Small Pleasures

Silver lining: Silversea’sSilver Cloudglides through Norway’s fjords.

While much of the cruise industry relentlessly pursues a “bigger is better” philosophy, a quiet, more intimate world of small, upscale ships also is thriving. These fleets of jewel-like vessels provide services and amenities -- high guest-to-staff ratios; premium wines and spirits; gourmet cuisine (that participants order from a menu); toiletries from the likes of Hermes and Bvlgari; and elegantly appointed guest quarters, often with balconies -- that rival the finest offerings of five-star hotels, and at all-inclusive prices.
    In addition, the ships’ compact stature (each of the vessels profiled here carries fewer than 500 passengers) is especially well suited to small, high-level corporate meeting or incentive groups. In fact, all of the members of this fabulous flotilla have meeting facilities as well as dining areas that can hold a crowd for gala evenings or award ceremonies.
    Following are details about four upscale cruise lines that specialize in the small group market.

Seabourn Cruise Line
6100 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 400
Miami, Fla. 33126
Contact:Tanya Barnette, director, charter and incentive sales
(773) 276-7601; www.seabourn.com
Fleet:Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit; each accommodates 208 passengers

Greek idyll: The Seabourn Spirit  in Santorini

These identical vessels were designed to give guests the feeling that they are sailing on their own private yachts. Seabourn ships feature all-suite accommodations, a full line of aromatherapy bath products (with baths personally drawn by the guest’s cabin steward) and tempting cuisine designed by renowned Chicago chef Charlie Palmer.
    Amenities include a spa, salon and gym; a water sports marina; a private motorboat for waterskiing; a business center with e-mail and Internet access; and Wi-Fi access in most lounges and in all suites. (Note: Internet charges are not part of the all-inclusive pricing at Seabourn or the other cruise lines featured in this article.)
    According to Tanya Barnette, Seabourn’s director, charter and incentive sales, fully 85 percent of the line’s business is charters, mostly for incentive programs.
    For groups that do not want to charter the entire vessel, the largest block they can secure on any one of Seabourn’s ships is 40 cabins (for up to 80 passengers). If a group does choose to charter -- typically for seven nights -- Barnette recommends a lead time of nine to 18 months for preferred sailing dates.
    If the ships’ itineraries have not yet been finalized (2007 dates were established this past March), Barnette says clients can customize their itineraries, within reason: “We can’t reposition from Australia to the Mediterranean, for example,” she notes. 
    For 2007, seven-day cruises can be arranged in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, Barnette says. “We also are getting a lot of interest for incentive programs on our Baltic cruises. These typically last nine to 12 nights. The longer ones work well for large groups that can be split into two, for cruises of six nights each.”
    Although Seabourn will offer sailings in Asia and South and Central America in 2007, these exotic itineraries typically are too long (14 days) for the corporate and incentive markets.
    All three ships were in dry dock over the past few months and were refurbished, according to Barnette.

SHIP VS. SHORE

Silversea’s Silver Wind



Is a high-end cruise meeting or incentive more cost-effective than one held at a five-star resort? Consider the following differences.

All-inclusive pricing
“Upscale cruises, in general, are good value,” says Eve Sotnak, a senior buyer for Minneapolis-based Carlson Marketing. “You get high-end food and beverage, rooms, meeting facilities, service and entertainment, all for one price.”
     Yet, Sotnak notes, land-based programs can be a lot more flexible. “It’s easy to do a four- or five-day land program [the typical length of an incentive program, according to M&C’s 2004 Meetings Market Report, is 4.4 days], but not so easy to charter a ship for five days,” she says (most charters last seven days). In addition, “On land, you can do some inexpensive meals and activities, while on the ship, you can’t, since pricing is all-inclusive.” (For a detailed cost comparison, see chart on page 52.)
     Gina Meyerson, vice president, operations, at Scottsdale, Ariz.-based site selection firm HelmsBriscoe, thinks that all-inclusive pricing trumps any cost-trimming you can do on land for the same level of luxury. “At properties, you can spend a fortune on flowers and d}cor, but that’s already covered on the cruise,” she says. Adding to the value are complimentary cruise services such as shoe shines, ironing and room service. “At a hotel, just a pot of coffee ordered from room service can be $10,” notes Meyerson.

Taxes
Tax rules and exemptions for events held on cruise ships differ from those held on U.S. soil, and that could affect the total cost of the event. Experts advise planners to check with their firm’s tax preparer or attorney for details.

Attrition/cancellation
Attrition is definitely tougher at sea. For charters, cruise lines typically require an irrevocable letter of credit for the full amount of the cruise at the time of booking. In some cases, Sotnak says a cruise line might be somewhat flexible, in the interest of building or keeping a good relationship.
     For partial charters, most cruise lines offer some type of attrition policy.

Lead times
Because there are so few small upscale ships, planners might need to book vessels nearly two years out if they really want certain dates and itineraries.
    “Sometimes, cruise lines let you know when they have soft sailings,” says Sotnak. “These are good for events with short lead times, but they work only if you have the right size group to match the ship.” -- L.G.

