Cruise Planners Sees Improved Bookings, Says Europe and Alaska Selling Well
Luxury Cruise Guide
19 February, 2022
As Omicron infection rates are beginning to subside, Cruise Planners is reporting two consecutive weeks of positive sales. The franchise agency group says that Europe and Alaska cruises continue to be popular and have represented 24 percent of all sales during the past few weeks. "This makes sense, since there was so much pent-up demand to travel from the last two years," the franchise organization, an American Express Travel Representative, said in a press release.
In addition, Cruise Planners addsed that "the demand for luxury travel has been a consistent bestseller and World Cruises seem to be the hot ticket these days." It also reported that luxury bookings have remained at elevated levels throughout the pandemic.
Cruise Planners said the industry is "inching closer to a delayed Wave Season as consumer sentiment appears to be improving and people are starting to accept the reality of living with the virus."
January Numbers are Up
January sales were 24 percent higher than average, the group reports. "People are ready to travel, and they don’t want to wait,” says Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. “The protocols are in place, and the cruising industry has been exemplary in the way they have handled the ongoing pandemic."
She adds that "I think our clients have peace of mind knowing that cruise lines are upholding the highest standards of safety to handle any situation that may arise."
Other tidbits?
- Purchases for the second half of 2022, when compared to the second half of 2019, are "still strong."
- So far, one in four bookings are for cruise departures in 2023.
- Overall, the second half of 2022 is outpacing 2019 departures by 37 percent.
Top-Producing Advisor
In addition, despite the difficult ebb and flow of the pandemic cancellations, Cruise Planners’ top producing franchise agency, Michael Consoli & Associates, posted more than $20 million in travel sales in 2021—significantly outpacing his 2019 numbers.
Based in Roswell, GA, Consoli operates with a small team of three associates. Cruise Planners called that team's sales effort in a pandemic era a "phenomenal" feat.
“When people ask me what the secret sauce is, it’s this," Consoli stresses: "We put a big emphasis on fitting the right product to the guest. We’re not just selling to sell. It takes a lot of organization and attention to detail to make sure we don’t drop the ball." And that includes handling cancellations and re-bookings, which have been prolific over the course of the pandemic.
Personally, Consoli shows his agency's clients that travel can be safe and rewarding. Since the cruise industry began its restart, he's sailed on two European river cruises and three ocean cruises and also journeyed to Antarctica.
Fee, who's sailed on five cruises since the pandemic began, says Cruise Planners has encouraged all its franchise advisors to “post away” and show clients that it’s safe to return to cruising. She suggests talking to clients to help ease any worries and to help troubleshoot any issues.
“Since the restart of cruising last year, more than 6 million passengers have safely sailed and enjoyed great vacations,” says Fee, citing recent Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) news.
“We’re learning to navigate this new normal," she believes. "From the numbers, I’m confident demand will outpace supply, so you want to make sure clients are thinking about booking now.”
For more information, visit www.cruiseplanners.com.
Find Great Cruise DealsCruiseDirect
CruiseDirect is a leading online cruise travel company dedicated to providing customers with better deals than any other cruise website and access to great deals on cruise vacations. Offering special rates and savings on cruise bookings with some of the most popular cruise lines in the world, we are so confident in our cruise packages that each and every deal is backed by a price guarantee. You won't find these prices on other cruise booking sites.
Since 2001, we've helped our customers find the perfect cruise packages and book dream cruise vacations for less. We are a cruise finder and booking website committed to helping you research all your cruise travel options to find a cruise that fits what you're looking for. After you find a cruise the perfect cruise, make your reservation with our cutting-edge booking engine. We are the best site to book a cruise with because we are driven by our passion for cruise ship travel. Book a cruise today and enjoy the excitement of cruising the world with us! Find Great Cruise Deals
Beach or Water Villa?
Maldives - a name that became synonymous with honeymooners' paradise in the tourism world, has slowly revamped to cater to the needs of families visiting
Read MoreBest Maldives Resort Offers & Packages
Find out more about the most unparalleled Maldives hotel deals and special rates, when Book Direct your next beach holiday
Read MoreMaldives Hotel Reviews
Some of the best hotels and resorts in the Maldives are already included in this list, and the good part of them offers the best prices. We will constantly add new hotels
Read More10 Exclusive Resorts in Maldives
The Maldives is paradise destination that should be on the bucket list of every discerning travelers. There's a special breed of hotels there that cater to the most tasteful of luxury travelers Read More
The Maldives’ Hottest Luxury Hotel Openings for 2022
hese are the hotel openings in the Maldives is most excited for in 2022 for planning your next luxurious getaway Read More
10 Most Affordable Water Villas
While it may never be cheap to visit thу Maldives, fortunately there are still some chic and relatively affordable overwater villas you can stay. Read more
Maldives Luxury Guide
Here's the best of Maldives for luxury travellers. We've compiled the finest recommendations of places to stay, ranging from the most celebrated five-star resorts to luxurious private islands Read More
Maldives Romantic Guide
The ultimate ‘flop and drop' and honeymoon destination, the Maldives is the playground for the most amazing and finest utilization of each second of this extremely valuable and hopeful time with each other in tota Read More
Maldives Budget Guide
Budget travellers choose Maldives as their destination of choice thanks to the variety of affordable stays Read More
Maldives Family Guide
Maldives - a name that became synonymous with honeymooners' paradise in the tourism world, has slowly Read More
Maldives Diving Guide
The life of these paradise islands below the Indian Ocean's level is the main draw attracting thousands of divers Read More