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If your client is booking Antarctica, here's a rule that decides whether they set foot on the continent at all: a ship carrying more than 500 guests is never allowed to land. Atlas Ocean Voyages sails with fewer than 200. Nikki Shanley, Senior Sales Director at Atlas, walks through what year-round expedition cruising actually looks like, from the Drake Passage to a food and wine sailing in the Mediterranean. FOR TRAVELERS Who Atlas is. Under 10,000 gross tons, fewer than 200 guests, polar and ice-class rated. Parent company Mystic Invest owns the West Sea shipyard in Portugal, which builds the Douro river ships for AmaWaterways, Uniworld and Viking. Ship people, in other words. A day in Antarctica, in real detail. The Drake in its three moods, which the crew call the lake, the shake and the quake. Four rotating groups, 10 to 11 guests per Zodiac, around 16 expedition team members ashore with you. No alcohol before a Zodiac outing, so order a mimosa and the crew will ask if you're going out first. Landings twice a day when weather allows, evening recaps, and cabaret in the Dome under 270 degrees of glass. A day in the Mediterranean, which Atlas calls an Epicurean Expedition. A guest chef on every sailing, market tours where you watch them buy that night's ingredients, wine tastings with visiting vintners, plus a murder mystery and a guest chef cook-off. What being small gets you. Venice proper with an overnight. London up the Thames, docked alongside HMS Belfast, with Tower Bridge raised for you. Seville up the Guadalquivir, timed for the April feria. The Corinth and Kiel Canals, and small Greek islands most ships never see. What's always included. Five-star dining, 24-hour room service, gratuities, some Wi-Fi, afternoon tea, a stocked mini bar, a cultural immersion event, binoculars, walking sticks, and trip delay and medical coverage including evacuation. Butler service in Reserve suites. Excursions are not, and Atlas says so plainly. On polar sailings, add a pre-cruise hotel, a private charter flight, the Tierra del Fuego tour before you board in Ushuaia, and the parka, which is yours to keep. Relaxed luxury throughout. No formal nights, no tuxedos. What's next. Atlas Adventurer, a 400-guest sailing yacht arriving November 2028, opening with a 128-night run across Asia and Africa that never repeats a port. FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS Which clients to bring. River cruisers are the natural fit. They already like small ships, wine lecturers and stepping straight off into town. Nine nights versus eleven in Antarctica. Nine works. Eleven buys padding for weather, which matters on a trip most clients take once. Fourteen and up adds the Falklands or South Georgia. Advisor tools. Videos of every expedition on the portal in 30, 60-second and 4-minute cuts, plus turnkey Approach Guides campaigns with those videos embedded. Groups and charters, a large share of the business, plus what Virtuoso membership adds to an Atlas booking. And the AI question. Nikki's challenge: ask an AI about Antarctica and see whether the landing rules come up. If a client spends what an Antarctica trip costs and never gets ashore, that's an expensive thing to learn late. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Nikki Shanley, Atlas Ocean Voyages 0:43 Who owns Atlas, and why that matters 2:35 Who Atlas is for, and who it isn't 4:25 The Drake: the lake, the shake and the quake 6:13 How landings work: groups, Zodiacs, rotations 11:56 Antarctica season, and seasickness honestly 14:36 A day in the Mediterranean: the Epicurean Expedition 22:09 What's always included 25:33 Polar sailings: flights, hotels and the parka you keep 29:36 Why under 10,000 gross tons changes everything 33:45 How Atlas gets you ready: the packing video 39:45 What expedition actually means 44:56 What's next: Atlas Adventurer 48:08 For advisors: which clients to bring 51:48 Nine nights vs eleven in Antarctica 53:03 Advisor tools and Approach Guides 1:01:18 Groups, charters and tour conductor credits 1:04:49 Antarctica, AI, and the 500-guest rule Thinking about Antarctica or an expedition sailing? Our advisors will get you on the right ship for the landings you want, at the right time of year, and handle the flights, hotels and everything either side. Call (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we sit down with the travel brand reps we work with and ask them what our clients and fellow advisors keep asking us. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #AtlasOceanVoyages #Antarctica #ExpeditionCruise

