Over 50? Not computer savvy? Never booked a holiday in your life?
That was Vikki before she joined us and our infamous Cruise Division…
Now she’s celebrating her transformation into a successful cruise consultant onboard the MSC VIrtuoso after:
- Tailormaking a themed Meat-loaf inspired short cruise with MSC
- Booking over 1,700 people – many first-time cruisers – on her cruise
- Generating over £1 million in sales!
Just half way through the cruise, Vikki is elated with the response.
“I’m overwhelmed. The fans have been amazing and love Steve’s production… and many can’t wait to book their next cruise and are asking for another in 2026!”
Vikki’s business idea began when she went to see a musical created by the esteemed musician, Steve Steinman and was blown away by the performance – and the fact that the woman next to her had seen the show five times in two months!
“I had a lightbulb moment where I thought ‘this would be amazing on a cruise’ as I knew the type of performances that go down really well with people on cruises.”
That night, Vikki messaged Steve Steinman via Facebook saying: “I’ve seen your show and thought it was fantastic – have you thought about putting it on a cruise?”
Incredulously, Steve immediately texted back: “What have you got in mind?”
Vikki was thrilled yet nervous – she’d never booked a cruise before, let alone helped put on a huge performance for thousands of people! Luckily, Vikki didn’t have to go it alone.
Our cruise gurus and key trade partner MSC stepped in to help her organise every aspect and Vikki started selling packages featuring Steve’s show, Anything for Love – the Meat Loaf Story, from just £439pp.
Hey presto, almost a year later she’s sailing on the crest of a wave.
On Monday 1,700 of her clients boarded MSC’s Virtuoso in Southampton and last night they watched the first of four Meat Loaf inspired shows en route to Cork and Portland.
“Fans were wowed from the moment they boarded,” says Neal Hussey, our senior business development manager who has helped guide Vikki along the way.
“And feedback from the first night has been incredible with passengers raving about Steve Steinman’s performance. Vikki is elated and hopefully she’ll continue to reap the rewards of her hard work as many of her clients are first-time cruisers, love it and want to book more cruises!”
Says Vikki: “The Not Just Travel team has been fantastic and have dealt with the negotiations and legal agreements. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.
“I hadn’t used computers or email unless it was on my phone when I joined and so using a booking system was an overwhelming task for me, but once I had the first few bookings under my belt I quickly became an expert.”
According to Neal, Vikki’s story is just the beginning.
“The resources we now have in place means that we can support agents who want to tailor-make all kinds of cruises or indeed charter an entire ship! Our cruise division and the unique relationship we have with Key Trade Partners like MSC makes all this plain sailing. As a result, we’ve created millions of pounds worth of business together.”
