Despite a long-standing and prestigious career in the international travel industry, Paul Hackett, founder and chief executive of holiday company Click&Go Holidays, only went on his first cruise shortly before setting up the business in 2010.
“I went to Alaska, a place I’d always been intrigued about,” says Hackett. While its gleaming ice caps, calving glaciers and snow-capped mountains were spectacular, he found himself just as enthralled by the cruise experience.
So far beyond his expectations was it, that he now goes on a cruise holiday with his family every year. Not only that, but his elderly parents, his sister, and her family all go too. That’s because it’s the perfect option for extended family travel.
“The cruise lines are amazing in terms of understanding their consumer,” he says, “from the young child to the teenager, to the person in their 30s and 40s, to the parents and the grandparents – the whole multigenerational piece. For us it means we can go on a holiday together that ticks all the boxes for everybody, from the 11-year-old to the 89-year-old.”
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“There just isn’t a hotel we could go to that would be able to keep us all amused and busy in the same way. With a cruise we’re able to all head off, having our own great holiday on board, come back together in the evening for a catch up and a drink before all heading off in our separate ways again.”
Hackett’s subsequent love of cruises has helped Click&Go Holidays become one of the country’s leading providers.
“We started selling cruise holidays in 2015 and since then, we have gone from zero to hero,” he says. “We are the number one cruise agent in Ireland in volume terms.”
While consumers are used to booking flights and hotels online, finding the right cruise requires a little more hand-holding. It’s about ensuring the right itinerary, at the right time, on the cruise line most suited to your needs, wants and budget.
“The big thing about cruise is that consumers want to talk to a travel company when they’re booking,” he explains. That’s particularly so in Ireland where, relative to some other countries, we are cruise novices. “In Ireland we only take one third of the cruise holidays they take in the UK.”
He knows what’s holding us back. “It’s down to some fairly ingrained prejudices about what a cruise holiday is. People think, ‘I’m going to be stuck on a ship with a load of people I don’t want to be with – the overfed, the newly wed and the nearly dead.’ And yes, back in the 1970s and 1980s, that was the case. But it is so not that any more,” he laughs.
“You are just not going to find an equivalent holiday on land. There is no hotel that can give you a choice of 15 or 20 restaurants or the level of on-site entertainment, the aquatic shows, the ice shows, the concerts and themed events.”
Service levels are literally next level, with attendants tidying your stateroom throughout the day to ensure everything is always ship shape. “That’s unlike even the most expensive hotels where they now routinely ask you if you want your room cleaned, your towels changed or even your bed made at all,” he smiles, incredulous.
That’s not all. “At the end of the day, land is land. Whether you choose to go to the Canary Islands or Dubai, that’s where you go. With a cruise ship you could be sailing up to Alaska, or visiting the Norwegian fiords, or sailing around Japan and stopping at all the major cities. You could be doing the Adriatic part of the [Mediterranean], taking in Croatia, Montenegro, Albania or in the western [Mediterranean] taking in Spain, Tunisia, Malta, Italy and France,” he adds.
“Any given cruise is going to bring you to five different ports of call in a week, so in terms of value for money, euro for euro, there is just no comparison,” he says.
It’s why industry statistics show that 92 per cent of people who book a cruise go on to book another one. The figures also show the average age for a cruise passenger today is mid-40s.
“A really high proportion of families are taking cruises now,” says Hackett, who recently assisted friends of his, with kids aged between nine and 13, to choose their first.
“They went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise, in the Caribbean, and came back afterwards and told me I’d ruined everything because all the kids want to do now is go on a cruise, rather than spend their midterm in Lanzarote,” he grins.
Last year more than 60 per cent of Click&Go Holidays cruise clients were first-time cruisers. The most popular destinations were the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern Europe – including Norway’s fiords and Iceland – Asia and Alaska.
Destination aside, the key is to also choose the right cruise line for you, because these floating resorts really do offer something for everyone.
For example, foodies can enjoy speciality dining on board and partake in culinary shore excursions. Wellness lovers can make the most of spa and fitness centres on board, and marry them with active shore excursions such as cycle tours.
‘All of the new ships have the most amazing water parks and zip lines and flow riders. And nobody does kids clubs better’
One of the reasons cruise holidays are growing in popularity for Irish families every year is because there are so many ships being built for the family market.
Cruises are also really attractive for solo cruisers, providing them with a great value and safe ways to explore the world. Again, cruise lines have recognised this, with many offering solo cruiser staterooms.
“Every cruise line has a target audience, a demographic profile that works for them. So it’s all about talking to someone who knows, which is what Click&Go Holidays does really well,” says Hackett.
Its core lines include MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Virgin Voyages. This year Click&Go Holidays is expanding its offering to include ultra luxury lines, on smaller ships, such as Explora Journeys.
For some destinations cruises are the best way to get there. “You simply can’t do Alaska or the Norwegian fiords in a better way. It’s also the best way to do Asia and the Caribbean, rather than, say, buying a holiday and seeing just one place, such as, say, Barbados.”
Cruise ships are increasingly sustainable too, getting their power when docked from local sources which are more environmentally friendly, managing waste and banning single use plastics. “They know they have to because the younger audience they now attract are very clued into sustainability,” he says.
Click&Go Holidays cruise experts can recommend which shore excursions to take and which ports are better, and cheaper, to explore by yourself.
“In some, like Lisbon, you literally walk off the ship into the city. In others, like Florence, you’re an hour away, so you’ll get better value for money and a better experience by going with the cruise line.”
Real value for money is what cruises are all about. “Your flights, accommodation, transport, meals, snacks and entertainment are all included. Some attractions are extra, and you can buy drinks packages in advance, but they’re really well priced,” he says.
The amenities add even more value. “All of the new ships have the most amazing water parks and zip lines and flow riders. And nobody does kids clubs better. These range from three months to 18 years and within that you’ll have five different clubs depending on age, so teenagers aren’t looking at young kids and saying, ‘I’m not going in there,’” he says.
For all these reasons and more, it’s why anyone considering their first cruise holiday should make Click&Go Holidays their first port of call.
“We’re open seven days a week with a team of people who know and love cruises and who can help match clients to the right cruise line for them – because that’s what it’s all about. As Ireland’s cruise experts, that’s what we’re all about too.”
Find your perfect cruise at clickandgo.com – you’ll thank yourself later
