Ever catch yourself thinking, “If I only had more time I’d…” If your wish for more time was granted, what would you do?
With longer hours at the office and technology blurring the boundaries between work and personal time, stress levels are soaring – while relationships and productivity suffer . According to Y Partnership, the Orlando-based marketing research company specializing in travel and leisure, today’s lifestyle is characterized by “time poverty”. Not surprisingly, the report goes on to say that if given more time, most people would spend it with family.
As companies look for ways to create happier, healthier workplaces with more engaged employees, the importance of supporting work-life balance is paramount.
Case in Point: Recently, Karlyn Lang, Landry & Kling’s Manager of Cruise Events, accompanied one of our clients on a ship inspection of Royal Caribbean’s new ship – Oasis of the Seas.
Of course, our meeting planner loved the Oasis and all the amazing onboard features (what’s not to love?), but what really impressed her was the family-friendly nature of the ship. She was blown away by the scope of the children and teen programs (even babies and toddlers have programs!) – and the fact that age-specific activities, venues, and meals are included with the cruise.
Why would a corporate meeting planner care about kids? She just happens to work for an insurance company that knows the value of work life balance – their incentive program is a family affair. Our meeting planner confided that during the last program, their hotel charged $75 per child, per day for the kids program. Wow – factor in the cost for meals, and that can really add up to some serious bucks!
Kids On Board
We love telling you about all the amazing ships out there and why they’re terrific, cost-saving venues for meetings; now we’d like to let you know how fabulous they are for family programs. So if you’re planning a sales incentive or employee recognition program, consider a cruise ship – and by all means, invite the kids!
Today’s ships offer expanded facilities, age-specific activities, and venues to please all your attendees – from Boomers to babies and everyone in between (including teens – the hardest group to impress). With shipboard meals, entertainment, sports and kids programs all included, it’s a no-brainer – family cruises are easier to plan and far less costly than land-based programs.
Here are a few unique experiences just for kids at sea:
Disney ships feature more than 100 activities and programs designed for children, including Cinderella’s Royal Ball, deck parties with Disney character interactions, a private island with a family beach and just-for-teens area.
On Royal Caribbean’s new Allure of the Seas, look for appearances by Shrek, Donkey, and other DreamWorks characters; plus parades, special character shows in the Studio B ice rink, and 3D animated movies.
Sponge Bob is just one of the Nickelodeon characters you’ll find sailing on Norwegian Epic, and even grown up kids will love the multi-use sports deck with full-size basketball court, batting cage, bungee trampoline, rock-climbing wall, rope adventure course and a 24-foot-tall enclosed “Spider Web” climbing cage.
Carnival fun ships offer hangouts for both teens and tweens (with Wii, dedicated DJ’s, soda bars), youth spa treatments and children’s fitness programs. For kids of all ages, Carnival WaterWorks parks feature sky-high slides, twisters and chutes.
Don’t forget the grown-ups….
Cruise lines are adding kid-free zones to their ships with relaxation and pampering areas – just for adults.
Find the perfect ship for your next multigenerational program at seasite.com.
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In the August issue of Corporate & Incentive Travel Magazine, publisher Harvey Grotsky admonishes meeting and event professionals “It’s time to shake things up”. The thought of planning a meeting at sea might be out of your comfort zone, but that’s precisely why it’s a good thing.
