By Tom Ogg

I Recently returned from escorting a NACTA group onboard the Amadeus Waterways Amadagio. It was only my second river cruise and since I had a wonderful time on my first. I was curious to see if it would work for me again.
For those who know me, I don’t like structured events, and the idea of sailing on a cruise where everything is pre-planned doesn’t appeal to me. I like to explore new places independently. There were 27 of us, and like any group of travel agents, this meant 27 different personalities and experience levels. Although they were all seasoned cruise agents, for many in the group, it was their first river cruise.
Having hosted hundreds of agent groups on cruises, I was anticipating that the agents would collectively encounter a diversity of experiences. Unseasonably cold temperatures and inclement weather descended upon the Netherlands at the same time that our group boarded the ship. We were forced to deal with much rain, wind, sleet and snow (yes, I said snow) as conditions continued to deteriorate throughout the week. These same ingredients would have guaranteed unhappy agents on most cruises that I have escorted. Add to that, this was the first cruise of the season with a primarily new staff in most positions.
Due to the nature of the itinerary and the full schedule of included shore excursions, opportunities for seminars or meetings were somewhat limited. Other than a wonderful presentation by Angie from Amadeus, the only group meeting we had was to identify various aspects and opportunities of river cruising that existed for cruise agents. For that purpose, it was decided that the agents would be free to fully engage in the cruise experience on their own, and I would interview them informally as the cruise unfolded.
Summary in Advance: The vast majority of agents had a fabulous time and did not allow the weather to deter them from participating in every shoreside activity. For many it was an awakening to a new opportunity that they had never before considered. Some discovered a new desire to increase their knowledge of river cruises both on a personal and professional level. A few were not particularly enamored with river cruising, but that is to be expected when dealing with a group of this size. Me? Once again, I had a great time and when everyone else turned right, I went left. I did, however, garner a new understanding of the river cruise market and I am going to share it with you now.

Opportunity for Cruise Agents
As the river cruise market is currently only in its infancy, several opportunities exist for cruise agents. Here are prime reasons to cash in on the river cruise market now:
River Cruises Are All Inclusive: Unlike their ocean-going counterparts that have become “value inclusive,” at best, the river cruise fare includes the cabin, meals, wine with dinner, entertainment, shore excursions and much, much more. I have never disembarked from a cruise with a lower bill than when I did on the Amadagio. About the only thing not included are adult beverages in the lounge, which are very affordable.
Great Commissions: Not only are river cruises all-inclusive, but also the commission is paid on the complete cruise fare. Since the fare includes all shore excursions, agents share in most of that portion of the cruise product. To make it even more attractive, the base commission that Amadeus Waterways pays is a very generous 15% and goes up from there. Agents even receive generous commissions on the air portion, land and insurance. With true commission rates falling because of increasing NCFs on ocean-going cruise lines, river cruises represent a huge opportunity to increase your file yields.
Happy Clients: The staff on the Amadagio bent over backwards to make their passengers happy. A group of us purposely entered the restaurant about five minutes before it was to close for breakfast and took our time. On no occasion were we ever made to feel uncomfortable. In fact, the maitre d’ would ask our permission to start breaking down the buffet portion of the wonderful breakfast. There were a couple of demanding agents that took the cruise director, maitre d’, purser and other staff to task. Although, in my opinion, the agents were over the line, the staff was always gracious and accommodating. No request was ignored, and it was evident that the goal of every staff member was to please the passenger. The fact that a cruise director is always available, willingly responsive to the passengers’ needs, which assures client satisfaction, results in a high degree of client contentment.
Exciting New Itineraries: If you have seasoned clients that have done the ocean cruise staples and are looking for unique cruise adventures, look no further than the world river cruise market. In Europe alone, there is a wide selection that would satisfy even the most cruise-experienced client. River cruises open up many countries for exploration that ocean-going cruises simply cannot get to, and are available on all continents (with the exception of Antarctica, of course).
Growing Market: While river cruises have their roots in the escorted tour/travel markets and currently tend to be operated for this specific market, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that demand for river cruises will expand as ocean cruising matures. River cruises are/will be the beneficiary of maturing cruisers looking for something exciting and different. I suspect that we will see riverboats and itineraries evolve for singles, the premium and luxury cruise markets, the alternate lifestyle niche and some other high-yield genres that prefer an intimate, yet elegant experience.
Now is the time to seize the opportunity to become a river cruise specialist, and I suspect it will reward you handsomely.
See you on the river!

Tom Ogg is editor and
publisher of www.homebasedtravelagent.com