Drive to Your Next Meeting – At Sea
With airline ticket prices on the rise, more planners are searching for close-to-home meeting destinations. According to the Air Transport Association of America, nearly 10% fewer people are traveling by air, so it makes sense that drivability is becoming a key site selection factor. While “second tier” cities offer more affordable drive-to meeting venues, they often lack the sizzle and motivational appeal of their big city neighbors. Here’s a solution: plan a drive-to program and drive meeting attendance – on a cruise ship!
Cruise lines have responded to the demand for greater convenience and value with more “close to home” ports. With ships departing from over 22 U.S. ports, planners and attendees can now enjoy the convenience and savings of driving to their meetings without sacrificing the excitement of a new destination.
Carnival Fantasy docked in the port of New Orleans
Slash your travel budget for a more memorable program – the money you save by cutting back on airline tickets can be used towards upgraded cabins, an exclusive shore event, or customized room gifts. And speaking of saving money, don’t forget that meals, meeting space and AV equipment are included with your cruise fare – as well as spectacular onboard entertainment, enrichment and fitness classes, sports facilities and daily activities.
Drive to Philadelphia, Charleston, Galveston or Seattle; hold your meetings in a state-of-the-art conference facility onboard a fabulous resort ship; and still have time to discover the Caribbean, Bermuda, Alaska or the Mexican Riviera before driving back home. Here are your close-to-home cruise ports:
| Northeast and Mid-Atlantic | Southeast | Central | West Coast | Other Ports |
| New York, NY | Jacksonville, FL | Galveston, TX | Seattle, WA | Quebec, Canada |
| Brooklyn, NY | Miami, FL | Mobile, AL | Los Angeles, CA | Montreal, Canada |
| Port Liberty, NJ | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | New Orleans, LA | Long Beach, CA | |
| Baltimore, MD | Port Canaveral, FL | San Diego, CA | ||
| Boston, MA | Tampa, FL | San Francisco | ||
| Norfolk, VA | Charleston, SC | Vancouver, Canada | ||
| Philadelphia, PA | ||||
| Sailing to: | Sailing to: | Sailing to: | Sailing to: | Sailing to: |
| Carib/Mexico, Bahamas, | Carib/Mexico, | Carib/Mexico | Alaska, | Canada, |
| Bermuda, Canada, | Bahamas | Mexican Riviera | New England | |
| New England | Baja, Panama Canal |
To find out which cruises are available from your close-to-home port, go to Seasite.com’s Cruise Search page and click on the “Power Search” button to find your convenient departure city: http://www.seasite.com/CruiseSearch.aspx
The Royal Caribbean Serenade departing the Port of New York
Filed under: Destination Focus