Features - March/April 2008

Build it and they will climb — Royal Caribbean Cruise’s Freedom of the Seas Rock Wall encourages attendees to reach for the sky. A stroll around the deck or an organized exercise class such as this one on the deck of a Windstar Cruise is just what savvy planners want — a healthy and fun learning environment for their attendees and their guests. Above left photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean Cruises. Above right photo courtesy of Windstar Cruises.

Add Value And Impact To Your Incentive Programs

By Karen Brost

It’s not unusual for incentive program planners to say, “How are we going to top this next year?” The cruise industry must keep asking the same question, because year after year it finds the answer by launching luxurious new ships with a dazzling array of onboard amenities.

Business is booming for the cruise lines. According to the organization Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruise industry is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. The association is predicting that 2008 will be a record year, and its members are gearing up for the high demand by launching eight new ships and redeploying two more. Overall, CLIA members are scheduled to

Blackjack is always a popular diversion after the business of meetings at sea. In addition to gaming options, attendees will find a variety of amusements, entertainment and leisure activities onboard Princess Cruises. Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises

introduce a total of 35 new ships between 2008 and 2012, which translates into an impressive 29 percent increase in capacity over 2007.

New And Notable
Some of the “biggest” news in the cruise industry comes from Royal Caribbean International. The cruise line has begun construction of the world’s largest cruise liner. The new Genesis class ship, which is being built at the Aker Yards shipyard in Finland, will be 40 percent larger than Royal Caribbean’s Freedom class vessels and will have a capacity of 5,400 passengers. It is slated to be put into service in the fall of 2009, followed by a second Genesis class vessel in 2010.

Later this year, Princess Cruises will launch the Ruby Princess, a sister ship to the Emerald Princess and Crown Princess. The ship will offer 900 cabins with private balconies, a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring dining venues and street performers, Princess’ signature adults-only retreat called The Sanctuary, and a giant outdoor movie screen so passengers can enjoy movies under the stars.

So, how do you book an incentive program on a ship that hasn’t even hit the water yet? You take a leap of faith. That’s exactly what Earl Grout, CMP, did. Grout is manager of meetings and special events for Symetra Financial, based in Bellevue, WA. He worked with Shari Wallack, president of Buy The Sea, a Plantation, FL, cruise brokerage firm to book the new Celebrity Solstice for a program in March 2009. The ship is scheduled to make its first voyage in November of this year.

The Solstice is the first in a class of four new ships being launched by Celebrity. It will accommodate 2,850 guests in its 1,425 staterooms, 130 of which will be AquaClass accommodations designed specifically for spa enthusiasts. Wireless Internet access will be available throughout the ship, which will also boast an

Cruise ships such as this Holland American Line (right) offer exceptional meeting facilities as well as all the amenities planners require for incentive programs at sea. Photo courtesy of Holland America Line

industry first — a half-acre lawn where guests can play bocce ball or croquet, practice their putting or enjoy a picnic on the grass.

Grout faced a unique challenge in choosing a venue for his program. Symetra had previously had one large yearly incentive trip called the Summit Conference, but decided this year to break the conference up into several smaller events to better address the regulatory issues faced by each of its distribution channels. 

“That left us with a core group who will go to Summit, but it’s a smaller group,” he explained. “So instead of 140 attendees, we’ll have 60.” Grout’s challenge was that he didn’t want the people who remained at the Summit to look at it as a “come-down” event and say “this isn’t what Summit used to be.”  To demonstrate his point, he said, “When you’ve got 300 attendees, you can bring in a really good act on a big stage.

“We needed to do something to break up the path,” he continued, “to give us a year to build this channel up so that it has more attendees, and we can support a larger, more traditional-style conference. In the meantime, we have to do something that will save us money, number one, and number two, give these people a break that is so radical that they won’t even think about the fact that this is not what Summit used to be. A cruise was the obvious answer.

Upscale Cruises
“We didn’t know anything about cruises, so we called Shari,” he continued. The first challenge was that Symetra wanted to do an upscale cruise, but for only four days. “Shari said, ‘They don’t do four-day upscale cruises. If you want an upscale cruise in someplace like the Caribbean, you need to do seven days, and you have a short window, which is the winter, ending at the end of March or April.’ Grout learned that at that point, the upscale cruise ships shift their venues to Europe. “You still have cruises in the Caribbean,” he explained, “but they’re the large package boats. You’re not going to send your meeting on one of these 5,000-passenger boats.”

Wallack first offered him the option of chartering a smaller ship, but that option didn’t fit his budget. “Then she said, ‘If you go with the Celebrity line, then you can have an upscale experience, and, by the way, they are launching a new ship in 2008. If you take the new ship, you can probably get an even better deal,’ so we decided to go for it.”

“He booked it on a wing and a prayer,” Wallack said. Grout, however, isn’t worried. “Shari pretty much convinced us that they’re not going to have a delay in construction. We just got photos of what the new ship is going to look like, and it’s going to be tremendous.”  He’ll go on the ship’s inaugural cruise just to check things out so he’s prepared for his March program that will travel to San Juan, St. Maarten and other ports of call throughout the Caribbean. All business meetings will be held the first two days while the ship is at sea.

He described what he likes about the cruise experience. “You can’t compare it to a resort, and you have a significant economy of scale. The cruise does all of your recreation. They also have your evening entertainment. Food is included in your price. The only thing you have to pay for is the wine, and they give you two free receptions. It’s a pretty good deal.”

Grout’s former boss at Symetra is a good example of why you should “never say never” about a particular venue. At one point in time he had advised Grout, “We’re never going to go on a cruise,” explaining that the last time he went on one, he couldn’t get a break from the attendees. He obviously changed his mind, because he is hosting next year’s cruise.

