Travel Weekly asked three agents for their verdict on Silverseas Cruises’ Academy of Ultra-Luxury Cruising. Here’s what they said:
“In the past I have tended to move higher-paying customers up to a better category of accommodation, rather than to a better class of ship. Now I shall try to convince people to try an ultra-luxury ship instead. The training was very enlightening and very informative with lots of tips on how to market potential customers.”
Howard Foreman, general manager, All Abroad, Leeds
“The trend now is for mega ships. I know that the designs on these big ships are brilliant but there is a limit to the amount of people who want to go on them. Some want to be on a smaller ship. To me, the training reinforced what I thought about the product Silversea Cruises has to offer. It gave me some good ideas on how to reach the right people.”
John Wilcockson, partner, Harry Smith Travel, Macclesfield
“The training changed my way of looking at Silversea Cruises, in terms of who I would presume would book it or who we would offer it to. The training was well geared to a big cross-section of people from junior members of staff up to shop owners. Silversea is not expecting me to book a cruise every week. If every agent who attended the training sold a cruise for two twice a year, Silversea would be happy.”
Judith Blinkhorn, manager, Purser’s Travel, Worldchoice, Stockport