Princess Cruises Travel Agent Resources
by Dori Saltzman /Princess Cruises, a Carnival Corp. brand, is an upscale cruise line that focuses on relaxed cruise vacations and destination-rich itineraries. The line has 15 ships (16 as of 2024), ranging in size from 2,000 passengers to 3,660 (4,300 as of 2024). All ships are equipped with a high-tech system called OceanMedallion, which replaces key cards with token-sized discs that can be used to open doors, pay for drinks and retail purchases, and more.
Destinations Visited
Princess Cruises sails all over the world with itineraries visiting ports in Asia, Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe, Canada & New England, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America & the Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand. The line also offers cruises that pass through the Antarctic and sails at least one World Cruise a year.
The Princess Cruises travel agent portal, or Princess OneSource, provides a comprehensive suite of tools and resources to help travel advisors learn about and sell Princess Cruises.
Among the tools travel advisors can find on Princess' OneSource are:
- Princess' Polar Online booking platform
- 24/7 library of marketing materials, including customizable flyers and digital ads, logos, photos and videos
- Princess Cruises travel agent training academy
- The most current travel advisor cruise rates
- Flight booking tool
- Weekly newsletter
- Detailed sales reports that help identify market opportunities, seasonal patterns and emerging sales trends
- Online chat support
Travel advisors can also take advantage of Princess' Partner Support system (via phone and email), which provides support for things such as fare option and promotion combinability verification, status of refunds, commission inquiries, updating of bookings with new promotions, and assistance with OneSource, POLAR Online and new agency registrations questions.
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Education Program
Travel advisors can learn more about Princess Cruises via the Princess Cruises training academy (called OneSource Academy), which can only be accessed via Princess Cruises' agent portal, OneSource.
As advisors move through the Princess Academy, they rank higher and earn more rewards.
As an example, advisors who complete five courses in the Princess Cruises travel agent training program are considered First Officers. Those who complete 11 courses are Staff Captains; 18 courses earns a Captain designation; and 25 courses earns advisors Commodore status.
Status also earns advisors Continuing Education credits with The Travel Institute and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA), and CLIA credits toward an ACC or MCC. For instance, reaching First Officer status earns advisors 2 CEUs with ACTA, while getting to Commodore status earns advisors 10 CEUs with the Travel Institute, 8 with ACTA, and 10 with CLIA.
Other perks that can be earned as advisors move through OneSource Academy include Princess Captain's Circle benefits (gold for First Officer, Ruby for Staff Captain, Platinum for Captain, Elite for Commodore); a Commodore Marketing Kit; priority placement in Princess' Travel Advisor Locator; and more.
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Rates & Fams
Princess Cruises travel agent rates can be found on OneSource, but generally work like this: for every four deposited agency client bookings made within the last 365 days, the agency is eligible for one travel advisor bookings, up to a maximum of 50 travel advisor rate bookings within a 12 month period.
Princess also offers limited-time, special rate cruises on a seasonal basis, which agents can use for a balcony stateroom and pay only for taxes, fees and port expenses (as well as onboard expenditures and amenity bundle upgrades).
As for fams, Princess occasionally offers Seminar at Sea (discount rate/hosted) trips or hosts advisors on inaugurals. Both are invite-only. Interested advisors should contact their BDM to find out more.
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Sales Reps
In the Americas, Princess Cruises has 31 business development managers covering the United States and Canada, as well as five BDMs covering charters, incentives and national accounts.
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Marketing Assistance
Travel advisors can find a plethora of marketing support on Princess' OneSource travel agent portal, including access to customizable flyers, social media tools, digital logos, photos and videos and more.
Princess also offers a "generous" coop program and the line's BDMs can set up individual agency training, as well as collaborate on marketing plans or offer design team assistance.
