Travel Agent Professional November 2011 Issue 13
Taking Care of Business By Mary Brutscher
Rebooking Tool
18
By Les-Lee Roland
Affinity Groups By Mitchell J. Schlesinger
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November 2011
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ovember
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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=6
Taking Care of Business
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=10
Olympic Antidotes
By Paull Tickner Creator of Special Interest Britain
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=14
To Dream the Impossible Dream
By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=16
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The Easiest Rebooking Tool EVER By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=20
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How Affinity Groups Can Make You VERY Popular With Your Cruise Partners!! By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=22
Blogging Basics — How, why and where to begin
By Sherry Laskin Travel Writer, Blogger & Social Media Advisor
Showcase
Affluent Travel ...................................................21 Amadeus ...........................................................23
Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ ........................25 Travelsavers .......................................................19
Ad Index
traveL tix......................................................17 Auto Europe................................IFC http://www.AutoEurope.com
Sabre .............................................9 www.sabretravelinetwork.com/tmu
Avoya Travel/AVC.........................13 http://www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=115
Travel Planners Int’l........................7 http://www.myhosttravelagency.com
Leisure Pops .................................27 http://www.leisurepops.com/
Voyages to Antiquity ......................3 http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/
Royal Caribbean Line ...................BC http://www.royalcaribbean.com/
Travel Agent Professional
2011
By Mary Brutscher
Travel Agent Professional November 2011 Issue 13
Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120202 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.227.7541
Joel M. Abels
Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007
Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design Bonnie Walling Editor
Meet Our Editorial Board Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity www.voyagestoantiquity.com Mary Brutscher Former Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/ America’s Vacation Center www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583 Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk www.greatdays.co.uk
Contributions Lee Rosen, CEO Leisure Pops www.leisurepops.com
Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing. Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade. The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials. On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another. While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.
Ann M. Hoek This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.
September 2011
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Call 1-877-398-1460 Visit www.voyagestoantiquity.com Prices are per person, double occupancy, cat N. FREE round-trip air (and transfers) applicable with cruise-tour purchase only and does not include government taxes, fees and airline fuel surcharges ($500-$700) which may change at any time. Special single pricing applicable to select categories and not available on all sailings. Stateroom savings based on double occupancy, vary by category and sailing and not available on all sailings. All offers are subject to availability, capacity controlled and may be withdrawn at any time. Ship’s Registry: Malta.
4 Taking Care of Business By Mary Brutscher
Things continue to change in our industry. continue to
merge or be sold, to the point where sometimes, it seems to be a
little hard to keep up with who owns what.
Contact information for Mary is mailto:cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com
One thing that does remain
consistent, however, is the need for travel agents to find a way to be successful and profitable while keeping costs down at the same time. Some of the options may have changed a little bit over the last few years, while others remain the same. Many agents I know still weigh the pros and cons of affiliating with a host agency or remaining under their own memberships and affiliations. Identity and supplier support, along with commission rates, still seem to be the biggest concerns to agents when making these choices. There are some suppliers who will allow the business development managers (BDMs) to support the independent agents in their area, even if the host is located in another state. (Royal Caribbean is one of those suppliers and hats off to them for continuing to be proactive in their support of the agent community.)
At the same time, as an independent travel agent, you should be able to use your own DBA (doing business as) identity while booking under your host agency. You will also, usually, have much higher commission rates with the supplier than you would if you were booking under your own affiliations, unless you have been doing business for several years and continue to work with a good client base. Through the host’s memberships, you may also have special promotions to sell the the client than you would have if you go it alone. Additionally, while you will more than likely have a monthly fee with the host, you may get other perks such as a free Web site or free promotional mailers. For some agents, there is nothing that compares with owning your own business and being completely independent and not affiliated with any host, even if the commissions received are lower.
November 2011
5 These agents know that all they have to do if they experience a supplier problem is pick up the phone and call the supplier or shoot off an email to the supplier BDM. They also know that if they elect to host a sales event, they can contact the supplier for assistance and co-op marketing. For these agents, I believe it is important to also affiliate with a good consortia. With the right consortia, there will be additional marketing opportunities to take advantage of as well as the support of the consortia when needed. Other concerns continue to be competing for the business and selling enough travel products not only to stay afloat, but to make a profit as well. The business is out there, even with today’s economy, but many agents still sit there at the computer and beside the phone and ‘wait’ for the business to come their way. That may have worked in the past, but it doesn’t work today! It is pretty much guaranteed that if you are sitting by the phone and computer waiting for business, someone else is out there getting that business that you are waiting for! Get out there and network! Do some social marketing! Get involved in the community! Make your agency a local name!
Networking.
Not all networking opportunities are created equal! If you join a networking group that costs a lot each month and produces no leads, no marketing ideas, etc., leave the group! Don’t waste your time or money. Look for something that will combine both the networking opportunity as well as a service to your community. Not only will you receive leads from (continued on page 6)
Travel Agent Professional
6 your fellow club members and be getting your name out to the community, but you will also be giving back to the community. Check with your accountant or tax adviser, some of these opportunities may also be tax deductible! You need to also look at local clubs and associations that others in your area may not think of and join and make your services available. A local husband and wife agency team in my area (that I highly respect) has been very proactive in this area and as a result, they are achieving success where others have failed.
Social Media marketing can be a good tool, but if you are not careful, it can be a huge turnoff as well! If you are constantly on a site such as Facebook or Twitter promoting yourself and your business, chances are you will have the opposite affect than what you are striving for. If, however, you promote with an uploaded flyer or an interesting article, or even a joke, it is a softer approach and much less likely to turn off your targeted audience. Also, look at blogging and develop a following by inviting current clients, friends and families to subscribe to your blog as well as recommend it to others.
Niches!
Niche marketing is still a fantastic business model. Once you discover your niche and develop a following, you may be able to do less marketing, depending upon what your niche is. Let your favorite supplier(s) know that you are working on this niche and find out if they have any special tools available to you or any ideas or suggestions on developing this niche with their company. Customer service is still the best marketing tool available to anyone in business. Offer a good product along with good (and honest) customer service and you will develop a client base of good customers. You may lose a few that are still looking for nothing but the bottom line, but chances are that you will be better off without those customers in the long run. As you provide exceptional customer service, you will receive more and more clients through word of mouth! People want to know they can trust the person they are doing business with, especially in today’s environment. By always offering topnotch customer service, sprinkled with honesty and integrity, your business will continue to grow.
Happy Sales! November 2011
Travel Agent Professional
8 B y P a u l l T i c k n e r
Olympic Antidotes When
massive events like the Olympic Games come to town, they bring with them many short and longer term benefits. However, they also create a lot of unhelpful negatives, like outrageous trans-Atlantic airfares, high hotel costs and perceptions of gridlocked traffic and overcrowded streets. This is what London is facing as it prepares to host the Games next summer. I’ve attended four trade shows this autumn — see you at the Luxury Travel Expo in December? — and whenever I’ve broached the subject, travel agent interest at best has been minimal — but not for the reasons given above. The lack of demand is purely and simply because their clients just aren’t interested in sporting events of this kind and those that are would prefer to watch them on the TV in the privacy of their own home, enjoying the action replays and the six-pack that’s close to hand! (continued on page 10)
Paull Tickner, creator of Special Interest Britain, is affiliated with the Greatdays Travel Group. For over 30 years, he has been developing and operating customized niche travel programs for the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit his Web site at www.greatdays.co.uk and E-mail him at pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk
November 2011
10 In addition, the Olympics and its immediate run-up period don't seem to be factoring on most agents' calendars. Most customers have the U.K. and Ireland on their agenda for the April to late June period (make that early July to include the Hampton Court Flower Show) and then for the first two months of autumn. However, families with children still plan to travel to the U.K. during the summer, when the children are out of school. Greatly relieved, I can then wax lyrical about the many other, often annual events, celebrations and festivals which will be held next summer. These can be successfully used as the foundation for a customized tour for their anglophile clients or better still, which can be imaginatively developed into a small group of 10-15. At this point the 12,000mile round trip suddenly becomes worthwhile as we then talk about ideas such as the following: Tours of your Bookshelf: Entertaining literary tours that will appeal to fans of Masterpiece Theatre as they look at Jane Austen’s life and times, Harry Potter, Inspector Morse and enjoy an "on location" visit to Downton Abbey, aka Highclere Castle. Alice in Wonderland: Alice’s Day takes place each year in Oxford at the beginning of July. With a bit of creative thinking you can bring together the two spectacular castles at Windsor and Warwick, an Elizabethan England experience at the Shakespeare Houses, Independence Day at Sulgrave Manor (George Washington's ancestral home). Combine that with a close encounter with the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and the Dormouse during the Alice’s Day weekend. Marketing tip. See if one of your clients has a young granddaughter with golden tresses. Put her into a blue
pinafore dress and as Alice and invite her to become the Pied Piper for two to three families to experience this tour together as a small group of 15-plus. The Charles Dickens 200th anniversary: Using either the June or December Dickens Festivals as the main event, start the tour at the beginning with a visit to his birthplace in the great waterfront city of Portsmouth. While you’re there, add some salty tales with a visit to HMS Victory and the Historic Dockyard and a pub crawl around Old Portsmouth. The Other Olympics: Next year marks the 400th anniversary of the first attempt to revive the games of Ancient Greece, Robert Dover’s Olimpick Games (note the spelling). They will be reenacted next year and will include many non-traditional sports that were, nonetheless, included in the 1612 edition, such as singlestick, wrestling, jumping in sacks, dancing and shin kicking. See www.olimpickgames.co.uk These Olimpicks take place every year in the picturesque market town of Chipping Campden and offer a very good excuse for a 3-4 night stay in the Cotswolds. Celebrating Shakespeare: The World Shakespeare Festival starts on the Bard’s Birthday (April 23) and runs through to November. With the Globe Theatre in London and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon, celebrate the event with a front stage backstage bells and whistles tour for the patrons of your local theatre. Have Easel, Will Travel to Cornwall: Welcome to Cornwall, the consummate travel less, see more destination that’s a world far removed from London. Here, travelers can experience King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, internationally renowned horticultural masterpieces, great castles and treasure filled stately homes.
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They can visit outstanding art collections at the Tate Gallery, Penlee House, the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden and the renowned Porthmeor Studios, plus attend plays under the stars at the Minack Theatre. Hopefully, airfares for the spring and early summer will be competitive. If you run into problems with London hotel prices, turn this to your advantage and make 2012 the year when you successfully started selling the English countryside where rates and availability are invariably better.
Travel Agent Professional
12
To Dream the Impossible
By
Dream
Scott Koepf
Your dream for your business, like Don Quixote’s, must be expressed and shared — even at the risk of ridicule. John Maxwell, in his book Your Road Map to Success, says that your dream needs to paint a broad landscape so others can catch your vision. Your dream should include:
Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express www.JoinAvoya.com
Last month I talked about the classic musical, Man of La Mancha, based on the story of Don Quixote by the author Cervantes. We discovered that the beloved character of Don Quixote is not only a masterful story teller, but he is able to involve his audience in the stories he weaves. The ability to ‘sell’ based
A Horizon – to show the incredible possibilities ahead. The Sun – to give warmth and hope. Mountains – to represent the challenges ahead. Birds – to inspire soaring like eagles. Flowers – to remind them to enjoy the journey. A Path – to offer direction and security. Yourself – to demonstrate your commitment to the dream. The People You Want in the Dream – to show them where they fit in and to communicate your belief in them.
on not just telling a story but creating the story with his audience is the key to success in travel retailing. However, the real secret to the compelling aspect of Don Quixote’s story comes from the most wellknown song from the show, The Impossible Dream. To Dream the Impossible Dream, to fight the unbeatable foe… Every great journey and every great business for that
Creating the vision for your business is just the beginning, as the dream needs to be fulfilled. This is where a dream becomes, as the song says, a quest. The bridge from dream to reality is the quest and it includes planning, strategies, tactics and just plain hard work. Don Quixote uses the analogy of reaching an unreachable star. As the song says… This is my Quest, to follow that Star No matter how hopeless, no matter how far…
matter, start with a dream. The more impossible the dream, the more rewarding the result. In our industry some would consider making a good income as a travel agent an impossible dream! I can assure it is not, but I can also assure you that those that are generating enviable income started with a dream that may have seemed unreachable when first envisioned.
In your dream, what is the star that your quest is designed to reach? It needs to be a stretch or it is not worthy of a quest. So dream big and reach high then spend some time painting the picture of your dream and make sure you write out the specific goals and steps you need to fulfill your personal quest!
November 2011
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14 B y
Easiest Rebooking Tool
L e s - L e e
The
R o l a n d
EVER I have talked about this sales technique before in my workshops, but sometimes the easiest things need repeating.
Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
I ALWAYS give my clients a letter outlining the program to take with them. I personalize it as well, and instruct them to visit the onboard cruising agent. An example is listed at the bottom of this article. I also include a copy of their onboard booking form — I collect extras when I sail on that cruise line and make copies as needed. These forms are pretty much the same. It includes their names, the current booking number, form of payment for $100, and your agency info. The clients have the choice of selecting a certain date and itinerary, or to leave it open and apply it to any future cruise within a designated period Most cruise lines offer a rebooking bonus for passengers who book future cruises when they are the on the current cruise. The bonus is the onboard credit they receive along with the booking. It can range from $50 to $250, depending on the cruise line and the length of the trip. And you, the agent, will receive the commission. Also, the certificate acts as the deposit on the future cruise. That can be a good selling tool, the $100 certificate is used in place of the usual $500 or more deposit. Especially if the cruise is quite a ways off. It’s a win, win situation for sure. As easy as this may sound, the rules are different with each company. But sometimes, the cruise lines make it more difficult.
