Major cruise lines have got the message: Home Based agents have a different set of needs than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. As a result, a number of lines are going out of their way to cater to this valued Home Based segment of the distribution system. Here’s a roundup of what’s available.

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises
RCI and Celebrity have been busy over the past two years making waves with the Home Based agency community. With the launch of the Home Based Portal on CruisingPower, this high-impact tool has provided agents with a dedicated hub for communication, education and sales and marketing tools geared toward the Home Based agency community’s unique needs, according to Cris De Souza, Home Based channel manager.
In addition, education has been at the forefront of the line’s efforts this year, with training efforts focused online, on land and at sea. DeSouza reported that:

• Over 1,000 agents were trained with Royal Caribbean’s Partners@Home online learning series.
• The seminar at sea program resulted in an impressive 1,200 agents experiencing the product offering first-hand and walking away with valuable insight into the untapped potential of their Home Based business.
• An unprecedented success has also been the Home Based Success Series, a three-hour, four-module workshop providing valuable group business insight. Over 1,500 agents have experienced the series (a collaborative partnership with NACTA, NEST and Globus).
• The Freedom Forum and Home Based Summit onboard RCI’s Freedom of the Seas will take place on May 29 and host over 1,000 Home Based agents. Details can be found on www.shoresidenews.com/summit

So what’s next?
“We are honored to be named Cruise Lines of the Year by NACTA in 2005, and in the spirit of our continued commitment, we are partnering with NACTA to host NACTA Nights, an innovative learning and networking series designed to educate and connect Home Based agents with NACTA and one another,” said De Souza.
“We are also thrilled to announce the launch of our Summer Splash regional ship inspection program, which will allow agents across the country to tour our fabulous ships and learn more about our brands.” Royal Caribbean will also be hosting select marquee events with NACTA in conjunction with some of their strategic partner’s headquarter locations (like the Crayola Fun Factory and Ben & Jerry’s).
“Year after year, our Home Based travel partners continue to deliver the wow for their customers and deliver the wow for Royal Caribbean International. We applaud your efforts and appreciate your continued partnership with our brand,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president.
“In 2006, we have increased our dedicated management team for Home Based travel partners, and appointed Theresa Scalzitti as the National Network sales manager. Theresa’s role is to focus on our top Home Based accounts and is their dedicated sales resource for growing their business with our brand.”

Carnival Cruise Lines
Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and marketing, commented on Carnival’s relationship with Home Based agents in this interview with Home Based Trade:
“Carnival Cruise Lines has always treated Home Based agents the same as any retail agent offering the same tools and service that they have come to expect from Carnival. We’ve never discriminated based on ‘where’ an agent is selling from — it’s all about travel agents’ motivation to get out there and develop business.
“Home Based agents have never been a ‘fad’ or the ‘flavor of the week’ at Carnival. Our business development managers have worked with Home Based agents for many years and typically include them in their in-agency calls.
“Home Based agents are professional sellers of cruises and have — and will continue to be — treated extra special by Carnival based on their business. In fact, many Home Based agents are our strongest producers. One of the advantages of Home Based agents is that they’re able to ