Agents Say New Carnival Portal Improves the Online Process

Carnival Cruise Lines’ travel agent portal now boasts a new name and look. Formerly called BookCCL.com, the new GoCCL.com Web site is as easy to use as BookCCL.com was and the new design is much nicer, agents tell TMR.

GoCCL.com offers agent users improved site organization and design, as well as a new site search powered by Google, an up-to-date Resource Center and an enhanced eBrochure portal.

According to Carnival, the new look and organization of the site was specifically designed for travel agent ease of use. The new Resource Center gives agents faster access to a full library of program and product information. To make it easier to find information, the cruise line added site search capability powered by Google.

Increased One-Click Access

Another design enhancement is the portal’s one-click access. Created directly as a result of travel agent feedback, this feature makes the most popular areas of the site accessible with just one click of the mouse. In order to have one-click access Carnival removed the log-in requirement for unsecured areas so that travel agents can explore the site without waiting to log in to the system.

Entering a username and password gives agents access to secured areas including My Profile, a new feature where agents can manage their personal settings.

eBrochure Portal

In addition, an updated eBrochure portal allows travel agents to select and customize digital brochures, and bookmark relevant content and send it to prospective clients along with customized e-mail messages.

Sam Stamps, of South Carolina-based The Cruise Corner, told Travel Market Report he has already used the new site and really likes it.

“The navigation menu has been improved to make it easier to access reservations, training, marketing tools, specials, etc. Carnival also added a knowledge center and a ticker line with news alerts,” he said.

Stamps added that The Cruise Corner does 90% of its Carnival transactions through the travel agent portal.

“We were already happy with the reservation system, but I think the new GoCCL.com page is a good improvement.”

Expedia CruiseShipCenters franchise owner Ian McLeod, CA, told TMR he hasn’t noticed any major differences between BookCCL.com and GoCCL.com, though he said the new site “looks clean and up-to-date with new Web design concepts.”

“It is just as easy to use as BookCCL.com,” he added.

Jim Antista, president of The Cruiseman, based in Springfield, MO, who has been working with goccl.com for about a week, said it appears to be well organized, and easy to use.  “I don’t know if I can say it is any easier than bookccl.com was, but time will tell, of course.  Once the agent accesses a booking to edit, pay, modify, etc. it appears to be the same as it was on bookccl.com.”

He added, “I know some agents don’t like having to do things on line, but I personally do like it, so any improvements to the online experience are welcomed by me. Perhaps their most important improvements – to me – are the ability to work with groups online. This is much better than sitting “on hold” on the phone.”

 Joni Rein, vice president of worldwide sales for Carnival Cruise Lines, said,  “We challenged ourselves to find new ways to make information easier to access and more intuitive, which is what our travel agent partners will find on the new GoCCL.com.”

According to Rein, GoCCL.com is the first in a series of “state-of-the art” tools the cruise line is building to “improve ease of information and accessibility” for travel agents.

To view the new portal, visit GoCCL.com.