A word or two about "special
discounts" that many travel or cruise agencies offer.
It is a common travel agency ploy to offer promotional
deals that frequently focus on a special "cruise night." You
may get a mailing or perhaps there is an ad in the local
newspaper.ÊYou go in, are met and greeted, enjoy punch
and free cookies, and view a dreamy cruise video. To step
back from this experience, KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS INTENDED
TO APPEAL TO A STRONG EMOTIONAL PURCHASE DECISION. To illustrate:
Experts about the Psychology of selling relate this experience
to what any top car salesperson knows:ÊIn the dealer's
showroom, if you can get the potential customer behind
the wheel to experience the "smell of the new car" and
the fantasy of pulling it into the driveway--you've likely
already made a sale! To return to the high seas...keep
in mind, however, that TOO MANY local travel agents (and
god only knows, many of the so-called "experts" who you
can deal with over the phone) often provide almost no specific
product information THAT IS INTENDED TO MATCH THE SERVICES
AND EXPERIENCES ON BOARD WITH YOUR SPECIFIC NEEDS. The
episode about drunken rowdiness mentioned earlier is, regrettably,
quite common. Too often, they want to sell you the packaged
deal (with the illusion that this "price or deal" is "just
too good to pass up.") You may have a great trip, or it
may be a disappointment, or you may wonder why you have
motion sickness in your cabin at the front of the ship,
or why there is more noise in your budget priced cabin
on a lower deck, or you may sit at dinner on the ship and
have difficulty not up chucking your food when the people
at your table share what they paid...In many cases, the
truth of the matter is, you'll never know the difference.More
information for travelers
The Economics of the Cruise
Industry &ÊAvoiding "PriceÊShopping"...
Why is this a reality? The issue centers on basic economics...The cost structure
of many of the major cruise agencies is essentially similar. Yes, I know they
all make the claim that they will give you the lowest price (Note: A warning
flag should go off when you hear this!), but the realities are that their fixed
and variable costs are remarkably similar even after you factor in the special
arrangements and promotional incentives that the major cruise lines offer them.
More information for
travelers
My experience and that of many other
people confirms, as with any service business, THE MAJOR
LEVERAGE THAT CRUISE AGENCIES HAVE TO PROVIDE THE "LOWEST PRICE" IS
TO CONTROL COSTS, WHICH NEARLY ALWAYS MEANS SLIGHTING SERVICE IN SOME WAY,
albeit sometimes unintentionally. It is, after all, a labor intensive business.
This can be done indirectly by hiring and paying people who are not the absolute
best in their field (which, of course, implies lower salary costs/higher profitability
for the agency). Another example of how costs get controlled is pumping up "productivity
indices" of agents by pressuring them to not spend too much time on the phone
or to "push" certain high profit trips that cruise lines offer to agencies
with special dollar incentives. This business tactic often means that you won't
spend time with someone who is interested in understanding your needs instead
of just your wants. Many travel or cruise agencies control costs directly in
many ways, such as not providing a packet of critical information ahead of
time, or pushing a "one size fits all" product (those agents who will "steer" you
toward specific line are a perfect example). In other words, (surprise of surprises),
you basically get what you pay for. If someone is going to engage in deception
and tell you otherwise (and implicitly, insult your intelligence), then my
advice is to keep your hand on you wallet or purse as you RUN (not walk) for
the door. The other side of this coin is that the buying or traveling public
wants "the best deal," and sometimes consumer greed clouds sound judgment.
For example, there are people who may be paying $3,000-$10,000 or more for
a sight-unseen cruise, then proceed to shop around to save a paltry $75. My
judgment is that this gives new meaning to the term, "penny wise and pound
foolish." More information for
travelers
One antidote to help insure you
are dealing with only the best is to determine the credentials
of your cruise or travel agent--AND--the company with which
they are affiliated. Let me quote directly from Conde Nast's
new book, Secret's Every Smart Traveler Should Know (another
book well worth reading, by the way):
"Look for a travel agent with credentials such as membership in the National
Association of Cruise-Only Agencies, or accreditation by the Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA). CLIA "Master Cruise Counselors" have a higher level of training
than CLIAÊ"Accredited Cruise Counselors." It continues, "...cruise-goers should
use one of the specialists who belong to APIÊTravel Consultants, a network of
the nation's top travel agents." More
information for travelers
Continue to next page of cruise tips
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