The future cruise credit (FCC) has been something of a lifeline for both cruise lines and travel sellers.
For the lines, it's enabled them to hang on to much-needed cash during a repeatedly extended operations pause. For travel advisors, it keeps clients' trips on the books and, as a bonus, provides an opportunity for a second commission when they finally sail.
Cruisers benefit, as well, because the FCC is usually worth about 25% more than the cost of the original cruise.
Because FCCs can be moved from agency to agency or between an agency and the cruise line itself, it's possible that an advisor who has spent time and money to get a booking can lose it to a competitor or to the cruise line.
And that can hurt.
But Anthony Hamawy, president of Cruise.com, doesn't mind when the FCC goes to another agency.
"That's part of the game," he said. "I'm getting FCCs from other agencies. The part that's problematic is when customers take the FCC straight to the cruise lines."
Hamawy said that happens in part because there's a perception among some consumers that agencies are vulnerable.
"Consumers are saying, 'This time around, I am going to the cruise line with the FCC because the agency might go out of business,'" he said.
Hamawy said that cruise lines have been generous in protecting commissions on canceled sailings with full payment, but in these situations, having invested in the marketing to generate the booking and pay its agents, "It's a total loss to the agency."
His view is that an FCC should be treated like an onboard booking: When a cruiser rebooks during a cruise, the agency of record gets the commission.
"The cruise line is considerate enough to understand that they're our clients and we put them on the ship, and if they rebook, they'll give us commission for it," he said. "I look at this the same way."
When asked whether customers were transferring their FCCs in-house, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International both said that they do not have data on that. Carnival did say that it is "actively encouraging our travel partners to create a marketing plan to follow up with clients who have an FCC and encourage these 'hot leads' to book."
Other advisors say that FCCs also move from cruise lines to them.
"We're seeing a lot that were direct with the cruise line getting transferred to a Cruise Planners agent," said Vicky Garcia, COO of Cruise Planners.
Some of that movement may be because suppliers have had trouble keeping up with the call volume to rebook or cancel cruises, resulting in long hold times that the advisor, rather than the customer, will deal with, she said.
"The customer realizes, 'my agent is worth their weight in gold,'" Garcia said.
She acknowledged there will always be clients who blame advisors for issues out of their control, like long waits for refunds from the suppliers or who think they will get something better by booking direct.
Garcia said Cruise Planner members are also getting FCCs from agencies that aren't answering their phones.
"We've seen that happen a lot with the big OTAs, where they furloughed a lot of people and [consumers] can't get hold of someone," she said.
Vanessa McGovern
Vanessa McGovern, chief sales officer for the host agency Gifted Travel Network, also said that agencies that stopped engaging with clients may be more likely to lose FCCs.
"Some travel advisors are having a hard time finding their way in terms of messaging, and because of that, they've stopped marketing. And because of that, clients and prospects assume incorrectly that they're not in business," she said.
As far back as April, McGovern said she saw email open rates going "through the roof" and encouraged members to be proactive about letting clients know they are ready to serve, without "throwing sales and deals down people's throats."
As the pause in cruising gets lengthened, some cruise lines have reported seeing a shift in consumer preference toward refunds rather than FCCs.
Gifted Travel Network has, as well.
"It's pretty evenly split," McGovern said. "At first, it was more FCC, but now, as things keep getting pushed out and out, more clients are opting for the refund. They're just not sure. Nobody knows."