Travel Advisors Speak Out: A Love Story with River Cruises

When we asked advisors during our research for Travel Market Report’s “Outlook on River Cruises” to share their stories about selling river cruises, we got nearly 400 responses, many of which we might classify as love letters.

Here are some highlights:

“River cruises are a fabulous product and everyone comes home satisfied, even with low river levels and other challenges. But getting past the high sticker price is the biggest challenge. Once the sale is made and the clients travel, they are extremely happy, however.”

“I was fortunate enough to do the Danube 10 years ago and the first-hand information was the best publicity I could pass on to my clients, and I have successfully booked many clients on them.”

“I am semi-retired, but I still have people calling and wanting me to put together a group river cruise.”

“Love them! Lots of ocean cruisers have been everywhere and river cruising has opened up a whole new world for them!”

“I have sold many river cruises, mostly either Viking or Tauck, and have always had repeat customers. Clients always return satisfied with the experience, and the lines do everything in their power to be sure of customer satisfaction.”

“I have a multigenerational family group that did their first river cruise on Adventures by Disney on AmaWaterways last year. They loved it so much they did a different ABD on AmaWaterways river cruise this year, are looking at another for next year. They are hooked on river cruising.”

“I have clients who sail Uniworld often, and I do not need to sell them on the idea of repeating.”

“I love river cruises. I just had a $100,000 booking with Crystal River Cruises.”

“At first, I was selling Viking River Cruises because of their advertising campaign on our local PBS station. Then I began getting referrals. We had several consumer events, which created more bookings as we were educating the clients on the benefits of river cruising.”

“I have a number of repeat clients who are so satisfied with their river cruising experience that they book over again to different destinations and rivers.”

“When the client has an amazing experience and comes back to book again, that’s great!”

“River cruising is a unique way of cruising. It’s truly a way to immerse oneself in the culture of the city with locals as the river cruises go into city centers. It is a fantastic way to meet people from all over the globe and share experiences together.”

“After taking a river cruise myself, I recognized the value versus the price.”

“The excitement of selling a river cruise and getting the right one for a client is definitely an adrenaline rush. Each one I sell is a success story.”

“I love selling river cruises. My clients have thoroughly enjoyed them, as have I.”

“It’s a great way to see a number of different destinations and unpacking once.”

“Last month, I sold 11 cabins on a river cruise. It started with just three couples, but I made sure to ask them if they were hoping to bring friends or if they were referred by anyone. Viking has a great referral program, and Ama and Viking have a great AAA benefit that when we speak of it and ask about their friends who might want to travel, we get more bookings that way.”

“I enjoy finding the correct product to fit the client’s requirements. As products vary, it is important to be confident in offering the river cruise that best addresses each client’s needs. We enjoy selling all facets of cruising and fitting the best product to each client.”

“I booked myself and friends on an AmaWaterways ‘Tulip Time Cruise’ and then posted it on Facebook saying, ‘You should join us,’ and received two more bookings.”

“I called three clients about the new Uniworld Mekong Jewel and all three booked the cruise! One of them took the top suite!”

“My clients have been very happy with their trips and are looking forward to booking more. Many have taken group tours in the past and like the change of pace with river cruises.”

“A friend of mine wanted to take her daughter somewhere for her 21st birthday and always would travel to all-inclusive destinations, so I recommended a river cruise and they just loved it!”

“Many of my first-time river cruisers become repeat river cruise clients. They love the leisurely pace of the cruise.”

“A husband and wife client wanted to visit their son in Germany who is going to school abroad. After visiting him they wanted to rent a car and tour Germany. I suggested a river cruise instead and they thought it was a brilliant idea. They loved every moment of the trip and not having to deal with a car.”

“I have sold three small groups on Emerald and Viking in the last four years. All folks loved it.”

“I had such an amazing experience with Uniworld on their Burgundy-to-Provence route that, based on casual conversations with friends in a social setting, two couples called me to book the exact itinerary and are sailing this September.”

“I needed group space on AmaWaterways on a specific date. The group department said there was no space. I ran into Kristin (Karst), the owner of AmaWaterways, in an elevator and told her my issue. She opened group space for me for the Douro River and I had 22 guests onboard. Thank you, Kristin!”

“I qualify my clients and direct material to them … we also have targeted customer events.”

“I have been on two Avalon river cruises and selling them is a slam dunk for me. I love them, which translates into easy sales.”

“I prefer to sell river cruises due to the fair commission structure.”

“My clients have river cruise fever!”

“River cruising is an easy sell. There are so many options for clients.”

“I have never had an unhappy river cruiser. It is a guaranteed success.”

“I suggested a river cruise to a client who had never taken a river cruise. Now they only want to do river cruises!”

“I like to book groups with Viking and Uniworld. They are very easy to work with.”

“I’ve been in this business for over 30 years and have never had a disappointed client who I’ve sold a river cruise. That’s the beauty of selling a river cruise.”

“My clients love river cruising. So do I, so I often go and take multiple couples with me.”

“Once you get a couple of clients, they bring others in because it’s such an enjoyable experience.”

“I had a family that was all over the place on what they wanted to do. I finally convinced them on a river cruise option as that encompassed some point on everyone’s list. It was a huge success.”

“I built my agency on river cruises and the referrals from those clients.”

“My clients that have tried it, tell their friends, and now more are going, including repeaters.”

“I sold my first river cruise recently. I was amazed, as in selling just three cabins I made about $1,000 per cabin. This is much higher commission than typical sales with other travel niches I have.”

“My first river cruise night produced six clients who have returned now for their third river cruise.”

“My river cruise clients are repeats. They love the experience.”

“I have a group that travels every two years. Last trip was 23 people on a Uniworld river cruise.”

“This year I have several small groups on AmaWaterways, thanks to our sales rep Kathy Brock explaining the experience to me.”

“I created a group last year for a Danube river cruise on Emerald expecting to sell 10 cabins. I ended up selling 22 cabins!”

“For my 50th birthday, I wanted to do the Christmas market cruise, so I made up a flyer, sent it to friends and some clients, next thing you know I had over 20 cabins booked. It was a great experience and now my group is traveling again in 2020.”

“Once a client tries a river cruise for the first time, I can easily sell them more trips that are usually upgraded.”

“I recently had to make a lot of changes for some clients with American Cruise Lines, and they were so helpful, accommodating and personal.”

“I think river cruises are wonderful, especially as my clientele is aging and less enthusiastic about renting a car to get to some less traditional locations.”

“I did a small group sailing with Tauck two years ago and they all loved it. Several have booked additional Tauck river cruises or tours since.”

“I promoted and advertised a 14-day river cruise on radio and TV, and hosted a group of 44 passengers. It was the highest-grossing travel group I have ever organized.”

“Once I have convinced people that a river cruise is a wonderful way to travel, I have not had one client return without having loved their cruise.”

“I escorted a group of 23 people with Scenic last year and it was a huge success. From that, I have had a love for river cruising and am specializing in it now. I have two more river cruises that I am escorting. The first one is France and the other is the Mekong River.”

“River cruising is such a great way to see a country and immerse yourself in the culture and meet the people.”

“I have sailed on Viking and AmaWaterways, and this year alone, I have sold over $300,000 in river cruises.”

“Most people really like them, and they are not a hard sell. I just give them all the advantages and they are willing to try. Once they go on one, they are hooked.”