with
Ann Sedgwick
 
 

The Basics of Selling Cruises-
What Every RTA needs to know to make this business profitable & fun!

We will cover the following topics: The "HOW TO's of Selling Carnival!

• How to find new business & promote yourself

• How to qualify a potential customer - ask the right questions

• How to book a cruise - steps to making a reservation

• How to make sure you are quoting the best fare

• How to get help when you need it

• How to attract repeat & referral business!

641-594-7505 PIN 601340#
5:30 pm Pacific, 6:30 pm Mountain
7:30 pm Central, 8:30 pm Eastern
 

BookCCL

To increase our efficiency and that of our RTAs through automation, YTB is revamping our account with BookCCL. If you notice changes to your BookCCL log in or you are currently managing a cruise within BookCCL, please contact YTB Travel Network support by emailing our new Carnival Help Desk, carnivalhelpdesk@ytb.com. 

If you already have a group that you are handling via BookCCL,
please include your booking number in the subject line.
Thank you for your cooperation in this very important matter.

 

Join us at Funshine East!
September 25 & 26, 2009
Gaylord Palms Resort, Orlando, Florida

Click Here for complete details!

We've made it easy and affordable for your clients to enjoy a great vacation. Book them on any of the following 3-7 day sailings between February 25th and February 27th, 2009 and they'll receive "funtastic" savings.
For more information call Carnival Reservations at 1-800-327-9501.

The company reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel.

Cruise rate are in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, capacity controlled and subject to change at any time without prior notice. Government taxes and fees are additional for all guests. Offer can be advertised on websites, research results or any other means. Offer is valid for new individual bookings only made between February 25th and February 27th, 2009. Offer is not combinable with any other discounted or promotional offer. No name changes allowed. Full payment is required at the time of booking to secure confirmed accommodations. Guarantees only. Offer is applicable to categories IS/OV/BL only. Some restrictions (including stateroom/category availability) apply. Request fare code PUG. Ship's Registry: The Bahamas & Panama.

As an active Affiliate with YTB Travel Network, you earn 60% of the commission paid to YTB. Upon successful completion of First Class Training, RTAs and Travel Agents (TAs) earn 70% for travel booked after 10/18/2008.

Please make sure to follow these standard procedures when booking direct with a vendor:
At this time, only RTAs that have successfully completed First Class Training can book travel directly with vendors. Before contacting a vendor, make sure that you collect all pertinent information from your prospective clients. You will need to know exact dates (and whether they are flexible with their dates), number of passengers, the itinerary the clients are interest in. It is also important to ensure you have the correct contact information for the vendor. Most vendors also sell travel directly to the public and provide separate contact information for a travel agent line. In most cases, if you call the direct consumer line, you will not be paid commissions for your efforts. Most vendors will also have a separate telephone number for their Groups Department. Remember, preparation will increase your efficiency.

When contacting the preferred vendor advise them you are a travel agent with YTB Travel Network. Some vendors will ask for your ARC, IATA or CLIA number to attach to the booking. YTB Travel Network's ARC number is 14-564793. YTB Travel Network's CLIA number is 00632144. In some cases, typically cruise lines, the vendor will request your agency phone number. The correct telephone number is 618-655-9520. ALL COMMISSION CHECKS MUST BE MAILED TO YTB'S CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: YTB TRAVEL NETWORK, 1901 EAST EDWARDSVILLE ROAD, WOOD RIVER, IL 62095. It is important to remember to NEVER change YTB's profile with any vendor. Any such action is strictly prohibited by YTB and may result in disciplinary action.

When they ask for your name, give them your unique YTB ID number either in addition to or instead of your name. Providing your unique YTB ID number ensures that we know exactly who the appropriate booking agent is and will enable YTB to locate you in the event of any changes to the reservation and most importantly, to properly assign commission payments. You may find that some vendors know to ask for your YTB ID number, but most you will have to make the request.

Once the reservation is complete, request that the vendor confirm all of the information they have entered. Pay close attention to the spelling of each passenger's name, deposit and payment dates, and the travel dates as any errors could lead to costly changes or corrections for which you are liable. You may ask the vendor to fax or email you the confirmation provided that information is supplied as an alternate fax or email and does not REPLACE YTB's profile information.

• After the booking is complete, go to your travel portal and enter a Commission Claim Form for the booking. You must enter a Commission Claim Form in order to receive travel commissions.

