On Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:25:19 -0700, Nonnymus wrote:

George Leppla wrote:

A little "something" I enjoy doing on a cruise is to sit in a lounge
area reading a book. Eventually, my lips get tired and I need to take a
break from reading. I've found a very enjoyable alternative is visiting
with people about how much they paid for their cabin. I've found that
by letting them talk first, I can then tell them about the great cabin
my TA got for us with a big balcony for about 75% of the price they
paid. Reducing it by more than 25% creates a credibility problem. I
usually also tell them about how the TA called us just a couple months
before the cruise, rather than us booking a year in advance. Tossing in
that we'd never cruised on the line before is also fun when the person
you're talking to is a frequent cruiser on the line.

Other fun things to discuss is how much the TA gave you on the cruise,
such as the basket of fruit, 3 bottles of Scotch, warm appetizers
delivered to the cabin before each dinner, a ship's tour of the engine
room or bridge, dinner with the Captain, butler service and other perks.

Something that's fun is to tell a fellow passenger that you found your
cabin to be a bit too small, so you went to the Purser's desk and they
moved you for free to a larger one with full balcony. Tossing in a
comment about free bottles of Scotch as an apology is great. The trick
is to just not lay it on too heavy, and this all works best with first
time cruisers.

You can also tell newbies that by sending a very hurt, disappointed and
"never again" letter to their TA or the cruise line after they return,
that it can frequently result in a free cruise.

Nonny, that's some good stuff there.

Chrissy printing and scanning
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