Blog - The Pampered Cruiser

“My Travel Agent Retired” – Now What?

I often hear from people who have lost their travel agent to retirement, and now they’re trying to figure out what they’ll do without them.

In most cases, these people have resorted to booking their cruises directly with the cruise lines, unknowingly forfeiting valuable perks that are only available when you book through a travel agent.

However, their biggest sadness is that they miss the ‘personal touch’ of working with a travel agent.

In the past, a long standing relationship with a travel professional would have been the natural result of having a bricks and mortar travel agency located close to their home.

In the past couple of decades, much of the travel industry has shifted to the web.

As a result, the role of the travel agent has changed dramatically.

In the 1980s and 90s, your travel agent was the only one who could access detailed travel information and booking engines. They were the gate keeper. You had to use a travel agent to get any information about dates and pricing; there was no other choice.

The internet changed all of this.

Now, consumers have all the same tools that travel agents have. There is complete transparency with prices, itineraries, and dates.

So why use a travel agent now?

With a virtually unlimited amount of information out there, it can be extremely difficult, frustrating, and time consuming to sift through it all.

Most people who contact me are completely overwhelmed!

Unfortunately, many travel agents have not made the shift, and still view their role as someone who provides ‘quotes’. I disagree.

Here’s my view of the value your new travel agent should be offering instead.

If twenty-five years ago, you had to go to a travel agent to GET information, then now the focus is much more de-coding or translating information.

Your travel agent should help you narrow down your choices, and guide you to focus on information about each of those choices that is personally relevant to you.

This is sometimes difficult to do. Many times I have already been to the destinations that clients are considering, or done the cruise they want to do. I have to resist the urge to tell them what I consider to be the “right choice”, because my personal preferences may be different than theirs.

So, your next travel agent should ask you lots of questions before making a recommendation.

She should also be comfortable telling you when she doesn’t know something.

I feel I know the cruise market very well, and yet with some regularity one of my clients will ask me a question I don’t know the answer to.

It is certainly my job to find out, and I usually know where to find the answers, but I don’t always have them off the top of my head.

It used to make me very uncomfortable to admit that I didn’t know the answer to a question. But over time I came to realize that with the vast amount of information available to me, and the speed with which things change within the travel industry, it is literally impossible for me to know everything.

I also came to realize that it builds credibility with a client when I tell them that I need to get back to them with the answer to their question, in order to be sure I am giving them accurate information.

So you don’t want your next travel agent to be a know-it-all. Instead, you need someone who will get you good information when you ask a thoughtful question – not someone who will fake their way through it.

Woody Allen said that 80% of success is showing up. There is some truth to this. If your new travel agent goes days without returning your phone call or email, then that person is not “showing up”. Travel agents often have several open files demanding their attention on any given day, but it is critical to be responsive, and that means getting back to people in a timely manner.

Finally, the travel agent of the 21st century is a person who views the relationship with the client as collaborative.

Ubiquitous information means that you’ll find plenty of opinions on any given topic.

It should be a shared responsibility between agent and client to evaluate opinions and information to ensure that your trip is the best it can be.

Planning a Cruise? I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Cruise Trends for 2017-18 That Will Make You Cheer

A couple of weeks ago I asked for your opinion about all the new innovative ship features we keep hearing about, like Celebrity’s Magic Carpet.

I received responses from many of you who expressed dismay at these innovations, stating that you would place a much higher value on better food and more personalized service.

Here’s a comment from Karen, who summed it up nicely:

“I am turned off a bit with all the new “innovations”. I would rather a smaller ship, better destinations, great service, fabulous food and superb entertainment. I am an older cruiser, without kids and it seems to me the cruise lines are trying to get younger families on board, and everything is focused on that. […]”

It seems that Karen and others like her are not alone in their feelings on this topic.

There are two cruise trends emerging in 2017:

Small ships, and
Ships bound for the Chinese market

As cruising continues to grow as a preferred vacation option for many people, the cruise lines have been pressured to bring more and more ships to market. The trend for the last many years has been to build more ships of a significant size, which drives costs per passenger down, and makes cruising more affordable for everyone.

This year is a little bit different. Yes – it is true that the Majestic Princess (3600 passengers), and the Norwegian Joy (3900 passengers) are both coming to market in the next few weeks, but both these ships are intended for the Chinese market adding great capacity in East Asia.

