Selecting, selling, and Pricing Cruises

Selecting a Cruise
Selling to Today’s Clients
Selling Skills
Basic Steps in Selling Cruise
SELECTING A CRUISE
Whether a specific cruise ship or cruise line is desired
Length of Cruise
Cruise departure point; cruise area or destination
SELECTING A CRUISE
Client’s budget
Dates of travel preferred any alternatives
Destinations the client is interested in visiting
SELECTING A CRUISE
Whether the client has been on a cruise before; if yes, what ships
Client’s likes, dislikes, expectations of services
Any special needs or requirements
SELLING TO TODAY’S CLIENTS
Gifts for Cruise Clients
Majors Factors that determine the Choice and Cost of a Cruise

SELLING TO TODAY’S CLIENTS

Gifts for Cruise Clients
Majors Factors that determine the Choice and Cost of a Cruise
GIFTS FOR CRUISE CLIENTS
Limousine service to and from the ship
Bottle of champagne/wine delivered to the cabin
Bottle of wine at dinner
Bottles of sparkling juices
A credit toward a bar tab

GIFTS FOR CRUISE CLIENTS

A gift certificate for the shop on board, the beauty salon, or for on board
photos
Travel guidebooks
A pocket/disposable camera, film
Blank videotapes
Compact binoculars

Majors Factors that determine the Choice and Cost of a Cruise

Season
Space Ratio
Ship Service and Facilities

Majors Factors that determine the Choice and Cost of a Cruise

Itineraries
Accommodations
Activities

Qualifying the Client

Qualifying questions include the client’s budget, dates of travel, likes and
dislikes, cruise and other travel experiences, destinations preferred, special
needs or requirements, and so on. It takes a great deal of experience to get
to know all the different cruise lines and to be able to recommend a specific
and appropriate cruise to a client.

Qualifying the Client

Qualifying questions include the client’s budget, dates of travel, likes and
dislikes, cruise and other travel experiences, destinations preferred, special
needs or requirements, and so on. It takes a great deal of experience to get
to know all the different cruise lines and to be able to recommend a specific
and appropriate cruise to a client.

Qualifying the Client

Qualifying questions include the client’s budget, dates of travel, likes and
dislikes, cruise and other travel experiences, destinations preferred, special
needs or requirements, and so on. It takes a great deal of experience to get
to know all the different cruise lines and to be able to recommend a specific
and appropriate cruise to a client.

Qualifying the Client

Qualifying questions include the client’s budget, dates of travel, likes and
dislikes, cruise and other travel experiences, destinations preferred, special
needs or requirements, and so on. It takes a great deal of experience to get
to know all the different cruise lines and to be able to recommend a specific
and appropriate cruise to a client.

Qualifying the Client

Qualifying questions include the client’s budget, dates of travel, likes and
dislikes, cruise and other travel experiences, destinations preferred, special
needs or requirements, and so on. It takes a great deal of experience to get
to know all the different cruise lines and to be able to recommend a specific
and appropriate cruise to a client.

Selling skills
5. Procedural skills to reserve space, handle payments and other
documentation necessary, and to provide professional services

Selling skills
5. Procedural skills to reserve space, handle payments and other
documentation necessary, and to provide professional services

Selling skills
5. Procedural skills to reserve space, handle payments and other
documentation necessary, and to provide professional services

Which Cruise to Choose

•Celebrity Cruise Lines-casually elegant and known for its excellent cuisine.

Which Cruise to Choose

•Cunard Line- excellent service on the world-renowned Queen Elizabeth 2.
Which Cruise to Choose
•Princess Cruises- the famous “Love Boat” fleet offers richly appointed and
spacious ships.

Which Cruise to Choose

•Royal Caribbean International- award-winning services, spectacular and
modern ships, excellent cuisine, great entertainment and value.

Which Cruise to Choose

•Royal Caribbean International- award-winning services, spectacular and
modern ships, excellent cuisine, great entertainment and value.

