10 Ways Cruise360 Helps Us Help You
In just a few days, the Premier Custom Travel team leaves for Fort Lauderdale and our eighth straight visit to the annual Cruise360 conference, presented by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). We talk a lot about it — but why is it important to you, our customers? We’ve come up with what we think are 10 great reasons why we attend and how the conference helps us to better serve you.
1. SAFETY
We care about your safety when cruising. And so does CLIA, the organization that presents the annual convention. Each year, we get valuable updates about cruise safety, including some important myth busting when it comes to things like the NoroVirus and other topics you may hear mis-reported in the news. We get the facts, directly from independent sources and government agencies.
2. INTERACTION WITH DOZENS OF CRUISE LINES
There are over 30 CLIA member lines and we get to spend time with each of them during the week-long event. With so many cruise choices available to consumers, it is important for us as travel consultants to know the “personality” of each line, what type of customer is a good fit, and hear the latest updates on new ships, itineraries, etc.
3. WE SPEND TIME “ON LAND” TOO
Some of the more informative sessions at Cruise360 are the “Product & Destination Workshops.” We already know a great deal about the cruise lines themselves, but these special presentations give the various cruise ports and countries time to talk to us about things to do when you arrive in their area. The photo above is from the folks in Barbados, who gave us many great tourism ideas at least year’s conference.
4. ENTERTAINMENT
During Cruise360’s Hall of Fame gala, we not only honor the new inductees but also get to preview some outstanding cruise line entertainment so we can tell you about the shows you’ll see during your vacation. We’ve seen everything from a Latin-inspired flautist to the latest hits from Broadway. There are even ships with Cirque du Soleil-inspired shows onboard.
5. SHIP TOURS
The Fort Lauderdale Convention Center is conveniently located right next door to the cruise port, giving us easy access to the various ships in port during the 7-day event. These “ship inspections,” as they’re called in the industry, allow us a chance to see a ship that might never make it to our homeport or in some cases, we get to see a ship BEFORE it arrives in Texas, as happened last year with Carnival Vista. Typically we get a few hours onboard and enjoy a tour and lunch. When advising you on a cruise, it certainly helps to be able to say “I’ve been onboard that ship and the food is great!”
6. KEYNOTE ADDRESSES
We hear from the industry leaders directly at the General Session Keynote addresses. The photo above is Karl Holz, the now-retired former head of Disney Cruise Line, giving us a very entertaining update at least year’s show. What are the key tenets of their cruise line and what are their plans for the future? We learn that and much more during these insightful talks.
7. WE HONOR OUR OWN
It might not sound important to sales, but interestingly enough, some great insights into how to better serve customers come from acceptance speeches at the Hall of Fame Gala. The inductees, especially on the travel agency side, are some of the most experienced agents in the industry and hearing about how they did it inspires us to continue our growth in hopes of one day being on that stage.
8. IT’S NOT JUST CRUISING
Sure, it’s called Cruise360. But at the Cruise360 Marketplace or trade show, there are hundreds of vendors including many travel suppliers with products that have nothing to do with oceans or rivers. Some aren’t even travel industry vendors. But we visit them all and that gives us even more options for a great vacation for you and your family.
9. THE LEARNING NEVER STOPS
We’re proud to be industry certified by CLIA and many of our cruise line partners. But the learning never ends. New ships and itineraries are announced almost daily and with 50+ cruise lines in our portfolio, there’s a lot to know. In one week, we’ll interact with 30+ of those lines and hundreds of other travel suppliers.
10. NETWORKING WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS
One of the many advantages of working with a travel consultant is our expansive list of contacts. We work hard at Cruise360 every year to cultivate great relationships with our suppliers and their key personnel. This allows us access that a “do it yourself” consumer would not have, especially in situations like special requests or fixing any issues that might arise. The photo above is PCT’s Scott McAlister with former NCL President and “Undercover Boss” Kevin Sheehan.
We leave for Cruise360 in less than a week. You can follow our updates on our dedicated site:
