Alaska Cruise Quotes: Cruise Search Web Application

Client

Alaska Cruise Quotes

Industry

Travel

Technologies

ASP.NET, SQL Server

Overview

Project highlights

Instant feedbackResult counts change as visitors choose criteria, with no need to load a whole new page of results.
Driven by the databaseSearch headings and criteria values are generated from SQL Server.
No retypingThe chosen cruise carries forward automatically into the quote form.
Lighter on the serverSkipping full page reloads is friendlier for visitors and less burden on the server.

Before

The challenge

Alaska Tourism Partners engaged J Street to build Alaska Cruise Quotes, a platform where customers can compare cruise quotes and organize Alaskan trips.

They needed a new website where customers could search for cruises and submit information-request forms.

After

What we built

J Street built the new site around a dynamic Find a Cruise feature on the home page. The search headings and criteria values are generated from the SQL Server database, and as visitors click the criteria they're interested in, the result count changes instantly using Ajax, without loading a whole new page of results.

From the results page, visitors can sort the list and click into details about the cruise line, route, and departure city. When they find the cruise they want, the Quote link carries the cruise information forward automatically into the quote form, and each quote is stored in the database, ready for customer service agents.

Drawing on our own travel experience, our developers brought a real understanding of what travelers need to the project.

Inside the system

A closer look

Find a Cruise on the home page

The first page of the Alaska Cruise Quotes site highlights the dynamic Find a Cruise feature that J Street developed.

Result counts that update instantly

Here's a great example of how a simple use of Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) can really make a page more usable and friendly. We dynamically generate the headings and criteria values from the SQL Server database. Then as the visitor clicks the criteria they're interested in, the result count changes instantly to reflect their choices. This eliminates the need to load a whole different page of results just to determine that the result count is higher or lower than desired. It's friendlier for the visitor and less burden on the server.

Sortable results with cruise details

From the results page, the visitor can sort the list and click on details about the cruise line, route, departure city, etc. When they select the cruise they would like to receive a quote for, they click the Quote link.

A quote form that fills itself in

The quote page is easy to complete, especially since the cruise information is automatically carried forward from the search results page. The quote data is stored in the SQL Server database, ready for customer service agents to work on.

“

I highly recommend J Street Technology. Their team is knowledgeable, professional, and a pleasure to work with. Our project was delivered on time, on budget, and their follow-up support has been excellent.

Jeff Ripley

Owner, Alaska Tourism Partners, LLC

The outcome

How it turned out

The new site was an immediate success, generating thousands of new inquiries.
The site boosted sales conversions.
Every quote request is stored in the database, ready for customer service agents to work on.
The project was delivered on time and on budget, and in the client's words, our follow-up support has been excellent.

See more of our work for travel companies.