If you can believe it, we are about to finish the first quarter of 2022 as well as close out another Wave season in the cruise industry. If “wave season” is a new term to you, it is traditionally the span of time between January and March where we see some of the best fares rolled out for travelers who are making their cruise plans for the upcoming year. Having just returned from a cruise myself and looking forward to others I found myself reflecting on the difference a year or two makes. The fact that we can even talk about a wave season is something to celebrate. Celebrating good news is what it’s all about on the “Travel Hi Five!”, our ongoing series here on The Compass; Travel Hi Five represents a celebration of the good news, hard work and lessons learned while getting to know great people in this industry.
So, who better to talk all things cruising with than John Chernesky, senior vice president, sales & trade marketing at Princess Cruises? I personally encountered John in my early days as an advisor in this industry and was aware of his keen social media presence. In those days I did not know too many cruise line executives with a business Facebook page who were churning out funny yet educational videos about their brand. To me he was the face of Princess Cruises. I have since come to meet the many people I know John would attribute Princess’ success to more than him. Having had the pleasure to see him up close and personal, both the onstage persona and his humor and charm working in a group of travel advisors (don’t tell him I said that as it might go to his head, heck he might even have a bobble head of himself made—oh my crack team of researchers just told me he has already done that), I knew there was more to the man than just that sharp wit and a quick mind. John’s wit is intact in this interview, but you will also find a very thoughtful person who’s joy for travel, his family and the cruise industry shine through in our conversation. Let’s celebrate the return of cruising as we get to know John Chernesky.
What keeps you up at night?
Well, thankfully, I sleep very well. That annoys my wife because she doesn't but it's all about me so I’m good (can you hear John’s voice and delivery when you read that?). I would say that right now, as we come out of this pandemic and the impact, I honestly feel more excited for the future than anything. I’m not worried, I’m not scared, it's anticipation of the positive things that need to get done. To communicate what we do as a brand and industry while engaging with travel advisors. To make sure they have the tools that they need. Also, to be sure that we haven't lost sight of the amazing value proposition of going on a Princess cruise. I feel like during the last couple years people have taken other vacation options and they've done, you know camping trips, resorts, Airbnb or whatever it might be. I, on the one hand am so proud of what we can deliver and what it costs to enjoy that versus what those other things cost, and I know we will win but it's just that question of bringing back those folks that have left to go do other things. Reminding them about how great cruising is. Ultimately, you know we have been held to an unfair, I believe, standard related to health and safety. When you compare our protocols to anybody else’s we win. Like we are the most focused on health and safety standards. It’s an unfair accusation to say we are not and so that’s an opportunity for education, right? It’s incumbent on us to educate people and get them excited to commit their valuable vacation time and dollars to going on a Princess cruise.
What travel destination is on your “must do” list for you and then for your customers?
Wow, I love this question because it is exciting to think about those destinations. I’ve talked the last two years about how we derive more happiness anticipating a vacation than we do on the trip itself. Not just because that was my personal feeling, but there are also apparently some research studies that have validated it and it makes a lot of sense, because you know you just have things to look forward to. I’ve never been on an African safari. I’ve never been to Antarctica or New Zealand. I’ve never been to the Baltic, odd timing given what's going on right now in the Ukraine that I would bring that up but I can't wait to go there and explore ultimately where my great grandfather came from you know, so those are the kind of trips that I want to go to one day but they're not planned.
I’ve been very spoiled and lucky to have traveled a good chunk of the world, not the whole world. But I am so excited to bring my kids along on the journey, too. It feels like time is running out, as they are now in high school. So, I need to get on it. But yeah those are the things that really jumped to me and going back to places like Alaska. I just I can't get enough of it, I just love going there. I’m going in a month to Yosemite.
Follow up question - What about your customers? If people are experienced cruisers then it is always about going either someplace new or maybe a place you just love going back to, so it depends on the individual. I feel like you need to commit to it and do it. But if you have been to Alaska and not done a cruise tour, oh man, you gotta do a cruise tour. It is a totally different trip. If you’ve never been to Japan, it is one of my absolute favorite countries. And to do it on a cruise is a special way to experience it.
What motivates you every day to get up and do the work in this industry? What is your “Why”?
