Cruising with Carnival as its 'a fun ship' that stocks plenty of alcohol

for company making its goals for the year after recession

Four charter airplanes will fly everyone to Miami for a night before the cruise

A Waterloo cabinet manufacturer is taking its more than 800 employees on a company-paid Caribbean cruise to celebrate achieving key goals as it recovers from the recession.

Bertch Cabinet manufacturing co-founder Gary Bertch told his employees earlier this month that the company had met its goals for the year — and they would go on a five day cruise.

Employees depart on Sunday January 8 on one of four charter aircraft flying directly to Miami, where they will spend one night in a five star hotel before boarding the ship.

All 800 workers at Bertch Cabinet are going on a free trip to the Caribbean in January care of their boss. Here worker Joe Battles installs drawers

The Carnival cruise was chosen by Bertch because 'they're a fun ship. And if anyone knows our crowd, they like to have fun'

The Carnival cruise includes a stop at Key West and on the island of Cozumel off the coast of Mexico.

As to why Carnival?

Bertch is thrilled the company is back in the black again. Cruises had been reward to employees since 1989, but the last one was in 2005 before the recession hit

'They're a fun ship. And if anyone knows our crowd, they like to have fun,' Bertch said in an interview.

'The first time we had them we ran them out of beer. We've learned they stocked extra for our trip this time so we don't run out.'

The company, founded in a barn 1977, once employed more than 1,000 people. Employment dropped to about 600 people in 2011, but the company has since added about 240 workers, Bertch said.

'We finally got into the black again last year after we made it through the recession,' Bertch said.

He challenged employees a year ago to meet certain goals and offered the cruise as an incentive.

Cruises had been reward to employees since 1989, but that hadn't happened since 2005 because of the recession.

Bertch noted the recovery has been 'very slow' in his industry.