Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling, Coral Gables, Fla., which specializes in booking meetings at sea for corporations, says people have two big misconceptions about meeting on a Disney Cruise Line ship.

“One is central to any organization that has never tried a cruise. That's getting them to think outside the box of a hotel experience and tailoring their expectations to see that a cruise experience is much more substantial, much more enjoyable, and much more motivating.

“The other misconception is that people expect the ship to be child-themed. … What they find instead is a classic, rich, and sophisticated ship environment that is quite serious about professional meetings.”

George Gehl, president of Incentives Unlimited, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., agrees. “Disney offers an adults-only experience that surpasses that of most other cruise lines. They have an adults-only lounge, an adults-only pool, and [on Castaway Cay, Disney's private island] an adults-only beach.”

Brian Meikle, director of Universal Engineering Sciences, booked the Disney Wonder last June for a 100-person, three-day leadership retreat. “They are incredibly flexible,” says Meikle. “For example, we wanted our managers to mingle … and sit with different colleagues each evening. Other cruise lines wouldn't accommodate us on this. … But Disney was fine with it.”

“In addition to a 1,387-square-foot conference center and auditoriums for large group meetings, they allowed us to convert a sports bar into a meeting facility,” Meikle says. “And when we weren't meeting, the activities were awesome. They even offered to host education seminars from The Disney Institute.”

“It's seriousness behind the playfulness,” Landry explains. “There's something about Disney — they are serious about all aspects of service: planning, product quality, disciplines, entertainment, processes, you name it.”

And if you're concerned a cruise will be a budget-breaker, consider a fall or spring meeting, during Disney's off-season. “The cost was well within our budget, in fact, on the low end of what we typically spend for a three- to four-day retreat each year,” says Meikle.

Meikle used the Disney theme in the year leading up to the cruise. “Managers earned onboard ship credits throughout the year that could be used on the cruise for the spa, excursions, or gifts. By the time we set sail, people were pretty pumped up. We're hoping to come back for a seven-day cruise to celebrate our company's 50th anniversary in 2014.”