Cruise isn't for the ‘newlywed, overfed or nearly dead’: Florida cruise-and-stay tips

Busting preconceptions

Read and Smith agreed inaccurate preconceptions remain about cruising, and therefore cruise-and-stay trips. “There’s this whole preconception, and then there’s the accessibility side of it too,” said Read. “You’ll get a lot of clients that say cruise isn’t for them but they’ve never cruised before,” he said. “That’s where the questioning really comes in: finding out what the client wants from the holiday, what they like,” he added.

“Maybe they’ve been to Florida before. Ask what they loved and didn’t like about the resorts they stayed in, because there’s such a variety of different cruise lines and different ships that really appeal to everybody. “Where else can you find excellent accommodation, service and food but also waking up every day in a completely different destination?” he asked. 

Read said by “accessibility” he meant how easy it is to do a cruise and stay holiday. “They might have spent their holiday in Orlando and now they want to go do a cruise but the reality is they don’t want to drive down to the port, or fly between, or they don’t feel confident doing that.”

He said the new Brightline train service (which runs between Miami and Orlando, and also stops at Fort Lauderdale) had made accessibility much easier, and added that Tampa’s cruise port is “just steps away from everything”.

Smith said that value remains a priority for clients, so he would recommend all agents be promoting cruise-and-stay holidays to align with this. “When I started in this industry there was a saying that ‘cruising was for the newlywed, overfed or nearly dead’, and unfortunately that misconception is maintained in certain groups, but it couldn’t be further from the truth nowadays,” he said. 

“So really you want to be talking to customers about cruise without mentioning cruise, and for a cruise-and-stay holiday, cruise is just another resort. 

“So you can be saying ‘for half your holiday you’re going to be in the parks etc, and then we’ve got this amazing other resort here with 20 bars and restaurants, a waterpark, comedy clubs, roller coasters, IMAX cinemas’,” he said. “And when they show an interest you can show them video and content from Carnival and other cruise lines.

“Once they can see themselves there, then most of the battle is won. “Most people still think cruising is all ballroom dancing and shuffleboard… do your research, know the cruise lines and ask the questions.” 

Smith suggested any agents not confident with all the cruise lines should undertake Clia training.