Cunard has been sailing since 1839, and the biggest obstacle to selling it is a myth: that it's old, British and stuffy. Ruth Fernandez of Cunard's Partner Support team gives the honest answer. THE POSITIONING On Cunard the voyage matters more than the destination. The ships could carry five or six thousand guests and deliberately don't, so there's always a corner where it feels like you're the only one aboard. White Star Service means one crew member for every two guests. THE CROSSING The transatlantic is the iconic one: seven days, no ports, by design. A day might run breakfast in bed, the gym, then the spa, a book on deck, an Insights speaker, afternoon tea, and dressing for dinner and a show. Afternoon tea happens daily in the Queens Room, the heart of the ship. Scones, sandwiches, white-gloved service, and an orchestra playing behind you. Gala evenings are themed, from the roaring twenties to a masquerade ball. And if dressing up isn't your thing, nobody makes you. The Golden Lion Pub and the Lido are right there. WHICH QUEEN Queen Mary 2 is the last true ocean liner at sea. Queen Elizabeth is art deco, finishing her Alaska seasons before heading to the Caribbean and then Europe. Queen Victoria is her sister ship, usually in the Mediterranean, and both have box theater seats that Ruth says feel straight out of Bridgerton. Queen Anne is the newest, modern enough to be pulling a noticeably younger crowd while keeping the heritage. FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS Three questions to qualify a client: Do they value enrichment over non-stop activity? Do they want good dining, atmosphere and service? Do they want space rather than crowds? Any yes, and Cunard fits. What people booking on their own get wrong is shopping on price alone, then picking the wrong category or the wrong location on the ship. Cunard also runs a Partner Support team as BDMs for smaller agencies, so you're not waiting on one rep. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Ruth Fernandez, and what Cunard actually is 1:45 Is Cunard stuffy? The honest answer 2:35 White Star Service, and why the ships stay uncrowded 3:03 Families, kids programs and Insights speakers 4:07 A day on a seven-night transatlantic crossing 5:11 Afternoon tea in the Queens Room 5:57 Gala nights, and what if you don't want to dress up 7:19 Four Queens: which ship is right for you 8:47 A day in port, and why departures run late 9:37 For advisors: qualifying a client, and what DIY bookers miss Thinking about a crossing or picking between the Queens? That's exactly the conversation to have with an advisor before you book a cabin. Call us at (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we ask the travel brand reps we work with what our clients and advisors keep asking us. Subscribe for more. #Cunard #TransatlanticCrossing #TravelAdvisor

Two travel insurance policies can list identical limits and perform completely differently. Barbara Hearn, District Director at Allianz, calls it the difference under the hood. Built for travel advisors, though anyone who's wondered whether a policy is worth it will get something out of it. WHAT WE COVER Why the medical side matters more than the trip cost. Most US health plans don't work overseas, and none of them get you home. Allianz pre-qualifies hospitals worldwide and will guarantee payment directly, so a patient isn't negotiating a bill from a ward abroad. Global doctor visits, with three real examples: an IV drip delivered to a hotel room in Tulum, a virtual visit that solved forgotten medication before embarkation, and a port-day appointment for river cruisers, whose ships carry very limited medical facilities. Non-traveling family members, which surprises people. The list runs from grandparents down to nieces and nephews, and includes an ADA-certified service animal. Pre-existing conditions, and the purchase requirements attached to them. Roughly half the country has one. Cancel Anytime, which is not cancel-for-any-reason. Barbara explains the difference and why Allianz built a hybrid. When to buy: within 14 days of deposit. Age bands, named storms, and benefits that only exist inside that window. Claims, and how to make one payable. The Allyz TravelSmart app, automated delay benefits paid to your bank account at the airport with no claim filed, and Barbara's documentation tips, including why you circle things rather than highlight them. FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS Quote it, don't offer it. Get declines in writing. Ask what might cause someone to cancel, then listen for which plan fits. And when a client asks whether something is covered, hand that to the insurer on a recorded line. Plus commission protection: if a covered cancellation claws back commission you already earned, Allianz makes you whole. Coverage terms vary by plan and by state. Nothing here is a statement of coverage. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Barbara Hearn, and why travel protection exists 2:06 What sets Allianz apart: the difference is under the hood 4:29 Global doctor visits, and three real examples 6:26 What a comprehensive policy covers 8:32 Non-traveling family members, and the service animal 9:32 Pre-existing conditions explained 12:08 Cancel Anytime vs cancel for any reason 14:02 When to buy, and why 14 days matters 16:07 Claims, the app, and documentation that gets paid 22:30 For advisors: quoting, coverage questions, commissions Not sure what your policy actually does? That's a conversation worth having before you're standing in an airport. Call us at (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we ask the travel brand reps we work with what our clients and advisors keep asking us. Subscribe for more. #TravelInsurance #Allianz #TravelAdvisor travel insurance, allianz travel insurance, allianz partners, is travel insurance worth it, when to buy travel insurance, pre existing conditions travel insurance, cancel anytime, cancel for any reason, trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay benefits, emergency medical evacuation, allyz travelsmart, travel insurance claim, commission protection, travel advisor, how to sell travel insurance, virtuoso travel advisor, tripmatters, tripmatters tv

Windstar has two completely different products, and most people booking a Windstar cruise don't know which one they actually want. Joe Miller sorts it out. Joe is Regional Sales Manager for Windstar's western states and handles the TripMatters account. Nine Windstar sailings in four years, so this isn't a brochure read. What's in this episode: The two products. Wind Star and Wind Spirit at 148 guests and Wind Surf at 342 are the sailing yachts. Warm water only, no balconies, deck life is the point. Star Pride, Star Breeze and Star Legend at 312 are the all-suite motor yachts. More refined, more interior, stable enough for the Baltics, Iceland and Alaska. The new builds. Star Seeker, in Alaska now, and Star Explorer arriving in December. Both 224 guests, both built to expedition standards. The dress code. No jackets, no formal nights, no theme nights. A collar for the men at dinner and no open-toed shoes. Why the crew is the real differentiator. A 1.5 guest to 1 crew ratio, a president who started as a dishwasher on the ship that's now Star Legend, and a refurbishment budget that went to crew quarters before staterooms. Food and wine. Official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation, no upcharge restaurants, everything cooked to order, Shop with the Chef in most ports. What's included and what isn't, and why Windstar lets one person in a suite buy the all-inclusive package while their partner doesn't. Why river cruisers are switching. The size matches, and so does the docking. Up the river into downtown Bordeaux, through Tower Bridge in London, onto the Grand Canal in Venice where most ships aren't allowed to sail. Tahiti, where Windstar hits 40 years next season, plus an overnight in Bora Bora and a private motu. For travel advisors. The real price conversation, how to use your BDM, and the Approach Guides co-branded site that lets your client browse every itinerary without finding a way to book direct. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Joe Miller, Windstar Regional Sales Manager 1:17 Sailing yachts vs all-suite motor yachts 6:01 The new builds: Star Seeker and Star Explorer 7:39 The dress code, and the shoe rule 8:28 Who actually falls in love with Windstar 11:50 Why the crew comes first at Windstar 14:37 James Beard Foundation and Shop with the Chef 16:31 What's included and what isn't 18:59 Why river cruisers are switching to Windstar 21:15 City center docking: Bordeaux, London, Venice, Bangkok 23:28 Best itineraries for a first-timer 25:44 Tahiti: 40 years and the private motu 29:52 For advisors: the hardest part of selling Windstar 36:29 How to actually use your BDM 44:46 Approach Guides and the co-branded website 50:39 Wrap up Thinking about Windstar? Our advisors will tell you whether you belong on a sailing yacht or an all-suite motor yacht, and handle everything around the cruise. Call (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we sit down with the travel brand reps we work with and ask them what our clients and fellow advisors keep asking us. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #WindstarCruises #SmallShipCruising #TravelAdvisor

Is the new Crystal the same Crystal? That's the question every advisor with a Crystal loyalist is getting, so we put it to Patty Bell of Crystal. Crystal relaunched in 2023 under Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group, with more than $200 million into Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, 90 percent of the original crew back on board, and Crystal Grace on the way. Patty walks through what carried over, what got better, and where advisors make the difference. FOR TRAVELERS Nearly one crew member per guest, and butler service in every suite category, not just the top ones. Packing and unpacking, morning coffee exactly how you take it, in-suite dining. Dining. Umi Uma, the only Nobu restaurant at sea. Beef Bar out of Monte Carlo. Osteria d'Ovidio, with dishes designed by the