All Posts

How proper documentation — SOPs, company manuals, and risk assessments — can make or break your vendor relationship with cruise lines, wherever you operate in the world. If you run a shore excursion company, wildlife tour, cultural experience, or adventure operation in a cruise destination port, you already know that cruise lines are your lifeline. But landing — and keeping — those contracts is a different game than it used to be. Today's cruise lines conduct rigorous vendo

Cruise season doesn’t wait for anyone. Ships show up on schedule whether you’re ready or not — and after 25 years in Alaska’s cruise tourism world, I’ve seen the same handful of mistakes trip up operators every single year. The good news? They’re all avoidable. 1. Building your tour calendar too late Here’s something that surprises a lot of people outside the industry: cruise lines build their schedules 2–3 years in advance. By January 2026, savvy operators had already submit