Several of Carnival Cruise Lines' booking functions for agents can now be done online only. The policy began March 1.
The online-only functions are extending options for group and FIT staterooms; requesting booking confirmations; requesting group booking reports; getting a statement of group request; changing dining time; and requesting a group program fee form.
"Our travel partners value efficiency and want quick, easy access to their reservations," Joni Rein, Carnival’s vice president of worldwide sales, said about the new policy.
She said Carnival has been working to increase agents' level of awareness and engagement with BookCCL.com, the cruise line's web portal for agents.
"They have quickly come to embrace the many advantages it offers, like convenient access to their client’s reservations on a 24/7 basis," Rein said. "It makes sense for us to now migrate a number of basic reservations functions to on-line only so our call-center team can remain available to support travel agents in closing sales and assisting with the more complex service issues."
In a letter sent to travel agents last month, Carnival explained, "The challenging economic circumstances that prevailed most of last year forced us to rethink the way we managed every aspect of our business."
Carnival said its research has found that agents' level of engagement with its e-channels "has grown significantly, as has your confidence and ability to easily maneuver through BookCCL.com."
Gene Haemmerle, president of Travel Creations in Naples, Fla., said the distribution channel might not be ready for so much automation.
"If the Internet is down, if I need something really quick, or if there is a procedure they have to do in the booking engine that is complicated, we may have to call them," said Gene Haemmerle, president of Travel Creations in Naples, Fla. "And I am an agent who uses automation big-time. There are times when using the cruise lines' booking engine is appropriate, but there are times when a quick call to the line is much faster."
