Elite Traveler. November/December Full-Ship Freedom Sarah Perez Webber Chartering a cruise ship allows you to call the shots about the world's most luxurious vessels. Here's what you need to know for a smarter charter experience. Whether you're planning a relaxed pleasure trip with your closest friends or a high-level meeting requiring the utmost in privacy, a luxury cruise ship charter allows you to custom-craft your sailing - from renaming public rooms to placing your own logo on the crew's uniforms. "We can customize the itinerary, ports of call, daily programs, mealtimes, activities, dress code, menus - just about everything," explains Tanya Barnette, director of charter and incentive sales for Seabourn Cruise Line, one of several luxury cruise lines that offers its ships for charter. With the size of vessels available for such private bookings ranging from the Sea Cloud Cruises' 64 passenger Sea Cloud to Cunard's 2,620-passenger Queen Mary 2, there's a ship to suit any party's plans. Personal Touch Individuals who charter ships for private celebrations can add more personal touches. On a Seabourn charter booked through luxury travel agency The Cruise Professionals (phone: (800)265-3838; Website: www.cruiseprofessionals.com) for one couple's 50th wedding anniversary, meals were served on specially designed keepsake Villeroy & Boch china, while tablecloths bore the guest of honor's initials. Seabourn also famously hosted a seven-day charter for Maya Angelou's 70th birthday - a bash thrown by the poet's good friend Oprah Winfrey - aboard the 208-passenger Seabourn Pride. While it sailed the Caribbean en route to Mayan ruins in the Yucatan, onboard entertainment included an Easter egg hunt, a pajama party, and shows performed by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Nancy Wilson and Patti LaBelle. Other benefits to chartering a ship for a group event include the all-inclusive pricing the cruise lines offer, according to Mary Jean Tully, chairman and CEO of The Cruise Professionals. "There are no hidden costs," she says. Indeed, many lines include all meals, liquor, gratuities, entertainment or activities, and such audiovisual equipment in their charter rates. At Seabourn, for example, prices start at $350 per person, per day; and at Sea Dream Yacht Club, seven-day cruises on the 110-passenger Seadream I and II start at $300,000 per vessel in the Caribbean and $400,000 per vessel in Europe. Planning Ahead If you'd like to charter your own luxury cruise ship, you need to plan ahead. Be realistic about the number of guests you'll have. After all, a full-ship charter is secured and with an Irrevocable Letter of Credit that makes the charterer(you) liable for the entire purchase price. You'll have the most flexiblility if you book at least 18 months to two years in advance. In addition to choosing your ports of call, you could even choose your starting and ending ports as long as they are operationally feasible. When she helped a client plan a 2005 birthday charter in 2003, luxury charter consultant Judy Pearl, was able to convince the cruise line to reposition its ship from Monte Carlo to Istanbul because of its generous lead time. Guest List While the land excursions you schedule for your sailing are limited primarily by your imagination - Radisson Seven Seas has arranged for glacier golf in Alaska and private dinners in Italian palazzos, for example- you could even charter a ship to stay in one location. "We've seen an increase in chartering vessels as floating hotels for sporting or international events," notes Sean Mahoney, vice president of worldwide charter and incentive sales for Silversea, a line that has chartered ships in Athens for the Olympic Games and will have a vessel in Jacksonville for the Super Bowl. Silversea's 382-passenger Silver Whisper was handpicked by Russian President Vladimir Putin to stay docked on the Neva River during St. Petersburg's tricentennial celebrations in 2003. While there, the ship hosted such world leaders as British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, a guest list that underscores perhaps the biggest reason an individual or company books a full-ship charter: Total exclusivity.   Back         Top of Page

maryjeantully.com home | mary jean tully's bio | mary jean tully's awards | press + media | contact information