Agents Have Plenty to Say to Carnival

New York area travel agents charged Carnival Cruise Lines with turning its back on travel agents by reducing commissions and cutting back on marketing and training.

The exchange between agents and Carnival executives took place last week aboard the Carnival Splendor docked in New York City. (See Carnival Execs Stand Firm Amid Agent Concerns.)

Agents also voiced other concerns during the meeting. They said the absence of printed promotional brochures and a dearth of new itineraries are making it more difficult to sell Carnival.

Call center chaos
One agent said she wasn’t able to book an online deal because of a computer error. She tried to make the booking through a call center but was denied by a Carnival rep who said she didn’t see the rate.

“Ten minutes later we called as a consumer and they gave us the same exact price that we had on our computer,” said Linda Saban from Travelmasters on Staten Island. “It’s not the first time it’s happened; they do not want to help us.”

That situation was emblematic of Carnival’s lack of concern for travel sellers, Saban said.

“If you can’t get into your computer, do you lose the sale because the price changed in 10 minutes?” she asked.

David Chang, vice president of contact center sales, said Saban made a “legitimate point.”

“Because there is a certain automation of sales on GOCCL, that agent was being truthful in that they couldn’t see that fare,” he said.

But Carnival does need to improve its response to agent needs, he added.

“We realize that we have to provide the service that when you’re having issues on GOCCL or anywhere else, we have to take that call,” Chang said.

“If you have called in during the last couple days, you will see improvement,” he added. “If we can’t find that rate, then we’ll escalate it to someone who can.”

GoCCL problems
Concerns about the role of GoCCL did not stop there.

A new agent from JB Cruise and Tour in Yonkers complained that GoCCL is difficult to navigate and, unlike other lines, Carnival doesn’t offer any hands-on training.

“We have fallen short [in trade engagement],” conceded Kirk Neal, regional vice president of sales. “We need to do a better job of reaching out to agents [and training them].”

Where are the BDMs?
Other agents were miffed over a lack of contact with Carnival’s business development managers.

The BDMs are reserved for the line’s top sellers, not the little guys, Neal said. “The BDM is really the next level, when you’re selling 50 cabins or more you’re really focusing on Carnival.”

Chuck Bentivegna, owner of Bay Parkway Travel in Brooklyn, asked why Carnival BDMs no longer attend the annual convention of Brooklyn and Staten Island agents.

“The BDMs seem to want to be there, and the other cruise lines are there, so why would Carnival choose not to participate?,” he asked. “Why is there no longer representation at trade shows. They’re saying that last year they went more toward consumer shows.”

Neal responded by saying, “We get invited to a lot of different trade shows. Over the past couple of years, we have really controlled that part of our budget more than previous years.”

But he added, “Over the past six months, we’ve looked at it again.”

Does Bentivegna believe Carnival’s outreach to agents is sincere?

“It depends on how jaded you are or how much faith you have,” he said. “I’d say they have good intentions but whether they’re going to take it all back to the powers that be remains to be seen.”

Need a brochure?
Agents pointed to the absence of print promotional brochures and a lack of new itineraries as an obstacle in their efforts to sell Carnival cruises.

“The brand has become a little stale in terms of the itineraries you can do,” said Rick Ardis, owner of Ardis Travel in East Rutherford, N.J.

Ardis also asked that Carnival return to producing printed brochures.

“We’ve heard for a very long time that you really need the brochure,” said Joni Rein, vice president of worldwide sales.

“We’re going to get a lot of you together and find out what you mean by a brochure,” she said. “We’ve learned there are about 15 interpretations of what you need.”