Which Cruise to Choose

•Royal Caribbean International- award-winning services, spectacular and
modern ships, excellent cuisine, great entertainment and value.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

1. The client comes in requesting brochure or information on a cruise, or
clients call about a cruise.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

1. The client comes in requesting brochure or information on a cruise, or
clients call about a cruise.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

3. If a specific line or ship is requested, go over the information. If not,
selected two or three cruise ships, based on the factors discussed

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

4. Complete a reservation/inquiry form with all the necessary information.
Some agencies have
a software program for inputting this data.
Basic Steps in Selling Cruises
5. If clients need to think it over, try to encourage a booking to hold a
space temporarily. Most line will hold a cabin or category rate with an
“option date”- a date by which a payment is due or the reservations are
cancelled

Basic Steps in Selling Cruise

6. Assure clients of your interesting in assisting them with this trip
opportunity and in answering any question they have. Review the specific
cruise details. Give a brochure with pertinent information highlighted or
send the applicable details. Give your business card or name for contact,
and thank them for calling/coming in.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruise

7. Call clients about the request or follow up on the “temporary
reservation” and any deposit or payment requirements.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruise

7. Call clients about the request or follow up on the “temporary
reservation” and any deposit or payment requirements.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

9.Between the deposit and final payment dates, keep in touch with the
client and provide additional helpful information such as maps, destination
information, shore excursion (with possible pre-booking, and so on).

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

10. When final payment is made, go over questions, indicate when
documents will be ready/mailed, provide any special “trips hints” or
advice, and go over embarkation and return specifics.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

11. A follow-up letter of phone call a week or two after the clients return
provides valuable feedback and possible subsequent reservations.

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

Pricing – Cruise only
Pricing – Air/Sea

Basic Steps in Selling Cruises

Pricing – Cruise only
Pricing – Air/Sea

Pricing – Cruise only

COMMISSION = TOTAL CABIN RATE and ANY OTHER COMMISSIONABLE
ITEMS
x % OF COMMISSION
Pricing – Air/Sea
TOTAL CABIN RATE = Cabin rate per person x 2 (or single
occupancy charges) and, if applicable, third/fourth person rate

Pricing – Air/Sea
TOTAL CRUISE COST = TOTAL CABIN RATE (after any deductions)
+ PORT CHARGES (if separate) + AIR/SEA PROGRAM + ADDITIONAL
SUPPLEMENTS, PRE-POST ADD-ONS, INSURANCE, ETC

Pricing – Air/Sea
COMMISSION = TOTAL CABIN RATE and ANY OTHER
COMMISSIONABLE ITEMS x % OF COMMISSION

 Several cruise lines have been making an effort to hold on to some of

their biggest-spending customers and getting them to spend more by
revamping some aspects of a traditional cruise and offering a more
exclusive experience.

Cruise lines are offering an upgraded “suite” accommodation with VIP

perks and amenities including luxury pool decks, 24-hour butler service,
priority bookings for spa treatments, higher quality meals and
complimentary cocktails.

It’s never good to compete solely on price

 According to customer research, many cruise lines found that their

suite passengers were not as satisfied with some aspects of the
cruise experience.
 Some people might miss the old-style egalitarianism of a cruise.

Some Lessons to Learn from the new “class system” of the Cruise industry
  Do your market research
 Treat different customers differently
 Avoid the low-cost trap.

The Market

 When you own a small cruise line, you want to establish a niche
market to compete with the big corporate cruise companies.
 An active social media presence and effective Internet presence
boost sales as well.
Expand Online Presence
 Communicate with your previous customers and with travel
agents who’ve sent you business in the past.
 Building relationships is an important marketing tool
 Make Introductions
 Introduce yourself to potential cruisers and travel agents
 Offer free travel to agents positioned to bring you new
business.
 Reach out to new markets
 Create Niche Packages
 Eco-travel packages
 Cruise to a remote area
 Arranged guided tours of a rain forest or nature preserve.
 Hiking, rafting, zip lining
 Add on-board activities for those cruisers who prefer to skip
the shore excursions
 Get Involved
 Offer to attend local job fairs
 Speak at career days in you local high school and colleges
 Bring brochures and posters to hang in community centers
 Sponsor a local league team
 Purchase goods locally for use on your ships

The Travel Agent

 Travel agents are professionals who provide assistance with
organizing and booking travel.
 The services of a travel agent can still be quite valuables, especially
for people who are not experienced travelers.
The Travel Agent
 Most travel agents work at a travel agency, although it is also
possible to work with an independent travel agent.
 Fee is the percentage of the cost of the trip
 Some travel agent charge flat fees for their work.
Functions of Travel Agents
 Book a plane ticket
 Planned trip
 Reserve a car rental, book hotel rooms, secure restaurant
reservations, organize various shore excursions and trips.
 Travel assistance (local maps, information about travel vaccines,
pamphlets about culturally-appropriate behavior
 Tips about best time of year to travel
 Things to watch out for in various regions of the world
 Recommendations about language schools
 Visas and travel documents
 Hire a local guide
Cruise Travel Agent Training
Cruise travel agents, may work independently or for a cruise line or travel
agency, and they undergo special training in cruise planning.
 Requirements
 Each training program has its own specific requirements, but most
require some type of online or classroom work.
 Carnival’s training includes completing a five-chapter online course for
each three levels of training
 CLIA require the participant to have personal cruise experience
 Topics
 Cruise knowledge
 Anatomy of a cruise ship
 Pre- and post- cruise experiences
 cruise marketing and selling
Loyalty
 Cruise lines offer loyalty programs to reward passengers for their
repeat business and to incentivize them to return for their next
voyage.
Benefits of joining a cruise line’s loyalty programs
 Booking discounts
 Reduced deposits
  Onboard credits
 Invitation to private functions
 Free laundry
 Complimentary Wi-Fi
 Cabin upgrades
 First-in-line diner
 Casino vouchers
 Logo-item souvenirs
 Tasty treats
 Welcome aboard champagne
The Cruise Product
 Accommodation
 Cabins and Suites
 Balcony
 Superfamily
The Cruise Product
 Dining Onboard
 Main Dining Room
 Beyond Buffets
 Asian Fusion
 Options abound
 Specialty restaurants
 Family Dining

The Cruise Product

 Bars
 Unique selection of drinks
The Cruise Product
 Entertainment
 Stage shows, tribute bands, cinema
 Shore Excursions
  A wide variety of tourist areas, distinct from ports and harbors
where the cruise liner halts is something any person would want to
experience.
The Cruise Product
 Spa, Beauty Therapy and Hair Care
 Shops
 Photography
 Casino
Roadblocks to Purchase

1. Cruises are too expensive. In most polls, this is the number one
obstacle to purchasing a cruise. One reason: Consumers aren't
accustomed to paying for their whole vacation experience at once,
well in advance of departure. They forget that since a cruise is
inclusive, it will seem to have a high price tag. This is why CLIA
urges travel agents to do an analysis for clients that compares the
cost of a cruise to a conventional land-based trip. When the clients
see their costs spelled out, they realize that a cruise represents a
remarkable value. (See Figure 2-1.)

2. Cruises are boring. This objection comes from the days of

transatlantic crossings, when the most some passengers did was sit
on a deck chair bundled up in a blanket. Cruises are a different
experience today. The problem isn't that there's too little to do, but
that there's often too much ....

3. Cruises are only for older people. Here's another objection with
roots in old-time cruising. A few cruise experiences do indeed skew
toward a more mature passenger profile, but brochure descriptions
make this bias very clear. Others tend toward younger passengers.
The majority of cruises, however, feature passengers from just about
every age group, with the average age becoming lower and lower.
(It's currently 43 years.)

4. Cruises are stuffy and too formal. A cruise is largely an informal

and relaxed experience. On certain ships, a dress code does prevail
in the main dining room, sometimes for lunch, often for dinner.
Formality is somewhat more frequent on upscale cruises, much less
likely or even nonexistent on certain mass-market cruises, a sailing
ship, or an adventure/education cruise. (See Figure 2-2 for a typical
dress code requirement on an upscale cruise.)

5. Cruises are too regimented. To achieve the efficient flow of

hundreds to thousands of passengers, cruise lines do try to organize
things as best they can. But organization on a ship is far from rigid--
there's plenty of freedom. Routines are especially relaxed on very
large ships, upscale cruise lines, sailing ships, and
adventure/education cruises.

6. There's not enough time in ports. It's true that cruise ships rarely
stay in a port for more than 12 hours. At minor ports, this (or less
time) may be all that's needed. And as we said earlier, one of the
major goals of a cruise client is to sample a region.

For example, a traveler might wish to visit the major ports of the
western Mexican coast, then return a few years later for a resort stay
in the city that was most impressive. Moreover, it is possible--
through a pre- or postcruise package--to spend extended time at the
departure and/or arrival port. And to satisfy those clients who want a
more extended port experience, some cruise lines are now spending
more than a day in certain intermediate ports or building faster ships
that will get from place to place more quickly, thus permitting a
longer port stay.

