What Dresses And Cruises Have In Common
Richard Fain, Chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, has authored a new book entitled “Delivering the Wow” that discusses the drivers of culture that can catalyze ground breaking and enduring success in business, using stories and examples from Royal Caribbean to underscore his lessons. The title of this blog is a quote excerpted straight from the text of this book and it perfectly describes the necessity for independent travel advisors in the cruise industry.
Here’s the context in brief. In the early 1990s Royal Caribbean became a publicly traded company and was under enormous pressure to cut costs, improve margins and drive growth through innovation in an industry that was highly competitive, but dominated by a major player: Carnival.
One area of Royal’s business that was scrutinized was the use of independent travel advisors that drove the bulk of Royal’s business . Cutting these advisors out and selling directly to customers was seen as an obvious way to cut costs. After all, the Airline industry did just that in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Fain describes how, during the time that Royal was debating this decision, he took his 14-year old daughter dress shopping. While performing this task, Fain quickly realized he was in over his head and was overwhelmed with all of the styles and options and choices and all of the information he needed to have available to do something seemingly simple like buy a dress
The Need for a Curated Experience
Luckily, a knowledgeable salesperson came to Fain’s aid and was able to lead him through a series of questions to help determine key factors like cut and style and length and formality. Through this process of discovery, the salesperson was able to help narrow down the search to a few options and helped identify a best option. The salesperson was also able to offer suggestions on accessories to complete the look. The expertise the salesperson offered resulted in a delighted 14-year old customer and a greatly relieved dad.
Fain realized that Cruise Customers often felt the same levels of overwhelm that he faced shopping for dresses. There are countless variables to consider in cruising including best departure ports, destinations, timing, choosing from a long list of cruise lines that all cater to a specific clientele. Fain realized that travel advisors were vital to helping cruisers make informed decisions that would leave them delighted with their vacation choice and, even more important, want to experience that delight again!
The Role Independent Advisors Play
Fast forward to today- the Cruise industry continues to value the role that Travel Advisors play in delighting customers and helping customers navigate an increasingly complex marketplace. An industry study in December 2024* noted that 79% of cruisers stated travel advisors “have a meaningful impact on their decision to cruise”. Additionally, cruisers that do book through an advisor have much higher satisfaction scores that those that book on their own meaning they were much more likely to have been matched with the right ship, itinerary and experience**.
The choice is clear! If you or your loved ones are evaluating a cruise vacation contact Silverlake Travel today and we will find a vacation that looks perfect on you!
REFERENCES:
*Source: CLIA December 2024 Sentiment, Perception & Intent Research
**Source: CLIA Sentiment, Perception and Intent Research July 2022 – March 2024
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