Disney Wonder at Canada Place with our tour host Tracy Poole - District Sales
Manager for The Walt Disney Company, and a Cast Member of the Disney Wonder.
A few of the travel agents
on tour - for many it was their first Disney ship experience.
The Disney Wonder docked on
a sunny Monday at Canada Place.
The
Disney Wonder is in Vancouver this summer with weekly sailings to Alaska and I
had the opportunity to tour the ship recently
along with a group of local travel agents.
Before
we boarded, 2 very adorable but seriously working bomb and drug dogs sniffed
everyone's purses and bags to ensure no prohibited items are brought onboard. I
have never seen any other cruise line do this. Kudos to Disney for taking
security up a notch.
The
Wonder is a sleek ship with a classic black hull, its exterior adorned with
red, yellow and white - Mickey's colours. The interior is also decorated in
very cool early Micky Mouse cartoon era art deco style.
While
the travel agents I spoke with unanimously agree that the majority of their
clients are families, there is also a substantial percentage of clients who
sail without kids.
Nancy
Hughes of Expedia CruiseShipCenters has a senior couple who enjoy Disney
cruises. Their 1st experience was on a family vacation but they were so
impressed with the facilities offered for adults that they chose to sail again
just by themselves.
Eric Van
Meter of Uniglobe One Travel comments that everyone is a kid at heart. When he
sells Disney cruises to adult clients, he asks them to remember their 1st
childhood visit to a Disney park, and reminds them how a Disney cruise can
re-ignite the desire to have fun, something we can tend to forget as we get
older. A very good tactic indeed.
A
surprising number of clients are also 1st time cruisers. Disney is a household
name for land vacations - I'm so glad to hear from agents that 1st timers are
confident in choosing Disney for their 1st vacation at sea.
Another
staggering statistic - over 50% of Disney cruise bookings involve 3 or more
cabins travelling together. There is obviously terrific potential for travel
agents to focus on!
Bottom
line - Disney figured out the formula 60 years ago and now the same magical
experience is available at sea. Book your clients - families, couples or
singles - on a Disney cruise and it will not disappoint.
Stay
tuned for more coverage on Disney Cruise Line in an upcoming Open Jaw Cruise
Splash article.
