Miami/Crystal Symphony/ Caribbean

December 13, 2005

Dennis and I flew to Ft. Lauderdale on a direct NW flight, and rented a Hertz car, drove to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami in order to join a Virtuoso Host Training Program for agents on the 14th, then to pick up Dennis' mom for her very first cruise on the Crystal Symphony to the Caribbean for 7 days. Marie Calvert was very excited about her first experience on the high seas and we were so happy to have her with us to have her experience the beautiful service and amenities of the Crystal.

Miami Virtuoso Host Training

As many of you know, Virtuoso Voyager Club sailings offer a great amenity for clients who book through Regency. How nice that we have this opportunity to give "added value" to our personal clients.

The Mandarin Hotel is on an island in the heart of Miami overlooking the water with its own luxuriously furnished beach, pool complex, fitness center and spa with personal suites. This would be a great weekend get-away from Memphis with direct NWA flights, wonderful new contact for speedy transfers and excellent pre/post Cruise venue.

We received in our beautiful room a packet from Alma Goodfleish outlining our day. We were served a nice breakfast buffet in our session room, Hong Kong Room on the Mezannine Level. Alma did a great job training us.....And, we learned to stay "exclusive shore event" and "deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach" instead of "bus"....Important information.

8:30 to 9 Breakfast
9 to 10:30 Voyager Club and Virtuoso Explorer. What is i? Video: Host Reference Manual
History; Purpose, Benefit of Voyager Club and Virtuoso Explorer; How to Select your sailing: Ideal: Host: Solicitation

l0:30 to l0:40 Break

l0:40 - 12:00 Promoting your departure; Responsibilities before boarding; Upon boarding; During Balance of cruise and after the cruise; Problems and solutions; The Private Shore Event; Hosting World Cruise Segments: Sharing hosting duties

12:00 - 1:00 Luncheon sponsored by The Mandarin Oriental Hotel

1:00 A short sales presentation will be followed by a site inspection

1:30 - 3:00 Role playing, including practice of presentations for the Cocktail Reception

3-5 Wrap Up, Evaluation and Quiz

There were 27 Virtuoso agents at the seminar. They were helpful and sharing of all their "secrets", so I learned a lot...

Things I learned:

The new Explorer program Virtuoso is introducing needs hosts, so this is an excellent opportunity for new hosts on more ships with whom Voyager Club can't contract. Explorer program (a special cultural l/2 day tour) is considered more adventuresome, younger (baby boomers born from 1946 to 1964). You must complete the accreditation courses (5) and take the host training seminar.

Marketing tips:
Provide social functions at home to promote planned travel events
Choose destinations with which you are familiar to promote and be sure you choose travel your clients desire.
Direct mail, of course
Advertise that WE are going, come go with us
Target the leaders of groups who travel together
Phone Conversations
Mailings to charitable groups
Invitation only parties hosted by sales reps and you
Past passengers (phone or mail)
Professional recordings on the phone answering maching promoting all agents' promotions
Invite people to go on cruiseship tour
Partnership with other agencies to help promote
Welcome home calls and notes
Write telling about discounts for second cruises with same cruiseline
Social event after you travel
Blog site to post travelogues with not to blatant ads saying, "You can do this, too."
We received copies of agent-personalized Virtuoso mailing pieces promoting specific sailings. These are furnished free by Virtuoso for agent/hosts to promote the sailings they will host. Great idea for ANY promotion.

The Mandarin Oriental is an excellent location for pre/post cruise passengers to enjoy. Bellaire is a transfer co everyone in Florida uses.

Martha's is a great restaurant in Hollywood Beach

I spoke with an African specialist who gave me lots of tips about Africa visits and offered to do 3 way conversations with clients who have an interest in Africa. That is so nice. She says Capetown is a beautiful city and Tablebay is a 6 star property there. For freshwater fishing - tigerfish go to Lake Carba in Zimbabwe. At Lake Victoria in Kenya for Nile Perch trolling deeply is best. The couple own an agency in Hollywood, FL They are Bob and Sylvia Berman with Post Haste Travel.

Crystal Cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West, Cozumel, Freeport, Grand Bahama and Nassau

Wednesday, December 15

We arose early in our beautiful hotel to the delivery of coffee and Mighty Leaf tea. We dressed and packed leisurely and went down to a beautiful breakfast buffet. We checked out then drove to South Beach for a look around, then to Port Everglades via Hertz. Dennis dropped me and Marie off at the port, then returned to Hertz to return our car and take a complimentary shuttle to the port. Marie and I went on ahead, checked through to our rooms and boarded the ship. We have adjoining verandah staterooms. Frank, our helper with the wheelchair took Dennis cruise ticket back to find him and help him board. He hooked up with us and we took Marie on a little tour of the ship. We made reservations for Prego and Jade for two nights and made spa appointments and checked out two books from the library.

We rested in our beautiful rooms until 6:l5 and went to open seating dining. Our first night, I had crab soup, shrimp with fruit salsa, veal chop with mushrooms, asparagus, potatoes and dessert was a chocolate pudding cade with reapberry sauce and chocolate sauce.

We had a muster drill at 8 PM and it was chilly outside on the deck. We slept soundly after making all the transfers.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

We ordered room service for breakfast, went to walk on the treadmill and join a stretch class. We had arrived in Key West overnight, so we disembarked to see what we could see. We left Marie on board until we could investigate. We rode the little trolley into town near the aquarium, saw some baby chicks, bought Marie a jacket and returned to the ship. We had lunch on board in the diningroom, then Dennis and Marie went back into town. They returned for dinner and the show which was wonderful, professional dancers and opera singer.

There is a Crystal Seminar at Sea on board, so I will try to make contact to attend some sessions.

Crystal seminar at Sea by CLIA and Michael from Crystal

I took a 1 1/2 hour seminar this morning on Group Bookings. It was very informative and interactive. We learned that 87% of consumers don't believe what they hear in advertising. I took the exam onboard.

Symphony has enjoyed a 12 Million dollar renovation, so the diningroom and spa are very nice and new. There is a Vintage dining room now which wasn't on the ship before. It is private dining with wine experiences for 12 at $150 pp. This must be reserved.

The second seminar was about Knowing Your World, a geography 3 hour seminar. I completed the course, took the exam on board and faxed it in to CLIA.

I have enough credits now for Master Cruise Counselor designation, but haven't put my portfolio together ....later.

Saturday, Dec 18 Cozumel

As you may know, many Crystal guests don't bother to go ashore in Caribbean ports, as they have "been there, done that" so many times, they love the ship experience best, so they just enjoy a day on the ship. We ventured out, rented a jeep for $39 for the day, put Marie in the Jeep and tourned the island visiting the Chankanaab State Nature Preserve. Admission was $12 per person and did not include the Dolphin encounter, so we just wandered about, saw trained parrots, iguanas and watched the Dolphin Experience tourists being entertained by the Dolphins. The jeep was a "bucket of bolts", but Marie had enjoyed the silliness of that ride.

We returned to the ship for hamburger and ice cream and I finished Madam Bovary..I didn't go to dinner, but ordered a Ceasar Salad and chicken in my stateroom. Dennis and Marie went to dinner and the 50's show.

Sunday, December 19

Seminar this morning with Tom Cogan from CLIA, then lunch Mexican Buffet out on the deck. We had dinner at Jade Garden. Excellent with 6 appetizers...wow Lobster and Kobe steak is best choice. Then 3 sampler creme Brulee desserts. We toured the l0th floor penthouse suites.

Monday, December 20 Paradise Island

We went to Atlantis in a cab for $6 pp. We had lunch there and toured the underground aquarium and got some excellent pictures of Marie with sharks swimming over her head. Returned to the ship and had a wonderful Theatrical Review of major theatre productions of the past.

Tuesday, December 21

Although we docked in Newport, it was chilly and we decided to stay on the ship, went to exercise, read our books, packed and organized, paid for our tips and checked our shipboard statement.

Wednesday, December 22

We disembarked and took Marie to her gate at her departure lounge for Delta, waited with her there until we had to leave her to go to NWA for our flight home. Weather was looking bad in Memphis, so we were concerned about getting home, but we made it and waited 2 hours for a cab in the Memphis airport. We were lucky to get home as many were stranded because of ice and snow which shut down the departures in Memphis. Many were stranded in the airport to sleep on matresses and all hotels were full. Marie made it home safely going through Atlanta, Dallas and then to Lubbock.

We enjoyed taking Marie on her first cruise and she was a delight to have with us, enjoying all the new sights and events around her.