2017 alaska training · increase on voyage of the glaciers itineraries (gulf). we need to push...

2017 ALASKA TRAINING

Customer Service

Kindra Brownlee 11/9/2016

Why Alaska?

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Glaciers Mountains Wildlife

Also: Denali National Park Glacier Bay National Park Inside Passage Cruising Alaska Railroad Route Alaska Seafood

Alaska – 2017 Deployment

Inside Passage

Roundtrip Seattle 7-days

Roundtrip San Francisco 10-days

Voyage of the Glaciers (Gulf)

One-way Whittier/Vancouver or Vancouver/Whittier

7-days

Ruby - Saturdays

Emerald - Sundays

Grand Star - Saturdays

Coral - Saturdays

Island – Wednesdays

Glaciers Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fjord Ports Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Victoria

Route Inside Passage Cruising Convenient roundtrip itineraries, with weekend departures!

2 Glaciers Glacier Bay AND Hubbard or College Fjord Ports Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway

Route Inside Passage AND Prince William Sound

One-way vs Roundtrip

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What is a Cruisetour?

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Reminder, 70% of Alaska guests are prospects – they don’t know what a cruisetour is! No longer referring to them as “Land & Sea Vacations”. Going back to “cruisetours”.

Alaska Cruisetour

7 nt. Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise

3-8 nts. at Wilderness Lodges before or after the cruise

Rail Travel

Sample Cruisetour Itinerary: EA4

4 Types of Cruisetours

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Denali Explorer

On Your Own

Off the Beaten Path

Connoisseur

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

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Large, campus-style setting (656 rooms) Hustle and bustle (other lodges in the area) 1 mile from National Park Entrance for park tour Overlooks the river Always refurbing & renovating! This winter: select rooms and the River Run Cafe

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

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Wilderness retreat on the south side of the National Park and IN Denali State park (460 rooms) Very remote – 45 minutes to Talkeetna Stunning views of Denali (mountain) – overlooks river Fireside Patio Hudson Theater Great flightseeing options! Newly refreshed rooms. This winter: Mountain View Dining room!

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

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Small lodge – only 86 rooms Highest scoring Princess lodge Bungalow-style rooms with private deck and wood burning fireplaces Great fishing!

Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge

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Small lodge – only 85 rooms Near Wrangell St-Elias National Park Can see the pipeline from the lodge! Catamaran between Whittier & Valdez on select cruisetours Great fishing here too!

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Two Types of Trains

Direct to the Wilderness Rail Princess Rail

Travels to/from the ship Only occurs on days the ship is in Whittier (Sat and Wed) Exclusive to Princess Two routes under “Direct to the Wilderness Rail”

To/from Talkeetna for MPL 4-5 hours Single-story Glass domed rail cars Table seating Dining available at table

To/from Denali for DPL 8-9 hours Use double decker Glass domed rail cars Dining room on lower floor Tables & Individual Seats

All cruisetours include rail! All routes and cars have dining/beverage service, include commentary and have glass domes.

Routes Anchorage/Talkeetna Talkeetna/Denali Denali/Fairbanks (Alaska Rail Road) Use double decker, glass domed rail cars Dining room on lower floor Mix of seating configurations: Tables & Individual Seats

Trains

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GOLD Winner – 2016 Travel Weekly’s Magellen Award for overall education program

When is the best time to go?

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May June July August September

DNP: 34-57°F JNU: 41-56°F

DNP: 46-68°F JNU: 47-57°F

DNP: 50-72°F JNU: 50-64°F

DNP: 45-65°F JNU: 49-63°F

DNP: 36-54°F JNU: 44-56°F

Northern Lights

Why Princess in Alaska?

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• We are #1 in Alaska – more guests choose Princess to be their host in the Great Land

• Even the experts say we are the Experts! Travel Agents Recommend Princess more than any other cruiseline in Alaska. (Gallop Study)

• 2 Glacier viewing experiences on every Voyage

of the Glaciers Cruise

• More balconies and suites - we have nearly 50% of the market share

• We take more guests to Glacier Bay than any other cruiseline

• Our Wilderness Lodges

• Exclusive Direct to the Wilderness Rail Service

• 2 perspectives of Denali (MPL and DPL)

• Roundtrip Seattle itins feature convenient weekend departures

Do you have any tips to help someone choose a Cruisetour?

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Of course! • Determine how much time guests have to

spend on vacation.

• Land before the cruise? Or land after the cruise?

• Do they have a ship preference? Not all cruisetours are offered on all ships.

• Are they interested in going to our more remote lodges (Kenai & Copper)?

• If they want to experience the longer Denali park tour (Tundra Wilderness Tour), choose an itinerary with 2 nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.

Overcoming the Barriers

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Expen$ive Cold Climate Air Lift & Expense Unsure about cruising

Great prices on: May/Early June Sometimes September Northbound Gulf & Cruisetours Generally, there isn’t snow! July is the warmest month in Alaska. Bring layers. Air is usually less expensive on the roundtrip itineraries. Check EzAir! 70% of Alaska cruisers are prospects! They don’t know what to expect.

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• Longer cruisetours are a better value (extra nights cost less)

• If guests have a preference on Starboard vs Port side, book early. Ship rotates in GB. And whales don’t know the difference between starboard/port!

• Connoisseur Cruisetours represent the biggest commission opportunities as well as the best experience for your customer!

• Highest scoring cruisetours for 2016: • QA8 – 2nts Kenai, 2nts Copper, 2nts Denali, 2nts Fairbanks (2017

Tour # QA8)

• RB8 – 2nts Fai, 2nts Denali, 1nt McKinley, 3 nights Kenai (similar to PA8 in 2017)

• Land Excursions and Shore Excursions are on sale for 2017 on 11/1. Going to pre-paid for both in 2017!

Other Tips

2018 Preview

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We are expanding our cruisetour capacity in 2018 – 7 ships sailing in Alaska. This will be our largest Alaska deployment ever! 13% capacity increase overall for Alaska, and 31% increase on Voyage of the Glaciers itineraries (gulf). We need to push cruisetours and the gulf more than ever! Icy Strait Point on Northbound Island Departures – replacing Ketchikan Travel Agent announcement on 11/17. Open for sale 12/1.