Celebrity Cruises assures planners that its health protocols mean attendees can meet and sail safely.

Imagine sailing aboard a luxury cruise ship, where every day promises a new adventure in an ever-changing landscape … an effortless, resort environment, only on water instead of land, where attendees and planners can escape to the far away together.

For Nancy G. McAllister, who held her meeting for a group of 90 on Celebrity Equinox late last fall, she knew she had hit it out of the park when attendees said they couldn’t wait until the next cruise. McAllister says the sail-away party brought everyone together in the same space with the excitement to see one another again — after two long years — along with the promise of fun, sunshine and good times ahead.

Layers of Added Protection

In an industry hard-hit by the turbulence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, cruising’s comeback has been an ongoing story of resiliency, collaboration, resourcefulness — and confusion. Learning to navigate new COVID-19 norms and variants, while ensuring passenger trust in the safety of cruise travel after an unexpected, forced hiatus has been challenging at best.

Just as things seemed to be turning the corner late last year, along comes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation to “avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status.” The announcement has proven perplexing to the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and its members, especially considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard — far fewer than on land. Also, the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore.

In CLIA’s view: “No setting can be immune from this virus — however, it is also the case that a cruise provides one of the highest levels of demonstrated mitigation against the virus. Cruise ships offer a highly controlled environment with science-backed measures, known testing and vaccination levels far above other venues or modes of transportation and travel, and significantly lower incidence rates than land.”

Despite CLIA’s disappointment in the CDC’s decision to single out the cruise industry by raising the risk of cruising to Level 4 — the highest — “CLIA and our ocean-going cruise line members remain committed to working collaboratively with the CDC in the interest of public health and safety.”

The CDC recently downgraded the risk to Level 3.

CLIA’s response is no surprise for advocates of hosting corporate meetings on cruise ships, such as Sandra Barnhart, president of University at Sea. She was aboard Celebrity Apex, the newest ship in Celebrity Cruise’s Edge-class luxury fleet, when news broke about the CDC’s cruise travel advisory. Barnhart, whose company typically hosts 100+ meetings at sea annually for a variety of professions, looks at the bright side. “I suppose one good thing that has come from all this, is that the general public is more conscious of their own cleanliness,” she says. “We have been operating our cruise meetings on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean since June … with zero issues.”

Cruise meetings offer attendees plenty of time to network amid all the fun, sun and good times. Courtesy of Ron Gulaskey

Clearly, McAllister’s group also enjoyed their meeting at sea — so much so that several attendees registered for their 2022 cruise while still onboard “because of the high quality of food, service, cleanliness and overall positive experience,” she says. As a former IBM major meetings planner and now president of World Wings International Inc., McAllister speaks with the assurance that 40+ years of travel industry and meeting planning experiences brings, she says. She expresses her confidence in hosting meetings with the cruise line, saying: “Like the willow tree, Celebrity is incredibly adept at bending to this evolving pandemic, demonstrating the utmost understanding.”

Anthony Diaz, SVP of charters, meetings & incentives for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., says the change in the CDC recommendation has not impacted scheduled itineraries, nor the company’s stringent health and safety protocols, which include full vaccination of 100% of guests and crew. “Prior to our relaunch last summer, we worked with the leading experts of our SailSAFE Global Wellness Council … to develop some of the most robust protocols in the industry,” Diaz says. “Our mandatory vaccination policy is coupled with universal pre-embarkation testing of guests at the terminal, mask requirements onboard, and numerous additional layers of protection against COVID-19. As a result of our comprehensive health and safety protocols, we believe that vacationing onboard any one of our cruise ships is safer, and guests are better protected from contacting COVID-19, than in any other general population setting.”

Others say the CDC recommendation has caused misplaced concern industry wide for planners. “[But] ships are quite literally the only aspect of the travel industry that are required to report to the CDC,” says Karen Devine, CITP, founder & CEO of 3D Cruise Partners. “We know the numbers of cases on ships, however, [and] that isn’t a bad thing if people look at the stats. The number of cases is approximately 33% less than land. And no other venue — airplane, event space, etc. — requires 100% of crew/staff to be fully vaccinated and masked at all times; requires all guests [over 12] to be vaccinated; and requires all staff/crew and guests to be tested prior to and during the cruise.”

