The Harsh Reality of Hosting a River Cruise in Amsterdam

For the past two days, I’ve been knee-deep in building a sales page for something new—a river cruise in Amsterdam. This is my first time working with a river cruise, and let’s just say it’s been a wake-up call.

I’m used to running my own retreats, where I control the pricing, the experience, and—most importantly—the profit. On my typical trips, I clear around $10,000 per retreat, but this? This is a different beast.

The cruise company holds all the cards. I can mark up each room a bit, but let’s be real—anyone with Google can find the real price. The only “perk” I get is a free cabin if I sell 10 spots. Nice? Sure. But does that cover my flights, transportation, pre- and post-cruise hotels, and—oh yeah—my actual earnings? Not even close.

I recently read about a woman who allegedly made over $100,000 upselling excursions on a single cruise. I have no idea how that’s possible. Maybe she’s charging for oxygen on board. Maybe I just need a different type of cruise.

I’m curious—anyone else been in this position? If you’ve cracked the code on making real money with river cruises, I’m all ears. Because right now, it feels like I’m doing a ton of work just to break even.