How to Become a Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent

We've created a detailed guide below on how to become a travel agent for this elegant cruise line. But if you prefer quick answers, simply click vacationlab.io/join to chat live with our team and learn firsthand how to become a travel agent for Celebrity Cruises - plus gain access to all our other travel partners. Best of all, joining is completely free, no dues or fees from us, ever!

Do you like the idea of being the fun travel agent? Well, you might be in the right place! Carnival Cruise Line is known as the fun cruise line, with ships filled with nightly entertainment, huge parties, and tons of exciting options, like a roller coaster on top of a ship. Crazy, right?

What isn’t crazy is that you can help people book their next trip on Carnival Cruise Line, all while making great money from the comfort of your home… or by the beach… or even onboard a Carnival ship itself. Being a Carnival travel agent is all about having the right mindset to assist those looking for their next (fun) vacation aboard massive cruise ships like the Carnival Jubilee or the Mardi Gras.

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a Carnival Cruise Line travel agent. We’ll cover:

• Benefits of Becoming a Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent
• Skills Required to Become a Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent
• Finding a Carnival Cruise Line Host Agency
• The Best Host Agency for Carnival Cruise Line
• Tips for Those Starting Out
• Training Courses for Carnival Cruise Line
• Getting Paid
• Free Stock Library
• Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent FAQ

Now let’s get started!

Lots of Bookings!

Carnival Cruise Line is one of the biggest cruise lines in the world, with tons of new bookings every day. It is incredibly popular in the North American market and launches a new ship basically every year. Carnival is also known as a budget cruise line, offering trips to the Caribbean at very affordable rates. Do you know what that means? Lots of new bookings and the chance to have hundreds of guests who only travel with Carnival.

Carnival is All About FUN

Carnival Cruise Line is famously known as the "party cruise line," attracting many young adults, recent college graduates, and budget travelers. As a travel agent, you’ll likely help younger guests plan their next exciting getaway, so it’s perfectly fine to use a more casual yet always polite tone when communicating with them. Recently, Carnival has also been putting more focus on families, with ships like the Carnival Jubilee offering a wide range of entertainment options for kids.

Chance to increase your $$$

Carnival usually pays travel agents an 11% commission, but it’s not uncommon for the fun cruise line to offer challenges from time to time that increase the commission rate from 11% to 15% based on the number of bookings. These challenges are a great way for agents to invest in their new careers and expand their client base. Considering that Carnival is a very popular cruise brand, there’s a good chance you can reach that 15% in no time!

Communication Skills

Sure, you need to communicate well with any client, and you need a different approach for different types of guests. Carnival tends to attract younger guests - college students, recent graduates, and young adults looking to party - and, yes, also families with kids who want to have a great time aboard new ships like Mardi Gras and Carnival Jubilee. Of course, each case is different, but most of the time, you will be okay with a casual tone when speaking with Carnival guests. Just remember to always stay polite and respectful.

Stay Up to Date with Everything Carnival-Related

Carnival Cruise Line is one of the largest cruise lines in the world, with numerous ships, entertainment options, and dining experiences. While it’s impossible to keep track of every restaurant and menu across all the ships, it’s important to stay informed about the latest developments.

What’s the newest Carnival cruise ship? Which one is best for a quick trip to the Caribbean? And what exactly is Bolt? Spoiler alert: it’s the roller coaster on top of some Carnival ships. You need to understand what you are selling, so researching Carnival is crucial. 

You need to research things like:

• Parties on Carnival Cruise Line
• Itineraries and Stateroom Prices
• The best restaurants onboard Carnival Cruise Line
• Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster
• The Punchliner Comedy Club
• Dr. Seuss characters onboard Carnival Cruise Line

Hey, you’re already browsing one of the best host agencies around! We have a lot of information about Carnival on our sister website, Famvia, and plenty of travel agents from North America who can help you with this fun cruise line. We’d love to have you here, of course, but here are some tips for choosing a host agency. Look for host agencies that:

• Have a good track record
• Offer an interview process
• Share commissions with you fairly (typically starting at 70% for the travel agent)
• Are as fun as Carnival!

VacationLab is the best host agency if you want to focus on Carnival Cruise Line, other cruise lines, theme parks, and even beach resorts. Here’s why!