Devine suggests planners and potential cruise meeting attendees pay no attention to the headlines. “We continuously see headlines of ‘outbreaks,’ yet, when you read the article … it is so minuscule a number of cases to guests,” she says. “Most less than 1%, and none more than 2% … That’s because the protocols are working — far better than any other aspect of travel, and for that matter, far, far better than any city in the U.S.”

Diaz sums up Norwegian’s confidence in cruise travel on their fleet of ships. “We take health and safety matters extremely seriously, and will continue to work closely with the CDC and other global and domestic authorities to protect our guests, crew and the communities we visit.”

The variety of entertainment options and activities aboard a cruise ship often generates high marks on attendee surveys, planners say. Courtesy of Ron Gulaskey

Benefits of Meeting at Sea

Meeting attendees and experienced cruise planners tout the many benefits of hosting corporate and incentive travel events at sea. “From my personal point of view as a planner,” Barnhart says, “when we host at hotels, we have to transport our clients off-site to entertainment venues. I just attended a meeting myself at a hotel, and had to take a taxi two of the three evenings to restaurants. Having a variety of restaurants and entertainment in walking distance [aboard a ship] is a plus for my conferees, and greatly simplifies my planning and reduces my costs.”

The chance for attendees to bring along their families is also “perfect for cruising,” Barnhart says, since there is plenty for family members to do. “Spa, shop, sun … and the ships have camps for all ages of kids.” Barnhart recalls how worrying it was for her as a single mom to think about her two “mischievous boys in the hotel room waiting for me” when she needed to attend meetings. “On a ship, there is never concern about your children. They have amazing staff in the camps, and the kids love the experience.”

Devine wants meeting planners to know that it is possible to run a well-orchestrated meeting at sea. “The space is there; the infrastructure for meeting needs is there. The value is immense given the all-inclusive nature [including most A/V] of a cruise.

Barnhart agrees. Flexible seating and state-of-the-art technology onboard “saves us a lot of money, [as well as] not having to bring an A/V team with us.”

From her experience booking with Celebrity, McAllister says that for meetings or conventions that can be accommodated on a ship, the choice encompasses everything, while eliminating certain aspects of meeting planning, which makes a planner’s job easier. “[There are] no menus to plan, no separate venues to book, A/V is expertly done, little or zero décor to concern yourself with, ground transportation is either handled, eliminated or minimized once the cruise begins, and attendee ‘down time’ offers many options,” she says. “The onboard hotel directors offer extensive operations knowledge, with the crew expertly implementing requests and anticipating the needs of meeting planners and passengers. Should any issues occur, they’re immediately and positively addressed with solutions or alternatives.”

Barnhart concurs: “They are exceptionally well run and always deliver on their promises,” she says. “You can know ahead of time exactly what your budget will be. The service is very efficient and [someone is] always available to assist.”

Having multiple meeting venues, theaters and restaurants onboard is a key benefit for planners, says Freddy I. Muller, AVP of global corporate, incentive & charter sales for Royal Caribbean International. “Special venues such as Royal Caribbean’s neighborhoods to host top incentive winners and an Aqua Theater that provides shows unlike anything you will find on land, [and] signature shows to keep your guests entertained … Each of these activities is at no cost, again adding additional value to any meeting or incentive group,” he says.

Barnhart describes the entertainment options on Celebrity ships as “Very forward thinking, multisensory productions. [The show] ‘Crystalize,’ for instance, has a pop violinist, dancers and aerialists. The choreography is amazing.” While dazzling entertainment venues have their place, Barnhart adds, “If you simply want a cocktail and to listen to music, there are many venues with a variety of music — classical, pop, rock, all with very professional entertainers.”

Cruise ships offer an abundance of meeting spaces, and planners say there is often no need to bring along your own A/V team. Courtesy of Ron Gulaskey

McAllister found the intimate Celebrity Central Theater as perfect for the size of her group. “We also used Sky A & B for various things, beginning with onboard registration, our President’s Forum, and for our final executive board meeting.”

