Funny myths and stories about selling cruising: Travel Weekly Asia

Indonesia’ cruise industry is experiencing a surge in interest, as evidenced by the enthusiastic participation of over 200 travel agents and industry members at CruiseWorld Indonesia 2024, held on July 31 at JW Marriott Jakarta.

Where do people get their cruise information?

Aqsath Rasyid, CEO of NoLimit, an Indonesian social media monitoring
platform, reports a significant increase in cruise-related online
conversations. A recent survey revealed 273,797 and 96,658
cruise-related discussions on social media, with peak activity in May
due to promotional offers from cruise lines for the summer season.

Instagram dominates cruise conversations at 92%, driven by travel
agent promotions and passengers sharing their experiences. Social media
accounts for 51% of cruise information sources, while travel agents
contribute 31% through various marketing channels.

ASTINDO’s Pauline Suharno speaking with NoLimit’s Aqsath Rasyid during the social media coffee chat at CruiseWorld Indonesia. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly Asia

Debunking common myths and misconceptions

While cruising is becoming a popular holiday option, cruise experts
still see common misconceptions among customers. During the session of
“Funny and True Stories in Selling Cruises”, Fanny Hayuda, senior team
leader at Anugerah Wisata Bahari, shared funny chats between clients and
cruise advisors.

Owing to a lack of knowledge and familiarity with cruising, Hayuda
noted that even sub-agents the company works with sometimes display
confusion and mistakes about cruising. She shared several amusing
anecdotes that highlight the extent of customers’ – and even sub-agents’
– confusion:

• One sub-agent asked about booking an “incident room”, having
  received an enquiry about “inside room” from a customers, leading to a
  confusing exchange about emergency accommodations.
• A family insisted on a two-room cabin for a family of parents and
  children, not realising that cruise ships typically offer adjoining
  cabins or family suites instead.
• A customer inquired whether the cruise ship would be sailing to
  Zhangjiajie, the famed stone forest park in China, unaware that cruise
  ships require ocean access.
• Another claimed to have experienced the Genting Dream, confusing the cruise ship with the Genting Highlands resort in Malaysia.
• Some asked about the view from a “balcony ocean view” cabin, not
  realising all balcony cabins face the ocean. Others enquired if there
  are toilets inside cabin rooms.

Anugerah Wisata Bahari’s Fanny Hayuda sharing funny anecdotes and conversations from selling cruising. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly Asia

Get educated to sell cruising

“These stories might seem funny, but they underscore the importance
of education,” Hayuda explained. “No question is too basic when
introducing newcomers to cruising.”

In order to handle enquiries and convert them to customers, Fanny
Hayuda stressed the importance for travel agents to first understand and
become knowledgeable about cruise lines.

Understanding the nature of cruising would be helpful to respond
immediately if customer posed unexpected questions, or to convince
potential customers who insist they have already tried cruising before
(see Genting Dream vs Genting Highlands point above).

“If we fully understand all about cruise, there should be no problem,” concluded Hayuda. “Understand first, before selling it.”