• It doesn’t matter if you have previous experience as a travel agent, we're here to help you.
• We have a fun interview process!
• We offer SORS - our very own Travel Dashboard to help you manage bookings and travel rewards.
• We provide exclusive courses, like Mastering Travel Social Media, to support travel advisors of all backgrounds.
• We offer a commission split starting at 70%.
• We have hundreds of guides and reviews on our sister site, Famvia, covering major cruise lines, theme parks, and beach resorts. This includes Carnival Cruise Line, where we have multiple guides talking about the company, dining options, stateroom options, itineraries, activities and more.
• We’re always ready to listen, chat, and lend a helping hand!

Become a Carnival Cruise Line Expert

Hey, if you're planning on becoming a Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent, you should at least know about the company, what they offer, and how much a vacation with them usually costs, right? No worries if the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Carnival is Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. We all have to start somewhere, and the great thing about the internet age is that information is right at our fingertips.

VacationLab's sister site, Famvia, offers free guides about Carnival, providing detailed information in a fun and easy-to-understand way. You can learn a lot there, and the guides and articles include:

• Planning a Cruise on Carnival Cruise Line
• Room Options Onboard Carnival Cruise Line
• Dining Options Onboard Carnival Cruise Line
• Activities Onboard Carnival Cruise Line
• Itineraries and Destinations for Carnival Cruise Line
• Carnival Jubilee Review

There’s a lot of information there, with dozens of pages talking about Carnival!

Prepare for your Interview

You need to be prepared and understand what Carnival is all about when applying to become a travel agent for Carnival Cruise Line. You should research the overall vibe of Carnival (tip: they’re all about fun cruises), the BOLT rollercoaster aboard some of their ships, their waterparks, the Kids' Club, and the VIFP Club loyalty program. Show the interviewer that you know the subject well and, yes, that you are a fun person.

Commission Payout

Your commission is paid once the final payment is received by Carnival Cruise Line.

Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent Rates

While specific commission percentages are protected by NDA (“Non Disclosure Agreement”) between all travel partners/travel suppliers and the host agency, you can assume that commission percentages range from 10% up to 20% (depending on the type of booking).

Carnival occasionally offers the "AMP Up Commission Challenge," allowing travel agents to qualify for higher commission levels, ranging from 11% to 15%, based on their booking volume.

_{Note: Commissions are always paid on the pre-tax amount!}

A 7-day Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, TX, onboard the Carnival Jubilee for two guests in a Balcony Stateroom averages $2,300.

_{Note: Cruise lines also deduct what are called “NCFs” or Non-Commission Fares and typically range from $100 - $250 per person. Let’s deduct $100 per guest, making the total cost $2,100.}

Gross commission amount: 11% $2,100 = $231 Gross Commission

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Assuming you have a 70% Commission Split with you agency

70% = $161.70 to YOU

30% = $69.30 to the Agency

Not too shabby, considering this is a pretty common vacation for two guests, and you could book hundreds of them.

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Carnival Cruise Line Travel Agent Salary

It’s difficult to determine exactly how much a Carnival travel agent earns per year since many factors come into play, such as the number of bookings, trip prices, and more.

Carnival Cruise Line travel agents can earn anywhere from $40,000 to $70,000 per year, depending on whether they work full-time as a travel agent or focus solely on Carnival.

The Loyalty Rocks Training Program

Once you join a travel agency, you’ll need to complete the GoCCL Navigator training to be eligible to book with Carnival.

If you want to dive even deeper into Carnival Cruise Line, consider checking out this doc related to Loyalty Rocks, Carnival's official Travel Agent Course. Participation must be authorized by an agency employer.

Loyalty Rocks Training Program Requirements

To apply to the Loyalty Rocks Training Program, you must first be part of a host agency and a legal resident of the United States, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Guatemala, or Canada. Then, simply head to the link above, fill out the required fields, and select the courses you’re interested in. You don’t need to pay for the Loyalty Rocks Training Program.

The Carnival PVP (Personal Vacation Planner)

When booking a trip with Carnival, you might hear the term "Carnival PVP" frequently. Keep in mind that Carnival PVPs aren't traditional travel agents; they are individuals who work directly for Carnival and applied through the company’s career website.

VacationLab gives you access to thousands of images and videos from major cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean, theme parks like Disney World and Disneyland, and beach resorts like Beaches Resorts.

By joining us, you'll also gain access to our exclusive database, making it easy to showcase images and videos to your clients based on what they’re looking for.