A growing cruise line inventory — including 12 new vessels in 2007 alone — is music to the ears of Kelly Porter, CMP, manager, meeting and conference management, Manulife Financial, Waterloo, Ontario.

“There will be new amenities to enhance the experience for our attendees, like all-balcony ships, more restaurants, more shopping, skatingrinks, climbing walls, and more,” says Porter. As well, she notes, “since cruising has become quite popular for conferences, the newer ships have facilities and staff that make meeting onboard easier — bigger theaters equipped for presentations, more meeting space, and conference services managers right on board.”

Space, Luxury, Internet

Among the news: Royal Caribbean, as part of its “Project Genesis” brand, is launching 6,000-passenger mega ships; the first is scheduled to sail in 2009.

Disney Cruise Line will build two ocean liners, each with 1,250 staterooms to accommodate 4,000 passengers. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will join the existing Disney Wonder and Disney Magic to more than double passenger capacity.

Silversea Cruises in March signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build a 540-guest ultra-luxury ship, scheduled to launch in 2009, with an option for a second ship.

As for amenities, one of the most significant developments is the availability of Internet and cell-phone services onboard. Carnival Cruise Lines recently implemented cell-phone service on each of its ships. It is compatible with any cell phone and allows guests to make and receive calls anywhere in the world from any cruising region. (International roaming fees apply).

“The ability of ships to provide cell service is absolutely a big bonus for our attendees,” says Porter. “Many of them are independent business owners, so having access to their offices and staff while they're away is important to them. In the past it's been difficult for them to conduct their business while onboard a cruise ship because of a lack of reception and the high costs.”

In light of recent incidents — including two Princess Cruises' passengers falling 50 feet from the Grand Princess' balcony into the Gulf of Mexico (they were later rescued), and the sinking of the cruise ship Sea Diamond in early April off the Greek Island of Santorini, in which two passengers were lost — planners might be concerned about safety at sea. But a spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association maintains that cruising is safe and says such incidents are quite rare. In 2006, for example, cruise lines provided the U.S. Congress with data showing that during the previous three years, fewer than one person per 1 million cruise passengers went missing.