Cruise wedding on your wish list? it’s time to let your wish “Set Sail”!

The buzz about the Mumbai – Goa Luxury cruise has been doing the rounds for some time now. However, the media now has the dates, rates and some specific details uncovered.

The premium cruise service is a joint venture between Mumbai Port Trust and Angriya Sea Eagle Pvt Ltd. 

The vessel “Angriya” after having completed its trial run earlier this year will finally set sail on its maiden voyage on 12^th October 2018.

Where &When to Board?

The Angriya will commence its 16-hour voyage from the Purple Gate of Mumbai’s Indira Docks at 5pm and arrive at Mormugao in South Goa the next day at 9am with no halt in between. The cruise will operate every alternate day from Mumbai or Goa.

How to book?

Bookings can be initiated through the website http://angriyacruises.com/book-now.html which is scheduled to go live soon.

Can the ship accommodate your guest list?

The Angriya features six decks, and can accommodate a total of 399 passengers.

The 20-year-old vessel was built in Japan, and is said to have carried passengers from Tokyo to the islands of Ogaswara in the yester years. The ships been refurbished with best-in-class luxury facilities by the Mumbai Port Trust. There are 104 cabins spread across eight categories—from dorms and pods to family rooms and suites.

How much do you pay?

A one-way ticket for the cruise will be in the Rs 7,000 to Rs 11,000 bracket (per person) depending on the cabin categorisation.

The fare you pay will buy you cabin lodging and three meals, which would comprise evening snacks, dinner and breakfast. 

Some entertainment while you sail?

The ship is equipped with an infinity pool at the rear end of the ship, a well-endowed spa at the lowermost deck and express mani-pedi counters at the decks above. For those who seek quite corners the reading room is the place to be. You could also soak in the beautiful sights the Konkan coast has to offer at three decks; Monkey Deck, Gaaz Deck & the Pool Deck. The kids can also be signed up for a quick tour of the ship that allows them to be amazed and inspired by nautical trivia.

Dining Options

The buffet meals are laid at two restaurants Ancora and Coral Reef, you can treat your taste buds to Chinese, Continental and Konkani cuisine.

Where to Party?

The cruise has to its credit six well stocked bars; Gaaz, Aguad, Sea Horse, Sorro Di,Sea Breeze and Goaf(Each name has a story to tell).The Fathom lounge is the ultimate place to let go and have some fun before the sun donned shores of Goa greet you.

One of the restaurants on the ship can be extended to organise wedding parties or corporate meetings.

Destination Weddings & all about - For you or not?

Yes, it is for you, it is for anyone and everyone!

Does it always have to be expensive and lavish? Hell no!!

I amaze myself at times given the budgets with which I have planned destination weddings in Goa/ Rajasthan/ Kerala and other parts of this enormous and splendid country.

The most beautiful destination weddings after planning over a hundred weddings are the small, simple, chic ones. A wedding is not just a union of souls and not just a reason to celebrate it is also a way of gratitude that you have found your perfect mate.

In simple words, it has to reflect who you are; the couple should open their hearts and ensure the wedding reflects their personalities.

Indian families have a tendency of making it “larger than life", trust me it's not important. It's only about how personal you can keep it, how elegant you can keep it, how you can celebrate only with people who “matter to you".

When this thought arises, you surely have a picture, as either a beach or mountains, palaces or a desert will be your ideal venue.

Fun or history, quirky or traditional, larger than life or chic and quaint, a hidden gem or a flamboyant location. 

When you are able to decide, keep the following in mind when you book a venue.

1. Choose a planner first and the location can follow.

2. Work with people and believe in your planner/ consultant.

3. If you have time and can do a few things on your own then go with a consultant or a concierge service than a wedding planner.

4. Online is a massive portfolio of vendors for each category. Ensure you check the delivery and the consistency of the vendor chosen.

5. Often when you cut corners, you end up spending more in the end.

6. Keep it simple, people will crib anyway :)

7. Experiences matter more than things.

8. Never compare vendors with only price.

9. Photographers are the second most important people in a wedding after bride and groom, don't compromise in this area. Go for a candid one, everyone is camera conscious!

10. If you have budget issues then avoid too many frills.

11. When you have a destination wedding, never go with an all meals package, in the end, the hotel will rip you off on even water and soft drinks. All meals packages always have limited menus. It's wiser to design your own menu.

The hotel/ venue will always have revenue to cover and they will!!!

12.  Alcohol and soft beverages are always cheaper to work on actuals than on per person packages, negotiate a discount on banquet rates than a per person rate.

13. A planner can add finesse and finer touches to your wedding, do not expect them to wave a magic wand or sprinkle Fugazi.