• With cruises and vacation packages, make sure you're quoted the amount for the booking that includes the agent's commission. You have worked hard for this commission and you should be compensated accordingly. Net rates are not commissionable.

• With hotel groups, make sure you're given a contract listed with commissionable rates and not group rates as group rates nullify the commission.

• In order for you to receive the full commission on a vendor direct booking, you must be responsible for the all of the payments and deadlines as indicated by the vendor.

AIRLINE TICKETS:
This seems to be the area of biggest confusion. Virtually all of the domestic carriers no longer pay commissions on direct reservations. As an Affiliate RTA or TA with YTB you can, however, earn commission on the service fee for flights booked through your booking engine. Reservations must be made through the link on your booking engine for you to receive commissions.
Flights booked on other website links are not commissionable.
 

Learn more about Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
so you can better meet the needs of today's traveler.

This three-chapter course offers you the chance to learn more about the Wyndham brand's diverse hotel products located throughout the world.

View Wyndham's Agent Training Program
 

Learn to sell the Small Ships of Princess® and receive a $50 Bonus Commission Coupon!

Join us for the latest Executive Insights Webinar and Q&A hosted by experts from the Princess senior management team.

Sailing on a small ship is more popular than ever and this informative 60-minute webinar will reveal the secrets of how to best sell this lucrative cruise segment to your clients.
In addition to the great information you'll take away from the webinar, you'll also receive a $50 Bonus Commission coupon towards an Alaska or Europe Small Ship sailing just for attending!

Presented by Rai Caluori, Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations (top), Crystal Morgan, Director of Market Planning (middle), and Jim Baer, Vice President of National Account Sales (bottom), you'll be introduced to the distinct experience found on the Small Ships of Princess.

Find out why many travel-savvy clients prefer the classic traditional style of cruising, from the elegant décor and unique ambience to the exotic places they sail worldwide. Highlights include:

Onboard experience

• Classic Traditional dining to specialty and casual venues

• Entertainment - Music revues, enrichment courses and more

Small Ship deployments

• World Cruise departing January 2010 - now is the time to promote the World Cruise!

• Unique Summer 2009 sailings along the Crimean & Aegean Coasts

• Tahiti & Polynesia sailings in the Fall 2009

• 14-day Alaska Connoisseur voyages sailing in Summer 2009

Friday, February 27, 2009 at 1:00 PM Pacific Time

Join us on select Tuesdays for a very special interactive series of online webinars, designed to explore the wide variety of Trafalgar's vacation options and the destinations we take you to.

Tuesday, Mar 3
Find out how an escorted tour to Europe will complete your cruise experience

Tuesday, Mar 17
Discovering North America, plus Trafalgar's Family Experiences.

Click here to learn more and register >>
 

Cruising 3sixty is the industry's "must-attend" cruise conference and the premier event for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). This event features innovative general sessions with the top cruise industry executives, a dynamic business oriented trade show with one-on-one appointments, technology and destinations training, and cruise ship inspections. Exceeding the industry benchmark in its opportunity to network with other cruise selling professionals, cruise3sixty continues to more than prove its value to everyone involved in the cruise industry.

*Ship Inspections and CLIA seminars are on a
first come, first served basis.
For more information or to register please visit www.cruise3sixty.com
 

Silversea just announced a list of 43 cruises that are now at 50% off. Some of these sailings include free air or a $500 per person onboard credit! In addition, you can earn 20% commission with 9 or more paid guests and one free berth! Be sure to ask about the American Express onboard credit promotion for the Silver Cloud, Wind, Shadow and Whisper on all 2009 sailings for new bookings deposited between Feb 6-May 31, 2009.

List of Cruises
 

It's Alaska's 50th anniversary of statehood, and our new Alaska Wilderness Sale helps your clients celebrate with extraordinary savings on our newest cruisetours roundtrip from Seattle -- with airfare between Seattle and Anchorage or Seattle and Fairbanks included -- so they can experience all the glaciers, mountains and wildlife they most want to see.

This is the offer your clients have been waiting for. Highlights include:

• Convenient new roundtrip Seattle cruisetours, featuring a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise and a land tour with stays at our two Denali-area wilderness lodges

• Princess Direct-to-the-Wilderness® same-day rail service between Princess wilderness lodges and the ship

• Free stateroom upgrades and incredibly low fares

• Airfare included between Seattle and Anchorage or Fairbanks at either the beginning or end of the cruisetour, meaning even more convenience for your clients who need only book travel
  to and from Seattle

• Alaska's top two attractions -- Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park -- on every cruisetour