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Aiming for the world's best cruise welcome

(Photos: Anne Kalosh, Destination Sept-Îles, Port of Montéal, Gratien Tremblay)
From top left, clockwise: Holland America Group's Bruce Krumrine with Port of Québec's Nancy Houley at the Cruise Canada/New England Symposium, costumed locals greet Marco Polo at Sept-Îles, stevedore in a 'Bienvenue à Montréal' vest, balloon send-off for a Holland America ship at Saguenay
From blueberry pies to balloons, costumed dancers to drummers, and even stevedores in bilingual welcome vests, ports along the Saint Lawrence River pull out all the stops for cruise visits. It's part of the region's 'Best Bienvenue' initiative.

This plays a role in the larger Canada/New England region's newly announced cruise strategy, which includes the aim of consistently ranking among the world's top destinations for guest satisfaction.

How welcoming destinations are, and the quality of their excursions, are critical to that.

People who buy tours rate the port and the cruise higher and are more likely to recommend it to their friends, according to Bruce Krumrine, vp shore excursions, Holland America Group.

By working together, cruise lines, ports and tour operators can unleash destinations' potential, Krumrine told the Cruise Canada/New England Symposium in Montréal. Research shows travelers seek an authentic, meaningful, personal and exclusive experience—and these points are pillars for the tours.

Partnership initiatives have involved rethinking the experience, creating exclusivity, crafting video stories and developing destination guides.

Princess Cruises' 'Local Connections' program taps into the suggestions and creativity of the line's destination partners. Local experts star in destination videos as they share their insights and passion for the places they call home.

When passengers book a Princess cruise, they receive these videos, followed by destination guides. For the Saint Lawrence region, destination experts featured in the videos include Nancy Houley, director, cruise development, Port of Québec. She tells what the locals are like—opinionated and willing to share, and talks about their blend of French and English culture and their joie de vivre.

Another destination expert, René Trépanier, executive director, Cruise the Saint Lawrence, mentions the 300 years of history passengers can see from their ship when docking at Québec City. But the first memory from any trip is 'the people you've met,' he says, and that provides an emotional connection to a place.

Trépanier gets teary-eyed telling about the house he bought on the shore of the St. Lawrence, where he sees the cruise ships sail past, and he invites visitors to discover his birthplace.

Addressing the Montréal symposium in person, Houley stressed it's important to welcome everybody—crew and passengers—to ensure a 'positive, great experience in all our ports.'

In launching their 'Best Bienvenue' initiative, the nine member ports of Cruise the Saint Lawrence underwent an evaluation of 125 criteria. The goal is to achieve at least 80% in each area, and no place did that at first.

By establishing standards, educating guides, evaluating and adjusting, all the ports improved 16% in three years, Houley said. Training is key, and the guest experience is the focus. 'People first,' as she put it—be cordial, welcoming, responsive. The welcome and greeting are central.

Saguenay, an outstanding example, continues its amazing welcome by 50 to 70 volunteer actors from 'La Fabuleuse,' a long-running theatrical production depicting regional history. They entertain with song and dance, and visitors are offered tastes of local products like blueberry pie and maple toffee.

Since Saguenay targeted the cruise business a decade ago, a special welcome has been provided for every call, rain or shine. Locals love the ships and sometimes turn out by the thousands to see them, according to Priscilla Nemey, evp, Promotion Saguenay.

Phase 2 of the 'Best Bienvenue' initiative delves into preparing travelers for their visit, as Princess Cruises' 'Local Connections' videos and destination guides do. 'Our dream is to come on board and help you sell your shore excursions,' Houley told the symposium attendees, who included representatives of nearly 20 cruise lines.

Phase 3 will educate travelers about the 'Best Bienvenue' and identify shops, restaurants and other service providers that have participated in the training with a logo—something like a seal of approval—that visitors can look for.

Betty MacMillan, manager of cruise development, Port Saint John, New Brunswick, pointed out that other places in Canada/New England also go above and beyond with their welcomes. She recounted how, 29 years ago, Saint John's first cruise ship had been diverted from Bermuda.

Knowing the passengers would be disappointed by the change of plans, Saint John rolled out a red carpet, gave a rose to each woman and had a piper play on the pier. Those practices continue. Port Saint John has probably poured more than $1m into them over the years. And if ever the piper hasn't been there, people notice, MacMillan said.

Cruise executives at the symposium noted ports like Québec City rate highly, even at the top, of global destinations. Krumrine said the entire Canada/New England region consistently scores well, unlike 'lots of places around the world with peaks and valleys.'

What keeps cruise executives up at night concerning Canada/New England, he added, is wait-lists for tours. With ships getting bigger, the destinations and lines need to think about the availability of motor coaches and guides, access to sites and related infrastructure, especially considering the level of quality and consistency the region seeks to deliver.

Disney Cruise Line's Jaco Gouws, manager, Port Adventures research & development, Disney Cruise Line, was 'extremely inspired' by the session, since much of what the region aims for is vital to Disney, including storytelling, small group tours and top-notch guides.  

Carnival UK's Steve Young, director of port services and government affairs, said Canada/New England stands out for the 'genuineness' of its people, 'that connection they make, that warmth.'

As the symposium closed, Tony Boemi, vp growth and development for the Port of Montréal and president of Cruise the Saint Lawrence, summed it all up: 'We used to welcome ships. Now we welcome guests.'