7. The ship environment is too confining. Cruise ship designers have

become increasingly adept at creating a sense of spaciousness
aboard ship. Vast windows in public spaces, pale colors, and other
tricks of the architectural trade "expand" the environment. The actual
space that each client has is fairly well expressed by something
called space ratio. More about that in Chapter 3.

8. Aren't you forced to socialize with people? As mentioned earlier,

meeting interesting fellow passengers aboard ship is perceived as a
benefit by many cruisers.

The likelihood that you'll meet people you have plenty in common
with is great. Some people, though, find socializing uncomfortable.
To address this, cruise lines organize all sorts of optional events to
make mixing comfortable and easy. In theory, though, someone who
wants to be alone could very well do that aboard a ship. Reading
while in a deck chair, dining in one's stateroom, watching the
scenery go by from a private verandah, opting for a ship with an
unregimented approach--these and more can enable someone to
enjoy a cruise without a whole lot of socializing.

9. I was in the Navy, and the last thing I want to do is take my

vacation on a ship. You'd be surprised how often this one comes up.
But a pleasure cruise is dramatically different from the Navy
experience. Virtually everyone who cites this objection discovers
quite rapidly that this is a silly preconception.

10. I'll eat too much and put on weight. Cruise veterans jokingly refer
to "five-pound cruises" and "ten-pound cruises." The reality today is
this: Low-calorie, healthy dining choices are increasingly available
on ships, plus exercise opportunities allow you to work off all those
calories. Or at least some of them....

11. Are ships really safe? The Titanic still looms large in the minds of
the public--witness the immense box office success this 1998 film
achieved. But a Titanic-like catastrophe is virtually impossible today.
Modern safety regulation requirements and radar have seen to that.
Fires aboard ships have occurred, but they're rare and easily
contained.

12. I'm worried about terrorism. After 9/11/01, the cruise lines took
very forceful steps to guard against acts of terrorism. Passenger and
staff names are checked against government alert lists, luggage is
scanned, photo IDs are often required of everyone--indeed, in some
cases, the procedures followed are more rigorous than those at
airports. Also, cruise lines swiftly alter itineraries to adjust for
potential political flare-ups.

13. It's too far to fly to the port. This is a problem voiced by those
who live far inland (e.g., North Dakota or Saskatchewan) and whose
ship is leaving from, say, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Make them realize
it's worth it for such a great experience (e.g., "It's only a half-day to
one of the greatest vacations of your life"), or sell them on a closer
port destination--one that requires less flying time and/or fewer
connections or perhaps is within a reasonable driving distance.

14. I'm worried about getting sick. Some people are especially
vulnerable to motion discomfort. But ship stabilizers (underwater
wing-like devices that reduce a ship's roll) and other design features
have minimized this problem. Cruise vessels also tend to sail in
protected waters, where motion is less likely to occur. Many cruisers
use Sea Bands[R], wrist bracelets that, through accupressure,
apparently reduce the effect of ship motion. Physicians can also
prescribe pills or skin patches that, for most people, relieve motion
sickness. Alcohol and lack of sleep can worsen seasickness. People
who are prone to motion discomfort should avoid drinking too much
or sleeping too little. Another sickness concern: "Will I catch
something onboard?" Press coverage sometimes makes it seem
that stomach-attacking germs lurk everywhere on a cruise, that
every ship railing hosts the Norwalk virus. Yet the U.S. government's
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which regularly
assesses shipboard sanitation conditions, has stressed that such
viruses exist everywhere, that they may be the second most
common thing people catch in any situation (the common cold is
first). To allay fears, however, cruise lines now take intense
precautions to keep their vessels extra clean and sanitized.

A question allied to all this: "What happens if I get ill while onboard?"
Health professionals are right there aboard ship to deal with
problems. No hotel can offer that.
15. I don't know enough about cruises. Though this objection is not
commonly voiced, it's behind almost all the others. Many people are
afraid to try something they've never experienced. More information
usually resolves their reluctance, since this objection often implies
that the client wants to know more .... Your job: to make them
visualize themselves on a ship and feel--in advance--how wonderful
it will be.