Cruise Group Gains
When you’re selling cruise groups, it is essential to be well-versed in the policies of the various cruise lines.
Knowing the fares, tour conductor (TC) berth thresholds and amenity points helps your bottom line and works toward ensuring that your group has the best cruise ever.
Three cruise companies recently updated group sales programs. Here’s a rundown on what’s new:
How to Sell the New Seabourn Experience
The company is introducing a major enhancement to the TC credit policy for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises.
Beginning with groups sailing in 2018, travel agents’ TC credits will now be calculated by using the average cruise fare of the total stateroom categories booked within a group. (Under the current policy, TC credits are determined by the cruise fare of the stateroom category in which the group has booked the most space.)
Royal Caribbean said the new TC credit policy was influenced by feedback from travel partners.
“The new way of calculating TCs is going to cost our company significantly more dollars,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service for Royal Caribbean International. “I completely understand the travel agent’s point of view on this subject, that they should have an incentive for selling up, and taking an average works in their favor – and really ours as well, because we remain the partner that listens to them and it translates into more sales and loyalty.”
The new policy will apply to groups sailing on or after Jan. 1, 2018. TC credits for groups sailing before Jan. 1, 2018, will continue under the current policy, in which they are determined by the cruise fare of the stateroom category booked the most by the group.
Visit www.cruisingpower.com.
The luxury line introduced a new group sales program that it said offers more choices, more flexibility and more time for travel professionals to get results. It’s applies to new group bookings for all 2017 and 2018 voyages.
The new program includes price protection for 90 days, enabling agents to promote groups with greater confidence. TC requirements are as low as one per nine berths.
Onboard spending credits of up to $300 per suite are now protected even if only one suite sails. Plus, the credits are now applicable on Silver Explorer, Silver Discoverer and Silver Cloud expedition voyages— in addition to all ocean ships.
The program also allows some promotional programs to be combined— such as Silver Select, early booking bonus, and promotional economy and business-class air rates— in addition to Venetian Society Savings, Extended Voyage Savings and onboard savings.
Each travel agency may book one group per ship, per month. No deposit is required to create the group. A 25 percent deposit is required to make individual suite assignments and is due to Silversea within seven days from the date the individual suite is reserved and/or the guest name provided.
“With these enhancements, it’s easier than ever for agents to sell group travel with Silversea and introduce their clients to an award-winning luxury travel experience that is unsurpassed,” said Mark Conroy, Silversea’s managing director for the Americas. “Groups are a great way for agents to maximize their earning potential, and now with the new program they have more time and more ways to close the sale on a broad range of exciting itineraries.”
Travel agents with existing 2017 or 2018 groups booked under the previous group sales program have the option to convert to the new program if they wish, and each booking within the group would then be subject to the most current applicable fare.
Visit my.silversea.com or contact the Inside Sales Team at 800-722-9955.
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The company launched a new and improved group program called EZ Groups, which applies to all Caribbean and European sailings. Based on feedback from agents, the enhanced program for affinity and promotional groups lets travel advisors create customizable experiences for their groups along with discounted group rates, enhanced amenity points offerings and greater earning potential.
Travel agents are able to earn up to eight amenity points that can be applied to an array of amenities for their group or themselves.
Amenity points are determined by sailing date, itinerary and season, and are listed on the group rate sheets. Among the options on the Enhanced Amenity Master Advantage Points Menu are reduced TC requirements, stateroom gifts, shipboard credit, stateroom discounts, bonus commission and cocktail parties. Consumer amenities, such as shipboard credit and stateroom gifts, are protected down to the first booking the agent made on behalf of the group.
Travel agents can lock in the best price with group rates that are lower than prevailing FIT rates.
For groups of up to 16 staterooms, the initial good faith deposit will be waived. FIT bookings can be transferred into an existing group at the contracted group rates while the group rate is available. If the group rate is no longer available, FIT bookings may be transferred while maintaining the higher FIT rate, but group amenities will be applied.
Exclusive to groups, travel agents earn 10 percent commission on prepaid shore excursions and beverage packages.
The EZ Groups program is available for all new groups on Caribbean and European sailings, including the company’s two newbuilds debuting next year, MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside. Agents can request group space via MSC Book, the company’s new travel agent booking engine.
Group rates and amenity points are available for download at www.msccruisesagent.com/groups.
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