November 2011
15 Holland America for example. Their onboard agent says that she has to personally work with the passenger. She said it’s company policy. So, your client has to make an appointment, since that desk is open only at select times, wait their turn, since the appointments usually run late, and interrupt their own cruise time. Whenever I am escorting a group onboard, I always request the onboard agent come to a meeting with the group, and sign them all up together. Usually about 90% of my clients take advantage of this, if I am with them. On a recent Holland America cruise, the agent just couldn’t take the time to come to the conference room to meet with over sixty interested people. Just couldn’t fit it into her schedule. She insisted that each person would have to make an appointment to come to HER desk. After much complaining from me and a mention that I would write to Holland America to show how inconvenient this was to people who were enjoying their cruise time, they didn’t want to select an exact date, they just wanted to turn in the form — she gave in and granted us 15 minutes at 8:30am. She wouldn’t allow me to collect the forms and give them to her, she had to physically see each person sign them. My clients were annoyed, since they didn’t want to be there that early, and wait their turn. So hello — Holland America, some did not fill them out. I don’t know what the big deal is, since I don’t get the commission until they actually book, and HAL gets the $100 immediately. Methinks that she might get a bonus, or a spiff, for every person she gets to select an actual sailing date — why else? Princess is the easiest. You fill out the form and
drop it into a box if you don’t want to select a certain cruise date. And their $100 is totally refundable if you don’t use it. Upon request of course. Norwegian Cruise Line is a little bit different. You purchase it on board, and get an immediate shipboard credit while you are on the sailing, not for the future. Only problem is, if you purchase it on the last day of the cruise, perhaps you may not have accrued enough expense to use the shipboard credit. But I believe it can be deducted from the cost of the certificate. Another good point, different from the other cruise lines, is that you — the agent — can purchase them onboard for your future clients. Even if they have never sailed with NCL before. I bought four on my last sailing and promoted NCL in my next newsletter. Now, for Royal Caribbean. One of the first to offer the program, and they offer the longest time frame for booking. I tell my clients they have nineteen years to book. They also include with the $100 investment, the same benefits for up to extra bookings. This means Mr. Smith can purchase one certificate, get the future shipboard credit, and have his friends or family book two more cabins and also get the shipboard credit. Sounds great — right? For an individual booking, it works pretty well. But for group bookings, it can be a headache. First, they only accept one certificate per booking (something not stated on the certificate). Only one shipboard credit on the booking (that is stated on the certificate). If booked with a group, you have to call regular res first and book there. Then, instead of the certificate being the deposit, the client still has to pay a total of $500 per cabin (continued on page 16)
Travel Agent Professional
16 deposit for a seven night cruise before you can transfer the cruise into the group booking. Something not stated on the certificate. Plus you have to leave the booking in regular res with at least 24 hours, before the transfer. And in my case, sometimes, the rates are different, and cannot be combined. Not all promotions can be transferred as well — something that is stated on the certificate. You have to work with the res department, the group department, and their Crown and Anchor department, and cross your fingers that everything goes through. Plus, with Royal Caribbean, the client has to give you the certificate for you to mail in, in order to share it with families and friends. Sometimes, if they purchased one years ago, they can no longer find it. You can always get the certificate number, since it is linked to their Crown and Anchor number, but getting the certificate in hand can be harder. One reason for this is that when you have a large group onboard booking these, sometimes the agent does not have enough time to process them right away, and may send them out after the cruise is over. Another headache to deal with. It’s just is too time consuming to be switched from one department to another, and quite honestly, some res agents just don’t want to deal with the certificates and add to the problem. I have reported these easy to fix problems to Royal Caribbean. I was told they are working on them, and was assured everything was going to be in place soon. Months ago. I still have problems. But, with the other cruise lines, you can call or go online to get the confirmation number for a future cruise credit.
Some cruise lines, also offer a past military promo for a slight discount on the cruise or a $100 shipboard credit. So start collecting those DD214 forms — the honorable discharge from service forms — and keep them on file. Oceania has a great program. They allow time after the cruise for the client to rebook, at a discount — no need to purchase a certificate. Makes sense, they have a chance to go home, check their calendars, and their bank accounts, and can work with their travel agent on an itinerary, and still get a benefit. Also, it gives the travel agent time to book group space on the selected sailing, and start promoting it to the friends and family of the client. Remember, I mentioned the sample letter. It’s so simple, and onboard agents have told me that they are seeing these more often now…so I am the culprit of starting them. Dear Onboard Booking Agent, This is to introduce my clients, (name of clients) and their booking number is xxxxxxx. I have told them about your future cruise booking form, and the benefits offered. Please share with them the advantages of the lower deposit, the shipboard credits, and any upgrades if possible. Also, any promotions offered on your sister lines (I include this with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity) Whether they book a future date, or just purchase the certificate, please send the confirmation to my office by e-mail (XXX@XXXXXXXXXXXX) or fax (XXX-XXXX) and I will contact they clients when they return. Thanking you in advance for working with my clients. Name — Agency name and contact info.
November 2011
Showcase
traveL tix Launches New Easy Tix Air Ticket Ful Fillment Service Exclusively for TRAVEL SAVERS and NEST agents Non-GDS Trained Agents Make More Money on Air with Simplified Point-and-Click System
Travel tix today announced a new version of their air ticket fulfillment service that has been helping travel agents earn higher commissions on international air sales since its launch over two years ago. Called EasyTix, the new reser vations system powered by eGlobalfares was specifically designed to help agents who have either little or no GDS training make more money on air sales. The simplified point-and-click system makes it easy for non-GDS trained agents to search, book and monitor air reservations. A one-stop shop for air, EasyTix provides content for GDS fares and other consolidator fares. EasyTix also automatically monitors and proactively sends email notifications to the booking agents to alert them to schedule changes and airline remarks sent through the GDS.
The new system is a time-saver for agents and is extremely user-friendly. It was created exclusively for travel agents who are part of TRAVELSAVERS and NEST. “Travel agents no longer have to be fearful about having to learn a GDS or a new GDS because using our new EasyTix version is as easy as booking on any OTA,” said Jim Mazza, COO of TRAVELSAVERS and Travel Tix. “We worked closely with eGlobalfares to customize our air res technology, which searches and makes reservations in our GDS. The flexibility, configurability, customization and ease of use makes this product the best on the market for agents who would rather not have to learn GDS formats but still want to make good money on service fees and air bookings available through TRAVELSAVERS or NEST.”
For more information, please visit www.traveltix.net or contact Joe Winheim at jwinheim@traveltix.net.
Travel Agent Professional
18 How Affinity Groups Can Make You By Mitchell
VERY
Popular With Your
J.
Cruise Partners!!
Schlesinger
This article is intended to put particular aspects of the affinity group business into perspective and is designed to show how you can have cruise line DSMs/BDMs fighting over your business and how you can become an important business resource for your preferred suppliers. Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity m.schlesinger@voyagestoantiquity.com
So let’s start at the beginning. In the mainstream cruise market, group business has an overall conversion rate (actual group passengers as a percentage of group beds blocked per sailing) of around 10-15%. So let’s imagine a cruise ship with 1,000 cabins and the revenue management department would like 300 group cabins on a particular sailing. This means, the company, through its group department and sales force, needs to block 2,000 cabins at group rates to materialize the 300 cabins for that one sailing using a 15% conversion. That is just for one sailing of one ship. Similar requirements for a full year would call for 104,000 group cabins blocked for that one ship.
You get the picture. The larger lines are processing MILLIONS of group cabin block requests because the conversion is so relatively low. And that is because the majority of groups blocked are speculative and NOT of an affinity group nature. On the other hand, affinity groups generally convert anywhere from 50-90%, which is why cruise lines will be very accommodating to agents who develop a consistent track record of high converting affinity groups. It completely changes how they manage a particular sailing or series of sailings because they are better equipped to project how much group business is coming because of the stronger conversion ratio. (continued on page 20)
November 2011
Showcase
TWIN Global Travel Management Company Establishes Ties to Italy The TWIN (TRAVELSAVERS Worldwide Independent Network) global travel management company announced today that it has established a strong tie to Italy with the signing of travel agency Frigerio Viaggi to its international network. A leader in its region, Frigerio Viaggi was established in 1974 and today operates in various sectors of travel including: retail services with nine offices; franchise networking (Frigerio Viaggi Network was established in1999 and currently has 63 franchises throughout Italy); and business travel, MICE, leisure and holidays, supported by over 200 employees. An essential component of Frigerio Viaggi's growth and success has been their commitment to offering their clients the best service, negotiation power, experience and professionalism.
mented: “We welcome the team at Frigerio Viaggi to our organization. They bring additional resources to TWIN and a personal touch on-theground in Italy that will help our agencies deliver higher standards of service to their clients visiting the region. In turn, TWIN gives Frigerio access to a network of top agencies on five continents to collaborate with and share business. TWIN also
provides state-of-the-art technology to assist them in increasing operational efficiencies.” To find out more about how to become part of the TWIN global network, independent travel agencies can visit www.twintravelmanagement.com, E-mail twinsales@travelsavers.com, or call 516-624-0500 x5080.
Simone Frigerio, Sales & Marketing Director of Frigerio Viaggi, said about their new alliance: “We are very proud to be part of TWIN, as we’ve been chosen among some of the major national TMCs to represent Italy. The new partnership will enable us to provide travel services in highly competitive markets, offering sophisticated tools for travel management, as well as having international exposure. Frigerio Viaggi will participate in international bids and provide our customers with a global presence.” Rick Mazza, President & CEO of TRAVELSAVERS and TWIN, comTo find out more about how to become part of the TWIN global network, independent travel agencies can visit www.twintravelmanagement.com, email twinsales@travelsavers.com, or call 516-624-0500 x5080.
Travel Agent Professional
20 For Home Based agents in particular this represents a significant opportunity and I would like to offer two suggestions regarding both creating and broadening the reach of your affinity business. First, there are what I refer to as traditional “social” affinity groups include a variety of organizations from Rotarians, Knights of Columbus, to religious (churches & temples) the PTA, soccer teams, little league etc. These are all great and for home based agents who are immersed in their local communities these should be easy to target via your own participation and that of family, friends, clients etc. However, because they are “local” community groups, with the primary tie being membership or social involvement, their size can be somewhat limited by virtue of the population of the community itself. The other affinity group type, which I call, “Interactive Activity” groups, has no geographic boundaries. And these are groups which can be much larger. The internet has enabled people across the country to communicate with each other about special interests, hobbies and activities in which they participate. Ten years ago there was basically no “Scrap Booking” industry. It is now a multi-billion dollar industry and if you go to Google and search for Scrap booking Clubs, you will see 7 Million hits! And the same goes for quilting, photography, cooking, wine tasting, various types of dancing etc. By communicating across the internet, you can achieve sizable groups, which convert at high percentages, which is going to make you VERY popular with your preferred suppliers. The key to insuring that your affinity business grows is that it is critical that you know 2 things
about all of your clients and even prospects who contact your agency; what social/civic organizations they belong to and in what special interests/activities/hobbies they partake. These 2 pieces of information are the key to sourcing the start of an affinity group, especially for the interactive activity groups. A client who quilts may have a sister who quilts in another city, they both have friends and family who quilt, and as the commercial use to say, and so on and so on etc. It doesn’t matter where they live, they can be attracted to come together to share their passion for this activity. Lastly, and this is crucial to making sure any affinity group you put together is successful and puts the seal on how much you can make your preferred suppliers appreciate you. It concerns notifying and pre-planning the group activities with the preferred supplier in advance to insure that your groups are well taken care of onboard. Cruise lines have a grid for every sailing that outlines all the activities they have planned across the public rooms during the course of the cruise, many of which are revenue generating. These are very important to the cruise line for obvious reasons, so your need of one of these public rooms, meeting room etc for your group requires them to re-organize their schedule. Remember something else, you are not the only agent booking a group on that sailing and the sooner the cruise line knows about your group, it enables them to make sure that there are not multiple groups competing for the same public rooms, all of which interferes with their scheduled events and those that you are planning. (continued on page 22)
