Amsterdam — It’s always fun to usher in springtime with a Tulip Time cruise to Europe. And there’s something extra special about being on the very first sailing of river cruise season, as my husband and I were, with a group of top travel advisors aboard the Avalon Panorama in Amsterdam.
Off a red-eye that landed at 6 a.m., we arrived in time to watch the Panorama glide up the river and into the harbor in the early morning light. We were the first couple onboard the newly refurbished ship, a charter by Oasis Travel Network for its annual Member Appreciation Cruise. Instead of having to wait for the previous group cruisers to disembark, we boarded at 9:30. By 10:00, we were sound asleep in our stateroom.
But sailing on the shoulder of the season is a story of give and take. Being first is fun—but the skies are gray, the streets are damp, and the tulips at the Keukenhoff Gardens are not yet in full bloom.
Indeed, said the travel advisors onboard, it was a unique experience that might fit some customers, But not all.
Melissa McCartney Klein of Classic Vacations liked the idea of being the first to see the new soft goods. “Even though this is the oldest ship in the fleet, we’re the first to experience the new carpeting, the new furniture, the new bedding,” she said.
But Lori Spoelstra of Adventures by Lori in Grand Rapids, MI, wasn’t so sure about selling a Tulip Time cruise in March.
“I certainly would qualify the clients and make sure they knew the risks of rain and weather before sending anyone in the off-season—and if money is not an issue I’d certainly recommend a nicer time,” she says. “But for some people the pricing can make a difference. And today the weather is beautiful and we have the town to ourselves. So the question is, how important is it that all the flowers are blooming?”
In the end, she said, “there’s a client for everything. Our job is to be the matchmaker, to match our clients to the right season and the right cruise line.”
Dee Henrichsen of Dee-Tours LLC has clients sailing from Amsterdam on April 20, “when the flowers should all be in bloom, because that’s what they want to see,” she says. “If your focus is to see every tulip blooming, now is too early. But I always suggest traveling to Europe in spring and fall. Most of my clients are such well-seasoned travelers they don’t mind. It’s about knowing your clients, what they want to spend and how they want to travel.”
“The cruise lines are using the shoulder seasons to increase their revenue but I’m not sure it’s in the best interest of the client,” says Dave Natale of Rivercruiseking.com. “Is it really worth saving $800 a person to go when it’s cold and rainy? Of course, you can have bad weather any time but your chances of fair weather are better another time of year.”
Still, he acknowledges, some customers do ask for those very early or very late weeks. Indeed, a customer recently told him it’s not her first Tulip Time cruise and she doesn’t mind the weather; she’s happy to go when there are no crowds. But, he says, “I wouldn’t sell it without a huge caveat.”
Natale often repeats a popular itinerary at a different time of year. “I am a big proponent of doing the same cruise in different seasons. I used to do the Christmas markets and then I realized the Rhine in the summer is different from the Rhine in winter, so I did the same destinations in spring or summer,” he says. “In the summer the days are extremely long so we can sit in the beer garden until late in the evening; it’s totally different from December or even from spring, when we go to more inside kinds of places.”
For a March group, Natale tried to duplicate the Christmas market experience a bit by bringing along some of his European friends, so his American travelers could mingle with the locals. “I wouldn’t have brought a first-time American client, but my group enjoyed it,” he says. “These aren’t just tourist destinations, these are real communities. And my clients got to see how people live and how they adapt, the different things they do during the different seasons. So I understand side season. But there’s a limit—and travel advisors need to educate themselves and their customers about exactly why they are getting that discount.”
This year in particular is a good one for off-season travel for those who really want to see the major cities, says Robert Lynema at Unique Adventure Travel LLC in Grandville, MI.
“The Olympics in France are having a huge impact on Europe travel this summer; you can’t have a client spending thousands of dollars who gets there and can’t do anything because of the crowds and the traffic. And with the situation in Eastern Europe, even more people are going to Western Europe. So I don’t encourage France or Italy for this summer, and even Germany is getting difficult,” he says.
Instead, he is recommending Iceland, Ireland, England and Scotland, the Scandinavian countries, Baltic cruises, Spain and Portugal and Belgium, South America or even Africa – “all those fringe countries—and maybe even off-season travel. As long as they really understand what will be different and you put them with a good host company to take care of them, they will have a great time.”
Liz Finn, senior director of national accounts for Avalon’s parent company, Globus Family of Brands, noted that there are a variety of Tulip Time itineraries, so clients can sail more than once—or perhaps back to back, starting with a round trip Amsterdam cruise then Amsterdam to Brussels, starting the first week of the season and then staying to watch the tulips open.
“River cruising early in the season gives advisors and guests alike an opportunity to enjoy the major sites and small towns without the crowds. Advisors should consider hosting groups early in the season, as Avalon’s group policy and advisor rates make it a profitable partnership.”
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.
