How to Become a Viking Cruises Travel Agent

We’ve put together an in-depth guide below on how to become a travel agent for one of the most elegant river & ocean cruise lines in the world. But if you’d prefer to get answers right away, just click vacationlab.io/join to chat live with our team and learn firsthand how to become a travel agent for Viking Cruises, and gain access to all our other travel partners as well. Best of all, clicking the link is completely free - no dues or fees from us, ever!

Viking Cruises is classy. This is an adults-only cruise line that many people don’t know about, but it caters to a very specific audience: older guests who want luxury and top-notch experiences on their vacation. Viking Cruises offers not only ocean cruises but also river cruises and what they call expeditions - cruises focused on exploring the rich history of specific destinations.

Viking Cruises isn’t cheap, but guests traveling with them know that. This is a cruise line that requires travel agents who are extremely polite, knowledgeable, and comfortable speaking with guests aged 60 and older who have lots of questions about their next cruise.

Want to help people with this cruise line and get your name out there? Get ready to research Viking Cruises and answer some common questions, like how much a Viking cruise costs (tip: it easily reaches $2,800 per guest for an 8-night cruise), their main destinations, what’s included in the fare (tip #2: beer and Wi-Fi are always included!), and the difference between their river cruises, ocean cruises, and expeditions.

This guide will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a Viking Cruises travel agent. We will cover:

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

Now let’s get started!

Viking Cruises is very niche

Let’s be honest, when you think about cruises, you usually think of Royal Caribbean, Disney, Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, and all the other big players. Viking Cruises is still a niche travel supplier, which means there aren’t as many travel agents working with them, at least compared to the major cruise lines. You can certainly focus on Viking as your main travel supplier when starting out and test the waters before expanding your portfolio of travel suppliers.

Viking Cruises Pays Well and does not include NFCs

Viking Cruises is a top-notch luxury cruise line focused on providing an exceptional experience and longer itineraries. As mentioned before, an 8-night cruise with them costs around $2,800 per guest. If you manage to sell a few Viking Cruises trips per month, that can add up to a solid commission for you.

Another great advantage is that Viking Cruises does not include noncommissionable fees (NCFs) in its commission structure. This means that taxes on expenses like port fees and fuel are never deducted from your commission.

Guests (basically) Need You When Traveling with Viking Cruises

The official Viking Cruises website can sometimes be a bit confusing. It offers a variety of cruises, from river and ocean cruises to expeditions, but there’s a catch that often surprises people: you can’t book a cruise directly through the website. 

Instead, you’ll only have the option to “request a quote” and send a message to Viking for pricing information. While this might be inconvenient for clients, the good news is that you can handle all of that for them, providing all the details they need without requiring them to request quotes online every time.

Viking Cruises Teaches You a Lot About Being a Travel Agent

That might sound surprising, but working as a Viking Cruises travel agent is a great way to practice and grow in the industry. Viking Cruises offers ocean cruises, river cruises, and expeditions, meaning you’ll research and sell different types of vacations to guests from all over the world. 

Ocean cruises are fairly common, but river cruises are still a niche market, and they’re growing. The same goes for expeditions. By studying these offerings and understanding what makes them special, you’ll gain a valuable head start when transitioning to specific river cruise travel suppliers or those specializing in expedition cruises.

Of course, being a travel agent for any cruise line requires a certain set of skills, and if you want to specialize in Viking Cruises, there are some specific ones you'll need. Let’s take a look.

Communication Skills

Good communication skills are essential in almost every job, but they’re especially important for travel agents. As a travel agent, you’ll act almost like a teacher, guiding guests through everything they need to know about different travel suppliers.

Communication skills become even more crucial when working with Viking Cruises. You’ll be speaking with guests who are usually in their 60s and looking for a romantic cruise or a peaceful getaway rather than high-energy entertainment. It’s important to be especially polite and understanding while clearly explaining Viking Cruises’ unique features, from included Wi-Fi and beer to their various stateroom options. Also, keep in mind that Viking is an adults-only cruise line, so guests reaching out to you won’t be traveling with children.

Stay Up to Date with Everything Viking-Related

As a travel agent, you need to be well-informed about the travel suppliers you’re selling. Viking Cruises operates over 100 ships worldwide, and while you’re not expected to know every detail about each one, you should be familiar with their key ships, top destinations, and the perks of sailing with Viking. It’s essential to understand common topics that frequently come up in conversations, such as typical cruise prices, stateroom options, onboard activities, and what’s included in the fare.