November 2011
Showcase The Affluent Traveler magzine Adds Mobile Tags Allows Travelers to Access Luxury Product Via Their Smart Phones The Affluent Traveler magazine — an award-winning luxury travel publication that provides domestic and international travelers with “a guide to the good life”— has added mobile tags to its Summer/Fall 2011 issue. The scanable mobi-tags allow readers to access enhanced content from select partners about The Affluent Traveler’s luxury travel experiences through their web-enabled smart phones (iPhone, Android, Blackberry, etc.). The tags open up to links to web sites, videos and slideshows — all of which are designed to excite the emotions of the readers and encourage them to book these luxury trips. Because The Affluent Traveler Collection hosts the program, all bookings remain with their luxury travel advisors. To use the mobile tags, consumers simply download Microsoft’s FREE Tag Reader application on their phone at http://gettag.mobi, launch the application, and scan the tag. “We’ve taken our award-winning print product and expanded it into a multi-faceted marketing platform that pushes our preferred partners’ products out to consumers who are predisposed to spend their discretionary dollars on luxury travel,” said Thomas A. Hayden, CTC, Senior Vice President of Global Luxury Sales for The Affluent Traveler Collection. “We now have the traditional medium of the printed magazine; plus a digital version that allows visitors to download pdfs; and mobile technology that lets readers easily access dynamic content from their smart phones when they want access to the world’s leading luxury experiences.” Recent studies have found that two-thirds of people who purchase cell phones today opt for smart phones. The mobile tags feature is another way that The Affluent Traveler Collection is helping its hand-picked partners from hotels, resorts, spas, tours, airlines, private jet companies and restaurants to create a more vibrant way to promote their luxury products. Visit http://tacticals.travelsavers.com/flipbooks/The_Affluent_Traveler_SF_2011/aft/index.html to see a sample flipbook of the most current issue of The Affluent Traveler.
Travel Agent Professional
The Affluent Traveler Collection (owned by American Marketing Group, Inc.) is an elite marketing company targeting the global, upscale luxury market that includes: 1) an exclusive marketing network for luxury travel advisors; 2) an acclaimed consumer travel magazine called The Affluent Traveler that showcases world-class luxury travel experiences and is available at major bookstores, on newsstands and in select airport lounges in 14 countries; and 3) an enriched amenities program that encourages customer loyalty. The Affluent Traveler Collection provides its travel agency members with a range of services from buying power and marketing expertise to technology and training opportunities. The organization’s select luxury travel suppliers benefit from exposure to a new chain of highly trained sales representatives in key regions around the globe.
For more information about The Affluent Traveler Collection, agencies and suppliers can visit www.theaffluenttraveler.com, email info@theaffluenttraveler.com, or call 877-645-6351.
22 So here are some DOs and DON’Ts for affinity group handling with your preferred suppliers:
1.
DO make every effort to book your affinity groups at least 12-15 months in advance of the sailing. Why? You will probably get a less restrictive deposit policy for the first several months.
2.
DO advise the cruise line as specifically as possible what the group needs will be during the cruise, immediately upon booking the group. This facilitates several important factors: If it is a large group requiring use of public space on multiple occasions, the cruise line can reorganize its schedule of activities accordingly. If the needs are complicated (electrical outlets, extension cords, lots of tables etc) it gives you and them plenty of time to preplan. If the group department is organized, it should prevent them from booking a large group with similar space needs on the same sailing. In essence, it is a race for space and if you notify the line first, they should work with you to insure your group gets what it needs.
• • •
3.
DO send the cruise line an activity grid for the week as soon as you finalize one, so that if necessary, it can be shared with the hotel department and the group services manager on the ship.
4.
DO focus your affinity group business with your preferred suppliers as often as possible in order to further strengthen your relationship.
5.
DON’T schedule your activities smack in the middle of port days. While to you that appears to give you more room on the ship, but to the line, it is preventing guests from purchasing shore excursions.
6.
DON’T schedule onboard events in places which should generate revenue, but with your group, won’t. A group activity held in a lounge where there will be no beverage consumption is seen as counter productive to the cruise line.
7.
DON’T wait to advise the line about your group. Advising the line at final payment that you have 300 quilters coming is a recipe for disaster. If you develop a consistent track record as an “affinity group producer”, one that produces multiple groups per year that convert at very high percentages and you pre-plan well, you are going to become VERY popular with your preferred suppliers and receive special attention from them, the more consistently you provide this business. There is a direct relationship between the number of affinity groups you produce, the conversion levels, how well you pre-plan with your preferred suppliers and the ultimate success of each group. In the end this will make your affinity group business more successful and more profitable to you. And your understanding the perspective of how your cruise partners view this process will importantly strengthen you relationship with them.
