Case Study: A Sorority at Sea

Donna Wertz has been a Beta Sigma Phi for decades. She’s also a travel agent and an avid cruiser. So when the sorority’s California alumnae decided to hold its first convention on a cruise ship, she naturally got involved.

Members were skeptical at first, she said. Some wondered about the cost and objected to the untraditional setting. But in the end, nearly 700 members signed up for a three-day sailing from Long Beach, Calif., aboard the Carnival Paradise. Now the group’s asking when they’ll meet at sea again.

“There’s no beating the away-from-it-all atmosphere aboard a cruise ship,” Wertz says. “There’s more of an open, light feeling on ship than on land. You have more camaraderie. I saw people with their doors open and five and six women sitting around, and you’d just say hello.”

It’s also hard to compete with the price. Carnival, like most cruise companies, offers groups free use of meeting rooms and AV equipment. Meals are already covered since cruises are all-inclusive. And Carnival threw in cocktail parties and receptions for the sorority.

Wertz says she was overwhelmed by the cruise line’s attention. A staff member flew out from Miami to join the group, and another ship crewmember was assigned to look after the sorority. “The two of them were at every event and they solved every problem,” Wertz says. But planning a cruise meeting is different from planning a land-based gathering. The lead time is compressed because cruise lines often don’t set itineraries more than 18 months in advance. In addition, attendees must pay attention to details when registering, entering their names exactly as they appear on their passports, and bringing proper identification. It’s not as easy as showing up at a hotel.

Carnival’s 22 ships operate out of 15 ports, making it easy for regional groups to gather. Joan Levicoff Sanchez, the vice president of large group sales and operations, says she can make the case that a cruise costs less than a land meeting, but she likes to come back to the atmosphere. “Anytime I am personally feeling stressed out all I have to do is imagine myself standing on a deck and feeling the breeze blowing through my hair,” she says. “There’s something about being on the water that has that calming effect on all of us.”