Ambassador Cruise has clinched two national records due to ‘Ambassador Cruise II’ vessel’s huge capacity and compelling entertainment set-up. The Vietnam Record Association recently announced Ambassador Cruise II, which hosts lavish day and dinner cruises of Halong Bay and has a 600-guest capacity, has been recognised in the Vietnam Book of Records as the country’s “highest capacity” cruise ship.

Ambassador Cruise is heralding the dawn of a new day in cruising Halong Bay, with the launch of a day cruise on a new vessel with restaurants and bars, an outdoor jacuzzi and a striking glass bridge. The five-star line behind the UNESCO World Heritage site’s most sublime cruise experiences launched the day-long ‘Ambassador Day Cruise II’ tours on 10 February 2023.

This is probably not the best time to feature Armenia as a travel destination given the current Covid-19 situation, but Armenia does have its beauty, legends and fascinating history. While there is potential for international meetings and incentive travel in Armenia, limitations in accessibility and its sometimes tense relationship with its neighbouring countries are obstacles for MICE organisers.

At the recent Asian MICE Cruise Conference held in-conjunction with IT&CMA 2019, the speakers discussed the viability of organising MICE events on a cruise ship. Some of the key benefits highlighted by the speakers at the conference include:

• All-in-one venue (conference, F&B, team-building, entertainment);
• All-inclusive package for accommodation, meeting, food, beverage, live performances and activities;
• Captive audience as delegates will not be distracted by shopping or other attractions as compared to events in a land destination;
• Savings on land transport time and costs;
• Less logistic hassle in managing different suppliers;
• Costs on board is consistent as compared to land event, where costs in one city may vary widely with costs in another city;
• Overall cost savings of about 30% when MICE event is held on board a ship as compared to an event on land.

However, the “MICE” most cruise operators refer to is incentive groups. The main objective of incentive travel is to create fun for the employees and cultivate loyalty to the company. Hence it is not difficult to see how the wine, dine and entertainment on a cruise would be perfect for incentive groups. But how about more serious meeting, conference and exhibition. How many percent of a cruise ship is really purpose-built for MICE? MICEreview went on-board the Genting Dream Cruise for a six-days-five-nights experience to find out.