SMALLSHIPCRUISES.COM

SELLING GROUPS AND CHARTERS
 

SELLING GROUPS

          There is a huge potential in booking groups on small ships. What better place to hold a conference or business meeting than on a small cruise ship? What better place for a food and wine club to go than a cruise along the California coast or along a river in France with port stops at famous vineyards? What better way for a golf group to play golf at a different club every day?

          Small ship companies often allow a smaller number of people to be considered a group, sometimes giving a group discount for as few as eight people. Just as with larger ships, they can get a free extra ticket or you can sell the ticket to lower everyone’s cost even more, or you can use the free passage for yourself as a tour director. Also you often get higher commission rates with groups.

          Small ships are very accommodating to groups. They will arrange a room for meetings or a bulletin board for notices for your group if you wish. You can book cabins in the same area of the ship so you can wander from cabin to cabin, or you can book one person in a suite to use for cocktails and gatherings. You can arrange to be at the same table for dinner or go together on shore excursions.

WHOLE BOAT CHARTERS

          Small ships are especially good for whole boat charters – good because they result in a good value for your client and good because your profits on the booking are excellent. You can charter a small ship for a corporate meeting, a large family reunion, a club or any large group you care to put together.

          Chartering a whole boat serve many purposes -- it can be the ultimate escape for special itineraries, it can offer a situation for a captive audience for a company, or be the means for a zoological society to go on their own for the best nature and wildlife sighting. The clients have the whole boat for their exclusive use to go wherever they want and do whatever they want to do, and there are boats all over the world to suit their needs.

          If you have access to a large group and you know what part of the world they want to visit, then use the www.smallshipcruises.com Search by Destination to check out potential vessels, then contact the cruise companies you are considering for costs. Or let us know your needs and we will negotiate for you on a commission-share basis. With enough advance notice, you can charter any vessel on our website, large or small. But it is important to plan whole boat charters far in advance -- once the cruise company begins to sell cabins to individual cruisers it is difficult to negotiate a charter.

HOW TO CHARTER YACHTS FOR COUPLES OR SMALL GROUPS

          Decide whether the clients prefer power or sail, where they want to cruise, when, for how long, and whether there are special interests they would like to pursue such as diving or fishing. If they want a small sail or motor yacht, find out whether they want to charter the boat with a captain and crew, or just a captain with their own group being crew, or without any captain or crew (called bareboat). If they decide on cruising bareboat you need to check that someone in the group has the credentials and is able to prove their competency as a captain. Obviously on large boats, captain and crew will be supplied by the cruise company.

          You also need to learn whether they want to charter the boat totally provisioned, including sports equipment, gourmet meals, and wine (supplies are often more than you need), or whether they want to do the provisioning themselves, bringing some supplies, catching some fish, and buying local food as they go.

TIPS FOR A HAPPY PRIVATE CHARTER

          Your clients are not old salts, but they still want to cruise in a small boat and help with operation? Suggest they attend a boating school. Many schools have charter boats for people to cruise in after completing the course. Even clients with experience may still want to go to a boating school before chartering to brush up on navigation or instrumentation. You can also sometimes arrange with a captain to teach sailing or seamanship as the clients cruise.
          Help your clients do some research before they make their choices. Have them read cruising guides and
buy videos about the area they want to cruise to learn about boating conditions, points of interest, what seasons are
the safest and have the best weather, and talk to people who have recently gone to the place they are considering.
          Help them choose their times carefully: Greece in August has dangerously strong winds; autumn in the Caribbean is hurricane season.
          Ask details about the captain and the crew and ask who bears liability if something goes wrong (ask about insurance) and whether they are experienced in the area in which they plan to cruise.
         Make sure the boat is in good condition and has safety features such as enough life jackets, fire extinguishers, and life rafts.
          Advise your clients not to try to cover too much territory in a short time. Yachting is for close inspection of a small area, not to cover a lot of distance.
          If they don’t like crowds, don’t have them follow the fleet (for example, in August the Med is crowded).
          And recommend that they get a bigger boat than they think they will need or take fewer people. Living in a boat is like living in a one-room apartment and you are soon very aware of  the lack of space.
          If they want to charter a boat over holidays,  book them early, even six months or a year ahead.

HOW TO CHARTER LARGE BOATS

          Chartering large cruise ships has become very popular, especially among corporations and associations. The major advantage is that they have complete control over the utilization of all the public areas, the cabins, the daytime and nighttime activities, menus, entertainment and the itinerary. With groups on a ship with others, there sometimes can be a conflict or confusion with the activities of the other passengers. When you charter the ship, these situations don't happen.

          Once a charter has been negotiated and a deposit made, there is no refund, and most cruise companies require a 10 per cent deposit up front. Be certain of your client’s intent prior to signing any contracts, and remind them that though they may not fill the ship, the price will be based on the entire capacity of the vessel.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR POTENTIAL GROUP SALES AND CHARTERS

          Some of the following organizations are especially good for small ships. Think of which ones you could contact to try to sell group bookings or whole ship charter:

Birdwatchers 
Black history group 
Boating club
Church Civic groups
College group
Cooking group 
Dance club or studio
Environmental group
Family, military or school reunion 
Garden club
Jazz, opera or other music organization
Gay and lesbian groups
Graduation class
Hiking club
Golf group
School groups
Scuba group
Service organizations
Singles organization
Museum members
Photography club
Professional organizations
Wine-lovers group
Women's club
Yacht club
Zoological society