Travel Advisors Onboard EXPLORA I: You Already Have an Explora Journeys Client

TMR sat down with several advisors onboard EXPLORA I to find out which clients they – and you – already have that would be ideal to pitch Explora Journeys to. We also wanted to know who wouldn’t be a great fit.

Past luxury cruisers

Without fail, all the advisors we spoke to said past luxury cruisers are excellent prospects for an Explora Journeys cruise. Advisors named Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn, and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, as lines these prospects might have cruised with.

“This would rank up there in terms of service and food and quality,” said Craig Buck, owner of Travel Masters.

He added that he doesn’t think his clients will mind that excursions aren’t included.

“I like the idea that it’s not included in the sense that it’s your decision… and the price point of Explora seems to be really competitive when you look at the comparison with the other lines,” he said.

However, Charlotte Goldstein, owner of Charlotte’s Web of Travel, told us she might chose to be careful about which luxury cruisers to pitch Explora Journeys to.

“It depends on whether they like the formalness or not. Some clients can’t wait to pack their tuxedos.”

While Doyle also felt past luxury cruisers are a good prospect for Explora, she added that with some she’d want to be clear about the differences between Explora Journeys and the other lines.

“People who are more experienced cruisers and have a certain expectation of how a luxury line is going to be might have to make a bit of an adjustment, so I’d want to talk to them about the differences,” she said.”

Luxury hotel land clients

According to Buck, his long-time clients that prefer five-star hotel stays “around the world” but have never cruised before are also excellent prospects for an Explora sailing.

Sherry Doyle, an independent contractor with Travel Experts, said much the same.

“I do find that it’s non-traditional in some important ways: not having the main dining room and stuff like that that I think a lot of people would be comfortable trying cruising on a ship like this,” she told TMR.

Its lack of formalness will also likely appeal to land clients, Doyle said.

One aspect of Explora Journeys might make her hesitate, however.

“My only hesitation is the size,” she said, adding that many luxury travelers prefer smaller properties.

Premium cruise suite cruisers

A couple of the advisors we spoke with told us they have premium suite cruisers (even mainstream suite cruisers) who they believe are perfect targets.

A great angle for some of these clients could be the smaller ports that Explora’s itineraries include.

“I’d have to look at pricing, but maybe some people who are suite clients on some of the mainstream mass market, premium… who are ready to make a step up to luxury,” Doyle said.

“I have luxury clients who prefer larger ships, so this might be a good fit if they don’t want to be as formal as a Silversea or Regent,” added Goldstein. “They can decide they want to dress up, but they don’t have to dress up.”

River cruisers

Karen Gordon, owner of Tailored Travel, told TMR she thinks river cruisers would be a perfect demographic for Explora Journeys. In fact, she has several river cruise clients onboard EXPLORA I with her.

She referred to these types of clients as “quiet travelers.”

“They’re not looking to be entertained. They want to participate at their pace as opposed to stuff being thrown at them all the time,” she said.

They also like smaller ships, an upscale but not stuffy onboard atmosphere, and attentive service, plus they like to be able to pick one or two excursions or simply explore on their own in port.

Another aspect of Explora Journeys that Gordon said appeals to this type of client is the line’s value for money spent.

“Most of them are fairly budget conscious, but they are willing to spend,” she said. “They want good value for their money.”

Luxury all-inclusive clients

Goldstein told TMR that luxury clients that typically stay at all-inclusives would be perfect to pitch to, especially those for whom an elevated dining experience is important.

“The food you’re getting, even in the best all-inclusive, I don’t think comes close to anything we’ve had here,” she said.

Doyle mostly agreed.

“Those who are non-cruisers but high-end resort people who have been maybe curious about cruising, might be a good fit,” she told us.

Clients to whom advisors won’t pitch Explora Journeys

In general, advisors couldn’t think of too many types of clients they’d steer away from Explora Journeys.

Families, particularly families with small children, was a client segment they all seemed to think might not be a perfect fit.

“I would for families with older children, but not younger children,” Goldstein said, while Buck told TMR he simply wouldn’t want to see the Explora ships overrun with children.

“If it were teenagers, they might be okay if there were other teenagers onboard,” said Gordon. “But there’s no guarantee that there’s going to be enough of them.”

Doyle said she is also hesitant to put super fussy clients onboard.

“People who are maybe a little more particular, because I think the service has been good, but it hasn’t been over the top good. I almost feel like they’re still learning in some respect,” she told us. “I would say a more laid-back client would be the best fit for this line.”

She mentioned a previous client, who while not overly demanding does have special needs, and was unhappy enough with their butler service that they had to request a new one.

Similarly, but on the flip side of the coin, Gordon said she wouldn’t try to sell Expora Journeys to many of her mainstream clients, because for as relaxed as Explora is, it’s not a jeans-to-dinner type of ship.

“If they think jeans at dinner, at a nice restaurant is appropriate, then this probably is not for them,” she said.

People that want or need to be constantly entertained also aren’t a great fit, she said.

Real examples

Amidst our conversations, we asked advisors which actual clients (rather than type of clients) they plan to go home and pitch Explora Journeys to.

High-end group clients

Goldstein plans to reach out to one of her group clients who usually do high-end travel – they have an upcoming Silversea cruise, for instance.

“They like bespoke experiences. They like luxury. They like privacy,” she told us.

But because members of the group are at varying life stages – some are still paying for college, so don’t usually take the top cabin categories – they need something that won’t segregate those members who don’t stay in a higher tier stateroom (the way NCL, MSC Cruises, and Celebrity do).

“This offers a really good, viable mix for them without ostracizing them,” Goldstein said.

Adventurous retired couple

The client Buck is thinking of is currently on an A&K cruise in Indonesia. This past summer, she sailed in Alaska with PONANT.

“She’s rather demanding in the sense that she always wants the best,” he explained. “Her one big thing is, why don’t any of these cruise lines have king-sized beds? And now I can say, I found one. And they’re [Explora Journeys] the quality that she’s looking for.”

While the lack of exotic itineraries might be an issue for her, she is often simply looking “stuff to do,” he said.

“I can tell her, hey what are you doing in January? They’ve got something going on in the Caribbean, you get your king-sized bed, you get everything you want.”

Almost retired, HAL cruisers

Gordon told TMR she’s thinking of reaching out to a client, a couple that is “aging towards retirement,” who normally sails Holland America. Unlike the category above (premium suite cruisers), this couple always books a balcony but typically tries to bid for a suite upgrade.

They’ve asked Gordon what other lines they might want to consider, and Gordon thinks Explora Journeys could be a good fit.

“They are looking at valuing travel and the relaxation of travel more and more,” she said, adding that the sophistication of Explora – without the stuffiness – would appeal to them.