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Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional

March 2013 Edition

The New Concert Venue

Cruise ships are increasingly being used as hosts for musical events.  In the past ten years, this market has grown exponentially from just a handful to over 30 full ship charters for music events.   Every genre is represented and each seems to be growing as well.

Worldwide has been involved in several music events at sea going back into the early 90s.  At that time, Norwegian Cruise Line was one of the few lines that actually sponsored their own music “theme” cruises, featuring jazz cruises on the S/S Norway.  That concept caught on with a few entrepreneurial minds and the music group cruises started to materialize.  Most of the early music cruises were groups, as opposed to full ship charters, and relied on late night use of the main show lounge or a secondary lounge while the cruise ship otherwise operated as normal.   As these groups grew in popularity and the demand was evident, promoters began seeking bigger names and bigger productions.  The additional costs required more delivery and the shift from a group to a full charter.

The full ship charter music cruise has also evolved.  These too used to incorporate many of the standard cruise inclusions, entertainer s etc.  These days, promoters are completely stripping the cruise delivery and programming everything from the entertainment, to the food, to the ports of call – allowing them to tailor the entire experience to their target audience.  In doing so, they create a “once in a lifetime” or “mecca” experience for fans of the music. 

All that said the group side of this segment is also growing.  With the new mega ships, it is possible to create an event that lives and breathes on its own while allowing the ship to operate as usual.  We recently delivered a group of over 700 music fans on RCI’s Freedom of the Seas and were able to offer a comprehensive guest experience because the of the hardware.

The RCI ships are very conducive to large secondary venues which are key in producing a group event.  The Studio B, which is their ice rink, can hold over 800 guests when the ice is covered with flooring. The flooring can then be arranged as rows of seats (for higher capacities) or as a general admission floor for a more “rock show” atmosphere.    Norwegian Epic’s Spice H2O is a fantastic outdoor theater with high capacity seating.  RCIs Oasis class ships feature the Aqua Theatre in the Boardwalk neighborhood which can be bought out for an entire evening.  The Norwegian Pearl has recently undergone several modifications just for music cruise charters.  Holland America’s Vista and Signature Class ships have deck and lounge venues that are available for group use most nights. 

What about production?  All of the major cruise lines employ dedicated lighting and sound technicians that can be hired to work group events.  Other promoters opt to bring on their own production teams, depending on the scale and number of performances during the event.  Electricity?  Yes, cruise ships are very different from land venues in how power works.   We’ve worked with several ship electricians to create clean power for groups and charters.  Security? VIPs? Etc etc.

Yes, there is much more to these events than most people think of.   All aspects of production need to be considered in choosing the right ship to be the venue.   Worldwide has the experience to assist with these events far beyond site selection and contract negotiation.  We’ve been involved in these events and seen the evolution over the years.    

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Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc.

150 S. University Dr.  Ste E, Plantation, FL 33324 - USA

Tel: +1 954 452 8800  Fax: +1 954 252 3945

EMail: sales@cruiseco.com

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