Complexity of Selling Cruises

Two decades ago selling cruises was a lot easier for retail agents than it is today. There were fewer ships to know about, only a handful of itineraries and the pricing was relatively straightforward. Today, much of this has changed, making the job of cruise agents a lot more complicated which only highlights the value for consumers when dealing with CLIA Accredited agents. From CLIA’S USA version of Cruise360 held in Vancouver recently, many senior cruise industry executives commented that they didn’t envy the job of cruise retailers today. Royal Caribbean International President and COO, Adam Goldstein, said “Agents are in the information management business as there’s way too many choices for a customer to understand”. Rick Sasso, chairman of MSC Cruises North America, said to the agents in attendance, “You guys have the tougher job than even we do. I only have to know everything there is to know about MSC but you have to know about some 20 other brands and all the details and who’s got what and for whom they are most suited.” Former CLIA President & CEO, Christine Duffy, now president of Carnival Cruise Line, said the lines are counting on agents who sell its cruises to be product experts. “Given the number of cruise brands that are out there, the number of options even within 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.” For those that were not even born pre 1990 and now working in the front line of retail travel, when Carnival Cruise Line acquired Holland America Line (HAL) in 1989, HAL had just four ships and Carnival had seven. Today, Carnival has 25 with a 26th on the way, and HAL just took delivery of its 14th ship, the Koningsdam. In 1990, all CLIA member lines combined offered around 100 ships but today, the number is close to 450, with many more on order. Unlike the aviation industry, the variety of ships is within each brand is diverse – again adding to your value if you are CLIA Accredited and actively promoting your worth. A major change in more recent years is the focus on cuisine on board. With brands constantly looking for an edge in attracting new to cruise passengers, not only has the variety of food offering increased, so too has the number of dining venues on board just about all modern vessels. Today guest wants to know who is the chef, what their background is and what alternatives there are to the main dining. From restaurant menus to spas and water slides to entertainment delivered, the more knowledge you have, the more you will shine in the cruise retail space. With this in mind, training has to be high on the agenda for any retailer – for your front line staff as well as for your own credibility.