Over the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to create and facilitate experiential learning workshops at all kinds of venues including outdoor education centers, retreat sites, spas, resorts, hotels and even at the Cincinnati Zoo and Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds. This past week I added, a cruise ship!
I was surprised when the client asked me to facilitate a 3-day leadership retreat for 15 participants aboard Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas, sailing out of Port Canaveral, FL.
This client had used cruise ships in past with success. The main reasons for this venue was cost and focus. Turns out that when you are out of port and on the sea, cell phone and internet communications are several dollars per minute! The room rate which included meals was very affordable, less than $300 per person for the whole trip.The meeting space was as nice as any I have used complete with all the technological hook-ups and great support from the ship’s staff. You would never know you were on aboard a ship with over 3,000 other people traveling at 20+ knots except for a slight roll when the ship was in rougher water.
On the third day, the ship dropped anchor off shore from Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay, Bahamas. This allowed us to go ashore and take advantage of using the outdoors for a couple experiential learning labs. New scenery allowed for new opportunities to explore.
4 comments:
it was an awesome retreat... i know i went through blackberry withdraw symptoms, it was horrible, but loved the class and i would recommended to anyone.
Hi David:
Thanks again for the hands on approach to training. I believe this is my 4th Leadership retreat on a ship with my association and this one was the best so far because of all the hands on involvement by our participants.
I really believe that we got to know each other better making it easier to communicate, understand and value each others opinions as leaders of our Association.
This was my first retreat with the OSCAR Board of Directors and the first time that I've worked with a team MBTI. I'm looking forward to using the things that I learned, both interpersonally and systemically, in 2011! The experiential learning curriculum surpassed my expectations. I did not just learn the material - I experienced the lesson. Too Cool!
David,
Of all my Leadership Retreats, this was my favorite. Very informative and Fun! We not only learned about how we process information as individuals but we learned how we will act as a group. Knowing my strenghs and weaknesses will allow me to be more effective as a board member.
Great job!
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