A special thank you goes to Anita Durham-Potter for her wonderful article and kinds words, “Simple Pleasures Define Regent Alaska Cruise” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13418758/). Please check it out for a great overview of the onboard experience.
Thanks again to Anita!
National Cruise Month is just around the corner and travel agents specializing in cruise travel are busy making preparations to take advantage of this national blitz. Here are some ideas;
Open house – Invite clients to stop buy and visit your office; watch a new cruise DVD; pick-up a brochure; buy a cruise guide book; maybe even listen to a featured presentation. Top off the evening with a drawing; participating cruise lines are happy to provide promotional items you can use; raffle a travel bag, a t-shirt, or a cruise book. You name it!
Theme night – Focus on a destination and develop the theme throughout the office. Invite your favorite clients in for an in-depth look at that cruise hot spot. Scour your yellow pages and business cards and find someone to speak. Highlight the Mediterranean and get a college professor to talk about art in ancient Greece or Rome; or concentrate on Mexico or the Caribbean and find a dance teacher to give a few pointers on salsa or meringue! If you choose Alaska or South America – you can always ask me! What better way to represent the cruise line or the destination than to have an expert giving all the exciting, juicy, first-hand details of what to see and do while on the cruise.
As Alaska is the most popular destination for cruise arrivals in the world; it is safe to say spotlighting the area would be a choice of interest to many of your clients. To make your night as successful as possible, I’d like to offer my book – “The Cruise Friendly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage” – at a special one-time only discounted rate for qualified travel agents and agencies. Take advantage of this offer and use the book as an incentive, a prize, or retail it in your agency. Please contact me directly for details. Good luck!
For those of us who for decades have advocated travel to South America, it comes as no surprise that the post 9/11 world is realizing the Western Hemisphere south of the border is a vast and beautiful land of safe and inviting destinations. There are many advantages to cruising South America; diverse ports of call, exotic cultures; spectacular scenery; one of a kind experiences; world class cities; sophisticated resorts; great shopping; unique flora and fauna, etc. … all this under sunny summer skies while back home North America is covered by winter’s blanket of cold and dark. For many even the time zone is the same minimizing jet-lag; and no trans-oceanic flights!
This winter season (2006/2007) over ten cruise lines will offer cruises to South America! That is a far cry for just a few years ago when only a handful of ships ventured south of the equator. Today cruisers are taking advantage of everything from great weather to great exchange rates.
Most popular South American cruise experiences include sailing the Amazon River – largest river in the world and circumnavigating legendary Cape Horn! Top destinations; where else? Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires! But don’t forget many cruises begin and end in strategic ports allowing travelers to visit more remote areas like Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, and Iguasu Falls, in pre and post-cruise excursions. For more information on excursions ashore contact the experts at Ladatco (www.ladatco.com). After thirty years in business, no one knows South America better!
For those contemplating a cruise to South America, don’t forget your, “The Cruiser Friendly Onboard Guide.” As noted earlier, I am putting the finishing touches on three new books about the area!
Thursday, October 19, 2006, Cruise Line International Association affiliated travel agencies will be sponsoring special cruise nights and promotions across the country in celebration of National Cruise Vacation Month. Called, “The World’s Largest Cruise Night” CLIA expects its 2006 event to draw an even larger consumer turnout than last year which was its debut.
According to Terry Dale, CEO of CLIA, “In 2005, participating agencies reported well over 7,000 bookings, with approximately $5 million in cruise sales resulting in more than $600,000 in commissions. WLCN serves as the centerpiece for October’s National Cruise Vacation Month, which each year focuses consumer attention on the pleasures of cruising. On October 19, 2006, plans call for CLIA travel agents to invite their clients and potential customers to attend events, ranging from cocktail receptions to breakfast sessions to full-scale cruise expos. At each event , consumers can learn about the diversity of cruise vacations available on the more than 150 ships of CLIA’s 19 member cruise lines and the more than 1,800 ports of call they visit globally.”
