An incentive cruise rewards your people with new destinations every day, all from one ship, with dining, entertainment and meeting space built in.
Buy the Sea is an independent incentive cruise agency based in Boca Raton, Florida. Since 2000 we have planned incentive cruises for corporate groups from 16 guests to more than 12,000. We are an independent broker, so we work with every cruise line, contemporary to luxury, river and expedition, and we tell you which ship actually fits your program. That includes Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Norwegian, Virgin Voyages, Oceania, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, Explora Journeys, Viking and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, among others.
Corporate incentives at sea, on every cruise line
Whether you call it an incentive cruise, a cruise incentive program or simply incentives at sea, the goal is the same: a reward trip your people talk about for years, run by a team that has done it since 2000.
Why companies choose a cruise for incentives
- Several destinations, one unpack
- Dining and entertainment included
- Meeting rooms and theaters on board
- Private venues for awards nights
- Predictable per-person budgets
- Everyone together, all week
A cruise keeps your group together while the scenery changes. Qualifiers get a trip that feels bigger than a single destination, and planners get most of the program’s costs in one contract.
Group space or the whole ship
Most incentive cruises take a block of cabins on a public sailing, with negotiated rates, upgrades, onboard credit and private venues for your events. When the program needs full control of the schedule and the spaces, a full-ship charter may be the better fit. We price both side by side for the same dates. See how group cruise rates work.
What we handle
We check every line against your program, negotiate rates, upgrades, credits, payment terms and cancellation flexibility, review the cruise contract against current industry standards, and stay on as your liaison with the cruise line through sailing and final reconciliation. See how it works.
No fee to you
We are paid by the cruise line, not by you. Over twenty-six years that approach has earned twenty-five partner awards, including Royal Caribbean Partner of the Year ten times. See the cruise lines we work with, or plan a President’s Club cruise.
Matching the ship to your group
Incentive cruise programs change character at certain sizes. Around 200 guests, smaller premium and luxury ships open up, and a private dinner or a lounge takeover is easy to arrange. Around 800, meeting space and the theater schedule start to drive the choice, and partial charters or smaller ships you can take whole come into play. Around 2,000 and up, a full incentive cruise charter is usually the answer, and ports and air logistics matter as much as the ship. If your headcount sits near one of those lines, it is worth looking at the options on both sides of it.
Questions planners ask
What is an incentive cruise?
A cruise a company uses to reward employees, sales teams, dealers or customers. It usually includes group dining, an awards event, meeting space and shore experiences, on group space or a full-ship charter.
How much does an incentive cruise cost?
It depends on the cruise line, ship, cabin category, season and group size. We get real pricing from the lines for your dates and compare options side by side.
What size group do you need for an incentive cruise?
Our programs range from 16 guests to more than 12,000.
How far ahead should we book an incentive cruise?
The earlier the better for ship and cabin choice, though we have placed programs with as little as four weeks’ notice.
Do you charge a fee to plan an incentive cruise?
No. Buy the Sea is paid by the cruise line, so there is no fee or markup to you.
How is an incentive cruise different from a regular group cruise?
An incentive cruise is built around rewarding a specific group, so it usually adds things a regular group booking does not: an awards event, private venues and dining, branded touches, tiered cabins for different achievement levels, and a single point of contact for the program.
Can we hold meetings on an incentive cruise?
Yes. Most ships have meeting rooms, lounges and a theater that can be contracted for your group. On a full charter the schedule for every venue is yours.
Which cruise lines work best for incentive cruises?
It depends on group size, budget and the experience you want. We work with every line, from contemporary ships with large venues to luxury lines like Regent, Seabourn and Silversea, and compare the ones that fit side by side.