We sat down with our resident cruise expert Cathy Jensen, who has been with Amadeus for 35 years and is the global product manager for Cruise, to talk about the renewal of the industry and how Amadeus is positioning agents to be the best resource for eager cruise
The cruise industry has proven its resilience throughout its more than 50-year history. Cruise bookingsincreased during a time when cruises weren’t allowed to set sail. Fast-forward to 2022, the industry is projecting passenger volume torecover to 101% to 2019 levels by the end of this year. Now as we enter wave season, Amadeus remains hopeful for the sustainability of the industry and poised to support all types of agencies ready to sell cruise.
We sat down with our resident cruise expert Cathy Jensen, who has been with Amadeus for 35 years and is the global product manager for Cruise, to talk about the renewal of the industry and how Amadeus is positioning agents to be the best resource for eager cruisers.
First, how has the cruise industry changed over the course of your career?
Cathy: There have been many changes over the course of my career. For example, ships held a maximum capacity of 2,000 passengers in the mid 90’s. Now ships carry 7,000 passengers. Life on-board has seen many changes too where the ships themselves have become the destination. Using a cell phone app or wearable to enter your cruise cabin rather than a key card is the norm. The increased need to adapt to technology – i.e. Millennials tend to reach out via text, or email vs. phoning the agency. Travel advisors need to adapt to the communication methods of traveler types and keep their social media active!
What do you think are some of the factors that have contributed to the resiliency of the cruise industry?
Cathy: The cruise industry has always bounced back after incidents that made travelers fearful of getting onboard a ship. If we look at the pandemic, the protocols imposed on cruise lines by the CDC were the strictest of any travel vertical. Cruise lines proved that they could keep travelers safe. Travel advisors supported the cruise lines during the most challenging time in the industry and I believe have been a constant contributor to the success of cruise lines.
In addition, travelers have an innate desire to take once-in-a-lifetime trips. We’reseeing a trendwhere travelers are pursuing bucket list trips and spending more money. Cruises provide the opportunity for travelers to splurge if they wish and see the world in one trip!
You speak to travel agents daily. What are some pain points that they share with you around cruise bookings?
Cathy: Since travelers are turning to travel advisors for their expertise more than ever now, they are busier than ever and, in some cases, they are short staffed. Some agencies have hired staff just to man the phones which are ringing off the hook. Travel advisors point to the long hold times at cruise line call centers as one of their biggest challenges and having to navigate the different cruise lines agent booking tools just to find the right cruise and price for a client. One of the main comments I get from travel advisors is how easy it is to use our booking engine,Amadeus Cruise Portal , to compare up to six cruise lines and pricing all in one place.
What makes Amadeus Cruise Portal unique in the industry?
Cathy: Amadeus Cruise Portal is integrated into the Amadeus Selling Platform Connect* and Amadeus offers a leisure version so any travel agency with industry credentials can sign up regardless of their GDS affiliation! The ability with one click of the mouse to quote the total cost or per person per night cost of an upgrade makes it easy for travel advisors to increase their commissions. The platform has an extensive library of ship information with photos, deck plans and videos, to the benefit of both sellers and travelers. The advisor can use the “share” feature in Amadeus Cruise Portal to send the information to their clients!
Wave season is upon us – what kind of counsel do you share with travel agencies to help them get ready for this time of year?
Cathy: I work closely with our sales force and their customers to show them how automation can help them work more efficiently without having to wait on hold for the cruise line call centers or navigate through different cruise line booking engines. For example, in Amadeus Cruise Portal, the cruise lines return all fares the agency is eligible to book, including their own proprietary fare codes. And with the past passenger look-up feature in Amadeus Cruise Portal, the traveler’s cruise line loyalty number is automatically populated to the booking with just a few short entries like first/last name and date of birth. Travel advisors can easily make payments and other modifications to their bookings in real time. Once the cruise booking is done, they can add their own ancillaries like hotels, cars, transfers with quick links in Amadeus Selling Platform Connect and Amadeus Selling Platform Connect Leisure.
Finally, when you cruise, what are your favorite destinations?
Cathy: I love the Caribbean and never tire of going back, but my favorite destinations when I cruise are in Europe probably because my home is the US and cruising lets me experience several destinations in a short amount of time. I have a world cruise on my bucket list and honestly, I love cruising so much I think I could retire and live on a ship!
Connect with Cathy onLinkedIn !To find out more about Amadeus Cruise Portal, visit ourwebsite .
*Available in key markets
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