Princess Cruises
SELECT SAILINGS
March 2014 Update
We always provide the most current information at princess.com or call 1300 363 706 from Australia or 0800 543 178 from New Zealand.
SELECT SAILINGS
INTRODUCTION
Princess’ Select Sailings Program is our most powerful sales support
program for travel agents. It is the central tool for developing an
effective agency promotional plan.
Blocking and promoting group space for your agency is an easy and
beneficial sales tool that can help you increase your earnings
substantially.
Princess welcomes “speculative” groups; passengers do not need to
know each other. This enables your agency to use our Select Sailings
program as the most effective promotional tool available – giving you
advantaged pricing, enhanced earnings and client booking incentives –
all at no risk to your agency!
Princess Select Sailings are simpler to create than you might imagine
and with the tools we provide, they’re easy to manage as well. This
course will reveal the benefits of Select Sailings to you and your agency
and will provide you with the tools and information you need to begin
using this valuable sales device with ease.
SELECT SAILINGS
INTRODUCTION
There are several aspects of the Princess Select Sailing Program that
make it the most powerful agency tool for building business.
Advantaged Pricing
Offering your clients savings of hundreds of dollars per person serves as
a powerful incentive for them to book now!
Enhanced Earnings
Our program offers you the opportunity for increased earnings including
amenities and bonus berths for booking at least 16 passengers.
No Risk
Any agency can take out up to 16 beds as group space with no deposit
and no risk for your agency!
Unparalleled Amenity Program
Select the amenities that provide the best incentive for your clients to
book – at no cost to your agency.
SELECT SAILINGS
INTRODUCTION
A Select Sailing is a request to have group space on a sailing set aside
for your agency before you have the names of the passengers.
We require that the group space consist of at least 10 beds (at double
occupancy).
This allows you to plan and promote the Select Sailing, knowing that
space is available to promote at a confirmed rate with your allocation.
This course covers the following topics:
• Benefits of Selling Select Sailings
• Princess Select Sailing Timeline
Step 1: Program Releases
Step 2: Creating Select Sailings
Step 3: Amenity Selection
Step 4: Managing Select Sailings
Step 5: Finalisation
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Advantaged Pricing – Enticing your Clients to Book!
Selling Select Sailings allows you to promote competitive fares. Depending on
the sailing and booking date, the fares are lower than the published launch
fares of the equivalent category.
In fact, for 2014 – 2015 sailings, your clients will receive up to a two-category
upgrade, this represents considerable savings! That is two categories above the
category an FIT passenger paying the same price would be assigned.
FIT* Category sample
GROUP Category sample
IC
IC $2049
ID
IE $2049
This means that Select Sailings are an effective strategy for enticing your clients
who plan ahead to make a commitment and book now.
*Note: F.I.T. stands for a Fully Independent Traveler.
Example based on Sun Princess 30 October sailing.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Bonus Berth and Group Earnings
A bonus berth is a reduced rate or complimentary berth earned by the
agency based on the number of passengers booked in the Select
Sailing.
Agents can choose to have an escort use the cabin, use the money to
buy extra gifts or services for your clients or keep the value as extra
commission.
When you factor in the value of the bonus berth, Select Sailings can
give you higher earnings than the same number of individual bookings.
Book your escort early to secure space, the bonus berth credit will be applied after final payment and is issued as
a cheque refund. Please note standard terms and conditions and cancellation fees apply to escort bookings.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Select Sailing Profit Advantage*
How does a Select Sailing give higher profits than the same number of
individual bookings?
13-night New Zealand Summer 2014/15
Average Select Sailing Fare (Cat OE)
$2199
Passenger (Lower Berths)
16
Total Commission: (10% of the Net Commissionable fare x 15 berths)
$2332
Value of bonus berth (Average Select Sailing Fare less GFT)
$1880
Total Profit (Total Commission + Value of bonus berth)
$4212
You've also earned $4,208 in profit on this Select Sailing for booking
passengers either the same or different sailings - that's $263^ in profit
per passenger.
* Please note: Only applicable to domestic departures
^$4,208 divided by 16 = $263 per lower berth
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
No Risk
You can block up to 16 beds with absolutely no deposit and no risk to
your agency! Opening the maximum number of Select Sailings gives
you plenty of options for promotional purposes and gives you a great
sales advantage. Unsold space is simply recalled automatically with no
cost or hassle, so your agency is under no risk!
Please note that each agency is permitted one Select Sailing per ship,
per month.
