Plan a Cruise Month Is a Springboard to Wave Season

Plan a Cruise Month is entering its final week. // Photo at Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos by Susan J. Young

More than 100 women from the Gateway Women’s Club attended Candie Steinman’s Plan a Cruise event this past week. Steinman, a Dream Vacations franchise owner from Fort Myers, FL, has been doing annual trips for this group, but “in the spirit of the upcoming elections, I had a ballot where they could all vote for their choice of girlfriend getaway trips for 2017.”

Given the even voting for both, she'll book both, but the event was much more. It was a "business win." She handed out the new Dream Vacations magazine, provided river cruise information, and “I was able to connect with a lot of new women to the club.” One positive outcome? She sold a river cruise last Friday.

Steinman is among tens of thousands of North American travel agents who are piggybacking on Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) Plan A Cruise Month – formerly National Cruise Vacation Month -- as a springboard to increased sales revenue.

Readying for Wave Season

Travel Agent spoke with Lorri Christou, CLIA’s senior vice president, strategic marketing and communications, about the Plan A Cruise Month promotion, which winds down this week. 

“It’s been going great,” Christou says, noting that last year was the first time for the new Plan A Cruise branding approach by CLIA. She says CLIA learned a lot and this year built on that. The month kicked off with a Twitter event, and “we were so thrilled with the amount of engagement we had,” she noted.

Promoting CLIA's Plan a Cruise Month are, left to right, Lorri Christou, senior vice president strategic marketing/communications, and Cindy D'Aoust, president/CEO, on Harmony of the Seas. 

One of the new things CLIA is doing this year is “prizes and delights” for member agents. As agents promote cruises on social media, CLIA may send them prizes in the mail. “We’ve had some really nice comments from them about that,” she says, noting that “it’s all about how we can galvanize the industry.”

From a consumer perspective, CLIA is doing #CruiseSmile again, a social media effort designed to show the fabulous aspects of cruising and how cruising generates smiles. “As of today at 11 a.m. [Oct. 21], we have 67,546 ‘smiles,’” Christou reports. 

Pointing to Cruise Planners agencies as just one example, she says: “Each week they are posting about the theme, putting together collages with past trip photos and then using a green screen to [digitally create] something about themselves and the theme.”

Christou also said CLIA’s Twitter events every Tuesday have proven effective at engaging consumers and are a “lot of fun.” CLIA member lines have also been sending out emails to customers and potential customers for Plan A Cruise Month -- hoping to engage with customers.

Moving Into 2017

After taking a breath following Plan A Cruise Month, CLIA’s next big promotional initiative will kick off as the industry moves into 2017 and the annual Wave Season. The organization expects to release its "2017 State of the Industry" statistics and trends once again in the December/January time frame. CLIA also plans another media open house in New York this winter to again take the industry’s story to international and national journalists.

Looking ahead to the annual Cruise360 conference, back in Greater Fort Lauderdale, FL, once again on April 18-24, 2017, Christou says the registration “is going very well,” and stresses that CLIA will build on what it did in Vancouver, including themed general sessions and different speakers.

While Vancouver was a really strong show, according to Christou, she said it was a bit far for some agents. As the conference returns to the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, more agents - particularly those from the East Coast and Europe -- will likely attend.

Christou says the new ship inspection schedule for Cruise360 will be released soon. In addition, “from the general session perspective, we always want to make sure we get the right mix of executives in front of the agents,” Christou said, noting that agents can expect an “educational, engaging and fun experience.”

Several weeks ago, more than 40 travel agents participated in CLIA’s first Travel Agent Destination Summit in San Juan, Puerto Rico; it was CLIA’s first partnership with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. “The agents who were there had a really great experience because it was a little more intimate,” she stressed.

“One of the things that CLIA is trying to do with its professional development program is to create certifications that are really meaningful to agents to help them grow their business,” she also said.

Many agents attending the destination summit took training to receive a Meeting & Events at Sea certification. Plus, the Puerto Rico event was the first to feature CLIA's training for the new “Specialty & Boutique Cruise” certification.

“We know how important the destinations are to cruising,” said Christou. CLIA is currently talking to executive partners and evaluating other potential sites for future destination summits.

Another Week

Meanwhile, Plan A Cruise Month continues for another week. To take advantage of all the cruise line deals and promotions as well as the expertise from travel agents, consumers can find a CLIA Certified Cruise Specialist at cruising.org/cruise-vacationer/plan-a-cruise/clia-agent-finder.

Many cruise selling organizations have put their own twist on the promotion. Cruise Planners has a #CPCruiseIsInTheCards campaign where cruisers can share their excitement on social media and secure value-added deals for cruises in 2017 and beyond.

“Booking a cruise farther out is necessary when searching for the optimal prices and accommodations, if you play your cards right and book early, your cruise for 2017 will be smooth sailing,” stressed Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner, Cruise Planners. “October has proven to have great rates so it is the perfect opportunity for those looking to book a 2017 cruise to take advantage of early-bird savings and the great amenities being offered."

But, she adds that when it comes to cruising there is a boundless array of options, which can make it complicated for travelers. Garcia’s solution?: “People planning with a trusted travel advisor have an ace up their sleeve to customize the best cruise experience from pre-cruise to shore excursions, debarkation and the flight home.”