|
Quarterly Business Update
Dear Travel Professional,
First quarter of 2008 brought many wonderful changes and additions to the Princess product and service arenas. We have announced our 2009 product releases and ship deployment, and added new benefits to our Captain’s Circle members. We appreciate your support and want to keep you posted on all of the new happenings!
PROGRAM RELEASES
Europe
Ruby Princess and Tahitian Princess make their European debuts on a season that features nine new itineraries and 11 new ports of call. Travelers not only can choose to explore the historic highlights of the Mediterranean and Greek Isles aboard Ruby Princess, but can choose from a variety of new sailing options aboard the intimate Tahitian Princess, including a series of 18-day mid-summer "Top of the World" itineraries between New York and London that feature Iceland and Greenland. The season also features 50 percent more departures to the historic Holy Land. In total, Princess' 2009 Europe program features a six-ship fleet sailing on 90 voyages of 36 different itineraries to 132 ports and destinations. Sailing choices range from seven to 31 days, during a season that runs from April 10 to November 30. Group space is still available on all large ships.
Alaska
Again in 2009, the Princess fleet will offer a total of 130 Alaska sailings, with Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Coral Princess, and Island Princess traveling on the line's signature Gulf of Alaska sailings and cruisetours. All these voyages include Glacier Bay National Park. Golden Princess and Star Princess will be sailing the Inside Passage routes on weekend departures from Seattle and the Sea Princess sailing on 10-day voyages from San Francisco. Pacific Princess takes over the line's small ship experience on 14-day Connoisseur voyages to some of the state's less-visited ports, with new roundtrip departures from Seattle. Please take out group space immediately to take advantage of our group rates and special amenities.
Summer Caribbean
Caribbean Princess will return to New York in Summer 2009 for a second season of the line's popular roundtrip sailings to Bermuda and the Caribbean. Caribbean Princess' summer season from New York will feature 10 departures between May 24 and August 13, 2009. The nine-day voyages sail roundtrip on an itinerary that includes Bermuda (West End), San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.
Canada New England
Starting in August, Caribbean Princess moves north for an early season of cruises to the best of the northeast, with a roundtrip route offering New York departures with visits to Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, Saint John, and Halifax. Caribbean Princess will offer nine sailings between August 22 and October 17.
Exotics
Continuing our long tradition of bringing passengers to some of the world's most intriguing places, Princess Cruises has released its 2009-10 schedule of exotic itineraries which include long-time passenger favorites along with some new, emerging destinations. With the new program, passengers will be able to explore the splendors of Asia, the spectacular scenery of South America and Antarctica, the popular "Down Under" attractions of Australia & New Zealand, the South Pacific idylls of Hawaii and Tahiti, fall foliage journeys to Canada & New England, and a new world cruise adventure. The new lineup of global cruises includes more than 110 sailings on 10 ships to all seven continents with six new itineraries and calls at more than 180 destinations including 11 new ports. Destinations include Africa, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, India, South America, Canada & New England, and a world cruise.
2009 Cruise Sale program
The Princess 2009 Cruise sales program of a reduced deposit and coupon book is now available. To take advantage of this program, please contact your DSM or set them up electronically via POLAR online.
Captain’s Circle Launch Program
Beginning with summer 2009 sailings, a new past passenger discount program is being launched. The program offers a discount for past passengers in all categories effective at program launch and expiring September 30, 2008 for Alaska and Europe, and December 31, 2008 for all other trades. Specific discount amounts will be included in each program release. This discount is only combinable with Escape Fares, all types of group fares, regional’s and other past passenger promotions. Once booked, if a lower fare for which the past passenger qualifies becomes available, the discount will combine with the lower fare. New Booking Only promotions (such as Flash rates and Cruise Sales held after the expiration date of the past passenger discount) are not combinable with the discount.
NEW POLICY HIGHLIGHTS
Deposit Requirements
Princess has revised the deposit requirements for 2009/2010 to be based on a percentage of the cruise/cruisetour fare rather than a flat amount. The deposit for all trades will be 30% of the cruise fare for all voyages (excluding World Cruise). The deposit for passengers booking cruisetours will be 25% of the cruisetour fare. The average deposit paid remains basically unchanged, with deposit amounts more proportional to cruise fare paid. This is similar to Cunard and many land based resorts.
Change Fees
Princess has revised the deposit requirements for 2009/2010 to be based on a percentage of the cruise/cruisetour fare rather than a flat amount. The deposit for all trades will be 30% of the cruise fare for all voyages (excluding World Cruise). The deposit for passengers booking cruisetours will be 25% of the cruisetour fare. The average deposit paid remains basically unchanged, with deposit amounts more proportional to cruise fare paid. This is similar to Cunard and many land based resorts.
ACADEMY
Commodore Club
Princess and Cunard Academy Commodores enjoyed their own exclusive venue at CLIA's cruise3sixty with the line's new "Commodore Club," a private lounge offering opportunities to take a break and relax between sessions, conduct business, mingle with company executives, enjoy refreshments, and even get a massage. The Commodore Club debuted at the popular trade show in Ft. Lauderdale on March 7. The lounge featured a complimentary Internet Café with computer access for email and learning about Princess' and Cunard’s online suite of travel agent tools, scheduled "insider chats" with company executives and visits with everyone's favorite "Love Boat" captain, Gavin MacLeod.
New Academy Courses Launched
The Princess Academy now offers over 70 courses to our travel agents. We continue to add innovative new courses to Princess Academy which help build selling skills for your agents. Several recent additions include:
One of the latest additions to Princess Academy, "Our Best Kept Secret: The Small Ships of Princess" offers agents knowledge that could lead them to additional sales with a new focus on this lesser-known segment of Princess' fleet. Small ship cruising is a popular vacation choice for many, but some passengers still think they must go to a luxury line for the boutique experience of a small ship. Instead agents can learn about Princess' more affordable sailings on its fleet of small ships - Pacific Princess, Royal Princess, and Tahitian Princess - averaging only 25 percent of the capacity of the line's larger vessels.
Often, travel agents are privately asked many detailed questions regarding medical care at sea. Princess takes great pride in offering the highest quality in medical care available of any cruise line. However, it is important to recognize that there are limitations to the care that can be provided at sea. Handling your clients' questions and easing their fears regarding treatment for injuries or illness at sea can be important in closing the sale. Our new Medical Department course will enable you to assist your clients in making well-informed decisions and preparing for travel on Princess.
Many of you indicated that you would like to learn more about internet marketing practices. Our new course on Search Engine Optimization gives you tips on how to have your agency website come up higher on lists when people are searching for travel using the most commonly used search engines. Given the volume of travel business that is handled via the internet, wouldn't it be great to drive more of that business to your agency website? Driving more potential clients to your site is an excellent and easy way to increase your business! Our new course gives you an overview of this important topic. Even if you choose to hire a consultant to work on optimization, knowing the basics will help you to find a good one.
Additionally, Princess and Cunard courses are being updated with the launch of our new 2009-2010 programs. If you have completed the destination’s course, you may review the updated copy in your history.
Ultimate Commodore Contest
Travel agents who've reached the top Commodore level of Princess' acclaimed online training program, Princess Academy, have a unique opportunity to put their knowledge to the test with the Ultimate Princess Commodore Competition. This brand new Academy feature, the industry's first online gaming contest, lets Commodore agents compete in an entertaining challenge to win a variety of prizes, including a chance to sail on the new Ruby Princess, or be invited to the ship's naming festivities later this year. The contest, which runs through August 31, 2008, features a different round of questions each month and the daily results are shown on a leader board so agents will be able to view and compare their scores. Commodores will compete based on the state or province in which the agency is located and the site will keep track of each Commodore's scores, which are based not only on the number of questions answered correctly but also the time taken to answer - more points are awarded for faster answers. The leader board will show which agencies are ahead in their state or province, plus the overall leaders.
OneSource/POLAR ONLINE
Princess Cruises and Cunard are dedicated to providing agents with the tools they need to manage their bookings online. Recently, we’ve added some important enhancements:
Waitlists
Additional waitlist features will now be available to travel agents using POLAR Online. Travel agents can now waitlist multiple categories for their clients and view the status without calling a reservation specialist. Even if your clients have a confirmed cabin, you can waitlist additional categories online and view the status of your request. This new feature will allow you to add or remove waitlist categories anytime and view the status at your convenience. When a match is identified, you will be able to view the category, cabin and expiration date of the match online. Your agency will still be contacted by fax or email with instructions to call and confirm the match with a reservation specialist.
Groups
POLAR Online is making it easier for you to view and manage your groups online. You will now be able to view a single list of all your active agency groups on all ships. All active groups for your agency will be listed in the group list. The group list will display the sail date, group number, voyage number, ship name, destination and group name. You will be able to view your group allotment, the number of berths sold and your current conversion ratio for each group. You can also sort the group list by entering a future sail date, selecting a destination or selecting a ship. All three options can be used at the same time to help you find a specific group.
This new feature is just one of many designed to help you manage your group space over the web. Soon you will be able to manage many of your group amenities online. Watch for future announcements regarding new features and enhancements to POLAR Online.
FLEET
Giuseppe Romano Named Commodore
Captain Giuseppe Romano, a 31-year veteran of Princess and Sitmar Cruises, has been named commodore of the company's 16-ship fleet. He becomes the senior master of the fleet and will represent the interests of all ships and their captains. The title of commodore is an honor that is traditionally bestowed upon the most senior captain of a fleet of ships, and the position represents the highest rank attainable to a Princess mariner.
Trademark “Sanctuary” Added to All Princess Ships
When Crown Princess debuted in 2006, she featured cruising’s first adults-only “retreat,” a unique area we called The Sanctuary. Subsequently featured on Emerald Princess, this serene area has been met with resounding enthusiasm from our passengers, so much so that we recently announced we would place a “Sanctuary” on every one of our ships fleetwide. The hallmark Princess feature gives passengers the perfect place to take a break and indulge in a private getaway with a plush, outdoor spa-inspired setting, complete with massage cabanas, signature beverages, light meals, attentive service by dedicated "Serenity Stewards,” and relaxing personal entertainment. The additions begin this summer with Island Princess, followed by Grand Princess and Star Princess by the end of the year. Our new Ruby Princess will debut with the signature space, and additional ships will have the Sanctuary added through 2010. The following is the planned schedule:
2008: Island, Star, Grand
2009: Caribbean, Golden, Dawn, Sea, Coral, Sapphire, Tahitian
2010: Royal, Sun, Pacific, Diamond .
The Sanctuary symbolizes Princess’ emphasis on providing a complete vacation escape. We are delighted to introduce this fantastic space across our fleet.
Ruby Princess
Ruby Princess, the new Princess Cruises ship currently under construction in Italy, reached a significant construction milestone when water began to fill the building dock signaling the start of her official float out. A ceremony marking the occasion was held at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone. The ship was floated to the nearby outfitting dock where final construction and interior finishing will take place. Ruby Princess, a sister ship to Emerald Princess and Crown Princess, will feature a dramatic piazza-style atrium featuring small-bite eateries and an ever-changing array of performing street entertainers, Princess' signature adults-only retreat called The Sanctuary, an Italian trattoria, a seafood and steak house, a "Movies Under the Stars" giant outdoor movie screen and 900 cabins with private balconies. The 113,000-ton ship will begin her inaugural sailings this coming November with a series of Western Caribbean cruises.
New Inaugural Voyage for Ruby Princess
The new Ruby Princess will be delivered earlier than previously expected, and will now debut one week prior on November 8, 2008, creating a new inaugural voyage, a seven-day Western Caribbean sailing taking passengers to Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Princess Cays.
Renaming of Tahitian Princess
Tahitian Princess, one of the small ships in the Princess fleet, will be renamed in 2009, becoming Ocean Princess. The new name is intended to reflect the ship's new deployment on worldwide itineraries. The renaming will take place while the ship is out of service during a routine maintenance period in Singapore in November 2009.
Silent Disembarkation Roll Out
The traditional "hurry up and wait" disembarkation process that has long been a cruise industry tradition is now history aboard Princess ships, as we introduce a new, streamlined farewell process for passengers. Contrasted with the typical end-of-cruise departure where passengers listen to public address system announcements for their luggage tag color to be called signaling the staggered times they will disembark, we debuted an efficient, more relaxed process for passengers leaving the ship. Passengers are each given an assigned time and place to assemble on the final morning and are personally escorted to the gangway by a member of the ship's staff, eliminating the guesswork as to the actual time passengers will be disembarking.
Government Fees and Taxes Issue Resolved
Due to the numerous changes in government fees and taxes that take place during the passengers booking history, Princess and Cunard have taken the following steps to simplify the process.
-
Prior to Final Payment (i.e. before the final payment notice is generated): Bookings will be refared only once for government fees & taxes increases or decreases. At the time of final payment, the travel agent should review the balance due and pay accordingly. Emergency notifications will not be issued.
-
After Final Payment: Any increases/decreases will be placed on the passenger's shipboard account. No action is required by the travel agent or the passenger. For increases under $15, a notice will be placed on the Cruise Personalizer advising that there has been an increase and that the amount will be charged to the passenger's onboard folio (shipboard account). For increases over $15, an emergency notification will be issued.
Fuel Supplement
Because of the continued rapid escalation of fuel prices, six of Carnival Corporation & plc’s brands, including Princess Cruises, have increased their current fuel supplement from $5 to $7 (USD) per person per day. These brands also implemented a fuel supplement on third and fourth passengers of $2 per person per day. We regret having to take this action, but fuel price increases have continued, and we now find it necessary to implement a modest increase in the supplement. The new fuel supplements will apply to all new bookings effective April 21, 2008.
Please forgive the length of this update, but there is much going on at Princess Cruises! We thank you for your support and appreciate all you do to help us grow our business.
Warmest Regards,
Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service
Princess Cruises
| 