Luxury cruise specialist Francesca Barone says she’s learned plenty since founding Elite Cruises in 2006 – but there’s one golden rule she still swears by two decades on.
“Over-inform and overdeliver,” the Isle of Wight-based agent told TTG Luxury. “Seek out the answers to the questions you know need to be answered – before the client has even asked them.”
Barone, who has sailed on 43 cruises, believes luxury cruise agents face far more logistical complications than their land-based counterparts.
“This industry has a lot of uncontrollable forces – from wars and weather to rivers overflowing, or ships being chartered privately after you’ve already booked the trip,” she said. “It’s a very labour-intensive part of the sector to be dealing with.”
She also warns newcomers to the sector to be mindful of cruise line pricing strategies, which can have a direct impact on agents’ commission.
“One of my main frustrations is the heavy discount structure,” Barone said. “I fail to understand why any business wouldn’t want to get money out of its clients.”
Despite these “bugbears”, Barone has no regrets about specialising in luxury cruising – a subject she admittedly knew “nothing about” growing up.
“If you go into the right area of the market it can be very remunerative,” she said. “And it’s also hugely rewarding.”
Over the years, Barone has pulled off countless standout bookings, but one in particular remains memorable. Around six or seven years ago, she ended up at the wedding of a loyal client after organising his honeymoon itinerary.
“He asked me to book a cruise sailing out of Venice, where they had their wedding,” she said. “I was invited to the wedding itself and put up at the Hotel Metropole for two nights. I attended the wedding, then went to the ship for lunch onboard. The couple and their immediate family stayed on to sail.”
More recently, Barone says her workload has become far more manageable since hiring Stacey Beattie, formerly a business trainer at Brilliant Travel.
“It has been life-changing to have Stacey as director,” she said. “We’re a tag team – one or the other of us will always pick up the slack. She’s my protegee!”
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