Planning a group cruise or event, answered

The right fit comes down to a handful of factors, and is exactly the kind of thing we sort out with you in a short planning call — tell us your group size, budget, and goals, and we'll narrow the field to a short list:

• Budget. Cruises have fewer or no budget surprises. They include meals, entertainment, and meeting space, and beverages and excursions can also be priced in.
• Ship size & type. Options range from family friendly mega-ships with the widest range of onboard activities to smaller, more intimate vessels.
• Trip length. The shortest sailings are 2 or 3 days with many running Friday to Monday. Four and five night cruises are available and many run Monday to Friday. Longer cruises have week-plus itineraries, so trip length doesn't have to dictate the whole calendar.
• Destination. From one of Florida's 5 cruise ports, the Caribbean is the closest area to explore while Panama and Mexico are available for the longer cruises.
• Meeting & event space. Every ship has conference facilities for large groups and many newer ships have purpose-built rooms and conference centers that convert into smaller breakout rooms, which provide a wide selection to meet your needs.

For a large corporate meeting or conference, 18 months to 2 years out is ideal. You'll have the largest selection of ships and meeting spaces. You'll also get the best cabin rates and additional perks.

A typical planning timeline looks something like:

• 24 to 18 months out: lock in your date, set your budget, and start narrowing down a ship and destination.
• 18 to 12 months: pay deposits to lock in your choices and start planning the event sessions and activities.
• 9 months out: finalize sessions and activities, confirm dining and dietary needs.
• 6 months out: book private entertainment on-ship, co-ordinate with sponsors, and review any event design or décor.
• 5 to 4 months out: finalize the guest list, contract transportation logistics, and validate travel documents.
• 90 days out: confirm every reservation and vendor detail, and distribute the final agenda.

That said, space can still be available much closer to your event date — cabins and meeting rooms do open up, and cruise lines regularly release additional group space. If your timeline is tighter than a year out, don't assume it's too late.

Contact us and we'll tell you, honestly, what's realistically available for your dates and help you plan around whatever runway you actually have.

Cruises are more all-inclusive than most land-based meeting venues, and almost everything "extra" can be included or off-set with onboard credit. Typically included in the base fare:

• Your stateroom, for the whole length of the cruise
• Main dining room meals and casual buffet dining (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
• Most onboard entertainment — production shows, live music, and activities like pools, fitness centers, and (on many ships) waterslides and rock climbing
• Kids' clubs on family-friendly sailings
• Basic non-alcoholic beverages (water, coffee, tea, juice)

These items can be billed separately or bundled into the cabin cost:

• Specialty dining restaurants
• Alcoholic drinks, soda, and specialty coffee (drink packages vary by cruise line and other requirements)
• Wi-Fi — recommended for conferences and training events
• Spa treatments and shore excursions
• Gratuities (commonly in the $18–21 per person, per day range)

We also negotiate what's included on the meeting side — AV equipment, dedicated conference space, coffee and tea or meal service — so we build that into your quote up front. No surprises later on.