Hey, it's
Maxine!
Market Sales Manager, Eastern Ontario, Celebrity Cruises, Inc.
How have you been coping during the last few months and how have you been keeping busy?
Last few months? It feels like years already. Especially with the changing seasons it’s really astounding when I look back to the early stages of the current situation. Being active has always been an escape and a release for me, both mentally and physically. So in March, April & May I picked up running more seriously, and with the help of technology was very pleased to track my progress of both pace and distance. I’ve committed to my first marathon, and hope to do that in Hawaii in 2021! And then as Ontario has been slowly opening up, I’ve taken the time to explore and appreciate my surroundings, as a substitution for international travel. Hiking to waterfalls, exploring the many lakes, watersports, and enjoying the outdoors as the weather has been getting better. Lastly, my biggest goal is to read more. I know we’ve all heard about many things we can do in our extra time, even though most days I don’t feel like I have “extra time”; cooking, re-organizing, minimalizing in our homes, puzzles, and I’ve dabbled in all of those things, but I have an audiobook subscription now and am listening to books on leadership, and biographical stories of inspiration and have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about other people’s journeys in life.
What do you miss most about travelling?
I can’t seem to narrow it down to just one thing, and in my opinion if I could, I’d say I’m doing “travel” wrong. I miss EVERYTHING about it! I was cooking a very iconic Jamaican dish the other day, listening to reggae music, with my condo balcony door open, feeling the humid heat, the aromas of the food, it was nearly perfect! I felt transported! Yet the essence of travel is in the people, the locals, the unfamiliar overall culture, learning something new, and making connections. The intangibles is what brings it to life for me, and I miss it dearly.
“Travel Agents, suppliers, and consumers, we’re all in this together, to all see the same positive outcome at the end. We value the travel agent partnership as you are our voice to your clients. We are here to support you, and have full confidence that as soon as it’s safe to do so, we are ready to host you and your clients onboard our ships.”
Maxine Gundermann
Market Sales Manager, Eastern Ontario, Celebrity Cruises
Where’s the first place you want to go and why?
Yikes, now it seems like I simply can’t make decisions! Similar to what I miss, and my answer being all of it, now where I want to go, my answer is everywhere! Without knowing when I’ll be able to go, really makes it hard for me to start planning. But next on my list is Portugal! I had plans of going this summer, and in fact I would probably be there right about now! I’ve never been and just know I’ll love it. Bonus, I speak Portuguese from spending a year in Brazil, so would love to practice, and pick up the ever distinct dialect from the motherland.
Is there anything agents should know about Celebrity Cruises?
Through all of this, Celebrity Cruises has prided themselves on staying connected, honest, flexible, and customer serving. I would hope all travel agents are familiar with the Cruise with Confidence policy that protects existing bookings and new bookings, with new found flexibility that allows clients to plan the future with confidence, even with so many unknown variables. More importantly, travel agents should also know that new bookings have been steadily increasing since the end of May. A combination of our flexible policies and pent up demand, passengers are ready to think positively for the future. So while we know we cannot sail for awhile longer, Alaska and Europe 2021 for example is in very high demand. With less passengers onboard, less ships in the water, it will be quite exceptional to take advantage of that, less people in port, more space, Celebrity strives to provide the safest place to travel on the planet.
There’s been a lot of talk about the industry coming out better on the other side of COVID-19. What are your hopes?
I agree! And we’ve seen that happen historically through other events. Through all of this we are forced to stop and examine every aspect of travel to ensure it’s the safest and most secure. Cruising has always been held to the highest standards of sanitization and cleanliness, and we will now be looking towards innovation and technology to streamline certain processes and make it even more comfortable for our guests. Muster 2.0 is a great example of that. For those who’ve cruised before, the requirement to gather in certain venues to do the safety drill in large groups on the first day of the cruise, while the bars and entertainment shut down, was necessary but not ideal. Now we are finding that engagement and compliance is at an all time high, while doing the safety drill from the comfort of your stateroom or on your mobile device, and also keeping operations open. Safer and also more convenient. And that’s just one out of many improvements that are on the rise.
Do you have anything to add?
Travel Agents, suppliers, and consumers, we’re all in this together, to all see the same positive outcome at the end. We value the travel agent partnership as you are our voice to your clients. We are here to support you, and have full confidence that as soon as it’s safe to do so, we are ready to host you and your clients onboard our ships. Until then, let’s hone our craft, sharpen our saw, to be the best advisors we can. Product training, marketing, virtual events, staying engaged with your clients, will all make you stronger and ahead of the game. Thank you for all you do!