Silversea Cruises
110 East Broward Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301
Contact:Sean Mahoney, vice president, worldwide, charter and incentive sales
(954) 713-3910; www.silversea.com
Fleet: Silver Cloud, accommodates 294; Silver Shadow, accommodates 388; Silver Whisper, accommodates 388; Silver Wind, accommodates 294

This cruise line, which caters to the “upper luxury” market, has a decidedly Italian vibe in its decor and cuisine, reflective of the Rome-based owner’s heritage. The ships feature all oceanview suites, most with private verandas.
    Among each ships’ amenities: a spa; a fitness center featuring Pilates, yoga, aerobics and weight-training instruction; and a book and video/DVD library.
    According to Sean Mahoney, most of Silversea’s corporate customers do full charters. “The largest size group we would accommodate otherwise is 75,” he notes. Although regularly scheduled Silversea cruises can run 10 days or more, the average charter typically lasts seven nights or less because, says Mahoney, “these firms contacted us before the itineraries were printed, and we worked the rest of our schedule around them.”
    But groups with shorter lead times still might be accommodated: Silversea produces a special publication for the corporate market, alerting planners to short-term openings and special eight-night sailings.
    When arranging custom charters, Mahoney says, “We take the request and compare it to where we believe our ships will be deployed and where they were the year before.” Again, notes Mahoney, lead time is a key factor: “Groups that plan at least 18 months out can carve out deployments of their choice; other groups have to work around the published schedule.”
    Among Silversea’s exotic itineraries scheduled for 2007 are seven-day cruises in South America; nine-day cruises operating between Singapore and Hong Kong; eight-day excursions sailing between India and Dubai; and seven-day Caribbean, Mediterranean and Northern European cruises.
    At press time, the cruise line was considering an expansion of its fleet; Silversea management says additions are likely to be new-builds, accommodating 450 to 500 passengers.

Regent Seven Seas
1000 Corporate Drive, Suite 500
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33334
Contact:Maggie Mantia, vice president, charter and incentive sales
(800) 477-7500; www.rssc.com
Fleet:Paul Gauguin, accommodates 330 passengers; Seven Seas Navigator, accommodates 490. (The cruise line also has two midsize ships, the Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager, each holding 700 passengers. A fifth vessel, the Explorer II, specializes in excursions to Antarctica and is geared toward leisure travelers.)

Fine dining: Regent Seven Seas’ Navigator

Regent Seven Seas is in the midst of an extreme makeover: In March, the cruise line changed its name from Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. The rebranding was made in light of parent firm Carlson Companies’ decision to reposition the line from the upscale level to the luxury category, instituting service and accommodations of the same caliber as its Regent brand of high-end hotels.
    Regent Seven Seas will commit to a multimillion-dollar renovation to upgrade the fleet’s staterooms and suites. Among the stateroom amenities guests will enjoy by early 2007: down comforters, Anichini linens, cashmere throws, flat-screen TVs and DVD players, and a new digital satellite feed to expand in-suite television programming. The ships will switch to an all-inclusive pricing policy by 2007.
    The Navigator features all-suite staterooms with marble bathrooms; 90 percent include balconies. Among the amenities are a spa, a fitness center, a marina and two golf driving cages. The Paul Gauguin, which has a more informal ambience, was designed to sail in French Polynesia; it will embark on other South Pacific itineraries, including Australia and New Zealand, in 2007. Fifty percent of the staterooms feature balconies.
    According to RSSC’s Maggie Mantia, seven nights is the standard charter offered for the Navigator; with a lead time of two years or more, shorter itineraries can be arranged.
    In 2007, the vessel will sail in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The Paul Gauguin can be chartered for three- and four-night cruises, in addition to seven-night sailings.

SEAWORTHY OPTIONS

Looking for a niche or more casual cruise experience? Jo Kling, president of Coral Gables, Fla.-based planning firm Landry & Kling, Meetings at Sea, recommends the following vessels, all offering group charters.

Europa
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Hamburg, Germany
(011) 49-40-3001-4763
www.hlcruises.com

This 204-cabin luxury ship is considered top-of-the-line.



Star Clipper’s Royal Clipper





Royal Clipper, Star Clipper, Star Flyer
Star Clipper Cruises
Miami
(305) 442-0550
www.starclippers.com

Kling calls these true sailing vessels with a casual vibe. The Royal Clipper accommodates 227 guests; the others, 170 each.

Wind Spirit, Wind Star, Wind Surf
Windstar Cruises
Seattle
(800) 628-3354
www.windstarcruises.com

Windstar is upgrading the cabins, menus and public areas on these upscale motor sailing vessels. The Wind Surf accommodates 308 passengers; the other two each accommodate 148. -- L.G.

Berth day: The SeaDream IIin Portofino, Italy

SeaDream Yacht Club
2601 South Bayshore Drive
Coconut Grove, Fla. 33133
Contact:Bruce Setloff, director of business development for charters and incentive trips
(925) 258 0061; www.seadreamcharter.com
Fleet:SeaDream I and SeaDream II; each accommodates 108 passengers

This elegant line has only two ships, which are billed as “ultra-luxury mega yachts.” Each vessel features 54 staterooms and one large “owner’s suite.” Luxurious touches include marble bathrooms, Bvlgari toiletries, flat-screen TVs, CD and DVD systems, personalized stationery, Internet access, Belgian bed linens and duvets (or woolen blankets, if preferred).
    Both the SeaDream I and SeaDream II, which underwent redesign and refitting in 2002, have an onboard spa, fitness center, golf simulator that allows guests to “play” 30 championship courses, and water sports marina and equipment (jet skis and banana boats).
    According to Bruce Setloff, 50 percent of SeaDream’s business is charters. “Because of this, we try to arrange them one to two years in advance,” he notes. “Right now we’re doing 2008 and 2009. If planners book us that far in advance, we will build our published itinerary around them.”
    As is typical with other small, luxe cruise lines, SeaDream’s standard charter is seven days. “But we can do as few days as four, as long as we have a lot of advance notice,” says Setloff. “We would definitely do them if we think they are a good business decision.”
    For noncharter groups, the maximum number the cruise line will allow on regular sailings is 50.
    As for destinations, “We ask charter clients to stay in Mediterranean in the summer and the Caribbean and South America in the winter,” says Setloff.