I recently climbed aboard a giant ship the length of three football fields, with 13 decks and over 3,000 people. It was my first Carnival Cruise and with an ear-to-ear smile glued to my face, we were heading south to the eastern Caribbean.
We all do a good job of pumping ourselves up for an exciting vacation. We set countdowns (this Google countdown gadget is my favorite), buy new clothes and get the camera charged and ready (or even buy a new one, as my husband just got this Canon G12 for our trip).
But what if the travel organization was right there with you, planning for the excitement? Wouldn’t that establish a stronger relationship between you and the business? If you booked a vacation, whether it involved a hotel, cruise line, rental car or even a house boat, these organizations know who you are, when you’re traveling and even what you’re planning to do while on the vacation. For me, Carnival Cruise Lines knew this and how to capitalize on it.
From tweets…
To email notifications…
To a custom web experience…
After the cruise, they sought to keep the conversation going with blogging opportunities and photo sharing with other guests. I’ve even tweeted with my (adorable) cruise director Butch.
There are some easy ways to make connections with your customers, especially when you’re selling an exciting product, such as a vacation. Carnival boosted my excitement from a 10 to an 11 and I’ll never forget my experience with them. Have you experienced something similar?
