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Become a Royal Caribbean Travel Agent

When it comes to traveling, cruises are a big deal. The industry generates billions of dollars in revenue every year, and more and more people are becoming interested in taking cruises.

The largest cruise operator in the United States is Royal Caribbean. So, if you’re interested in becoming a travel agent for cruise vacations, this is a great place to start. Fortunately, Boardwalk Travel allows you to become a Royal Caribbean travel agent quickly and easily. Not sure where to start? We’ll help you every step of the way.

What Will You Do As a Royal Caribbean Travel Agent With Boardwalk?

As a travel agent, your primary goal is to provide the best vacation experience for your clients. However, partnering with Boardwalk Travel is a bit different than if you worked for Royal Caribbean directly.

First, you get to pick when you work, and you get to work from the comfort of your home. Taking time off is easy, and there are no minimums or quotas to meet each month. You operate as an independent agent, giving you the flexibility and control you want.

Second, while it’s easy to book with Royal Caribbean, you can book with other cruise agencies as well as traditional hotel chains. So, if you want to branch out and offer more services, you can!

Top Benefits of Becoming a Royal Caribbean Travel Agent Through Boardwalk

We’ve already discussed some of the perks of working as an independent agent through Boardwalk Travel. However, in addition to the flexibility of your workload, there are some other tangible benefits, such as:

Use Perks for Yourself – If you’re ever interested in taking a cruise (and you should be), you can use perks and vouchers for yourself when you go. In fact, it’s better for you to take these cruises so you can speak from experience when upselling different packages. The more cruises you go on, the better prepared you are to answer questions and provide valuable insight.
Earn More Commissions – Boardwalk Travel doesn’t take a massive chunk out of your earnings. You make 70 percent of all sales, so you can earn quite a big paycheck, even if you don’t work full-time.
Extra Support – Booking a cruise package is often a pretty straightforward process, but you may run into snags every so often. When that happens, you can get support from experienced travel agents. Whether it’s finding the best deal for your clients or trying to make a specific itinerary item work, you’ll get all the tools and support necessary to thrive.

Day-to-Day Life of a Royal Caribbean Travel Agent

When you join Boardwalk Travel and start booking trips for yourself and others, what exactly will you be doing every day? Here’s a quick breakdown:

Find Available Units

As with a hotel, a cruise ship only has so many guest rooms. Also, like a hotel, these rooms are separated by different classes, depending on your client’s budget. If your client wants a large room with plenty of space, they can pay extra for a suite. However, if they’re on a tighter budget, they can make do with a standard cabin.

As an agent, it’s your job to find out what’s available. That said, this process is a bit different from booking a hotel because most guests won’t know which type of ship they want to be on. Instead, they’re focused more on dates and destinations. So, you may have to find rooms on multiple vessels so you can give your clients options.

Secure Destinations

Some cruises only stay on the water for a few days (or a week) and then return to port. However, most cruise lines will go to a specific destination and then return to their original port. Your clients will likely have a destination in mind (i.e., Jamaica), so you must figure out which ship is going there during their preferred travel period.

Also, you need to figure out how long they want to stay at the destination location. Some cruise packages include multi-night stays, while others only include day trips to a specific locale. In some cases, you may have to create a unique itinerary based on your client’s needs. For example, they may want to spend two weeks in Jamaica, so you have to book two cruise packages—one each to get to and from the island.

In this instance, you would also have to secure lodging on the island for the duration of their stay. You may be able to work with the cruise line and their preferred hotels, or you can come up with a package by yourself.

Book Secondary Travel Accommodations

If your clients live in a cruise port city (like Miami or West Palm Beach), they can simply drive to the port and board the boat. However, many of your clients will likely live elsewhere, meaning you must help them reach the ship before they can take their cruise.

Secondary travel arrangements could involve rides to and from the airport, overnight lodging, and plane tickets to their preferred destination. You may also have to secure rides or car rentals to the port city, as well as at their final cruise destination. Overall, your job is to make their vacation as smooth and hassle-free as possible.

Provide Vital Information

If your clients are traveling outside the United States, they’ll need a passport. Also, many ports charge port fees per passenger, which are unavoidable. Sometimes, the destination may have unique rules or cultural differences. For example, they drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas. So, if your clients want to drive during their stay, they must adapt accordingly.

When creating your client’s itinerary, you must include any vital information like this. Also, consider their timeline before their vacation. For example, it could take up to 90 days for an individual to receive a passport. So, if their vacation is less than 90 days away and they don’t have a passport, they could miss out entirely.

Offer Perks and Incentives

One of the best ways to improve yourself as a travel agent is to build relationships with different companies and vendors. Typically, cruise lines like to throw in perks and incentives to get more people on the ship, particularly during slower seasons. As a travel agent, you get to extend these offers to your clients, making their vacations extra special. Some examples of perks can include:

Free Play at the Casino
Rental Car Reimbursement
Free Cruise Wi-Fi
Specialty Dining Included
Bar Tab Bonuses
Onboard Spending Credit (for shopping or dining)

Overall, the more satisfied you can make your clients, the more successful you’ll be as a travel agent. Since you’re working independently, you want to build referrals and word-of-mouth advertising. This means you can book more clients and earn more money!

