Recently I received an e-mail request from an inquiring prospect. It was a generic request to our website, so it wasn't addressed to any particular agent. The person wanted me to let them know how much it would cost to take a cruise next summer. They did say they had two children, but that was all the information they had given. Well, in this day and time in the cruise quoting business, we need a whole lot more information before we can give an intelligent, legitimate quote.
That issue was addressed in a recent issue of Travel Weekly. Several years ago, selling a cruise was fairly simple, there were relatively few options and only limited itineraries. Nowadays, as one of the executives for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines said, “there's way, way too many choices for a customer to understand, even if they're an avid traveler”.
For example, back when Carnival purchased Holland America in 1989, Carnival had 7 ships, Holland had 4. Currently, Carnival has 25 with the 26th on the way, Holland America just took delivery of their 14th ship. When talking about giving a quote, one veteran agent said, you have to check the military veteran, check the senior rate, check the resident status, check the past guest rate...then you have to consider what type of promotion would be the best such as the prepaid gratuities or beverage package or a night at a specialty restaurant night, or internet credit, or on-board-credit. Just makes your head spin at all the possibilities.
Another cruise executive remarked at an agents convention that “you guys have a tougher job than we do...our in-house agents only have to know about one brand, you have to know 20+ other brands”. At that same meeting, Christine Duffy, the president of Carnival Cruise Line, said that “given the number of cruise brands that are out there, the number of options even within the brands based on different classes of ships, different itineraries, I think we've all said that a travel agent is the best resource to really help people navigate to make sure that they get on the right cruise.”
In 1990, all of the Cruise Lines International Association member lines sailed about 100 total ships. Today, the number is 448, with dozens more on order. So what has happened to many agencies is that they have gone to selling only cruises, a niche agency. On the other hand, some agencies have discontinued selling cruises because of all the training required to keep up, and have started selling only the all-inclusive packages and land tour packages.
The agents at The Travel Factory have much experience in selling as well as experiencing the different cruise lines. Someone in the agency has personal experience on Princess, Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Viking River Cruises, and have sold our guests on the American Cruise Lines, Cunard, Disney, Oceania, Viking Ocean, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Uniworld River Cruises. So, we think, with the proper answer to our questions of the potential cruiser, we can match a cruise to the needs of any family.
And....remember that we have that annual Alaska cruise/tour available with only $100 a person deposit and you can take advantage of the all-inclusive beverage package including soft drinks, beer, wine, cocktails, and my favorite, milk shakes. That promotion is good until next Wednesday, Aug. 31.
See us face-to-face at 4150 Southwest Drive, or give us a call 698-1421 or 800-760-4040. You can also see lot of cruise information on our website: www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com. Check the good photos on that website too, taken by our cruise friends.