I hope that agents are reaping the benefits and securing new cruise bookings based on the new series The Cruise, which is being aired on Thursday evenings.

But I also hope that they are securing these bookings wisely.

Send your client on a cruise that just doesn’t float their boat (pun intended, sorry), and you have a dissatisfied customer who will never take to the sea again.

The Cruise is like Marmite to anyone who hasn’t cruised before. For those who have watched the programme and added a cruise to their wish list, there will be as many people who find the idea of a holiday with Princess aficionados Rusty and Martha a no-go zone.

As anyone who sells cruises knows, I am really passionate about the mantra of selling the right cruise to the right person. Match your client to the experience at sea that will deliver their individual holiday of a lifetime and you will have that customer secured forever, for more and more cruise holidays.

I’m a little frustrated that some of the old-fashioned stereotypes, which I thought the industry had left behind, are hammed up for the cameras in this new series.

While the TV series presents life at sea, shows off ports of call and lets viewers get to know the people working onboard, it presents only one small view of what one cruise line offers. It’s a brave move for the host cruise line, which also has a whole lot more to offer than can be crammed into a few half-hour TV shows. But what you see on TV can never be for everyone.

For agents, the show presents a difficult task of ensuring that they sell what is seen on TV to the right people. And as cruise lines, we need to ensure we equip agents with the knowledge and confidence to convert rejecters of the TV series to a holiday at sea that is vastly different from what has graced our screens so far.

Personally, I’m a little frustrated that some of the old-fashioned stereotypes, which I thought the industry had left behind, are hammed up for the cameras in this new series. But I respect the confidence of the host cruise line in being very clear about what they offer and who their target customers are.

I hope the TV series starts more cruise conversations and prompts more agents to think about cruise as a mainstream holiday option. After all, if you can attract several million viewers with a prime-time TV series, there is a ready audience with holiday dreams that may not have been realised yet.

A TV programme has a great many benefits in terms of awareness and starting conversations, but agents need to be careful they understand the risks. Rely on just what you see on TV and you will have frustrated customers. There has never been a better time to know your cruise lines, understand their brands and be clear about the kind of holidaymaker they will appeal to.