November 2011
Showcase Amadeus Commitment to Innovation Confirmed by Top Sector Rankings as European Leader for R&D Investment • Annual EC listing of top 1,000 companies for R&D investment published • • €326m investment in 2010 ranks Amadeus again first in two sectors • • Overall ranking rises 11 places since 2010 report – and 22 places since 2005 report •
Amadeus has once again maintained its sector rankings as one of the leading companies in Europe for investment in Research & Development (R&D) by the European Commission (EC). Amadeus is a leading transaction processor and provider of advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry. The 2011 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, an annual report published by the EC, examines the largest 1,000 European companies investing in R&D during 2010 and ranks them according to the total amount invested. Amadeus’ investment of €326 million during 2010 to research and develop technologies for use in the travel sector was recognized by the company maintaining the following rankings: • First place in Europe by total R&D investment in the computer services category • Number one in Europe by total R&D investment in the area of travel and tourism Amadeus also increased its overall ranking by 11 places, rising from number 78 in 2010’s report to number 67 out of the 1,000 companies ranked in 2011 — and up from number 89 in 2005. Innovation is one of the drivers behind Amadeus’ progress and growth, which has allowed the company’s technology to achieve an outstanding competitive position within the market. Total investment since 2004 stands at more than €1.6 billion, reflecting a consistent invest-
ment every year of around 14.4% of consolidated revenues. Jean-Paul Hamon, Executive Vice President, Development at Amadeus and head of the company’s software development, says: “Once again we are very excited that our investment in R&D has been highlighted by the wellrecognized European Commission study and we are very satisfied with our top ranking in two business areas. We have a proven track record in innovating, with pioneering travel industry products and initiatives. R&D remains central to our progression as a large-scale technology leader.” Amadeus has fifteen R&D centres around the world (Nice, London, Sydney, Antwerp, Aachen, Frankfurt, Boston, Miami, Toronto, Strasbourg, Tucson, Bangalore, Bogota, Warsaw and Bangkok), which currently house a team of over 4,000 people. In terms of technology, Amadeus’ R&D efforts have in recent years have been particularly focused on: • Extremely high performance transaction processing under stringent system availability and dependability requirements; • Information mining from very large databases; • Super-responsive travel search engines; • Multi-channel customer servicing applications (agent desktop, web, kiosk, mobile, tablets). Examples of the impact this has had on innovation in Amadeus products and services in recent years include: • Continued development of the
Amadeus Altéa Customer Management Solution (CMS), a community-based airline IT platform that consists of three solutions covering reservation, inventory management and departure control. • Development of the Amadeus Hotel Platform, a solution for hotel chains that combines central reservation, property management and global distribution systems into one fully integrated platform. This recently-launched platform is designed to support hotels in the current age of globalization and expansion, enabling them to respond to changing traveler demands. • Development of sophisticated search engines with new parameters, such as the recent launch of Amadeus Extreme Search for online travel agencies worldwide, following a pilot with the leading Nordic online travel agency European Travel Interactive (eTRAVELi). • Development of ancillary services solutions as part of our commitment to helping airlines adapt and evolve their ancillary services strategy so that customers can move their focus from pure revenue to delivering profitability. Amadeus Airline Ancillary Services is an end-to-end solution that enables airlines to distribute (display, book, price and pay) services across all channels in full compliance with industry standards. Amadeus has developed a unique interactive catalogue that clearly displays the range of additional airline services available allowing travel agencies to view, book and up-sell ancillary services quickly and efficiently.
To find out more about Amadeus please go to www.amadeus.com To visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please go to www.investors.amadeus.com
Travel Agent Professional
24
Blogging Basics — How, why and where to begin Chances are you’ve heard and read about
B y
the importance of having a blog. But do you really know what a blog is and how to start one? Travel agents and other business people tell me they know about blogging and would like to have one of their own, but don’t have a clue where to begin.
S h e r r y
an online journal. Basically, a blog looks like a Web site but with one big difference: it’s interactive. It’s engaging. You very easily add new information to your blog and so can others - not just as text comments, either. They can even upload their videos from the vacation that you sold to them! Once your blog is set up, you log in, type something of interest to your readers (clients), post it and that’s it! Sound simple enough? It is. Keep reading and I will tell you how to start a blog, plain and simple. Before we get to the nuts and bolts, it’s important for you to understand why you need to have a blog. If you’re like most travel agents, you proba-
A C C
A blog = “web log.” A blog is simply
L a s k i n ,
Does the mere mention of widgets, plugins and platforms put you over the edge? If you read this entire article, I promise you will be able to go forth and prosper into the brave new blogging world.
Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com
bly have a static Web site; one of those cookie cutter sites that you pay $29.95 a month for someone else to maintain. If you are lucky, you might be able to maintain one page on your own. Nice, but…. Do you consistently send out a personalized Email newsletter once or twice a week to all of your clients? If you do, how many of your clients actually read all of it? They have to sift through the information, which takes time. You have to invade their space, catch their attention and hope they don’t hit “delete.” (continued on page 26)
November 2011
Showcase
Announces New Land Partnerships Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ agents continually strive to provide their customers with the complete vacation experience. That's why we're committed to ensuring that all 3,600 of our Cruise Consultants have access to the strongest supplier relationships in the travel industry. As cruise specialists, we focus our expertise on vacations at sea, but that doesn't mean that we can't offer our clients a full range of travel options to match their individual needs. Each of our travel partners provides a unique vacation experience, which helps our agents find the perfect match for each and every one of their clients. To add to our increasing line up of non-cruise offerings, we're excited to announce the addition of two new Land Partners: Auto Europe and Tauck. Each of these suppliers offers tours and vacation options that can be paired with a cruise or enjoyed on their own! Our agents will receive exclusive training, support and promotions from these companies, so that their customers can enjoy the highest level of service, value and personal attention. At Expedia CruiseShipCenters, we help our agents attract and create Customers For LifeTM. Find out how you can take advantage of our award-winning marketing, powerful technology and incredible industry relationships at an upcoming webinar by choosing the session to the top right that best suits your schedule. Warm regards, Pat Heathfield Expedia CruiseShipCenters Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Just Cruises 43277 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038 Phone: 586-840-7447/800-837-4477 Email: justcruises@cruiseshipcenters.com • www.cruiseshipcenters.com/JustCruisesHB
Travel Agent Professional
26 What a perfect world it would be if your clients looked forward to getting the updates to your blog that they have asked to receive! This is what blogging is all about. I call it passive marketing. A short and timely article every day or so keeps you in front of the competition and in the top of their minds. Where to begin. First, you need to think up a name for your blog — for example, Ziggy’s Travel Tidbits. Next, you need to register it with a blog host. The two most popular free blogging “platforms” are Blogger and Wordpress.
Pretty cool, huh? Of course now is where you can get a bit creative. On both Blogger and Wordpress you can choose from a variety of fonts, themes, colors and addons. Right now we are just creating a basic blog to get you comfortable with it. Keep it simple. You can change all of the creative options at any time without losing your posts. It’s fun to try different themes once you have a couple of posts uploaded. If you don’t like the way it looks, click “undo.” To recap, here’s what you need to do:
With a free blog account, your blog name, if available, would look like: ziggystraveltidbits.blogspot.com or ziggystraveltidbits.wordpress.com.
Go to Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. Sign up for an account and create your blog name. Time elapsed: five minutes. You now have a blog. In five minutes. you have opened the door to become an author, blogger, travel expert and Web designer. And you haven’t done anything complicated!
Next step: Follow the arrows or directions to the “Post” page and start to write about something - maybe a news blurb about the return of fuel surcharges on Princess and Cunard. Have a large family-based clientele? Write about the arrival of the newest Disney ship. Three to four hundred words are fine. Find a photo online (usually from the cruise line’s Web site or one of your own) to accompany the article and upload it to your new blog. It’s almost like a paint-by-numbers kit. The best feeling is when you hit “publish” for the first time. Suddenly, you can view your blog as the entire world sees it.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Think of a name for your blog. Sign up at either blogger.com or wordpress.com and register your new blog name. It may take a couple of tries and/or derivatives of your name before you find one that nobody else has. Follow the easy-to-do directions to type and post to your new blog. Press “Publish.” Breathe a sigh of relief at your new accomplishment. It’s that simple!
That’s all there is to having your very own blog site. It’s free, easy and fun to do. The first time that someone leaves a comment for you, I guarantee you’ll be elated. When your new blog is set up, send me the link at: sherrylaskin@gmail.com. I’d love to read it! We can exchange links, too. Check out my blog at www.cruisemaven.com.
November 2011
Leisure Pops: Your Ultimate Assistant Leisure Pops sits quietly on your desktop and waits for an opportunity to help you. It can save you time and keystrokes, or remind you of preferred-supplier offers, or notify you when there is an opportunity to sell add on products like show tickets or travel insurance, or automatically log your qualified bookings into contest sites like Win With Amex, or Las Vegas Agent Rewards.
With Leisure Pops you "Pick your Pops": meaning tyou turn on the Pop Campaigns they choose and get only those Pops when pertinent. With Leisure Pops you will never get a Pop that you have not asked for!
Leisure Pops "electronically taps you on the shoulder" at just the right time for your product offerings. Sell more add on products and have access to your specials at just the right time when they can help you.
Leisure Pops saves you time and makes bookings extremely efficient by moving data for you. One click takes you to the chosen site, automatically logs you in, shops the site, and even moves data (client data into and reservation details back) making the reservation process fast and easy.
Leisure Pops helps you make more money as you will sell more preferred suppliers, more add on products and can easily and automatically participate in reward programs.
Everyone wins with Leisure Pops: Agents better service clients and make more money; Agencies and consortia get more preferred bookings, Suppliers get more sales from preferred agents, and perhaps best of the all the consumer's interests are best served developing long term consumer - agent relationships..
To learn more visit leisurepops.com
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