MIAMI LAKES, Fla. -- GoCruiseDirect.com introduced a Web-based
cruise platform that agents can use to check inventory in real time
and make bookings.
CruiseManager, the on-line booking tool, costs $45 monthly per
agent, although GoCruiseDirect.com, a subsidiary of the privately
held Sterling Technology Group, is offering it at 10% less than
that for annual subscriptions if agents sign up in November.
The company has some 100 CruiseManager accounts, said vice
president of marketing and sales Jason Rice, noting that the firm
has been actively selling product licenses for about three
months.
Rice said agreements with Worldspan and Sabre mean the platform
will eventually be accessible to their subscribers -- which account
for some 64% of agent desktops in the U.S. Both Sabre and Worldspan
are testing the product, he added.
Agents can try a demo, sign up and then use CruiseManager at www.cruisepath.net.
There is no software to download once agents license the
technology, and the booking tool works with a minimum requirement
of a 56K modem. Agents are given a user ID and city code to access
CruiseManager. Monthly charges can be billed to a credit card.
One key feature of Cruise-Manager, Rice said, is that it can
check last-cabin availability. Also, it will incorporate special
pricing deals that large agencies may already have in place with
cruise lines.
The lines providing inventory include Royal Caribbean
International, Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line,
Norwegian Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal
Cruises and Princess Cruises.
Amadeus recently introduced an on-line booking tool, Amadeus
Cruise, with inventory from Royal Caribbean International,
Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises.