I love a good cruise and was lucky enough to spend Christmas 2021 on a Caribbean sailing. As I spent time in the sun being pampered by attentive ship staff, I reflected on how lucky I felt that ships were back in the water thanks to the health and safety protocols that cruise lines put into place.

Level 4 Warning

So, you can imagine my surprise the next week when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it had raised its warning level for cruising to Level 4 and was advising against all cruise travel.

While this was an incredible blow to travel advisors and cruise lines, you and your clients need to understand that unlike earlier in the pandemic, ships are able to sail. Unfortunately, in response to the CDC’s news and the Omicron surge, many lines are canceling or delaying sailings. But there are still ships in the water.

Know Your Clients

To sell cruises now, you need to know your clients. How comfortable are they with risk? How flexible are they with itinerary changes? Have they cruised before? What do they actually want for their vacation? And when do they want to take it?

Clients who have never cruised before but need to get away from the cold might be better steered towards a Caribbean or Mexico land destination. And those who are particularly risk-averse, but love cruising, might need a cruise scheduled further out.

Safety Issues

You also need to communicate to clients that cruising is safe. Cruise lines – unlike hotels, airlines, theme parks and destinations – must report onboard illnesses. Lines have put a lot of effort into mitigating risk, including requiring vaccinations for crew and guests, and negative COVID tests prior to departure.

The most important thing you can do for the long-term health of your cruise sales is to stay on top of cruise line policies and protocols. You also need to get involved in industry associations like ASTA and CLIA, both of which are working hard to advocate for you and the cruise industry to lift restrictions and provide sensible regulations for cruising.

Most importantly, stay positive. The travel demand is out there. Cruisers want to cruise, and they need your expertise to help them find the best sailing for them more now than ever before.