Michelin-starred Alajmo brothers, whose restaurant in Italy is nearly impossible to get a table at. Specialty dining is included. What's included, and the short list of what isn't. Premium wines and champagne, all beverages, gratuities, specialty dining, a pillow menu, and steam and sauna access without booking a treatment. Not included: the casino, retail, and shore excursions. Solo travel, which Crystal has always been known for. Solo-only suites added at the relaunch, reduced single supplements on select sailings, and Crystal Ambassador Hosts on every voyage who dine and dance with solo guests. The Abercrombie & Kent partnership. On A&K x Crystal sailings, shore excursions and a pre-cruise night are included, with lecturers you only get on those departures. Sea days worth staying aboard for. The Palm Court, the library, afternoon tea, guest lecturers and art classes. Patty's honest answer about her last Crystal sailing: she stayed on the ship. Dress code, since everyone asks. Country club casual, one formal night per sailing you'll know about in advance, and Beef Bar as the alternative that evening. Not a sleepy ship either, with the piano bar running past 10pm. FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS Perception versus reality, the hardest part of selling Crystal. The answer to "is it still the same" is that what people loved is intact, with 90 percent of the crew back. How to qualify the client. Quiet luxury and experience-led rather than showy. Someone who wants to be recognized, not impressed. How to use your BDM. Group offers, comparing offers across sailings for a flexible client, and support for consumer shows, plus the trade reservations team in Florida. Where you actually add value. Suite location, which clients routinely get wrong booking direct, advisor amenities, and pre and post support. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Patty Bell of Crystal 0:37 Where Crystal stands today: the 2.0 relaunch 1:24 Who falls in love with Crystal 2:21 Solo travelers, groups, and quiet luxury 3:27 Solo-only suites and the Crystal Ambassador Hosts 4:27 What a day on Crystal actually feels like 6:31 Umi Uma, Beef Bar and Osteria d'Ovidio 7:22 What a butler actually does, in every category 8:05 The Abercrombie & Kent partnership 10:19 What's included and what isn't 14:11 Destination immersion and a day in port 17:09 For advisors: is Crystal right for this client? 17:52 The hardest part of selling Crystal 19:02 Dress code, formal nights and White Night 21:53 How to use your Crystal BDM 26:34 Where an advisor makes the biggest difference Curious about Crystal? Our advisors will tell you whether it fits how you travel, get your suite in the right spot, and handle everything around the sailing. Call (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we sit down with the travel brand reps we work with and ask them what our clients and fellow advisors keep asking us. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #CrystalCruises #LuxuryCruise #TravelAdvisor

Is Seabourn worth it? We put that to Preston Allen, Seabourn's Southern California BDM, and asked what travelers and advisors actually want to know. What's in this episode: Seabourn in plain terms. A small ship, ultra luxury line built to feel like a private yacht with the service of a five-star boutique hotel. What the fare covers. Premium wines and spirits, all dining including the specialty restaurants, oceanfront suites with walk-in closets, an in-suite bar stocked to your preferences, gratuities, 24/7 room service, and marina water sports. Solís, the sushi restaurant, and the Shopping with the Chef excursion. Ocean vs expedition. Encore, Ovation and the Odyssey class for classic luxury cruising. Venture and Pursuit for Antarctica and the Northwest Passage, at 264 guests with up to 26 expedition team members aboard. World voyages, the part of the fleet most travelers don't know exists. For travel advisors. How to qualify a client for Seabourn, what BDM support actually looks like, and the return of Seabourn FAM cruises and travel agent rates. And the herbal tea story, which is the fastest way to understand what Seabourn service means. A guest wanted a tea the ship didn't carry, so her room steward got off at the next port, walked into town, found it, and served it every evening for the rest of the sailing. CHAPTERS 0:00 Meet Preston Allen, Seabourn BDM 0:18 What is Seabourn if you've never heard of it 0:49 Who actually falls in love with Seabourn 1:33 The herbal tea story 2:40 What's included in a Seabourn fare 3:48 Solís and Shopping with the Chef 5:32 Ocean ships vs expedition ships 6:47 What an expedition day looks like 8:08 World voyages and extended itineraries 9:24 For advisors: questions to ask before you pitch Seabourn 10:24 The hardest part of selling Seabourn 11:54 FAM cruises and travel agent rates 12:25 What travelers get wrong booking on their own 13:54 Antarctica, Japan and the Mediterranean 15:00 Where an advisor makes the biggest difference 16:43 Wrap up Thinking about Seabourn? Our advisors will tell you which ship and which time of year fit what you actually want, and handle the flights, hotels and suite location around it. Call (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we sit down with the travel brand reps we work with and ask them what our clients and fellow advisors keep asking us. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one. #Seabourn #LuxuryCruise #TravelAdvisor

