The Flagg Agency

Today I had the chance to have an interview with Holland America Cruise Director Jason Venner . We met in the Ocean Bar on Eurodam for about an hour. Even though I had asked for five minutes, we just got talking and kept talking.

Jason was a high school football player from Portland whose rise in the game was cut short by a drunk driver. The accident broke his back and Jason ended up in rehab. A desire to see the world led him to apply on line to Holland America. He was hired on to join the kid’s staff, yet after about two weeks he realized he was not cut out to working with children. He was great for the event staff. He spent his first contract in Alaska and had a chance to work on the first Holland America Grand Voyage of three months on Volendam throughout Russia, Asia and other countries along the Pacific Rim.

After his contract and not sure if he was done traveling, he had an opportunity to live in Venice for two month before the delivery of Oosterdam where he would work as a DJ.

During a situation that required the previous CD to leave during a Baltic cruise, Jason had the chance to become cruise director.

We talked a bit how each ship and each itinerary has a different energy. This particular sailing has 250 children on board from 3-17. Jason has noticed more multi-generational cruisers sailing. Cruisers who are very loyal to the Mariners program are bringing their children and their grandchildren. Every week Jason sees many families of three generations on board. Last week there was even four generations in one family. Jason has seen the average age of the Holland America cruiser dropping since he has been with the company.

As a result Holland America has expanded the kid’s department on every ship and provided dedicated spaces. When in the past there were 2-4 children on board using a meeting room with made up activities, some itineraries in the summer now can have 200 kids on board with a dedicated staff and space.

We talked a bit about the entertainment onboard. I asked if the challenges of the winter weather in the United States had made “fly-on” entertainers miss the ship. Jason shared that in spite of the fact that HAL has a great team that has worked wonders to get entertainment to the ships, each entertainer does have about 20 minutes of “extra” show in their routine to be able to pinch hit if needed. They are all flexible in that sometimes seas are too rough for the dancers and a comedian needs to come do a show with very little notice.

We talked a bit more how the type of cruiser has shifted. The older traditional cruiser is still more formal; wants fixed dining, and still dresses formally on formal night. New cruisers want As You Wish Dining; may be in a suit five or six days a week and do not want to wear a suit to dinner. While there was a big resistance at first to As You Wish Dining, the numbers are about 50/50 and on some cruisers leaning more to 60/40 towards AYWD.

Finally, we talked about the strangest fight he ever witnessed. It was between two 85 year old men during a trivia contest over a scoring error. Before the men came to blows with canes and walkers flying, Jason had to step in and break it up. What was at stake besides the pride of winning? A Holland America keychain!

Jason realized right then and there that there are some people in the world who are happiest when other people are miserable. He wants people to know that he feels that the cruiser chooses their cruise. Several times during our conversation he would repeat “You chose your cruise.” Someone can complain that there was nothing to do yet they laid by the pool all day, or that there was too much to do yet they could have done nothing but prop up their feet with a Kindle and watch the world go by!

Remember though that any cruise director is after all a salesman. He wants you to come back and cruise again with Holland America and not someone else. Jason Venner does a very good job at building a relationship and trust with his passengers. 

Chuck and Laura Flagg own The Flagg Agency in Canton, GA and our number is  770-355- 9569

We are fee-based travel consultants and our specialty is the selecting,

planning, marketing and administering vacations for groups of all sizes.

We help people find a travel experience that matches both their wants AND their needs.

FULL DISCLOSURE: WE ARE TRAVELING ON A SLIGHTLY REDUCED RATE AVAILABLE TO ONLY TRAVEL AGENTS. ALL OF OUR OPINIONS ARE OURS ALONE.

Related posts:

1. Twelve special differences noticed on our Holland America cruise
2. First thoughts on our Holland America Cruise
3. An honest to goodness Port Expert on Holland America
4. An interview with Carnival Cruise Director Butch Begovich
5. Day 4 and 5 on Holland America Eurodam Fall 2011