TORONTO — What’s better than an Ultimate World Cruise booking? Four Ultimate World Cruise bookings, including one for the Royal Suite.
That’s exactly what travel advisor Theresa Graham reserved for her clients. And when Royal Caribbean’s 274-night journey set sail in December 2023, Graham – who is also VP Retail Sales and co-owner of her agency, TravelPerks in Oregon – earned herself a six-figure commission.
Graham’s Royal Suite booking in particular is one that Roger Block, President, Travel Leaders Network, spoke of with pride during TLN’s annual update in Toronto last month. TravelPerks is a franchise of Dream Vacations, part of World Travel Holdings which joined Travel Leaders Network a few years ago.
A look at Royal Caribbean’s Ultimate World Cruise (UWC), sailing Dec. 2023 – Sept. 2024
Theresa Graham
The media coverage surrounding Royal Caribbean’s UWC has been intense. Even travellers who have never set foot on a cruise ship, and maybe never will, have heard of the 39-week sailing. People either love the idea, or think it’s crazy.
Either way, the UWC has captivated the imagination of the travelling public, at a time when post-pandemic demand for travel is still strong, and bookings for world cruises are sky-high. When Serenade of the Seas arrives back in Miami on Sept. 10, UWC passengers will have visited 60+ countries and all seven continents.
We wanted to know more about how Graham’s UWC bookings came about. First, a bit of background about her agency. “Our franchise is 19 years old and we have been blessed to have seen a minimum of 30% growth every year except for the pandemic over the last 15 years,” Graham told Travelweek. The agency is cruise-focused, but it also sells all international travel with a focus on FIT and groups.
Out of the eight clients Graham booked onto the UWC, there’s the couple in the Royal Suite, plus three couples in balcony staterooms.
“While my clients who booked the top suite often take top suites on their sailings, I was not expecting them to do so on this particular sailing,” says Graham. “However, knowing what he books, when they expressed interest and the top suite was still available, you can bet I held it!”
She adds: “This reservation came to be as a result of a 10-year relationship of working on their sailings and then also fighting for them through the pandemic to protect and manage all of the credits they had. We’ve always had a great relationship.”
The booking was US$750,000 before early payment discounts.
We asked Graham what it felt like to get the six-figure commission from Royal Caribbean. “Understanding the size of the sale speaks for itself with the amount of the commission,” she says. “That said, while it certainly made us smile, our relationship with this client was the most important piece.”
Graham says high-end clients have similar needs as other clients: “They want to be heard, they want value, they want service. I work with my agents in this regard to ensure that everyone gets great service and that we act always in a professional manner such that high-end clients should expect to receive.”
We also asked Graham for her take on world cruises, and long-duration cruises. Is it a trend with staying power, or more of a post-pandemic blip?
“I believe as tech and the Internet become better on ships that these types of sailings will be more popular on all brands,” says Graham.
She adds: “People are always looking for a way to incorporate great experiences into their everyday life and this is a great way to do that. Also, with the number of baby boomers and others retiring early and looking for experiences, there’s no reason not to see this trend continue.”