14. The elements like Decoration of your venues, entertainment for each event, Photo/ Video, Make Up artists, Permissions, licenses, Priests etc. are all available in various budgets, try not to have one vendor imitate work of the other, original will always perform better.

15. There are personal shopping assistants & stylists available for styling the bride, groom and the immediate family. This will ensure optimum utilization of time, money and you can look your best.

Signing Off

Garema Kumar

Am I being overcharged? Event Planner V/S Online Booking Portals

The question I receive most frequently and have replied to for almost every client, prospective client and even the not really a client category.

Yesterday a client pinged me,

Client: Booking.com rate is cheaper than the rate you have negotiated for 10 rooms

Me: ( In my Head )- “ You must be Kidding me”, this is the first thing I had explained to you!

There goes the whole saga…Yet Again!!

I will try and explain as briefly as possible the reason for such instances.

Hotels & Categories:

1. 5 Star Luxury
2. 5 Star as per Categorization
3. 4 Star/ 3 Star
4. Budget
5. Boutique
6. Service Apartments and Air Bnb's

Who decides what price the Hotel will sell at?

Each Hotel Category stated above, on receiving their categorization submits rate list to the FHRAI, which happen to be the Rack Rates. For a lot of seasonal destinations the rack rates differ for season and off season. These Rack rates are also the capping that the hotels cannot sell above the rack rate. Season Rates will always be higher than the off season rates. In Some instance can be 100% Higher than the off Season rates, completely dampening on the demand and supply of the City.

Why does Booking.com/Expedia/ Make My Trip/ Yatra.com/ Goibibo offer a lower  price?

Each Hotel has certain Travel Agencies or Tour Operators who support them through the year, Especially Chain Hotels sign Contracts with these sub sellers at the beginning of the Financial Year at a certain privileged Price, now it is the Sub Sellers Discretion how he sells it. One Trend that has been seen is the Dynamic Pricing (Example the Airline pricing), where the sub seller under a promotion might be selling at a lower price than the Contracted Price to lure customers, but you are never able to book more than 2 or 3 rooms at that promotional price, so when it comes to a group booking you will never be able to book your 10 rooms or 100 rooms at the price you see online.

Hotels in India also have strict policies now with travel agencies where the travel agency can sell the contracted prices to either a Tourist ( In professional Terms FIT - Foreign Individual traveler) and not a group. This is the same as airline pricing. These agencies will also have group rates limited to 15 rooms and not valid for any social events.

Why are Weddings and Social Event rates higher? Isn’t bulk business expected to be cheaper?

Well, technically yes they should be cheaper but Every Hotel has a Revenue Model and an ARR (Average Room Rate) to achieve. Over Years, hotels have realized the need of Weddings as a separate Segment and most of the hotels have hired a Wedding Coordinator. (NOT A WEDDING PLANNER)
Hence when you enquire for a wedding, the rates will be differ from the rates for a conference and that for a single room.

Normally a family on a vacation booking a room or two will need a Lavish breakfast, and order their Al a Carte Preferences for lunches and Dinner. This is called a continental plan - Bed and Breakfast.

A conference is business focussed and their breakfast and Lunches will be Working Meals as they are in and out of Conference, pretty much limited to a Menu like this for Lunch and Dinner

Sample Conference Lunch Menu: 1 Dal + 1 Paneer + 1 Vegetable + 1 Chicken + 1 Fish/ Mutton + Roti Rice + Salads + Achar + Papad Chutney and 2/3 Desserts.

Similar Menu for Dinner with may be some live stations or some starters added (in most cases 1 veg + 1 non veg).

The above is nowhere close to a Wedding Menu, in Indian Culture and in Destination Weddings food plays an important role, when you negotiate a deal with the Hotel, keep in mind the menu above for comparison. Similarly feel free to ask for their breakfast menu.

But still, are they making money?

When quoting a Wedding rate, they also average out the fact that if the entire hotel has been taken up by one client, they are doing a fixed sale, no extras will be incurred and the revenue is smartly divided in different segment, which justifies the role of a Revenue Manager in Every Hotel.

How to Ensure you get the best deal?

- Peak Wedding dates will not get you the best deals, be flexible with wedding dates and always go searching for a wedding venue with 2 to 3 different sets of dates in mind.
- Off-season Destination Weddings can be half the price of season weddings in terms of seasonal destinations.
- A lot of clients now do the Wedding Registry on the auspicious date and are open to the wedding celebrations dates and months to get better deals.
- If you book 10-12 Months prior, you definitely  will strike a better deal.

Hope the blog answers all your questions related to booking a Hotel for a destination wedding.
Please feel free to write to me at www.gkww.co.in for further queries.

Signing Off
Garema Kumar