The most popular cruise lines for corporate events are Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Celebrity, Regent and Seabourn. Source: Site International Foundation/CLIA
The UK is the biggest cruise market in Europe with a total of 1.73 million people taking an ocean cruise in 2013, which was a 1.5 per cent increase on the previous year. Source: CLIA
Another issue for meetings buyers is the lead time required to organise an event on a cruise ship
WHAT DOES IT COST?
THERE CAN FEW MORE IMPRESSIVE statements of intent for a company than to charter an entire cruise ship for an event or conference while sailing around some of the world’s most exotic destinations. But how much does it cost to charter a ship for a few days? Ask cruise lines to give a ball-park figure and the answer comes back that it depends on numerous factors, such as the ship you want to use, the number of delegates you have, and what kind of entertainment and events you want to hold on board. Prices will also be affected by the time of year of the trip, the region companies want to sail around and the destinations they want to visit when there.
Royal Caribbean gives some guidance about estimated costs for companies, for whole-ship charters: they range from a total of US$900,000 for a three-night trip on its smallest Sovereign and Vision classes of ships, which still cater for around 2,500 passengers, in low season (September-February), to US$10.1 million for a seven-night
82 BBT NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
itinerary on its largest Oasis (over 6,000 passengers) ships in peak season from March to August. These estimated costs are based on Royal Caribbean’s “standard product” and any forms of customisation, including special requests, are likely to cost extra. Chartering in areas such as Bermuda, Alaska, the southern Caribbean and Europe can also be more expensive. Silversea says events generally work out at around US$500 per person per day, but this depends on factors such as time of year and where the ship is cruising. Ponant says chartering its smallest ship, Le Ponant, with a capacity
of 64 passengers, is priced from Ð25,000 per day.
Despite claims that events on ships work out cheaper than land-based alternatives, Chambers Travel Events’ Mike Leeson says: “In general, the costs for events at sea tend to be more expensive than land-based events, as third-party suppliers have to commit their services for a longer and more exclusive period of time.”
daily scheduling – as well as the flexibility to arrange special events, design tailor- made tours, and even create menus that include particular dishes,” he says. Another issue for meetings buyers is the lead time required to organise an event on a cruise ship. Again,
it
depends on a company’s specific require- ments with cruise lines ideally wanting a whole-ship charter to be booked 12- to 18-months in advance. CWT’s Courtenay-Warren advises clients to book as far in advance as possible to attain the best price for the event. “As with any major event, the longer the lead time the client can give us, the better,” she says. “Particularly with a unique venue such as a ship – it needs a lot of logistics to get to the right location for the client.” But Chambers’ Leeson says events at
sea do not necessarily require a longer lead time. “We are assisting with logistics for an event on a cruise ship out of Miami,” he says. “This is for March 2015, so is no different to the average lead time you’d expect for a land-based event.” Despite evidence of growing demand for meetings on ships, the cruise industry still has plenty of work to do in educat- ing those in the meetings sector. The Site International Foundation/CLIA survey found that the best way to persuade event organisers to use cruises ships more frequently would be educational trips on cruises (64 per cent of respondents) followed by corporate testimonials and case studies (52 per cent) and research about the effectiveness of cruises (50 per cent).
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