Why Use a Travel Advisor? Carnival Cruise Lines is telling America why.

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This year, Carnival introduced a program called WUATA or Why Use a Travel Advisor.  In the words of Adolfo Perez, Carnival’s Senior VP of Global Sales,” too many people still don’t realize the advantage of using a Travel Advisor. We’re not only championing Travel Advisors, we’re also helping consumers understand and reap the benefits of using a Travel Advisor to book their cruise.”

 

We hear people say “oh, they just book their cruise online”.  The question is why? There are many things we could do ourselves that we don’t.  Why?  Because we know a trained professional can do it better and may even save us money by doing it right.  If you don’t trust yourself to do a $200 plumbing job or cut your own hair, why do you think you’re an expert at booking a $2000 vacation?  Most Americans take one vacation a year so why not plan for the best experience at the best value?   

 

Travel Advisors are a wealth of information with plenty of travel experience and they remember to look after details that you many not even know exist. They can provide advice for making the most of a cruise, like dining options, activities for children, travel insurance options, best stateroom locations and immigration requirements.  Even better, choose a CLIA Master Cruise Counselor who has had to meet educational exams and extensive ship experience standards to achieve that designation.  Our agency has earned this designation.

 

Many Travel Advisors have access to promotions that aren’t available to consumers booking directly.  Agencies have the ability to book group staterooms in bulk so their clients are privy to lower pricing.  Most consumers are not aware that most Travel Advisors do not charge service fees for booking cruises. They are paid commission from the cruise lines.  Wait, you did all that work to book your own cruise but cruise line paid no commission? A win-win for them.

 

For cruisers who need personalized travel details like special dietary needs or medical equipment delivered to the ship, a Travel Advisor can take care of this.  Don’t forget they are also experts at the best transportation and pre-post cruise hotel options available.  Getting you to the ship in time is a priority. 

 

According to cruise industry research, cruise guests have a higher satisfaction with their overall cruise experience when booking through a Travel Advisor.  Did you know more than 75% of all cruises booked worldwide are booked through a Travel Advisor?  It’s revealing that 78% of travelers who used a Travel Advisor believe they are always looking out for their clients.  Plus research takes a lot of time, especially if you are not sure what is out there to search.

 

Carnival is giving clients the opportunity to nominate their Travel Advisors as the “Most Trusted Travel Advisor” and we are very appreciative to the clients who have nominated Salty Breeze Cruise Planners for this award. Lastly, please remember Cruise Planners is an American Express Travel Representative so we also can plan you vacation anywhere in the world, land or sea.

Karen Saltarelli, Salty Breeze Cruise Planners Franchisee