Why Use CruiseOne Freer & Associates as your Travel Agent?

I have posted on this topic in the past, but it keeps coming up, and after all … it is a good question. And this past week, I have actually had the question asked of me numerous times, including right after I answered the phone: “Thank you for calling CruiseOne, this is Kathy” the caller’s first statement “Hi Kathy, why should I use you versus anyone else or the cruise line direct?”

I went on to explain to the caller about my knowledge, my service, and my experiences. I answered all of her questions, and I earned her business.

So, a little bit about me as a travel agent … I own my CruiseOne franchise, which I purchased in January of 2010. I was in the travel business in the 1990’s ventured out of it, and have returned. I am passionate about what I do. I love the fact that I help people with their vacations, family reunions, honeymoons, and quick get-a-ways … whatever their desires are. I have my own tag line “we bring your dream vacation to life.” I love to travel, especially cruising. I also specialize in family travel. Having two children myself, it is important to know what vacations and cruises fit our needs, and what will give not only me the best options, but my children as well.

I am a member of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) and achieved the accreditation of ACC (Accredited Cruise Counselor). This is done by education and earning credits, sales and personal travel experience. I am one 7 night cruise away from earning my MCC (Master Cruise Counselor), which is obtained by more education and personal travel experience. It is important to continue my education so I can best serve my clients. Likewise, it is important for me to have firsthand knowledge of the products that I am presenting to my clients, so I try to travel as much as I can, or do educational opportunities, such as ship inspections.

So what makes me different from the cruise lines or the travel agent down the street? Well, most of the time all the pricing is the same. There are some cases where we might have some block space (purchased staterooms ahead of time) that will offer lower fares than the current rate available and perhaps some on board amenities like on board credit or a bottle of wine. But putting price aside, let’s talk about service. I will never put a client on a cruise just to sell a cruise. I listen to my clients, listen to their wishes, what they need, are they traveling alone, do they have kids, what is important to them. This helps me qualify them for the perfect vacation. I will also speak about stateroom types and locations. Some clients simply want the lowest fare stateroom and they don’t care about location. Others have many questions as to location. I also will not try to up sell clients to other levels, unless they have questions and are interested. I will however recommend certain stateroom types for certain itineraries (for example, a balcony is almost a must in Alaska).

This past week, I was on the phone with a client two nights in a row from 11:00 pm, until 1:00 am. Now, you can’t get that from a cruise line! I make myself available at almost any time of the day. I have a lot of clients that have schedules that don’t give them the opportunity to call me during a typical 9:00am – 5:0opm work day. I want to go above and beyond and offer my services and assistance when it is convenient for my customers. This client that I was on the phone with actually had contacted the cruise line directly, and did not have a good experience. She was told the rooms she wanted were not available. She wanted two rooms, four people in each room, and she wanted them as close as possible. I went through all the options with her, and did the best we could (this is a close in sailing that is very popular). I felt wonderful that I was able to help her, and to close the call, she thanked me very much, told me she had a bad experience with the cruise line, and she was very happy with me. Was I tired? Yes! It was 1:00 am! But it was worth it. Not because of the sale, but because I helped her with her trip.

When planning your vacation, it is still wise to use a travel agent. Especially one that does not charge a fee and has the same prices or better than going direct. We have the knowledge and experience to help you with your trip. We can look at all options for you. If you go to a cruise line directly, you will only get information on that cruise line, and you will speak to a different agent each time that simply wants to sell you a stateroom on their ship.

I will be there through every step, from first call until after you sail. You will have the same dedicated person handling your reservation and all of your questions. I will not simply sell you a stateroom on any ship. I will, however, build a relationship with you and learn about you and what you really want.

So, what are you waiting for? Give CruiseOne Freer & Associates a call today and let’s get started planning your next trip! You can reach us toll free at 888-882-5793 on the web at www.kfreer.cruiseone.com or by email at kfreer@cruiseone.com