2017 ALASKA TRAINING. Customer Service

Transcription

1 2017 ALASKA TRAINING Customer Service Kindra Brownlee 11/9/2016

2 Why Alaska? Glaciers Mountains Wildlife Also: Denali National Park Glacier Bay National Park Inside Passage Cruising Alaska Railroad Route Alaska Seafood 2

3 Alaska 2017 Deployment Inside Passage Glaciers Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fjord Ports Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria Route Inside Passage Cruising Convenient roundtrip itineraries, with weekend departures! Voyage of the Glaciers (Gulf) 2 Glaciers Glacier Bay AND Hubbard or College Fjord Ports Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway Route Inside Passage AND Prince William Sound Roundtrip Seattle 7-days Roundtrip San Francisco 10-days One-way Whittier/Vancouver or Vancouver/Whittier 7-days Ruby - Saturdays Grand Star - Saturdays Emerald - Sundays Coral - Saturdays Island Wednesdays

4 One-way vs Roundtrip 4

5 What is a Cruisetour? Reminder, 70% of Alaska guests are prospects they don t know what a cruisetour is! No longer referring to them as Land & Sea Vacations. Going back to cruisetours. Alaska Cruisetour 7 nt. Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise Rail Travel 3-8 nts. at Wilderness Lodges before or after the cruise Sample Cruisetour Itinerary: EA4 5

6 4 Types of Cruisetours Denali Explorer On Your Own Off the Beaten Path Connoisseur 6

7 Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge Large, campus-style setting (656 rooms) Hustle and bustle (other lodges in the area) 1 mile from National Park Entrance for park tour Overlooks the river Always refurbing & renovating! This winter: select rooms and the River Run Cafe 7

8 Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge Wilderness retreat on the south side of the National Park and IN Denali State park (460 rooms) Very remote 45 minutes to Talkeetna Stunning views of Denali (mountain) overlooks river Fireside Patio Hudson Theater Great flightseeing options! Newly refreshed rooms. This winter: Mountain View Dining room! 8

9 Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge Small lodge only 86 rooms Highest scoring Princess lodge Bungalow-style rooms with private deck and wood burning fireplaces Great fishing! 9

10 Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge Small lodge only 85 rooms Near Wrangell St-Elias National Park Can see the pipeline from the lodge! Catamaran between Whittier & Valdez on select cruisetours Great fishing here too! 10

11 Two Types of Trains Direct to the Wilderness Rail Travels to/from the ship Only occurs on days the ship is in Whittier (Sat and Wed) Exclusive to Princess Two routes under Direct to the Wilderness Rail Princess Rail Routes Anchorage/Talkeetna Talkeetna/Denali Denali/Fairbanks (Alaska Rail Road) To/from Denali for DPL 8-9 hours Use double decker Glass domed rail cars Dining room on lower floor Tables & Individual Seats To/from Talkeetna for MPL 4-5 hours Single-story Glass domed rail cars Table seating Dining available at table Use double decker, glass domed rail cars Dining room on lower floor Mix of seating configurations: Tables & Individual Seats All cruisetours include rail! All routes and cars have dining/beverage service, include commentary and have glass domes. 11

12 Trains 12

13 GOLD Winner 2016 Travel Weekly s Magellen Award for overall education program 13

14 When is the best time to go? May June July August September DNP: F JNU: F DNP: F JNU: F DNP: F JNU: F DNP: F JNU: F DNP: F JNU: F Northern Lights 14

15 Why Princess in Alaska? We are #1 in Alaska more guests choose Princess to be their host in the Great Land Even the experts say we are the Experts! Travel Agents Recommend Princess more than any other cruiseline in Alaska. (Gallop Study) 2 Glacier viewing experiences on every Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise More balconies and suites - we have nearly 50% of the market share We take more guests to Glacier Bay than any other cruiseline Our Wilderness Lodges Exclusive Direct to the Wilderness Rail Service 2 perspectives of Denali (MPL and DPL) Roundtrip Seattle itins feature convenient weekend departures 15

16 Do you have any tips to help someone choose a Cruisetour? Of course! Determine how much time guests have to spend on vacation. Land before the cruise? Or land after the cruise? Do they have a ship preference? Not all cruisetours are offered on all ships. Are they interested in going to our more remote lodges (Kenai & Copper)? If they want to experience the longer Denali park tour (Tundra Wilderness Tour), choose an itinerary with 2 nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. 16

17 Overcoming the Barriers Expen$ive Great prices on: May/Early June Sometimes September Northbound Gulf & Cruisetours Cold Climate Generally, there isn t snow! July is the warmest month in Alaska. Bring layers. Air Lift & Expense Air is usually less expensive on the roundtrip itineraries. Check EzAir! Unsure about cruising 70% of Alaska cruisers are prospects! They don t know what to expect. 17

18 Other Tips Longer cruisetours are a better value (extra nights cost less) If guests have a preference on Starboard vs Port side, book early. Ship rotates in GB. And whales don t know the difference between starboard/port! Connoisseur Cruisetours represent the biggest commission opportunities as well as the best experience for your customer! Highest scoring cruisetours for 2016: QA8 2nts Kenai, 2nts Copper, 2nts Denali, 2nts Fairbanks (2017 Tour # QA8) RB8 2nts Fai, 2nts Denali, 1nt McKinley, 3 nights Kenai (similar to PA8 in 2017) Land Excursions and Shore Excursions are on sale for 2017 on 11/1. Going to pre-paid for both in 2017! 18

19 2018 Preview We are expanding our cruisetour capacity in ships sailing in Alaska. This will be our largest Alaska deployment ever! 13% capacity increase overall for Alaska, and 31% increase on Voyage of the Glaciers itineraries (gulf). We need to push cruisetours and the gulf more than ever! Icy Strait Point on Northbound Island Departures replacing Ketchikan Travel Agent announcement on 11/17. Open for sale 12/1. 19