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Cruise travel still heavily booked by agents
Travel agents still play a role in at least 80% of cruise bookings despite Web inroads, cruise officials said this week at The Tradeshow in Orlando.
“We’re all building ships. We recognize the key to filling those ships is the agency community,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of sales, Royal Caribbean International.
Participants at the conference agreed that buying all-inclusive cruises is still regarded as too overwhelming for the expertise of the average traveler who turns to agents for help.
Hurricanes were also a common subject of discussion at the meeting.
Some cruisers have what one agent called “hurricane hesitation.”
But others are taking advantage of the bargain prices.
“You can’t stay home for what we’re charging on a cruise anymore,” said Vicki Freed, a Carnival Cruise Lines executive.
Another area of concern was the 8 January deadline requiring passports for Americans going to the Caribbean. All adults and children will be required to have them.
Report by David Wilkening
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