News release
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 15, 2018 — Cruiseable, the travel industry's first cruise discovery engine, announced today the launch of a Group Cruises Tool to make it easier for people to organize cruise vacations with friends, relatives and travelers with similar interests — and to save money in the process.
The new Group Cruises Tool was unveiled at the Seatrade trade show, the world's largest gathering of cruise industry professionals.
Cruise travelers and group organizers can use the new Group Cruises Tool to convey the kinds of destinations, dates, price range and activities that the group is interested in. For instance, there are groups ranging from "girlfriend getaways" and honeymoon parties to multigenerational families, golf buffs and fans of the rock band KISS.
Cruiseable's matching technology and travel experts then help connect individuals who want to join a group on the same sailing, saving passengers time and money. The tool can also be used to start organizing a group cruise for additional savings.
"One of the secret little practices in the travel industry is that cruise lines reward travel agencies with an extra stateroom if they book a certain number of cabins on a specific cruise," said Cruiseable CEO J.D. Lasica. "Cruiseable is the only booking platform that gives back the bonus cabin to the group itself 100 percent of the time."
The group participants or group organizer can then decide how to split up the savings, which can amount to thousands of dollars per cruise, Lasica said. "You might want a lower fare for all passengers in your group. Or if it's a large multigenerational family traveling together, you might want to give Grandma a free cruise. Or you might reward the group organizer for the time she spent organizing the event." In addition, Cruiseable awards a $500 onboard credit bonus for participating groups.
Cruiseable’s Group Cruises Tool is quick and easy to use:
1) Visit cruiseable.com/group-cruises
2) Select a desired destination, time of travel, length of trip, price range and optional interests and click Submit.
3) A travel expert for the destination you selected will contact you, typically within 15 minutes.
There is no obligation or deposit required until a cruise match is found and the traveler decides to book it.
Group cruises cater to families & organizations
A wide variety of organizations, businesses, individuals and affinity groups go on group cruises. "On birds of a feather cruises, you might hit it off with a group of strangers who share a similar interest, hobby or passion — everything from golfers who want to walk the same courses that Nicklaus and Mickelson played, to fans of the Moody Blues, to people who love 'Survivor' and want to see the islands where it took place," Lasica said.
The company is tapping into the crowdsourcing movement, he added, by giving people the tools to self-organize instead of relying on travel agencies to do it for them.
Cruiseable is tailoring its Group Cruises Tool to these groups in particular:
- Individuals: destination wedding parties, multigenerational travel, family reunions, friends and neighbors, girlfriend getaways, school reunions
- Organizations: professional associations, community groups, veterans groups, service club, church groups, Jewish heritage explorers, women's groups, nonprofit and volunteer organizations
- Affinity groups: food and wine lovers, art, history and culture buffs, fans of TV shows or movie genres, hobbyists who like bridge or cards, book clubs, line dancers, bird watchers, sport fans, music fans who like Big Band, jazz, rock, hip-hop or Techno
- Businesses: corporate retreats, employee incentive trips, employees of consumer packaged goods manufacturers
Cruiseable, which calls itself a cruise discovery engine, booking site and online travel publication, combines state-of-the-art "Bliss Filters" technology with community content, travel journalism and high-quality photos on both the Cruiseable.com website and Cruiseable mobile app for iOS.
About Cruiseable
Based in San Francisco and Miami, Cruiseable provides travelers the tools to research, discover, plan and book the perfect cruise. The site’s proprietary Bliss Filters allow travelers to search through thousands of available cruises based on ship itineraries, prices and dates but also on consumers' specific preferences such as finding ships known for great entertainment, dining experiences or romantic getaways.
Both a website and a mobile iOS app, Cruiseable features an extensive visual library of more than 25,000 high-quality photos, cruise reviews, travel guides, how-to articles and more. Cruiseable also provides travelers with a technology platform that enables them to quickly and easily share and contribute content. Registration is free.
Group Cruises Tool on the Web: https://cruiseable.com/group-cruises
Download the app: bit.ly/cruiseapp
On Twitter: @cruiseable
On Facebook: facebook.com/cruiseable and facebook.com/ilovecruiseships
Media contact
Ryan Rea
Chief Engagement Officer
[email protected]
(425) 894-6834
Palm Beach, Fla.
