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Cruising on Royal Caribbean’s
Liberty of the Seas
From a meeting perspective
 Royal
Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas was the venue for the EGroup Communications
fifth Annual “X-Change” a Mice Industry business forum. The Liberty of the
Seas, along with 9 other ships, all offer some of the best meeting space and
facilities at sea. These similar meeting spaces are versatile, wired for most
a/v needs, out of the normal passage ways, and offer the ability to create one
large room or 4 small rooms with a reception area leading into the meeting
rooms.
The purpose
of the meeting was to introduce around 30 MICE suppliers of Hotels, Cruise
Lines, DMCs and tourist boards to about 30 hosted buyers in the MICE field. The
Suppliers all had a table and chairs with meeting schedule on two days for every
15 minutes. Meetings were held in the morning on the two sea days while the
afternoons and evening allowed ample time for more in depth conversations and
networking which took place in robust numbers.
Impromptu
conversations and networking was the norm. A good example would on the first
day at sea Maui Jim did a fitting for everyone for their fantastic sun glasses.
We were asked to meet in the Crown Lounge, which was open for normal business at
the time, at 1:30 at staggered times for buyers and suppliers. In reality it
seemed we all turned up at once and a really great networking and business
session ensued. Lasting, for several hours, it was a great example of how a
cruise ship can bring a group together without much effort. More importantly it
truly seemed some business was taking place.
Night times
were equally as busy as well. Having the option to dine as the entire group or
in smaller more intimate groups, which the Royal Caribbean ships offer, is a
great way to start an evening. After dinner found the entire group going to
see the hit Broadway Show Saturday Night Fever The Musial a great hit one
night. In Vegas this show would easily cost $100 to $150 per person. Another
evening found a large group seeing the Ice Show, yes an Ice Show at sea not to
be missed. Others paired off in various lounges or the Casino for more chat and
a night cap.
Basically we
all tend to think of cruises purely in the terms of incentive programs however a
meeting at sea is entirely doable and your participants just might be more
receptive to a cruise versus the same old hotel experience. For you as a
planner it’s a piece of Cake. Numerous ship and shore activities are already
planned and can be customized. No more worries about planning banquet meals as
all cruise ships today offer numerous dining options some of which you can
arrange on a private basis. No trucking your people to off property dining
venues. A great mixture of night time entertainment is already provided.
Meeting space and basic A/V is included in the price of the cruise in a variety
of venues.
Thinking on
a bigger scale I am sure most of you had to see the Bud Lite commercials for
their Bud Lite Super Bowl Hotel. What many of you might not have noticed that 4
cruise ships were chartered for the Socchi Olympics for guests and workers. As
it turns out it seems that the cruise ships turned out to be the 5 Star
accommodations for this event by all accounts. Ships of all different sizes can
be chartered for various events. Commonly for big conventions where convenient
hotel rooms are miles and miles away from the event Cruise Ships can provide an
exclusive answer.
Keep in mind
it doesn’t have to be a big ship. We have access to numerous ships starting in
the 100 passenger size range. These smaller more deluxe and intimate ships not
only provide housing for the staff but also are great entertainment/dining
venues for invited guests and of course a display of the product involved can be
a permanent display on your chartered ship. Thinking out of the box can bring
you great results and profit.
The Liberty
of the Sea is a great ship to consider for meetings and incentives. She offer 4
and 5 night cruises seasonally from Ft Lauderdale. The 4 night cruise is
Thursday to Monday with only one port call in Cozumel, ideal for serious
meetings. She also offers 2 five night itineraries either Monday to Saturday or
Saturday to Thursday. Option one is Ft Lauderdale, at sea, Belize, Cozumel, at
sea, Ft Lauderdale and the second one is Ft Lauderdale, at sea, Labadee,
Falmouth, at sea, Ft Lauderdale.
Call us for
more details on a cruise ship can help you for an exciting meeting venue.
Steve Bloss
954 452 8800 or Sbloss@cruiseco.com |
