Great for pleasure, not so great for business. If, as I suspect, he is sitting at the airport waiting, and waiting, and waiting, a cruise might not seem so bad!
With the Internet, the main reason for international business travel is so the *top dogs* can interact - especially true for government junkets.
A cruise ship is a great venue for *business conventions* offering similar benefits as large cities (New Orleans, New York) and keeps the participants from leaving or being otherwise distracted.
Not to mention all the other commercial/business class flight scheduling/coordination/expense.
Rail & ocean travel - renew, refresh and revisit - for jobs and cost savings.