You can book a mixture of cabin categories.
Select Sailing Email alerts are sent to you one week prior to the recall
dates, to remind you when the sailings are about to be recalled.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Unparalleled Amenity Program
One of the best tools for promoting your Select Sailing is our amenity
program which offers your clients valuable extras at no cost to your
agency! Each sailing has an assigned amenity point value and you
choose amenities by “spending” your points. Amenity points can be
redeemed for onboard gifts and credit, these range from Onboard credits,
bottle of wine, canapes among other.
Amenities enhance the holiday value, giving you flexibility in customising
your Select Sailings. Given the wide range of choices, you’ll likely find
amenities your clients prefer and you’ll be able to use these amenities as
leverage to gain bookings.
For further information on these, download the Select Sailing guides from
WLCL under ‘Tools & Resources’ or in POLAR Online click on the ‘?’ help field.
www.WLCL.com.au or www.WLCL.co.nz.
When your passenger receives your gift, they receive a note with
the name and agency of the person who assigned them this gift.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Simplicity and Convenience
Great systems help make Select Sailings easy to manage!
•
Princess is the first cruise line that allows you to book into your Select
Sailings online via POLAR Online. Once a Select Sailing is created, the
Princess reservations system also allows you via POLAR Online, or any
reservations agent to make bookings into the Select Sailing. We never
need to transfer Select Sailing booking calls to different departments.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
F.I.T. Bookings are Automatically Included
When you make bookings on the same sailing at a different publiclyavailable rate* than the group, in most cases the booking is
automatically included in the group. On most other cruise lines you
have to call to have F.I.T. bookings added.
The main advantage of this is that now you can offer the group
amenities to the F.I.T. passengers and count them toward earning your
bonus berth! This means that if you have clients who are past
passengers and have received a special offer, they can still be included
in the group although booked at a different rate.
If a cheaper promotion is released and you are considering rebooking the
fare in POLAR, take note as sometimes not all amenity benefits may apply.
Bookings however will still count towards bonus berth numbers.
*Most promotional discounts and past passenger rates will combine with the group.
SELECT SAILINGS
BENEFITS OF SELECT SAILINGS
Word-of-Mouth Advertising for your Agency
•
What could be better than free marketing?
•
Select Sailings increase the chance that your clients will solicit family
and friends to join their cruise. With Select Sailings, you transform
your clients into your marketing partners.
•
This dramatically reduces your client acquisition costs!
•
Best of all, each group client is likely to return to Princess as a repeat
passenger. Our repeat passengers represent your opportunity for
repeat clients and additional client referrals.
Select Sailings clearly provide a low cost
opportunity to quickly grow your client database!
SELECT SAILINGS
SELECT SAILING TIMELINE
Select Sailing Timeline
Now that we have introduced the numerous benefits of creating Select
Sailings, let’s talk about the process of creating a Select Sailing.
The Select Sailing timeline consists of 5 steps which are presented in
detail in the next section of this course:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Program Releases
Creating Select Sailings
Amenity Selection
Managing Select Sailings
Finalisation
SELECT SAILINGS
PROGRAM RELEASES
Step 1: Global Launch Release
In March – April of each year, Princess
announces new itineraries and releases new
Select Sailing space. Staying abreast of the
Global Launch gives you the opportunity to
strategically choose the sailings you most want to
promote.
Planning your Select Sailings based on our
Global Launch enables you to get space on
popular sailings for which Select Sailings space
is blocked immediately after release.
World cruises are released August – October for travel
18 months in advance.
Easily create your Select Sailings early with
POLAR Online, available 24 hours, 7 days a week!
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Step 2: Creating Select Sailings
Once you have decided which sailings you want to offer, it’s time to
block your Select Sailing space. Blocking your Select Sailing space is
easy and there are advantages to creating your Select Sailing early.
This enables you to offer premium space and amenities – at no cost to
your agency!
Once space has been opened, you can create Select Sailings on any of
the newly released sailings, as long as Select Sailing space remains
available.
Creating a Select Sailing can be done in just a few minutes via POLAR
Online. Princess pioneered online Select Sailing creation. Agencies
can create, book and manage Princess cruise Select Sailings online.
This is the quickest and easiest way to create new Select Sailings.
World Cruise sectors must be booked by phoning
our Select Sailings Department.