Collette has run guided tours since 1918, the oldest tour operator in North America. Lucas, Regional Director of Sales for Collette's Western US team, breaks down the product and the advisor side. In this episode: Explorations small group tours capped at 24 guests. Spotlight single-hotel stays for places you can't cruise to. Why Collette runs the fewest one-night stays in the category. The cancel-for-any-reason waiver. And 20 new tours for the 108th season, including a 25-day Cape Town to Cairo. For travel advisors: guaranteed departures, the chauffeur sedan service, group blocks with no minimums and no deposit, commission on pre-booked optional tours, and Collette University. CHAPTERS 0:00 Who Collette is and why advisors should care 2:30 What makes Collette different from traditional tours 5:37 Who Collette is best for, and how to sell it 7:21 Small groups, spotlight tours and new destinations 10:00 Top-selling destinations and advisor portal tools 12:33 Guaranteed departures, insurance and chauffeur service 15:18 Collette University, FAM trips and group travel support 18:04 Advisor marketing tools, loyalty and why clients come back Thinking about a guided tour? Our advisors will tell you honestly whether one fits how you travel and which activity level matches you. Call (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. Subscribe for more TripMatters TV. #ColletteTours #GuidedTravel #TravelAdvisor

Viking runs over 100 ships across river, ocean and expedition, and deliberately isn't for everyone. No guests under 18, no casinos, no nickel and diming. Mary Lee of Viking explains who it is for, and how advisors should sell it. WHAT'S INCLUDED All onboard meals, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, Wi-Fi, spa and fitness access on ocean and expedition ships, and one shore excursion in every single port. Optional excursions run from e-bike tours to helicopter flights, and there's no corkage if you bring a bottle back aboard. Two menus at every meal: the familiar one, and the local one. Bratwurst in Germany, goulash in Hungary. THE SHIPS River longships carry 190 guests, ocean under 1,000, expedition under 400. Viking owns many of its European ports, which is how you wake up docked in the heart of Budapest. Mary's picks: Portugal's Rivers of Gold on the Douro, where she says there wasn't a bad view all week, and Viking Homelands through Norway and Sweden. THE PBS STORY Founder Torstein Hagen pitched the History Channel first and got laughed out of the room, because nobody had heard of river cruising. So he went to PBS, which is how Viking ended up attached to Downton Abbey. Highclere Castle is now a privileged access experience on the British Isles Explorer extension, and because a Carnarvon ancestor was behind the discovery of King Tut's tomb, there's an Egyptian museum inside. FOR TRAVEL ADVISORS Promo codes don't live on the advisor portal. Register for updates at the bottom of viking.com, the consumer site, and they arrive by email. Reservations can't hand codes out, so call with the code and ask them to check it. Final payment sits a year or more out for new clients, because Viking's resale rate on cancelled cabins is under two percent. Book onboard, or add a second not-yet-departed voyage, and it moves to six months. Transfers run 60 days from deposit, no signature needed, just the booking number. Also covered: cruise nights, Viking Certified Expert, and the Brahmaputra in India, which sold nearly two years of sailings in 48 hours. CHAPTERS 0:00 What Viking is: river, ocean, expedition, 100 ships 0:43 No kids, no casinos, no nickel and diming 1:43 What's included, and a shore excursion in every port 2:58 Ship sizes, and why Viking docks in the city center 4:04 The Douro and Viking Homelands 5:43 Why Viking went to PBS, and Highclere Castle 7:38 Expedition, the Great Lakes and the Mississippi 11:00 For advisors: promo codes and where to find them 12:15 Final payment, deposits and booking transfers 17:08 Cruise nights, certification and the Brahmaputra sellout Viking books 12 to 18 months out and sails nearly full, so the good cabins go early. Call us at (949) 386-8410 or visit tripmatters.net. TripMatters is a Virtuoso travel agency in Southern California. On TripMatters TV we ask the travel brand reps we work with what our clients and advisors keep asking us. Subscribe for more. #VikingCruises #RiverCruise #TravelAdvisor