APT’s Kay Hecht, cruise director onboard the luxury 15-day Magnificent Europe cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest, shares his top five tips for travel agents selling this river cruise:

1 Remind clients to pack for the terrain and in case of rain: River cruises are a great way to explore and on the Magnificent Europe we cover five countries, taking in 16 towns, villages and cities. Many of the included sightseeing options involve walking in the open air. Packing the appropriate clothing and footwear is something we always highlight in our literature yet despite this you’d be surprised at how many people don’t bring a good pair of walking shoes and warm clothes to cater to Europe’s inclement weather. Agents who reiterate this advice will ensure their clients really get to enjoy the excursions.

2 Check the deck plans: The cabins on the lower deck of the Concerto class ships that we use in Central Europe are not suitable for people with walking difficulties. That’s because the elevator is not able to service the bottom deck on the ship. It’s a real benefit for agents to understand the ship and its layout because this is an important factor for those clients who might not be able to manage stairs.

3 Share the detail on dietary requirements: Our chefs cater for many different dietary requirements, for example there is a good selection of dairy- and gluten-free options onboard. But if the agent can supply us with as much information about a client’s particular needs in advance then we can fully prepare and ensure that everyone has the best range of dining options possible.

4 All-inclusive cruises include everything: If you’re ever in doubt then check with your cruise line contact. On an APT Luxury river cruise flights, tipping, transfers, sightseeing, meals, drinks and entertainment are covered. Yet despite this we sometimes find that clients have been booked an additional transfer to their ship by an agent because they’ve not realised it was already included, or they’ll ask how much to tip the onboard team when they don’t need to.

5 Explain the sailing schedule: On our Magnificent Europe cruises we mostly sail at night. We’re always asked when and why we sail at particular time and it’s helpful for agents to be able to explain to their clients before they set sail. Night time cruising enables us to cover larger distances so that we can reach the ports ready for the daytime touring schedule. The caveat to this is that we sail in the morning when we are in some of the most beautiful spots on the rivers, namely the Rhine Gorge, Wachau Valley and along the Main Danube Canal.

APT’s Europe and Russia River Cruising 2018 programme is now open for bookings. The 15-day Magnificent Europe cruise is priced from £2,595 per person twin share if booked before April 29, 2017. Email [email protected] or call 0800 046 3002