Recap of HR Conference Cruise

By Chad V. Sorenson, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, Past President, HR Florida State Council

When you think of an HR Conference certain images come to mind. A large hotel, numerous speakers, conference rooms that are either too cold or too hot, and the dreaded “banquet chicken” for lunch. We look forward to the conferences because of the relationships we develop and the information we can glean from the speakers, but after the sessions are over our options for fun and relaxation may be limited.

Not so for the HR Conference Cruise! In March, nearly 100 participants boarded Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas for a six-day, five-night trip to Mexico and the Bahamas. Not only did we have eight dynamic speakers that presented on topics from Women in Leadership to Creating Psychologically Safe Teams, but our times between the sessions were filled with fun, laughter and more activities than you can do in five days!

HR Florida has participated in the HR Conference Cruise for the past four years in partnership with the Ohio SHRM State Council, the New York SHRM State Council and Aspect Marketing, the conference organizer. This year, in addition to the 11.5 recertification credit hours earned during the cruise, affectionally called “surf sessions,” there were four “turf sessions” offered as webinars in the weeks leading up to the cruise. In all, participants were able to earn 16.5 business credit hours toward their recertification requirements.

One of the greatest aspects of an HR conference at sea is the time you get to spend with other attendees and the speakers. Our conference sessions are held in the mornings and early afternoons of our sea days, which gives plenty of time to explore the ship, find the casino or grab a book, a lounge chair and a frozen beverage to spend some much-needed down time. At night, the conference attendees enjoy dinner together before heading off to evening activities like the production shows or some fun as we cheer on our very own HR conference karaoke singers. We also have the opportunity explore our cruise destinations as a group or on our own. Jeep tours, ziplining, Mayan ruins exploration or a day at the beach are just some of the possibilities.

In the end you get the benefit of not only continuing your HR education, but you get to spend some much-needed down time. It’s the perfect life-work balance. But who knew cruise ships had conference centers?!? Next year – discover it for yourself. Registration is now open for the 2026 HR Conference Cruise, and again HR Florida is partnering with the Ohio and New York SHRM State Councils for a March 7–12, 2026 conference on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas. We will depart from Port Canaveral, Florida with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. The destinations are set, the speakers selected (including yours truly), and the marketing is preparing for another great experience. All we need is you. See you on board!