interested in learning more about the amenities cruise ships typically offer. Each year many companies host incentive cruises and other types of meetings at sea. If you have never been on a cruise ship before, you may be wondering what activities, facilities, and services can be found onboard. The activities found onboard a cruise ship will vary from ship to ship, but many cruise ships have a number of activities and services in common.
Cruise ships have well equipped meeting room facilities and other large venues to host your meetings and events. The A/V equipment is usually state-of-the-art and sure to meet all of your needs.
Some of the most well-known facilities found on cruise ships are dining rooms, restaurants, and buffets. Large cruise ships may offer a number of onboard dining facilities. It is important to note that many of these dining facilities are considered gourmet restaurants. In addition to a sit-down restaurant, there area usually a number of small eateries located onboard. Elegant dining restaurants are popular among cruisers.
Swimming pools, libraries, video arcades, and movie theaters can often be found on cruise ships. In addition, cruise ships generally have a casino. Popular gambling activities include slots, blackjack, poker, and much more. Many onboard casinos are open for business twenty-four hours a day. Gambling is a popular cruise ship pastime
Almost all cruise ships have onsite fitness centers, fully equipped gyms, and luxurious spas. These gyms are often similar, and sometimes even better, than the gyms found in your hometown. In addition to a fitness center, a large number of cruise ships have jogging tracks.
Tags: Blackjack Poker, Cruise Planners, Cruise Ship, Cruise Ships, Cruisers, Dining Rooms, Elegant Dining, Fitness Center, Gourmet Restaurants, Gyms, Incentive Cruises, Jogging Tracks, Luxurious Spas, Meeting Room, Meetings And Events, Movie Theaters, Pastime, Swimming Pools, Twenty Four Hours, Video Arcades
22 Aug 09 Guerrilla Marketing for Meeting Planners
At the recent 2009 Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Southeast Educational Conference at the Edon Roc in Miami Beach we had the opportunity to hear Brad Nickel, VP of Marketing for Landry & Kling, speak. He gave a presentation on Guerrilla Marketing for Meeting Planners and agreed to let us publish that presentation here, for those meeting professionals who were unable to attend.
Here is the presentation – let us know if you have questions!
Brad was also excited to tell us a little about the upcoming launch of a new resource for meeting and incentive professionals: Seasite.com.
Seasite.com, a new Landry & Kling company, will be the industry’s first online cruise marketplace for global meetings and events. Mr. Nickel, explained, “Seasite.com puts cruise sourcing on par with hotel site selection along with easy RFP generation for multiple brands and ships.”
The site will be launching in late September but in the meantime they are running a contest to win an inaugural cruise aboard the new Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, billed as the worlds largest and most innovative cruise ship. To enter simply go to their web site, Seasite.com, and sign up to recieve their newsletter and be notified of the official Seasite.com launch. The contest winner will be selected at random on Sept. 10, 2009.
2009 MPI Southeast Educational Conference was held at the Edon Roc Hotel, Miami Beach, August 13th-15th. For more information visit http://mpisec.org/
Our thanks again to Brad – and here’s his bio:
Guerrilla Web Marketing
Guerrilla Web Marketing
In this interactive and innovative session, internet marketer Brad Nickel will share valuable insights on how to maximize your impact on line and how best to optimize your website with the smallest investment of time and money. Avoid the painful pitfalls of Search Engine Marketing. You will learn how to make the most out search engine marketing and best practices for garnering attention for your services and personal brand on the web with little financial expenditure. Learn powerful tools to generate new business using Search Engines and discover new ways to free advertising to generate leads on the web.
Tags: Contest Winner, Cruise Ship, Educational Conference, Global Meetings, Guerrilla Marketing, Guerrilla Web, Hotel Miami Beach, Inaugural Cruise, Incentive Professionals, Internet Marketer, Landry, Late September, Launch, Meeting Planners, Meeting Professionals International, Meetings And Events, Mpi, Roc, Royal Caribbean, Search Engine Marketing, Seasite, Site Selection, Vice President Marketing, Vp Marketing
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