The rest of the ships making their debut in 2017 are decidedly smaller – reinforcing the solid growth we have seen in the luxury small ship market. While there will always be a market for cheap Caribbean cruises, it appears as though many people are getting tired of being herded around crowded ships and ports of call, so they are demanding something different.

The cruise lines have responded.

Viking Ocean is launching two new ships this year. The Viking Sky entered service in February, and the Viking Sun is scheduled for this fall. These two ships join Viking’s existing ocean fleet for a total of four vessels each carrying 930 passengers.

Silversea is also putting another ship, the Silver Muse into service this month with a total of 596 passengers.

Lindblad is bringing the National Geographic Quest to market in the early summer, and it will take 100 passengers to Alaska in the summer months, and down the Pacific Coast of the Americas in the winter months.

Star Clipper Cruise Line is launching its 300 passenger Flying Clipper towards the end of this year. This is a luxury sailing vessel that will service Europe in the summers, and the Caribbean in the winter months.

We will be watching in the next couple of years to see if more cruise enthusiasts literally “jump ship” from the mass market lines to smaller, luxury vessels.

However, it is probably a safe assumption that the cruise lines will have done some market research prior to spending hundred of millions of dollars on new ships, and this is indeed what will happen. Stay tuned.

Planning a Cruise? I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

Cruise Solo Without Paying Double

I often hear from solo cruisers who feel a bit ‘put off’’ by having to pay such a high price for their cruise fare compared to people who travel together as a couple.

Yes, solo cruisers normally pay a 100% ‘single supplement’.

They pay double the base, per-person cruise fare (but the tax is only charged once). As a result, the price for a solo cruiser is almost double what a couple would pay on a per-cabin basis.

I can see it both ways.

From the cruise line’s point of view, a solo cruiser is taking up two beds, which could have been sold separately.

But solo cruisers point out that they only eat half the amount in restaurants, and place half the demand on the ship’s staff.

The mass market cruise lines have started to address the needs of solo cruisers by building ‘studio cabins’, which are designed specifically for solo travellers.

Studio cabins are not on all the ships (yet), but they are becoming more and more common. These cabins are frequently (but not always) tiny, interior cabins without a balcony or even a window.

The upscale and luxury lines (and also river cruise ships) treat their solo clients a little better. They do this by occasionally offering reduced single supplements.

Sometimes they waive the single supplement altogether.

The best part of these ‘reduced single supplement’ offers is that they are not limited to the lowest priced, least desirable cabins. You can travel solo in a balcony or suite if you like.

Oceania currently has a great promotion for solo travellers.

They are offering a reduced single supplement on 17 different sailings (all with 2017 departure dates).

If you’ve never sailed on Oceania before, here’s a bit of information:

They are considered the best cruise line for “foodies”. They pride themselves on the quality and diversity of the food offerings on their ships.
Oceania has six ships, and they sail all over the world. The largest ship carries 1250 passengers, and their smallest carries 684.
Like other upscale lines, the culture onboard is relaxed and informal.
The onboard experience is more focused on quality, service, and the ports, and less on climbing walls, and ice-skating rinks.
They pride themselves on being the ‘Best Value in Upscale Cruising’. INCLUDED in your fare, you get free Airfare; Internet; Dining at all specialty restaurants; Unlimited soft drinks, bottled water, cappuccino, espresso, teas and juices; Shuttle service from ship to city center in many ports of call; and Room service dining 24 hours a day.

Here’s a sampling of the 17 sailings with reduced single supplements:

May 10th, 2017 (11 days, San Francisco to Vancouver), from $2445 base price. BONUS – your choice of:

6 FREE Shore Excursions OR
FREE House Beverage Package OR
$600 Shipboard Credit per stateroom

May 23rd, 2017 (28 days, Rome to Montreal), from $6681 base price. BONUS – your choice of:

8 FREE Shore Excursions OR
FREE House Beverage Package OR
$800 Shipboard Credit

July 7th, 2017 (10 days, Rome to Barcelona), from $2272 base price. BONUS – your choice of:

6 FREE Shore Excursions OR
FREE House Beverage Package OR
$600 Shipboard Credit per stateroom

August 31st, 2017 (10 days, New York to New York), from $1559 base price. BONUS – your choice of:

6 FREE Shore Excursions OR
FREE House Beverage Package OR
$600 Shipboard Credit per stateroom

Remember, this is just a sampling and there are 17 sailings to choose from!