CLIA retailers can find out more about information and resources in their local area at the “WLCN Resource Center” at www.cruising.org.
Two years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Rains onboard the Seven Seas Mariner. Scott is a pioneer in the field of Universal Design, where he spearheads the concept of inclusive travel and universal accessibility of public places. His newsletter Rolling Rains (www.rollingsrains.com) contains invaluable information on travel for those with disabilities and is the inspiration of my article, “Choose to Cruise: On becoming Cruiser Friendly for those with Disabilities.” (Posted soon.)
In a ruling by the United States Supreme Court on June 6, 2005, it was determined that the Americans with Disabilities Act, “protects passengers with disabilities even on ships flagged to foreign ports when they operate in the United States.” That means all cruise ships are required to make their ships 100% Cruiser Friendly. That stated, what exactly does that mean?
I have worked at sea for over sixteen years and have seen travelers with disabilities struggle to do the simplest things onboard ship. In this microcosm of society, inclusive travel means more than wider doorways and wheelchair accessible restrooms. To truly accommodate everyone cruise lines must give careful thought to things most of us take for granted. Roughly twenty-five percent of the traveling public considers themselves disabled and number will grow as the population ages, the cruise industry will be prudent in investing in those considerations now.
Fully-equipped kids center on the Norweigan Dawn. www.02cruise.com
This is actually a touchy subject – do we, or do we not like children onboard cruise ships?
Obviously, we are not talking about Disney ships where it’s all about family fun; I am talking about small, luxury cruise ships getting into the family market.
For five years I was employed by Princess Cruises; during that time the fleet of “Grand Class Ships” was just being launched. Spacious activity centers featuring game rooms, karaoke, computers, story telling theaters, and wading pools were specifically designed for young children and teens. It was fun! A full-time staff of credentialed counselors supervised activities and hosted adventures onboard ship. Though hundreds of children were sometimes aboard, rarely did you ever see them. The opportunity for safe and sane multi-generational travel had begun! Where else but on a ship can grandpa snooze on a deck chair, while the grandkids play in the Youth Center, and mom and dad enjoy a massage at the spa? No doubt it is a great way for the whole family to vacation together!
However many small-luxury ship cruise lines, not previously in the business of family cruising, are now considering getting involved. Hospitality industry figures show increasing numbers of affluent families travel with their children. In response, hotels like Ritz-Carlton are including well-equipped children’s centers complete with ongoing supervised activities on their properties. Can small luxury cruise ships do the same?
Unfortnately, not all ships were originally designed to accommodate children. Let’s face it – if there’s no space for them, there’s no place for them! According to CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) the policy of most small luxury ships is “children not encouraged.”
Because of the limited season when children can travel with their parents, it is not practical to retrofit a small ship to make way for lavish children’s centers. Doing their best to accommodate children onboard many small ships make the most of counselors and staff with educational and experiential activities. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has teamed with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Future’s Society to launch a program entitled, “Ambassadors of the Sea.” Already in place onboard the Paul Gaugin in Tahiti, the program has been a resounding success. After extensive onboard briefings naturalists take participants off ship to explore the wonders of sea. However before small luxury ships consider similiar programs they must carefully weigh the needs of family travelers with those of their existing clienetele to ensure the level of service upon which the cruise line has built its reputation is never compromised.
Just wanted to say Thank You to all that have purchased a copy of my most recent book, “The Cruiser Freindly Guide to Alaska’s Inside Passage.” As noted on the back, 10% of the book price (yup!) was donated to charity. For the first edition a contribution was made to the “Make-A-Wish” Foundation. Monies from the second edition have gone to Hospice.
I was just informed that Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, used our donation toward the purchase of an artificial kidney machine for Hospice.
Thank you. I am twice blessed to not only share my love of cruising with you, but also through your support, to be able to help others. Amen.
On this crisp, clear morning approaching Petropavlosk, all the area’s snow-clad volcanoes can be seen.
