Tauck and Ponant Going Bigger with Small-Ship Cruising

Much like the river cruise segment, the small-ship niche is undergoing rapid expansion, and Tauck is working to meet the growing demand. The company, which also has a presence in the river cruise market, has been selling small-ship cruises since 1993—and it is about to step up its offerings with new ships from its longtime partner, French cruise ship operator Ponant, said Katharine Bonner, senior vice president of Tauck River & Small Ship Cruising.

The business model for small ships is different from that for river cruising, where Tauck controls the entire vessel and fills it weekly through the season, Bonner said. With small ships, the operator picks and chooses destinations and itineraries from existing inventory and then books a certain number of passengers on those vessels.

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While they share the ship with other passengers, Tauck clients enjoy an all-inclusive experience that features all shore excursions, beverages and gratuities, she added. In some cases, the itinerary even includes pre- and post-tours. A Galapagos cruise, for instance, includes a week in Machu Picchu.

Tauck provides its own shore excursions, and there are always Tauck tour directors on board, Bonner said. There are other extras, like lecturers from the BBC or other experts. While Tauck does not deliberately tie in land tours with cruises, Bonner said the operator is happy to work with agents to put together that kind of extended holiday.

In Bonner’s view, what distinguishes Tauck from the competition is that it brings 93 years of experience in delivering tour programs to the small-ship product. The operator offers small ships all over the world, including the Mediterranean, Galapagos, Arctic, Norwegian fjords, Baltic, Antarctica, Japan and elsewhere. This year’s small-ship sailings are sold out and next year Alaska comes back, as do the Great Lakes, which is sold out even for 2019.

And now there will be more options for travelers. Ponant is launching six new ships, with the first Tauck sailing taking place on Le Lapérouse, which debuted in July 2018. The new ships are entering service over the next two years and will open up such destinations as Spitsbergen, Norway, and the Norwegian fjords.

Not only are these vessels smaller, but they also offer an underwater lounge called the Blue Eye, with large windows on either side providing passengers the ability to listen to what’s going on beneath the surface. In Iceland, for instance, travelers will be able to see and hear whales.

Tauck also partners with other lines as well, including Windstar Cruises and Silversea Cruises. And although some operators define a small ship as carrying less than 1,000 passengers, Tauck caps the number at 300.

While older children are welcome on all small-ship sailings, there are several Galapagos cruises available through the Tauck Bridges programs that are family-oriented, Bonner said. On those sailings, tour directors are specifically chosen because they like to work with children, and the trips are constructed around kid-friendly activities like scavenger hunts or checklists of animals they might see in the Galapagos.

There’s no question of the ongoing strength of the small-ship market, Bonner said. “All of a sudden, people are building small ships right and left, and now even Ritz-Carlton has gotten into the market.” These products represent lucrative sales for agents because there are no non-discountable amounts (NDAs)—no port charges or other fees, and so there is commission on everything. “Where else do you get that?” Bonner asked.

As it does for its other products, Tauck offers strong agent support for small-ship cruising. This includes a team of seven national account managers and two cruising specialists across the U.S. who partner with agents to provide office training and client events.

The operator also presents between one and four webinars monthly. These are themed sessions offering insider knowledge of how Tauck builds its journeys and the details that make the tours different. The webinars are co-hosted by a Tauck sales expert and a product architect. They are only 30 minutes long, with recorded sessions available immediately following live sessions and on Agent Connect (Tauck’s agent portal) within two weeks. A consumer version is also provided for agents to share with clients.

Lastly, the Agent Rewards program offers cash toward travel advisors’ personal travel on a Tauck journey at the destination of their choosing. Agents can earn up to $12,000 in points per year, based on sales