You need to research things like:

• Main Destinations
• What’s included in your fare 
• Entertainment Options
• Restaurants
• Expedition Cruises
• Viking Air
• What are River Cruises
• …and more!

Hey, you’re already browsing one of the best host agencies around! We have a lot of information about Viking on our sister website, Famvia, and plenty of travel agents across the globe 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 and good online reviews
• Offer an interview process and listen to you
• Share commissions with you fairly (typically starting at 70% for the travel agent)
• Are as fancy as Viking!

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

• No experience as a travel agent? No problem! We're here to help you.
• We have a (super) fun interview process and listen to what you have to say!
• We offer SORS - our very own Travel Dashboard to help you manage bookings and travel rewards. Yes, SORS like in sorcery, it’s that good.
• 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 Viking Cruises as well!
• We’re always ready to listen, chat, and lend a helping hand!

Become a Viking Cruises Expert

One of the rules of being a travel agent is that you need to be an expert on the travel supplier you’re trying to sell. After all, if someone comes to you asking about Viking Cruises, you need to be ready to answer with confidence, as if you’ve mastered the subject.

VacationLab's sister site, Famvia, offers a free guide covering everything about Viking Cruises, including pricing, stateroom options, what’s included, and more. Check it out, learn about Viking, and expand your knowledge through online training courses!

• Planning a Cruise on Viking Cruise Line

There’s a lot of information there, so use this guide to familiarize yourself with Viking Cruises before trying the training courses!

Prepare for your Interview

You need to prepare for your interview by researching two key subjects: the host agency in question and the travel supplier. 

When it comes to Viking Cruises, you don’t need to memorize details about their entire fleet, but you should understand what makes this cruise line unique. For example, they are a luxury, adults-only cruise line offering ocean, river, and expedition cruises, with some awesome inclusions in their base fare. Stay calm, ask thoughtful questions to demonstrate your interest and expertise, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a Viking Cruises travel agent in no time!

Commission Payout

Viking Cruises typically issues travel agent commission payments within 30 days of receiving the final payment.

Viking Cruises 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).

Viking Cruises is a premium travel supplier, with cruises that can cost thousands of dollars, making it great news for you as a travel agent. Even better, Viking does not include noncommissionable fees (NCFs) in its commission structure.

Let’s make a quick simulation based on both a river cruise and an ocean cruise to see how much you’d get on commissions:

Let’s take into consideration first a 15-Day River Cruise:

• Total cruise fare: $12,000
• Base commission (10%): $1,200
• Your share at 80% split: $960

Now for an Ocean Cruise in a Viking Ocean Suite:

Viking Ocean Suite:

• Total cruise fare: $15,000
• Base commission (10%): $1,500
• Your share at 80% split: $1,200

Viking Cruises Travel Agent Salary

Your salary will depend on several factors, including the number of bookings and the overall cost of certain vacations. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a Viking Cruises travel agent ranges from $40,000 to $70,000 per year.

Viking Cruises Travel Advisor Academy

The Viking Cruises Travel Advisor Academy is Viking’s official training program for travel agents. This four-module course helps advisors become Viking Certified Experts, equipping them with sales and marketing strategies to sell Viking’s river, ocean, and expedition voyages.

Viking Cruises Travel Agent Perks

Viking follows a "learn & earn" philosophy, meaning travel agents unlock new benefits and perks as they complete training modules and deepen their understanding of Viking. These benefits include:

• $100 per booking incentive loaded onto a Viking reloadable VISA card for every confirmed booking made within 30 days of successfully completing the Viking Fundamentals, Rivers, Oceans, and Expeditions courses.
• A certificate of completion recognizing your achievement as a Viking Certified Expert.
• A digital Viking Certified Expert badge for use on websites and email signatures.
• Membership in the Viking graduate community, granting access to special travel advisor cruise rates and FAM (familiarization) sailings.

You can learn more about the new Travel Advisor Portal by following this link.

Viking Cruises Travel Agent Course Requirements

To apply for the Viking Cruises Travel Advisor Academy, you must first be affiliated with a host agency. Once eligible, simply complete the required fields and select the courses you’re interested in. Best of all, the Viking Cruises Travel Advisor Academy is completely free.

CLIA Training

You might also want to look into CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) and complete specific courses there. CLIA certification brings numerous benefits, as you can see here.

VacationLab gives you access to thousands of images and videos from major cruise lines to theme parks and beach 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.