THIS WEEK: CATHERINE LORNIE THE TRAVEL COMPANY EDINBURGH


HONEYMOON AND LEISURE TRAVEL SPECIALIST,


Q&A


Katie Watt, Kayleigh Ellis, Catherine Lornie and Laura Garner


Sailing on an NCL ship for the first time has helped Catherine Lornie increase cruise sales to her typically high-value clients. She told Samantha Mayling how she has become a convert


Q. What was your experience of cruising before the trip? A. I had never cruised, so I wanted to visit the Bahamas on a cruise ship, to experience it like a customer, rather than a ship visit. Since the trip in November, my sales of cruises have gone up – a massive bonus. The trip was ideal for my market, and I could see from the experiences in Travel Weekly that it would not be just a typical fam trip. The only other fam I’d been on was to Jamaica. I’ve been to Orlando and Miami, but never to the Bahamas. The other agents on the Cover Stars trip were lovely and we are still in touch – some of them went to the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards and put their pictures on our Facebook group.


Q. Had you flown with British Airways before? A. It was my first time. I loved the service. We flew out in economy and back in premium, which was a bonus. I now feel more comfortable selling it.


Q. What did you do in Miami? A. We got a taxi to the Dolphin outlet mall for an evening of pre-Christmas shopping. I had been to South Beach before and it was much busier there – it was quieter and more tranquil where our hotel was. We stayed at Eden Roc Miami Beach, which Gold Medal had arranged. I would go back there in a heartbeat. Our balconies were stunning, with breathtaking ocean views. My room was bigger than my flat, and we were given cheese and fruit, which was a great little detail.


Q. What did you think about Norwegian Sky? A. At first sight, it looked phenomenal. It is a well-maintained ship. Embarkation went smoothly, and the stewards were fantastic. We all had cabins with balconies. I woke up at 5am and sat out on the balcony, watching the ship sail into port. The balcony experience was amazing, even at night time, when I gazed at the stars. Everyone had a good time at the sail-away party on the first night – we enjoyed watching the South Beach skyline at sunset. About 75% of the passengers were Americans, who were on board for Thanksgiving and birthday celebrations.


38travelweekly.co.uk14 February 2019


PHOTOS: STEVE HOCKSTEIN/HARVARD STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY


2019


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88