Caitlin Manov from Choose Your Cruise discusses with us how she’s mixing music, culture and travel within the cruise industry.
You originally started with a passion for music (what is your musical talent by the way?), how did you make the switch to travel?
Certainly! And that passion for music has never left me. I come from a family of musicians – my parents were in a band together in the 70’s, and my two brothers have played in bands also, with one going on to a career as a DJ and MC. I’ve never been too strong with any particular instrument myself, so I chose to admire music in other ways.
I started my journey in the music industry managing local bands in my hometown, Adelaide and began writing for an Australian-based music magazine in 2009.
I thought, ‘what better way to be a part of the action if I can’t play an instrument, to manage the people that play the instruments themselves!’
I still support my local music scene, if you can’t find me on the ship, chances are I’m checking out a new band or supporting friends who make music of varying genres.
I made the switch to travel when I was offered a job opportunity I simply couldn’t refuse. Being able to travel and working on music festivals were the two dreams I had as a teenager, I didn’t think I’d get the chance to do one professionally, let alone both! I started working on these cruise concepts in January 2010 and haven’t looked back since.
When did you decide to focus on cruise and why?
It all started with my grandparents, two world travellers who had been to every continent and nearly every country you could visit via ship. They are the two people who first gave me an interest in discovering what the world has to offer.
I was also lucky enough to visit some exciting destinations as a child on family holidays, which soon led to cruising.
I was 12 when I went on my first cruise and I fell in love with the idea of being able to be on a beautiful big ship and wake up at a new destination, or a new country each day – I knew then I wanted to be involved in making people feel that same excitement I felt.
How many cruises have you been on?
Our company has already completed 12 cruises, with another five coming up in 2015 and 2016, all of which I have been lucky to be a part of. At a personal level, I have been on six other cruises. Overall, I have had over 150 days at sea!
Tell me a bit about Choose Your Cruise?
Choose Your Cruise is a South Australian based company that has been offering what we refer to as ‘music festivals at sea’ since 2010. We started off with a 50’s and 60’s Rock ‘n’ Roll cruise in 2011 – Rock the Boat. We also offer a country music cruise called Cruisin Country which had its inaugural cruise in 2011 as well.
These are our core cruises and they’ve sailed consecutively each year since we started.
We have offered different types of genres in the past from Greek music and culture, to Disco and Motown and now Opera and the Performing Arts on our newest themed cruise, Bravo! Cruise of the Performing Arts.
We like to offer a new way of travelling, combining the luxury of an international cruise, with world-class entertainment you would never experience at sea otherwise.
Where did the concept come from?
A little known fact is the company was founded and is run by my father, Mick Manov. He has been in the music industry for over 35 years with a sound and lighting business he started from the ground up in Adelaide. With his knowledge of the music industry, and being a musician himself, he came up with the ‘music festival at sea’ when he first started going on cruises as a passenger.
My father loved the idea of combining music and travel, and at the time there was nothing like it in Australia.
One of his clients in the music industry was a Cruise Director for the shipping company Royal Caribbean and after he mentioned his big plans, with a lot of hard work you could say the rest is history!
How are you going about marketing it to the public?
We focus heavily on direct marketing to music fans. That is the great thing about our cruises. There are so many first-timers, whether they’ve never been on a cruise before, or they have never been out of Australia before – they are drawn to the entertainment on board and the rest follows. Once they come on one cruise, they keep coming back!
The Choose Your Cruise team travel around Australia throughout the year to various music festivals from Tamworth Country Music Festival, to Parkes Elvis Festival, The Gympie Muster and everything in-between.
We also have an extremely loyal fan base of avid travellers that come on our cruises, so our Loyalty Club is our main point of focus for people who have previously placed interest or cruised with us before.
We also do various TV, print and radio marketing and advertising campaigns to catch the eye of people who may not have heard of what we are all about.
Do you find that people are open to cruise marketing? If so, why?
Certainly, everybody loves the concept of mixing music, culture and travel. If you put the idea of winning a car over one of our cruises, you will find more people will be drawn to entering to win a cruise.
While the idea of winning a new car is great, many people already have one, and the thought of going on holiday with Jimmy Barnes seems like something that would never happen in a music fan’s lifetime.
That and Australia has the fastest growing cruise market in the world, rising on average by 20 per cent a year over the past decade. More people than ever are coming on cruises and welcome ours with open arms.
Do you think people want to combine other passions with their holidays – e.g. music are cruise?
I think that is the exact reason why our cruises are so popular. Passengers, including myself travel all around the country for festivals, so why not combine the idea of being able to do that on a ship while you are looked after so well by the staff on board?
I think that’s what separates us from all different types of holidays too. I work very closely with the artists on board, and they absolutely love the idea of being able to perform and enjoy some time away on their time off.
Many of the performers bring their families along and have a holiday themselves, so it’s just as exciting and relaxing for them as it is for the clients.
You’re very successful for a 23-year-old, what advice would you give to other newcomers?
Thank you! I would definitely say in this field your main focus has to be passion for what you do. There is a lot of heart put into this business and having the ability to put yourself in the shoes of the passenger to ensure they’ll have the best time possible while they are on holiday is the main priority.
Also, being someone who is excited for new opportunities is imperative. I don’t stay in the same place with my job, one moment I will be in the office helping clients book their next cruise, and before I know it I am on the ship interviewing artists like Kasey Chambers or Molly Meldrum.
Confidence is the key, and having a strong knowledge of the product you are selling is very important. This varies from being informed on the travel industry, particularly cruising, and each respective genre of music you are marketing too.
What cruise ships are your favourite and why?
Without sounding biased I would have to say Royal Caribbean ships! We have used the Rhapsody of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas in the past, which are both beautiful ships in their own right with everything from rock-climbing walls to mini-golf on the top deck.
Some of their other ship fleets have everything you could possibly imagine on a ship.
My favourite ships are RCI’s latest additions, the Anthem and Quantum of the Seas. With over 4,900 guests, a music hall, simulated skydiving on the top level and a protruding 360 degree viewing deck – you can’t ask for more! That’s on the top of my list of ships to try in the near future.
Number one cruise tip?
First and foremost, come on board with an open mind to enjoy the experience each ship has to offer.
Remember not to over-pack, trust me – you won’t need those three sequin ball gowns for a seven night cruise, and always bring some baggier clothes with you, because after you try all the amazing food on the ship, those clothes won’t be baggy anymore!
For more information including how to book a cabin on one of our music festivals at sea go to www.chooseyourcruise.com.au or call 1300 247 371.
