News from Buy The Sea for April '11
Happy Spring! Before we share some industry news with you, here is a reminder that we will be exhibiting at the following events this year and hope to see you:
FICP Summer Forum – San Diego
FICP Annual Conference – San Antonio
FICP Midwest Chapter Meeting - TBD
DSA Annual Meeting - Miami
IncentiveWorks - Toronto
AIBTM - Baltimore
IMEX America – Las Vegas
EIBTM - Barcelona
The Oceania Marina
There are just two words for the Oceania Marina: Simply spectacular!
And there are only TWO things “wrong” with the Oceana Marina. First – she is not equipped to accommodate the entire ship in a single lounge or restaurant. Second - with the exception of a few fall sailings in 2012 in the Med, she does not offer seven night (or shorter) sailings.
Aside from than that – Oceania got it 100% right when they built this gorgeous 1250-passenger vessel. Wow! Really! The Marina is a palate-pleaser on EVERY level. Each lounge, restaurant, cabin and public space is beautifully done and very well thought out. I walked through the ship thinking….”who do I have that can charter this beauty?”
With mostly outside cabins and suites (the majority of them verandas), most any incentive group would be delighted to sail aboard the Marina. That includes those who have done the larger “mass market” Celebrity ships as well as those who have sailed on Regent for example. The Marina (and its soon-to-arrive sister, Riviera) are somewhat of a Celebrity-Regent hybrid. Very much “Celebrity” in her eclectic art-deco décor and very much Regent in her relaxed elegance, open seating dining, multiple restaurant design. The staff onboard is friendly and polite. From what I could see of the various menus, food quality and variety – the cuisine is diverse and delicious. The alternative restaurants are far more interesting than what you typically find onboard a ship. The Jacque Pepin French restaurant looks like a French country Inn plucked from somewhere in Provence. There is a unique venue for wine pairing dinners where guests pay $75 each to cover the wine since the food is included, as well as a 10-seat private dining room with a $1000 price tag for ultra gourmet food and special occasions. The Polo Club, Italian, and Asian food outlets are equally as unique.
A very inviting and spacious pool deck is the perfect place for an outdoor dinner or cocktail event. The Canyon Ranch Spa is simply magnificent, complete with state of the art fitness center. There are four suite levels, all featuring butler service and upgraded amenities. And to really tempt you…the FIRST cooking school afloat offers a true hands-on culinary experience like no other. Individual “stations” give each participant an opportunity to create his or her own food item. Cost to participate in a two+ hour class is approximately $45. Across the hall is an “artist in residence” studio. Here you can learn photography, painting, drawing and other fine arts. What a way to appeal to the over 40 crowd! Oceania recognizes that not everyone is looking for a rock climbing wall, and they have really built a ship PERFECT for charters and incentives. For clients with groups of about 1000 passengers, this is a product for you to own. There really isn’t anything else like it on the market – and since it is BRAND new…not many have done it!
Introducing Ponant’s Le Boreal
There are a few very key things to know about Ponant Cruises. First, this cruise line has five VERY different products – the 64 passenger Ponant sailing ship, the 90 passenger Le Levant yacht, the 216-passenger Le Diamant and now the brand new 264-passenger Boreal and Austral. What they all have in common is simple. This cruise line is a destination-focused product. This is not your typical cruise line where the action happens onboard via multiple restaurants, Broadway entertainment, casinos or other diversions. This is a product for a client looking for customized itineraries and unique locations. Their ships travel to every continent and visit over 60 countries!
Le Boreal visited Fort Lauderdale and gave our team the opportunity to sample her on a two-night cruise to nowhere. Her diminutive size (132 cabins) allows her to get into captivating ports of call all over the world. Ponant has deployed Boreal and Austral to allow well-traveled passengers to see their “bucket list” destinations. This is a company that is EXTREMELY willing to carve out any charter length, which makes her terrific for incentive business.
All of the cabins and suites onboard Le Boreal are outside and only eight do not have balconies. That said…those eight cabins are larger than the rest with large picture windows. There are four “fixed” suites – one owner’s suite and three deluxe suites. If you choose, you can convert 20 pairs of prestige cabins into “prestige suites” – with a sliding wall that opens the two cabins into one – the first remains a bedroom and the second (with the removal of a bed and addition of a couch) becomes a parlor.
The ship has two dining rooms – one more formal for plated meals and the other buffet-style with a large outdoor deck for indoor/outdoor dining. There are two lounges – forward and aft with piano music at various times of the day and night. A main theater can accommodate the entire ship for lectures, meetings and entertainment. Don’t expect the typical cruise line “fare” onboard Le Boreal – where the evening shows are more “variety” in style with a few dancers, one singer and an occasional musician. Incentive groups may want to consider bringing their own performers to liven things up both in the theater and in the lounges at night.
If I had to categorize Le Boreal, I would compare her to a European River Cruise such as AmaWaterways or Avalon. She is not (nor is she trying to be) Regent, Silversea or Seabourn – but then again – she is not in that price category either. For incentive groups looking for exclusivity without the high end price tag – on a destination-focused itinerary – this is a terrific option.
Crystal Cruises
Beginning Spring 2012, Crystal Cruises will join the ranks of the rest of the luxury market and become all Inclusive. The cruise line will offer complimentary fine wines and premium spirits, open bar service in all lounges, and will include gratuities for housekeeping, bar and dining staff in the cruise fare.
For groups and especially charter clients, Crystal continues to be one of our favorite luxury products. Larger than the rest of the class with ships carrying + or - 1,000 + passengers, the Symphony and Serenity are terrific high end products with exceptional food, service and variety.
Avalon Waterways
Avalon will introduce a brand new product next month. The Avalon Panorama is a unique "Suite Ship" - the first of its kind in the industry. In addition to 17 standard cabins, she features 66 - 200 square-foot Panorama Suites with Wall-to-Wall Panoramic Windows opening to create unique Open-Air Balconies, and a host of new onboard amenities and services. Avalon offers many inclusions on their cruises – tours in each port, wine, beer and soft drinks at dinner, bottled water replenished daily in each stateroom and complimentary cappuccino and espresso all day and evening. Stay tuned for my review of the Avalon Creativity next month. Sailing on the Seine out of Paris all the way to the beaches of Normandy – this itinerary is unique even in the river ship industry. Avalon is one of two lines even offering it!
Royal Caribbean International
Liberty of the Seas adds some great new features in dry dock. She was a great ship before…but now, with some of the Oasis and Allure enhancements, she is better than ever:
The Cup Cake Cupboard has replaced the Barber Shop (I guess they went from shaving cream to butter cream!)
There are Wayfinder boards near the elevators – which is kind of like a GPS at sea so that you are never lost onboard.
There is a brand new full-length Broadway version of Saturday Night Fever in the show lounge.
A Huge Movie screen had been added to the pool deck.
There are i-pod stations in every room.
And with the addition of Dreamworks, the ship shows 3-D movies in the show lounge – as well as boats themed parades and character greetings and events.
This ship is perfect for incentives from four to seven nights – in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. You should know that the short cruises offered in the Med in April and May are all five nights and all identical. A smart move on RCCL’s part – to only offer the most appealing of the shorter itins. Departing from Barcelona – groups can visit the best of the Med: Cannes/Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome plus one day at sea to unwind and enjoy the ship! You can’t beat it!
The Team at Buy The Sea
Shari, Caryn, Sandy, Lina, Jaci and Rivka