A Family-Friendly Choice
Jan Ray, a division manager in charge of awards, promotions and customer relations for the Capital Region of Allstate in Fairfax, VA, plans an incentive trip for 400 to 500 people each year. For the first time, Allstate has decided to use a cruise for this program, and Ray worked with Wallack to book the Disney Wonder.

“We’ve been toying with a cruise for several years and it’s a change from land destinations, so we decided to look into it. Disney is the only cruise line offering a four-day cruise in the Caribbean for the time frame we were looking for,” Ray explained.

“Honestly, we always thought it was outside our budget, but Shari convinced us we could do it affordably,” she continued. “What we found is that it’s actually going to be less than what we’ve spent in the past, and qualifiers don’t have to worry about food. We’ve never gone to all-inclusive resorts and we don’t pay for meals, so ‘out of pocket’ expenses have been an issue for some of our folks. To learn that we could finance the trip for less than what we’ve spent at land destinations and create the ‘illusion’ to the qualifier that we’re giving them more than we have in the past by the fact that it includes all meals, is a big plus for us.”

The 875-stateroom Disney Wonder is painted in Mickey’s favorite colors of red, yellow and dark blue, and is decorated in a whimsical art nouveau style. As you might expect from Disney, there are plenty of activities for kids ages 3 to 12 to enjoy, and teens get their own hangout, too, so parents can relax by the pool, indulge in the spa or enjoy other diversions without worrying if the kids are having a good time. There are even separate pools for kids and adults.

Allstate charges a guest fee to accommodate family members who accompany the qualifier. Ray mentioned that using a cruise does make the guest room situation a bit trickier to handle, though. “Often they request an additional room to accommodate extra guests, and though it’s always based on availability, we try to honor all their requests and have never had to turn one away to date. One of our concerns with the cruise is that we are more limited when it comes to adding rooms if we have more qualifiers than we planned for when we went to contract or if the request for additional rooms exceeds our room block. If the cruise is sold out, we don’t have the luxury of looking for ‘overflow’ hotels.”

More Ports Of Call
Of course, there are plenty of other places to cruise than the Caribbean. Lynn Averill, 2nd Vice President, travel and conferences for National Life Group in Montpelier, VT, is planning two incentive programs for independent agents in 2009. A group of approximately 200 will travel to the Baltic on the Regent Seven

For longer incentive programs, planners may consider a cruise from Copenhagen to Stockholm such as the Fjords of the Midnight Sun onboard the 940-guest Crystal Symphony shown here in Norway. Photo courtesy of Cruise Lines International Association

Seas Voyager, and another group of about 50 agents will cruise Alaska on the Regent Seven Seas Mariner.

Averill shared her reasoning for selecting each cruise. “We felt the best way to see some Scandinavian countries and St. Petersburg is by cruise ship. The smaller group was looking at a more affordable option. That is why we chose Alaska, plus we hadn’t done an Alaska cruise before.”

She also described an important economic advantage that cruises offer over land-based programs in Europe. “One is able to negotiate in U.S. dollars and create a budget in U.S. dollars,” she explained.

The Seven Seas Voyager and the Seven Seas Mariner can each accommodate up to 700 passengers in all-suite, all-balcony staterooms. They each offer four dining venues, including Signatures Restaurant, which specializes in cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu. Wireless Internet service is available throughout both ships, and an all-inclusive beverage program includes soft drinks, hot beverages and select wines and spirits served throughout the ship.

Rollin’ Down The River
Not all cruises set sail on the open seas. Peter Deilmann specializes in small cruises that travel the rivers of Europe. Groups can choose to sail on the Rhine (Holland, Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland), the Elbe (Berlin to Prague), or the Danube (Austria and Hungary), as well as on the Seine and Rhone rivers in France. The company is currently quoting programs in U.S. dollars as far out as 2011. Three seasons of pricing are available to accommodate varying budgets, and full charters as well as pre- and post land programs can be arranged.

For a unique experience without ever leaving the country, the Traverse Tall Ship Company, LLC offers an opportunity for small groups to sail the Great Lakes on the Tall Ship Manitou, a replica of an 1800s cargo schooner. Departing out of Traverse City, MI, the ship can accommodate 62 passengers for day charters, or 24 passengers in double cabins for multiday Windjammer cruises. 

Staying Connected
Recognizing how important it is for passengers to stay connected, many cruise lines have significantly improved their Internet access over the past few years. The luxury line Crystal Cruises has announced that its Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony ships are the first in the industry to install WebAccelerator technology to upgrade the speed and performance of its shipboard networks. Ships must rely on satellite transmissions for Internet access, and the new technology is designed to compress data to optimize transmission time.

Crystal boasts that its 940-guest Crystal Symphony is one of the most spacious cruise ships at sea. Its list of amenities includes a casino, full-service fitness facility, feng shui-inspired spa, a teak promenade deck and award-winning cuisine.

The 1,080-guest Crystal Serenity maintains one of the highest space-per-guest ratios at sea, and offers many of the same amenities as its sister ship, the Symphony. Eighty-five percent of its staterooms and all 100 of its penthouse suites offer verandas. Crystal cruises in many destinations around the world, including Africa, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Panama.

Cruising Right Along
Grout summed up the advantages of using a cruise for incentive programs. “For a planner, it’s a dream. Most of the things you labor on are done for you. You don’t have to do menus, you don’t have to do recreation.” That allows Grout to focus on coordinating things such as transportation, receptions and business meetings. “Then,” he laughed, “Maybe I’ll just go dust off a deck chair or something.”    I&FMM