Great Expectations

By Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC
President, NACTA

On a recent NACTA Seminar at Sea aboard Radisson Seven Seas Cruises’ beautiful Seven Seas Mariner, a lengthy and very enlightening conversation took place that I felt would be interesting reading for this issue of Home Based Trade.

Over the period of a 14-day itinerary from Los Angeles through the Panama Canal to Ft. Lauderdale, the agents in our group discussed topics, such as who is the Luxury Cruise buyer and how can agents best meet the needs and wants of this buyer.

What ensued over this journey from west to east were discussions among seasoned travel professionals, sharing with one another their secrets of success in reaching and pleasing the luxury cruise client.

Here are just some of the many tips and ideas presented. My thanks to our contributors for their insight and willingness to share this with all of us.

The Expectation vs. Experience
This was one of the areas we discussed in depth. It seems that just about every one of these agents has experienced concern that they might be overselling expectations and that the clients’ experience may be falling short of what they had anticipated.

The common thread was that a travel agent must be very cautious not to build clients’ expectations too high. While we want to make that sale and convince them this will be the perfect choice, we are still at risk since we will not be there to monitor that experience.

In our zealous, or perhaps overzealous, enthusiasm to make the sale, we might be building the dream beyond what can possibly be delivered by the experience.

Therefore, the group suggested that agents be honest and provide as much information about the potential cruise as possible while using phrases, such as “I sincerely hope that you will find this to be enjoyable” or “From what you have shared with me about what you like to do on your vacation, and the research I have done, this choice certainly looks like it will meet your needs.”

It is hard to put ourselves in the mind of our clients and to be sure they are not inflating their expectations. Use caution so that you will be able to help them make the vacation choice and not make the vacation choice for them. There is a very subtle difference that can be very important in the sales process.

Jan and Don Milligan, agents from Seattle, said it well: “Don’t oversell! Make sure you point out both the good and perhaps some bad attributes of a chosen cruise so that your clients are aware of potential pitfalls that can happen, but may not. Just be honest and don’t oversell what you cannot control.”

When we discussed what made it so attractive for a “discriminating” traveler to choose a more luxury-focused cruise experience, we came up with an overall theme that everyone seemed to agree upon — these clients expect a certain level of service. This is something you must learn about your client so that you are able to match the client to the right cruise experience.

Jim and Nancy Terracianno from Maryland feel that luxury cruise clients do not want to be “nickeled and dimed” — they want to enjoy a more inclusive experience. These clients are looking for luxury amenities, atmosphere and accommodations. They enjoy having their needs and desires anticipated in advance and fulfilled. An accommodating staff is absolutely necessary, as well.

Fran and Tom Nolan from Seattle said it very well: “They seek an environment not unlike their everyday expectations. They look forward to comfortable accommodations and excellent service, but more than that, they expect an attitude where they feel special and taken care of.”

As an example of this level of service, on Radisson ships wine and/or cocktails are included with dinner each evening and a cappuccino machine is available around the clock.

I think that Margie Greenberg, an agent from Atlanta, put it very well when she said that the overall quality clients are looking for in a luxury cruise experience is to feel pampered.

It simply feels great to have people concerned and caring for your comfort and enjoyment. When a crew member on a ship remembers your name and your favorite cocktail, it is always a bit astounding, considering the thousands of people they service in their field. However, it is those “little nuances” that might likely make or break a client’s expectation of a cruise experience.

This, of course, is something you have no control over. Yet you can know which lines offer this special touch and meet or perhaps exceed clients’ expectations by simply helping them to choose the right ship.

Jim and Nancy feel that it is possible for a travel consultant to lay out expectations for a client, but they should have personal experience of a product in order to do so. Others participating in the discussion noted that products change — even from ship to ship in the same line. Agents really have to be on top of this in order to not oversell.

In closing, as I write this from my balcony cabin on the Seven Seas Mariner, at 8 a.m., while headed to Costa Rica, my expectations have been exceeded by an event that is out of all of our control.

No less than 15 porpoises have just swum by and raised themselves to show me their beauty. Now this is a cruise experience that can not be matched. However, I must say that I might have missed it had I not been in a balcony cabin. My final suggestion is to sell balconies!