If you’re a solo traveller, then you’ll want to consider Oceania’s current promotion. In my mind, it offers remarkable value.

Planning a Cruise? I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sue Bradley

What’s YOUR Opinion About Innovative Cruise Ship Features?

The latest buzz in the industry has been all about the launching of the Celebrity Edge – even though it’s inaugural voyage is more than a year away (December 2018). The Edge marks a new class of ship for Celebrity, with 3 additional sister-ships on order due in the next several years.

You can discover more about the Edge here: http://www.celebritycruises.com/edge/
The initial sailings are available for booking now, and I already have one client confirmed on the inaugural sailing.

The innovation on the Edge that’s getting all the press is the Magic Carpet. This is a tennis-court sized platform attached to the side of the ship, which can be raised or lowered between the water level and the top deck. In the ‘down’ position it can be used to load tender boats, and in the ‘up’ position it becomes a lounge and observation deck.

This seems to “one-up” the Sea Walk, which extends off the Sun Deck (17 stories above the water) on Princess’ Royal Class vessels.

Royal Caribbean seems to still be in the lead for shipboard amenities, with ice rinks, bumper cars, climbing walls, and a million other things on their vessels.

So… I’m curious. What’s YOUR opinion about these innovative features? The Magic Carpet on the Edge looks really cool, but is it important enough to you that it would it draw you to Celebrity, or to that ship?

For those cruise lines that build bigger, and more innovative ships, what are they missing? What SHOULD be available on these big ships that’s not already?

Conversely, have the mass market cruise lines gone too far already? As the American population ages, will we become less interested in waterslides and zip-lines? Will we graduate to the luxury lines, and willingly give up innovative on-board features and amenities in favour of more interesting ports of call, fewer passengers, and superior quality and service on board the ships?

There are, of course, no correct answers, but I’d love to hear your opinions!

Join the conversation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/1902363933379445

Amazing Math Trick (or a REALLY Good River Cruise Deal)?

My clients often inquire whether a time-limited, “must buy now” River Cruise offer is an especially good deal, and whether they should jump at the current promotion so they don’t miss out.

Normally, I answer that while the current promotion will finish at the end of this month, the first day of the next month will likely have an equally compelling offer.

The river cruise companies frequently offer “free” or discounted air that has dozens of footnotes that explain why it’s not exactly as advertised. They also often advertise 2-for-1, or 50% off cruise fares that are more amazing tricks in math than they are amazing deals.

So my normal advice is to choose the river cruise that is right for you, and book it as early as possible once you’ve made that decision.

However, every now and then I see a promotion that runs contrary to this advice. The current promotion with Viking River Cruises falls into this category.

I don’t normally comment on specific promotions by the cruise lines, but I strongly believe that this one is a deal worth acting on!

Until March 31st, Viking is offering a 50% early booking discount for its 2018 Grand European Tour sailings that is well worth considering if you’re contemplating such a trip. It includes free air that IS actually FREE from over 150 airports in the United States.

Also, normally you are required to make payment in full by the end of the month in which you book (essentially, payment in full at time of booking). With this promotion, after your deposit is paid, the balance is not due until a much more reasonable 9 months prior to departure.

As always, you can save an additional 3.3% if you don’t use your credit card to pay, and use Viking’s E-Check option instead (this is basically a direct withdrawal from your bank account).

The Grand European Tour is the most popular itinerary for European river cruises, travelling between Amsterdam and Budapest over 14 nights. Click here to read more about Viking’s Grand European Tour.

Here’s an example of the cost breakdown:

Viking’s Grand European Tour (14 nights, Amsterdam to Budapest):
• French Balcony: $5899 including taxes and fees
• Air: FREE!
• Optional Insurance: $619
• Optional 2-day pre-cruise package: $549
Total per person: $7067
(Note that pricing will vary depending on the date you select)

If your bucket list includes a 2018 river cruise on Europe’s Danube, you won’t get a better price than this. You’ll want to act quickly, as Viking’s 2-For-1 Cruise and FREE Air promotion ends on March 31, 2017.

Planning a Cruise? I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.

“My Travel Agent Retired” – Now What?

Cruise Trends for 2017-18 That Will Make You Cheer

Cruise Solo Without Paying Double

What’s YOUR Opinion About Innovative Cruise Ship Features?

Amazing Math Trick (or a REALLY Good River Cruise Deal)?

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