Why Choose Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean is one of the oldest cruise lines, having been founded in 1969. Over the years, the company has defined what it means to take a cruise, and today, it boasts a massive fleet of more than 25 ships.

Part of what makes Royal Caribbean such a dominant brand in the industry is that it has some of the best ships in the world. Over the years, newer models have changed what it means to be on a cruise. In the old days, ships had little to offer in the way of dining and entertainment. Today, guests can sometimes have more fun on the boat than at their destination.

In fact, Royal Caribbean has six of the largest cruise ships in the world. Seeing these engineering marvels up close is enough to make your head spin. Swimming pools, water slides, restaurants, casinos, clubs, and more are all par for the course with a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation.

Better yet, the company sails to more than 270 ports in over 60 countries worldwide. So, when guests want to explore the globe and have fun on the way, Royal Caribbean is one of their best options.

Why Are Cruises So Popular for Travelers?

If you’ve never been on a cruise before, the experience can be life-changing. There are many perks to traveling this way, including:

All-Inclusive Dining – When you’re on the ship, you can eat wherever and whenever you want. While fine dining options (and alcohol) cost extra, almost all the food is included in the cruise price. Plus, meals are served at all hours, so you can feast whenever you feel like it without spending a dime.
Multiple Entertainment Options – As we mentioned, swimming pools, clubs, arcades, and casinos are all part of the cruise experience. In addition, guests can watch live shows, go shopping, play mini golf, and engage in many other fun activities. Most cruises also have scheduled family activities, so there’s always something to do.
Family-Friendly Atmosphere – Cruises are popular for couples and families for a good reason. Many activities are designed for kids, but there are plenty of options for adults as well. Compared to traditional hotels or resorts, a cruise vacation offers much more fun and engagement.
Tropical Destinations – There’s a reason why the company is called Royal Caribbean. Cruise ships go all over the place, including tropical paradises like the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Belize, and many more.

Booking Cruise Packages vs. Traditional Accommodations

Unless you’re highly experienced with cruise packages and vacations, there are a few things to understand before getting started. The more you know about the ins and outs of this world, the easier it will be to book for your clients. In many cases, you’ll be booking for people who have never taken a cruise before, so it’s up to you to be their first point of contact.

Here are some unique elements of cruise travel to pay attention to as an agent:

Room Types

Typically, a hotel room is relatively spacious, with two beds, a bathroom, a refrigerator, and maybe a desk. Cruise rooms, however, are much smaller and more cramped. While your clients can pay to upgrade to a larger space, most people opt for the cheaper, smaller cabins.

A standard cabin typically has one bed, a small bathroom, and a few extra amenities. Refrigerators are usually nonexistent, and windows may also be a luxury item. When booking for your clients, you can choose between inside and oceanview rooms. The latter option has a porthole for viewing the outside, but inside cabins have no windows at all.

Another point to consider is where on the ship your clients will be. Cabins are often color-coded, and their exact position on the boat can vary. Your clients may prefer a cabin near the top deck or something close to the stairwell or elevator. So, it’s good to familiarize yourself with cruise ship layouts so you can book accordingly.

Finally, if there is a problem with the cabin, it’s much harder to switch rooms on a cruise ship. While it’s not impossible, the process takes longer, and there’s no guarantee of switching. So, it’s imperative that you run through the details with your clients so they know what to expect and there are no surprises when they get on board.

Multi-Port Itineraries

Cruises that last for a week or longer typically hit multiple ports during their journey. So, you need to ensure that your clients want to stop at each port and have enough time to do their preferred activities.

Unlike a hotel, a cruise ship has to disembark at a specific time. If your clients miss the boat, they’ll have to wait for the next one, which could create logistical headaches.

So, when planning destination activities (i.e., snorkeling, jet-skiing, and more), you need to give your clients plenty of time to get back to the board when necessary. Even if they’re staying overnight at their destination, they have to plan around the ship’s disembarkation time.

Another point to consider is if your clients want to spend a longer time at a specific destination. As we mentioned earlier, you may have to book multiple cruise packages to accommodate their wishes.

Changes and Cancellations

Storms and inclement weather usually don’t affect booking accommodations with a hotel or resort, but it could impact a cruise ship. For example, if a hurricane is set to strike, a cruise line won’t want to have boats on the water.

As a rule, hurricane season for the Caribbean runs from June to November, although it can vary slightly from year to year. Also, even if a hurricane isn’t predicted during the trip, one could still derail your client’s plans. For example, hurricane damage could prevent them from visiting a specific island or port. So, they’ll have to settle for an alternative destination or cancel and rebook their trip for a later date.

We also mentioned that making adjustments to cabins is much more complicated once they’re on board. So, make sure to handle any changes or adjustments before the ship leaves the port, not after.