At Cruise Planners talk show lines in the limelight

Cruise Planners has done a nice job the past couple of years putting on an informative and entertaining annual conference.

The franchise network, which turned 20 this year, has perfected a kind of infotainment format that keeps attendees engaged. This year’s conference, at the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Fla., featured a mock talk show, dubbed “Live with Vicky and Michelle,” that let five cruise lines put their best foot forward. 

Each line offered something energetic and fun. Princess Cruises had a mock game show, with contestants in green feather boas and tiaras. Celebrity Cruises brought Zumba dancers from its ship and passed out glowsticks. Carnival had a stand-up comic.

In each case, there was a message. Answers in the game show helped agents learn about Princess ships and itineraries. Celebrity played up its partnership with trendy Zumba. And Carnival underscored its fun theme by making agents laugh.

After the opening act, each line’s top sales executive joined Cruise Planners executives Michelle Fee and Vicky Garcia for couple minutes of banter.  They tossed out a fun historical tidbit for each line (Fee once shot skeet off the back of Royal Caribbean’s Song of America), and revealed a personal fun fact about each executive (Princess sales veep Brian O’Connor marched in the Rose Bowl parade as the drum major for the Michigan State marching band).

Royal Caribbean vice president Vicki Freed opened up about the fancy greeting cards she collects, using the hobby to tell a moving story about Michelle Morgan, the late president of Signature Travel Network. Carnival vice president Joni Rein talked about using Sundays when her children were young to cook all of the week’s meals for microwaving during the week.

Then Fee and Garcia elicited tips from each executive on how agents can better sell their respective lines. O’Connor made a pitch for sending experienced travelers on Princess’ itineraries out of Singapore. “If they’re skilled and adventurous enough to take a flight to Asia, they would love these cruises,” he said.

HAL vice president Charlie Dunwoody said agents can hook up with locally prominent chefs to lead a group of foodies that can make the line’s culinary center arts centers the focus of their cruise.

The segment ended with Norwegian Cruise Line sales vice president Andy Stuart donning a Miami Dolphins jersey in tribute to the line’s new partnership with the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, who will christen Norwegian Getaway in February. He also played Santa, handing out gift bags to agents who answered basic questions about Getaway, the next new ship on the industry’s horizon.

Stuart summed up the morning by also paying tribute to Garcia, Fee and the rest of the Cruise Planners team. “You have to hand it to these guys,” he said. “They know how to do it differently.”