I love the fact that it is never the same day twice. You know when I was a teenager and doing jobs, I did work that was repetitive, and it was boring, and it was never anything new and exciting. That is the polar opposite of what I do today. Having been in this industry for almost 30 years now, scary getting so old, but it is so dynamic and so complex and we're so lucky to be in it. At the end of the day we are talking about the joy of travel and how that not only gives you those memories that you'll never forget but to share them with others. When I think back on the 15+ years that my kids have been alive, and I think about the special moments, invariably it's coming to a Princess cruise moment. To have those shared experiences with them just is awesome and we’re lucky to be working in the space that is helping deliver those experiences for millions of people. It’s just a great way to make a living, I’m lucky.
What do you do to focus on keeping your segment of the business running during these times?
I think we've really relied on communication and being transparent and being open to conversation. Whether it was the numerous webinar series we've hosted and allowed people to ask questions and ask hard questions, not filtering them out and be willing to hit hard issues. If I don't have the answer, I’ll let them know. Oftentimes, the situation is changing so I don't even know what's going on. So, I think open and honest communication is key. I’d like to say to you that it's hard to over communicate, but it's very easy to under. So, during these times, as we come out of it, it's even more important that we're still engaged in learning and adapting and getting feedback from our great travel advisor partners on what can we do better. Getting that feedback, I think, is invaluable.
What tricks or tips do you have for social media marketing?
Well, you know at the core of social media, you need to understand your target market. What do your clients utilize based on their demographic? Are they into Instagram or are they a Facebook person, are they TikTok? I mean whatever it is, you need to figure out what's the best way to reach your audience. Knowing the audience that you want to have could be it as well. If you're new or you're trying to expand your client base then you got to figure out, well if I’m on Facebook only what do I need to be on now? I will tell you, I’m only on Facebook. My one insight is to be careful what you wish for. Social media is a beast that needs to be fed regularly and it takes a lot of time and a lot of energy to do that. If you don't have all the time in the world to support four social media channels, then don't. Pick one and just rely on that and be good at that.
My other advice is to be yourself. You know people come up to me and they'll say, “oh John you're funny,” and I tell them, “listen if you're not funny or making a room laugh don't try.” You don't have to be something you're not. Be authentic to who you are and, most importantly, use social media to tell stories. To me it always comes back to storytelling. If you're not using your real voice to bring people along for the ride, then you're missing out. Because people want to be entertained, they want to be engaged and feel like they're traveling with you. That's why, when I go on personal cruises, I’m taking time out of my vacation to basically share updates almost every day of what we did that day. I just feel the power of that, whether it's showing the picture of the pizza you ate or the sunset or here's what we did in Cabo San Lucas today and wasn't this fun; people love those shared experiences. It's very hard for any individual to have been everywhere and to have gone on every brand and do everything that you want to do. So, I often say, utilize the stories of your clients to share on their behalf to be able to say that my client just got back from this trip and wasn't it amazing? Let's hear them and use that as a great way to market your expertise and your ability that you are able to help them experience a great trip. Now let me help you as a new client to do the same, and so you may not have your own stories, you can share other people’s stories, too.
Follow up question; When you and your family are in the pictures do you get more traction on your social media? So, it is funny that you ask that question. The answer is YES. Without question, engagement is the ultimate measure of success in social media. It is how many clicks, comments, shares, etc. that you get. A good example of this is a New Year’s cruise I took with my family in December and January. It was a 10-day cruise down to Mexico and I posted a daily update. Because of those posts, I received the highest engagement of anyone of my peers in the cruise industry. Not that I’m competitive or anything.
When asked if he had any final thoughts for the readers, John says, “Well, I think I want to say, thanks, to everybody who for the last couple years has been a travel advisor working with your clients and going through such tough times. I hope you see a positive future. I hope you can maintain optimism and remind yourself that what we do matters and that we are better people through travel. The more we get out there and travel the better off we will be as a society. I hope those moments you get to experience being on a Princess cruise hopefully make you smile, make you think, ‘wow I feel so taken care of and so relaxed,’ and, ‘that this has been the best vacation.’ That's what we want people to get to, and the fact that travel advisors help deliver on that is amazing. We just can’t thank them enough, stay positive and stay healthy.”
Have a question you think should be considered for future editions of Travel Hi Five? Get in touch with me at mmussey@travelleaders.com. Until next time – Here is to Your Success!
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