CRUISING
ASSOCIATION OF CRUISE EXPERTS (ACE)
ANDY HARMER Director
Association of Cruise Experts
What is exciting ACE this month? This month will see Norwegian Cruise Lines take delivery of their newest ship Norwegian Breakaway.
She’s been designed as ‘New
York’s ship’ and will feature iconic sights and places from the city including an impressive painting of the Statue of Liberty on her bow. Norwegian Breakaway will homeport in New York
fundamental link
and this association provides a between a cruise
destination and the on-board experience.. How
important is destination
knowledge to selling cruising? The link with destinations is an important one for cruise lines, who work hard to provide itineraries that appeal and excursions that inform, educate, entertain, and excite. From a travel agent perspective, selling cruising is not just about understanding the different cruise experiences on offer, important as these are, it is also very much about an understanding of the ports and destinations that a cruise will visit. Very often cruises take people to destinations that are not necessarily popular land-based holiday resorts, meaning a successful cruise seller needs to understand some new and interesting places.
What can agents do to improve their port knowledge? Many cruise ports see great value in informing travel agents of the experiences their destination offer. Indeed at this year’s Cruise Convention we have the
largest
number of destinations working with us since the event started seven years ago.
This
includes Canada, Seattle, Cruise Baltic, Miami, Dubai, South Korea, Dover and the host cities of Southampton and Liverpool. Getting to know the experiences that passengers can enjoy ashore is fundamental to ensuring that customers are on the right itinerary; they demonstrate that well known fact that cruise guests get to see multiple destinations in one cruise, unpacking only once and they help secure your place in the mind of the customer as a true cruise expert.
cruiseexperts.org
Mexico, a transit of the Panama
Canal and the Caribbean. Sectors include a 26-night Dubai to Hong Kong cruise and full cruise fares range from £8,999 to £35,529pp, with sectors from £2,239. Black Watch’s 114-night sailing
takes her around South America and to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India and the Middle East. Sectors include a 30-night run from Valparaiso, Chile to Sydney. Full fares range from £9,799 to £38,649pp and sectors start at £1,649. Holland America Line has Amsterdam sailing a 113-night world cruise round-trip from Fort Lauderdale on January 4, via the Panama Canal and South America to French Polynesia and the South Pacifi c. The ship will return to Florida on April 28 via the Caribbean, after a tour of the Far East, Africa and the Seychelles. Sectors include 29 nights from Hong Kong to Cape Town. Princess Cruises’ 100-day world cruise aboard Pacifi c Princess will also run out of Fort Lauderdale, on January 20, and ends in Athens.
High-end cruises Silversea Cruises’ 382-passenger Silver Whisper leaves Los Angeles on January 6, 2014 on a 113-day sailing
Clockwise from top left: Crystal Cruises in French Polynesia; Costa Cruises takes in Brazil; Seabourn transits the Panama Canal; full steam ahead for MSC; Cunard’s silver service.
to Barcelona, which will visit 54 ports in 29 countries, overnighting in 12 of them and spending three days in Hong Kong and in Yangon, Myanmar, to allow passengers time for long excursions ashore. Prices start at £34, 950pp for a Vista suite.
“Look at the kind of clients who have previously booked a multi-destinational grand tour and stress how much easier it is to
do this by ship” PETER SHANKS, PRESIDENT, CUNARD LINE
Seabourn Cruise Line’s 116-day
world voyage aboard Seabourn Sojourn departs LA on January 4 and ends in Venice. Full cruise fares start at £35,714pp in an ocean view suite. Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager departs February 17 on a 136-day Legendary Wonders voyage – a one-way sailing from Auckland to England via Australia, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. And for clients who like luxury but
prefer bigger ships, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity and her 89-day world sailing from LA to the UK, departing January 18, is a good choice. The cruise is a detailed exploration of Asia and Africa, and includes
54 April 2013
www.sellinglonghaul.com
overnight stays in key cities including Osaka, Shanghai, Hanoi, Bangkok and Cape Town. Sectors range from a 12-night cruise between Yokohama and Hong Kong, to 21 nights from Cape Town to London. Full world cruise fares range from $38,180 to $196,510pp, while sector prices start at $6,745pp.
Cruise talk “Cunard Line operated its
fi rst RTW cruise in 1922! We always get a solid base of
passengers who want a full world cruise – usually between 500 and 800 per sailing – and three of our ships will be on full world sailings for the fi rst time next year. I believe the big earning opportunity for agents is in selling world cruise sectors as the ultimate exotic winter holidays.” “As Britons become more sophisticated about travel, they are seeking unusual and exotic options. World cruise sectors fi t the bill, allow ing them to see multiple destinations in comfort and style. “They also allow passengers to ‘get under the skin’ of a region. Our world cruise sectors attract a lot of interest from domestic travellers in the regions they visit, so British guests joining a Cunard world cruise will fi nd it’s an opportunity not only to explore the world but to mix with likeminded people from various cultures too.” Peter Shanks, President, Cunard Line
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