Silver Nova sailing inspires Embark advisors to be cruise sellers

ABOARD THE SILVER NOVA — It’s easy for travel advisors to sell a product they love. So what better way to get them to sell luxury cruises than by putting them on the Silver Nova’s first Alaska sailing?

That was the thinking at Embark Beyond and Silversea Cruises, which in May hosted a cohort of top-selling Embark advisors on the line’s newest ship that included five advisors who sell lots of luxury travel but virtually no cruises. 

“This is a real opportunity to capture not just a new generation of travelers but a new generation of travel advisors,” said Embark founder and managing partner Jack Ezon, adding that with so much promotion of large ships, newer advisors often don’t feel cruise is right for clients wanting more bespoke experiences. “It’s important to rethink how we promote cruises to a younger audience. On these ships, the cabins are spacious, elegant, well appointed, and you can do so many interesting things.”

To spread the word, Embark picked a sampling of advisors who successfully sell cruise, adventure and luxury to take the cruise and experience it themselves.

Those who hadn’t sold cruises before were swayed by the Silversea sailing, finding it to be a high-value, all-inclusive, adult-oriented product offering commissions of 16% or more and a high rate of repeat business. 

Amy Warren, one of the five advisors not selling cruise, moved from Manhattan to Park City, Utah, during the Covid pandemic and joined Embark in February. She immediately grasped the appeal of a luxury cruise for her clients. 

“100% I’m going to go home and sell cruise, and I’m going to lead with this cruise as a good way to push expedition,” she said. “I have a lot of clients who like to be in one place for a week; a Silversea cruise is an opportunity to see Europe or Antarctica in a luxurious hotel where you unpack once.” 

Another of the five, Shinny Bickoff of New York City, had a different focus. After 20 years in fashion retail, she became a travel advisor after the pandemic because of her fascination with ways the world healed environmentally when people stayed home. That interest in regenerative travel interested her in small ships, which she said have less climate impact and enable more interaction. 

“For me it’s about creating experiences that connect people, that allow you to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes and understand their culture,” she said. “I’ve shied away from selling cruises because of the carbon footprint on some of the bigger ships and the issue of overtourism. But I am changing my mind.” 

She found that the small group sizes for activities made them feel bespoke and limited tourism impact. And she loved  S.A.L.T., Silversea’s signature culinary program. “I feel like food isn’t piled up on the buffet and going to waste,” she said, adding praise for the use of locally sourced produce in the S.A.L.T. Kitchen and Salt Bar.

“Everything is super fresh and tastes amazing, and you add less to the carbon footprint and support local businesses.”

In addition, she said, Embark clients want to experience the newest trends, and the Nova, she found, “has a lot of fine things to offer a more elevated and discerning clientele, and for destinations like Alaska or Antarctica that are difficult to access any other way.”

Her only hesitation was for young families, a big part of her business. While the ship has connecting cabins and child care in the summer season, “I understand having children onboard changes the dynamic of the ship. And it’s clearly not top of mind.” 

Victoria Page, a former Starwood executive with a book of business that leans toward five-star hotels and resorts, didn’t know much about cruises and had sold virtually none in her nine years as a travel advisor. 

“But I see how the cruise customers onboard love the product,” she said. “They remind me of Four Seasons people in their loyalty. I see that it’s very adult, very elegant, very first class. I loved it from the minute I checked in and met my butler.”

Sales tips from Silversea

Silversea sales executives hosting the group offered the advisors tips on the best ways to position Silversea and luxury cruising in general. 

“Sell the value,” said Bob Tolster, Silversea’s area sales director for the Northeast. “The perfect client is someone who understands value over price and wants dedicated, personalized service. And never be afraid to ask us for help.”

Even the more experienced advisors saw in an Alaska sailing a gateway to the lucrative expedition cruise market. 

Between helicopter rides to the top of icy glaciers and 13-mile bike rides down, visits to the beautifully appointed spa, bars and restaurants onboard and soaks in the hot baths that butlers drew for them, everyone was thinking of how to position luxury cruising to their upscale clients. 

“I judge a vacation by the spa,” said Marla Fowler, founder of Marla Fowler’s Filling the Nest Luxury Travel & Lifestyle in Mandeville, La. Not an outdoorsy person, she said being in Alaska with the “safety net of bougie elements” put her in her comfort zone. “I had a facial in a room with a beautiful view of the sea and thought, ‘I’m going to miss that view when I go home.’ I have a lot of clients I’m going to approach and say, ‘Your husband can go mountain biking and you can do the spa and the cocktail lounge.'”

Fowler also appreciated the upfront pricing that cruises offer. 

“Even if price is not a deal-breaker, clients want to have a rough idea, and a cruise gives you a starting point for that discussion,” she said. 

And for travel advisors, she added, “everything is all laid out with excursions and restaurants. It’s a much easier sell and a 15%-plus commission.”