SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The first cruise line to have air conditioning
was:
a. Holland America
b. Cunard
c. Princess
If you guessed HAL, go ahead and move your pewter cruise ship to
a new port.
Robert Milet has been distributing cruise line videotapes for 20
years, but this year he's also distributing something new: a
cruise-based board game that he said is perfect for bon voyage
gifts.
"I used to get into friendly arguments with agents -- I still do
-- by saying, 'Why give clients a gift that's going to be gone in
20 minutes? You don't know if they like red wine or white wine,' "
Milet said. "I also think giving a gift face-to-face, there's a
little more of a tie."
The game is called Cruise IQ, and it's loosely based on Trivial
Pursuit, testing players' knowledge of geography, cruise lines and
general travel trivia.
Milet said his newly formed company, IQ Travel Games, produced
about 10,000 Cruise IQ board games this year. The games sell for
between $19.95 and $24.95, based on the number purchased.
Between 700 and 900 agents have ordered the game, Milet said,
and agents tend to buy more than one at a time.
For agencies or groups that purchase a larger order, Milet said
he can brand the game with an agency or group name.
Milet said some agents give the games away as door prizes at
cruise nights, while others use the game as a cruise-night
activity.
"Questions like: 'What was the first cruise ship to have a
rock-climbing wall?' -- the idea was to get people thinking that
there were ships that have rock-climbing walls," said Milet. "And
65% of the questions are multiple choice."
For information, call (800) 392-2203.