Recommend December 2010 - (Page 78)

crystal cruises 14th annual sails into promising year ahead rca Best Cruise Line—Luxury winner viking’s out to “rock the boat” on sales 14th annual rca Best River Cruise Line winner sarah muñoz FOR AWARDS PIECES rick shively FOR AWARDS PIECES rca One of the most loved and highly regarded cruise lines in the indus14th annual FINAL LOGO.indd 1 try—lauded by the likes of Virtuoso and Vacation.com—is also a long-standing member of Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Awards hall of fame. This year, Crystal Cruises makes its 11th foray into Recommend’s annual awards as Best Cruise Line—Luxury. “We are so honored that travel counselors—the most experienced and valued resources in luxury travel—have supported Crystal and have voted for Crystal as the best of the best for so many years, “ says Gregg Michel, Crystal’s president. “We appreciate their respect, their partnership and their service to their most discerning clients.” It’s not a bad way to begin what looks to be a hugely eventful 12 months ahead. Keeping in line with its luxurious touch to all it designs, Crystal has almost 100 new shore-side excursions offering exclusive access to privileged locations. Consider a private plane ride to enjoy Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains, or a backstage peek at the Monte Carlo Ballet. Next year, the cruise line will also offer an array of sophisticated special interest cruises in everything from golf to jazz, wine and food to big band and ballroom dance. Next year also brings two new 7-day Pacific Coast cruises between LA and Vancouver aboard the Crystal Symphony in April, as well as a return to South Africa for the first time since 2001. Crystal will also offer a series of 12-day cruises to Alaska departing from San Francisco, plus more than 80 combo cruises throughout Europe with no repeating of ports. Among the maiden calls for 2011: Komodo, Indonesia; Golfo de Papagayo, Costa Rica; the Greek island of Kefalonia; Koper, Slovenia; St. Martin’s Marigot Bay, and Fethiye and Trabzon in Turkey. The cruise line is also extending its Two-for-One fares through next year and its Free Air Program, which allows passengers to receive complimentary air from more than 20 North American gateways. Clients who don’t mind taking a third of the year off may still be able to find a spot on the 110-day World Cruise from LA to London, which visits Australia and New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, India, and Africa. It’s available in seven segments that start at $6,500 (for the LA to Papeete segment); the 110-day adventure starts at $53,240. And it’s certainly not too early to book a spot aboard the 2012 World Cruise, a roundtrip, 94-day jaunt departing from LA and visiting 35 ports with multiple overnight stays. Among the destinations included: Hawaii, the South Pacific, eastern and western Australia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Japan, Russia, and Alaska, plus an inclusive 3-night land program to Beijing. One of the cruise line’s most innovative programs for 2011 is You Care, We Care, offering clients enriching experiences while giving back to the places they visit. Every 2011 itinerary will offer one complimentary Crystal Adventures shore excursion that lets them participate with a local charitable project, including working to improve school conditions in Guayaquil or volunteering at Cape Town’s Desmond Tutu Peace Center & Habitat for Humanity International. In turn, for every World Heritage Site visited on 2011 Crystal Adventures, the cruise line will donate a portion of the excursions’ fare to their preservation. l 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM FINAL LOGO.indd 1 readers’ choice award winner contact information Crystal Cruises: (888) 722-0021; crystalcruises.com rca For the fifth year in a row, Viking River Cruises has sailed into Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Awards as the Best River Cruise Line, boasting more than 20 itineraries on 19 ships on three continents with eight more ships totaling more than $250 million on order over the next three years, making it the largest river cruise company in the industry. “It’s exciting. I can only say that we try so hard to be the best. But this kind of recognition just really helps us because you never know. Your passengers love you but the agents are tough and the competition is fierce. It never was before quite what it’s been the last couple of years,” enthuses Michele Saegesser, v.p. of sales for Viking River Cruises. “It’s such a great honor and we can’t thank you and your readers enough.” One of the primary reasons, of course, is the line’s historical emphasis on effective marketing to both the marketplace and the trade itself, an emphasis that’s driven demand all across the river cruise industry itself, but no place more so than within the trade itself. “We’ve created a lot of marketing tools for agents to use to be effective,” Saegesser explains. “We’re the largest so we’re going to have a pool of agents that’s way bigger than anybody else and we’re preferred with so many consortia and they’ve been terrific about helping us getting the word out.” Still, she adds, “I think the big word is consistency. We didn’t just go and market to the agents when the times got tough, we were just as aggressive when the times were great so that their support base is still there. They make a lot of money off of us, let’s face it—it’s over $1,000 in commission. This last year we rolled out no NCFs and we’re pretty proud of that message.” That consistency is just as important in the consumer arena, with frequent mailings and more importantly, including the agents and agency partners in that direct marketing effort. “Even when we mail out to their clients direct, on the part where the address is, it says your travel agent is, ‘ABC Travel’ and their phone number,” she says. “We’ve been doing that for about three years now and agents will say, ‘Oh, you’re mailing too much.’” But in the last 18 months, she says, “…and especially since that’s gone on the piece, we’ve had almost no complaints. They know it’s feeding business into the door.” Viking takes pride in a sales approach that’s aggressive, innovative and, quite frankly, a little over the top, sometimes scaring off less-aggressive agents. “We’re not approaching agents in the same traditional matter. I have a theme around here that’s called ‘Rock the Boat,’ and even if they have to tip the boat upside down if need be,” she says. “I want the sales team to work with agents to really think bigger programs. We have a cruise night program where there are a few rules. We don’t want to do it in a travel agency, we want to do it in unique venues—whether it’s river boats or fondue restaurants, and we invite agents to invite their passengers that fit the profile of who we market to and we pay for the whole thing.” The result? “I’ve been doing an ROI sheet on these cruise nights and it’s really insane,” she says. “On a teeny one, we’re averaging $110,000 in bookings. This isn’t little stuff. We aim to keep our agents from going down the road of what the deal ones are, we’re looking at the longer cruises and that’s what we’re selling on these nights. We’re even challenging our agents to come up with something that really rocks our boat a bit.” l 14th annual readers’ choice award winner 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM contact information Viking River Cruises: (800) 304-9616; vikingrivercruises.com recommend.com 78 december 2010 http://www.crystalcruises.com http://www.vikingrivercruises.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2010

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk-Marriott International
Tour Talk-Globus
Services-SABRE; Apple Vacations & Travel Impressions
Ritz-Carlton
Hertz & Hawaii
Las Vegas
Tauck World Discovery
Florida
Southwest Airlines
France
Ireland
Italy
Delta Air Lines & Rail Europe
China
Thailand
Singapore Airlines
2011 Taiwan Travel Planner
Tahiti & Goway Travel
Costa Rica
Brazil & Avanti Destinations
Egypt
South Africa
Abercrombie & Kent & Isram World of Travel
Israel
Jamaica
Sandals & Beaches Resorts
St. Lucia
GOGO Worldwide Vacations
Cancun
RIU Hotels & Resorts & Apple Vacations
Riviera Maya
Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean International
Princess Cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines & Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Crystal Cruises & Viking River Cruises

Recommend December 2010