And let’s not forget the range of dining options as modest or extravagant as the clientele expects, Barnhart says. “The Apex has 29 restaurants, bars and lounges.” Her favorites? “For dinners, I love ‘Luminae’ in the Retreat and ‘Blue’ for the Aqua-class cabins. ‘LeGrand Bistro’ specializes in French cuisine. The ‘Rooftop Garden’ is very enjoyable at the top of the ship in an open-air area,” she says. “It’s very lovely for dinner or just a quiet cocktail. All meals are included in the formal dining room, casual cafés and the buffet area, as well as in-room dining. In addition, there are optional private, speciality restaurants for special occasions. Very importantly, they service all kinds of special needs: low sugar for diabetic needs, vegans, halal, kosher, etc.”

Devine shares a similar experience with Royal Caribbean’s services: “The F&B team was outstanding in response to customers’ needs — customizing some onboard offerings to the taste and appeal of the customer.”

For McAllister, highlights of F&B included room service that was “delivered at the requested time, always complete, hot and nicely presented.” In mentioning several outstanding restaurants, two factors stood out for McAllister: the epitome of service and the beautiful ambiance. She gives a special nod to Blue “because of the setting, the service and the imaginative, superb dishes presented on unique, beautiful dishware,” she says. “Also, there’s something to be said for a venue like Café Al Bacio that never fails to transport me to the Via Veneto with their excellent coffees and pastries.” Add the ship’s ample supplies of Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc — which became known as “Nancy’s wine” after previously mentioning it to the ship’s team — it’s no wonder stellar service tops the list of attendees’ feedback.

To maximize benefits, Devine advises planners to work with an expert who knows the ‘ins and outs’ of a cruise meeting at sea … someone who understands how ships work to guide and explain throughout the process. She adds: “The cruise line also loves this as they appreciate the ‘ask’ from an experienced eye that saves both the customer and the planning teams a ton of time.”

Previewing a dedicated website to planners who may be considering hosting a corporate travel and incentive program on a ship can be helpful to start the process, Muller suggests. “This will provide helpful tools and resources to get ideas flowing. Many incentives are awarded based on creativity and thinking outside the box, and we host many Symposiums at Sea for qualified planners to experience our product firsthand.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. is looking toward the future with new ships, such as the Norwegian Viva, set to sail in 2023.

 What’s Ahead for Meetings at Sea

In the last two years, cruise lines have responded to organizational needs well beyond elevating health and safety protocols, meeting space and entertainment. “We are seeing a desire to focus on more than meetings,” Diaz says. “There is a shift toward prioritizing team building, connection, escape, entertainment and engagement within groups.”

Ron Gulaskey, AVP of global corporate, incentive and charter sales for Celebrity Cruises, has found the same trends among Celebrity’s clientele. “Since for many companies the attendees have not seen each other for a long time, the trend has been to book meaningful experiences such as team-building events, a give back program in one of our Shorex programs and lots of brainstorming sessions in person to revamp and excel their companies’ goals and reenergize their people. More and more participants want experiential events, and dining is a big component of that experience,” he says. “To meet this growing need, Celebrity offers one of the most unique dining events in the world aboard all ships — Le Petit Chef … is a true pinnacle of the custom 3D animation art form, beautifully choreographed with an elegant menu created by our Michelin-starred chef.” And for those attendees who want to connect with the environment, the all-suite Celebrity Flora in the Galapagos is also an incredible experience for incentive travel winners and an amazing gift to offer those attendees, Gulaskey says.

At Norwegian, Diaz finds that food halls are really resonating with guests. “They are an excellent option for guests to experience something new or the next thing in the ever-exciting culinary scene,” he says. “[This] summer, NCL will unveil the first ship of its next groundbreaking class, Norwegian Prima, where the company will debut its first Indulge Food Hall, a bustling marketplace that will invite guests to enjoy a culinary escapade featuring 11 different venues.”

Planners and attendees are excited to get back out to sea, and cruise lines are ready to welcome them back with world-class service, exciting new venues and exceptionally engaging experiences. C&IT