Once you have set up your Select Sailings, you may
book into these immediately using POLAR Online.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Main Select Sailing Types
Princess supports Affinity groups, (in which all of the members know
each other or are traveling with a common interest), and Speculative
groups, (in which Select Sailing space is blocked strictly for agency
promotional purposes). While standard groups of 10 to 200 beds are
the norm, Princess also offers large groups, incentive groups and Full
Ship Charters.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Creating Select Sailings with POLAR Online
POLAR Online is the quickest way to create and manage Select
Sailings. With this online tool, you can:
• Create a Select Sailing on any available cruise in 3 simple steps
• View the group fares by category
• Assign cabin allocation to available categories
Only POLAR Online enables you to create Princess Select Sailings
online – and they are immediately available for booking through POLAR
Online. Take advantage of the 24/7 availability to create Select Sailings
on POLAR Online!
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
POLAR Online Select Sailing: Identify the Cruise
Departure
You have two methods for identifying the departure:
1. Date and Ship
2. Voyage Number
Most agents use the Date and Ship. Using our brochures or a copy
of our product release… simply provide the precise departure date
and ship. Click SUBMIT.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Review Fares and Select Allotment
•
Enter a clear group name to
help distinguish your group
within an agency list of all
groups and add the contact
name.
•
Choose your allotment.
•
Select an EVEN number of
berths per category, i.e. 2, 4,
6, 8 etc.
•
You cannot exceed the
displayed maximum per
Category.
•
Minimum request = 10 berths.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Review Details, Manage Settings, Begin Booking
and Look Up/Apply Select Sailing Amenities
The screen below reflects the top half of the DETAILS screen.
This summary includes the most important information:
• Bonus berths, otherwise
known as Tour Conductor
Ratio in POLAR Online.
• Amenity Points available
for the group.
• Cut-off date for assigning
amenity points.
• View the Amenity codes
to assign your Onboard
Credits (OBC).
Click on the ‘?’ to view available amenity points and codes for this Select Sailing.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Confirmation
Click SUBMIT and your group is officially confirmed. You’re done!
You may immediately begin booking into this group.
Book into this group via
POLAR Online.
SELECT SAILINGS
CREATING SELECT SAILINGS
Bulk Deposits
•
A $25 AUD per bed bulk deposit is due for groups greater than 16
beds. If the bulk deposit is not received on time, the space is
automatically reduced to 16 beds.
•
For groups below 230 beds, the group bulk deposit is required 240
days prior to departure.
•
Bulk group deposits are not the same as booking deposits.
Specifically, the bulk deposit does not replace the individual booking
deposits. Once a booking is made, the standard booking deposit due
date will be in effect.
•
After the Select Sailing is finalised, Princess will refund your bulk
deposit. Or at your request, this can be transferred to your
passenger/escort’s booking as part of final payment.
SELECT SAILINGS
AMENITY SELECTION
Step 3: Amenity Selection
We recommend that you assign all amenity points* as
soon as possible, preferably when you create the
Select Sailing. This also enables you to use your
selected amenities when you promote the Select
Sailing.
All Select Sailing amenity points that are unassigned
will be forfeited based on the following:
* 75 days prior to departure for 7+ night cruises
* 60 days prior to departure for 3 - 6 night cruises
POLAR Online is the first tool to allow agencies to
conveniently manage amenities online! Simply use
POLAR Online to assign your amenity points when
you create the Select Sailing. The amenity list is
available in POLAR Online. Click on the icon
Groups set up after the final recall dates are
not eligible for amenity points.
*Amenity Points are the allowance of points your agency
may use to select Select Sailing amenities.
SELECT SAILINGS
AMENITY SELECTION
A choice of amenities are available!
Princess offers a wide choice of amenities*, with many available for just
one point, to enhance your clients’ onboard experience.
The most frequently selected choices are:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Onboard credits
Bottle of wine per cabin
6 x 8 photo or photo credit
Chocolate-covered strawberries
Use amenity points to change your bonus berth ratio
Travel mugs
Cocktail parties for groups of 32
Cocktail party must be booked prior to sailing, via the Princess Groups
and Events department AU – 1300 587 472, NZ – 0800 451 133
*Some amenities may be subject to availability and may be substituted for an item of equal or greater value at the ship’s
discretion. Check for point values in the Select Sailings Guide. Available on WLCL under Select Sailings www.WLCL.com.au and www.WLCL.co.nz
SELECT SAILINGS
AMENITY SELECTION
Using Amenities to Promote Your Select Sailing
Amenities are an excellent tool for your agency to use in promoting
Select Sailings – and they don’t cost you anything!
• Consumers love to get something extra. Make sure to mention the
group amenities in your promotion of the Select Sailing. Continue to
promote your amenities even if past passenger fares are launched
since you still earn the amenities on those bookings too.
• With Princess you can select amenities that appeal to your clients.
For some groups the best choice is a bottle of wine, still others want
an onboard credit to spend. You choose based on your knowledge of
your clients!
• Use the amenities to distinguish booking with you from booking with
another agency – your existing clients and prospects are getting more
from you than they will elsewhere – make sure you mention this
whenever possible!
SELECT SAILINGS
AMENITY SELECTION
Amenity Points – Important Information
1. The number of amenity points offered on a sailing may vary based
on itinerary, length and season.
2. Always remember to assign your amenity choices 75 days prior to
the departure of your Select Sailing, and prior to your first review
dates. We recommend you assign these amenities immediately, as
points now expire the closer you get to sailing. Select Sailing
amenity points not assigned prior to this date are no longer valid
for assignment.
3. Amenities assigned to group bookings prior to recall dates are not
lost if you do not book the full number of passengers. Even if you
only book one person in a group, they will still get their amenities!
Low season sailings in some scenarios may offer
more amenity points than high season sailings.
Some amenities are subject to availability. Therefore,
make your selections as soon as possible!
SELECT SAILINGS
PROMOTING SELECT SAILINGS
Creating an Affinity Group
An excellent way to increase your Select Sailing business is to create
Affinity groups. You can source these by creating a group based on your
personal interests (scrapbooking, sporting groups, etc.) or by seeking out
existing groups of people who may want to travel together. Our onboard
activities and shore excursions offer popular activities that may fit well with
an Affinity group’s interests. These groups are increasingly popular and
are a great way to expand your client base.
1. Find existing clubs, religious groups or businesses through local papers, online and by
participating in community events. (It is even possible for a donation to charity to be
included in the cruise!)
2. Make contact. If it is not a group you are already part of, find a “key contact” – someone
who will work with you on promoting the group.
3. Determine your promotion schedule and attend group events. Request to speak when
appropriate.
Escorting a group can be a great
way to build customer loyalty!
SELECT SAILINGS
PROMOTING SELECT SAILINGS
Cruise Sales
Many of our most successful Select Sailing agents promote their
groups by holding a cruise night and using the promotion incentives to
prompt clients to book now.
• Agency owners have the option to set up Cruise Sales with ease
using POLAR Online.
• Travel agents can download helpful materials for Cruise Sales on
www.WLCL.com.au or www.WLCL.co.nz, including eFlyers and
brochures.
• Cruise sales offer a 50% reduction off the standard adult deposit
amount as specified in the brochure (not applicable to World Cruises).
• Receive up to $75 AUD OBC per stateroom for sailings greater than 6
nights on Dawn Princess, Sun Princess and Sea Princess embarking
and disembarking from Australia and up to $75 US OBC per
stateroom for sailings on all other Princess ships.
SELECT SAILINGS
PROMOTING SELECT SAILINGS
Past Passengers
While it’s never a bad time to seek out new prospective clients, your
loyal Princess past passengers are also loyal clients for your agency.
Inviting past passengers to book into your Select Sailings not only
provides you with word-of-mouth advertising as they ask friends and
family to join them on the cruise, but it can have advantages for them as
well!
Keeping a database of your past passengers is a great
marketing idea as they will be most likely to cruise again.
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Select Sailings Recall Dates
We strive to offer enough space so that every agent can get the space
they want. In order to offer as much Select Sailing space as possible,
we manage that space using three periodic recalls.
In order to better manage inventory and offer additional space for Select
Sailings we take back unbooked space periodically, based on our
promotional schedule, current availability and historical data regarding
booking patterns.
POLAR Online gives you access to view your recall dates and extend
the first and second recalls. If no space has been booked into the
Select Sailing prior to a recall date it is subject to 100% space recall.
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Select Sailings Recall Dates (continued)
Recall dates make excellent checkpoints as you develop your Select
Sailing promotion calendar. Schedule your promotions so that they are
before the recall dates, enabling you to keep more of your space for
further promotion.
Days prior to departure
1st Recall
2nd Recall
3rd Recall
Sailings 3 to 6 nights
110
90
70
Sailings 7 to 29 nights
180
150
120
Sailings of 30 nights or more
(exc. Full World Cruise)
210
180
150
Full World Cruise
240
210
180
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Step 4: Managing Select Sailings
Princess offers you easy ways to book into your Select Sailing and
manage your Select Sailing space. With a variety of tools for handling
your Select Sailing’s needs, it is easy to make it a success!
We offer:
• POLAR Online booking and Select Sailing tools
• Group Department
• Onboard Services Department
• Create your own Select Sailings flyer through the WLCL
website www.WLCL.com.au or www.WLCL.co.nz
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Managing Select Sailings with POLAR Online
Once your Select Sailing is confirmed, you may manage the Select
Sailing online.
• Make and manage new bookings
• Request or view Select Sailing financial reports
• Extend recall dates* online
• View Select Sailing payment history
• Choose Amenities
• Print Select Sailing documents
For POLAR Online systems issues contact the Online Helpdesk 1300 363 706 for
Austrailia, 0800 543 178 New Zealand (option 8 then 2).
*Select Sailing space may
be recalled if not booked.
Princess offers POLAR Online training through Webinars and presentation
downloads, as well as our POLAR Online course in Princess Academy.
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Groups Coordinator
Groups of 16 beds or more are eligible for
Onboard Services. You may begin working
with your Groups Coordinator as soon as
the Select Sailing is created. The
coordinator is your contact for arranging
events such as cocktail parties, meeting
spaces and beverage packages.
Your Groups Coordinator is your contact for
all of your group dining needs!
Group venues may be requested when
voyages open for sale.
Onboard meeting venues may be assigned based on availability, feel free to put through a request with
the Princess Groups & Events department.
SELECT SAILINGS
MANAGING SELECT SAILINGS
Onboard Services & Activities
Plan early with your Groups Coordinator for services and activities
while onboard the cruise.
• Contact the Groups Coordinator to organise group events.
•
If your Select Sailing is being escorted, you may wish to make a
Hospitality Desk available in case your clients have questions or
would like to make special arrangements onboard. Hospitality desks
must be arranged with Groups Coordinator in advance.
Get your requests in early in order to secure the best onboard space.
SELECT SAILINGS
FINALISATION
Step 5: Finalisation
After final payment is made the bonus berth will be applied.
Amenity points that remain unassigned based on the following days
and cruise length are lost, so it is important to make sure you have
selected amenities.
• At 75 days prior to departure for 7+ night cruises
• At 60 days prior to departure for 3 - 6 night cruises
This is your time to finalise your bookings, complete all arrangements
and prepare your clients for the sailing.
SELECT SAILINGS
FINALISATION
Bonus Berth - Revenue
The bonus berth credit is an important asset that you can use to either
build customer loyalty or bonus berth revenue.
•
Standard is 1 berth credit for every 16 booked.
• The bonus berth is calculated as a credit that is worth the average value* of the
fares paid on the Select Sailing.
•
That credit is calculated at finalisation and then applied.
•
You may apply it to the berth occupied by your actual bonus berth.
OR
•
You may have it credited back to the group and then either:
•
Use it to purchase special service gifts for your group (build loyalty!)
• Have it sent back to your agency as extra bonus berth revenue (build
your business!)
*Not including government fees or NCFs
SELECT SAILINGS
FUTURE CRUISE SALES
Future Cruise Sales Program
We’ve already mentioned the importance of past passengers, and what
better way to gain loyal clients for your agency than to promote the
Onboard Future Cruise Sales Program to your Select Sailings? Our topproducing agencies have found success in using this program to
increase their rate of repeat cruise clients.
• Incentives include a reduced booking deposit of $50 AUD per person
(for 3-6 night cruises), $100 AUD per person (for 7+ night cruises)
and 5% of cruise fare for Royal World Cruises.
• All confirmed onboard bookings are credited to your agency’s account
by default – you never know who will book their next cruise onboard
and help you to grow your business!
*Note: Different incentives apply to World Cruise and World Cruise Segments
SELECT SAILINGS review
SELECT SAILINGS
REVIEW
Congratulations!
You have completed the Princess Cruises “Select Sailings” course
material. Please review a few of the major points of the program
below and continue on to the quiz.
Select Sailings and Cruise Sales provide your agency with several
business opportunities. These opportunities include rapid client
acquisition and a high return on your cruise promotions.
Princess Select Sailings have many advantages over other cruise lines
groups.
These advantages include:
•
All bookings outside final payment automatically combine into the group to earn
bonus berths and amenities.
• A selection of amenity choices
• Clear recall dates with plenty of time for promotion
• All online tools support Select Sailing bookings
• Access to POLAR Online: The first tool in the industry that allows you to create
and manage your Select Sailings online.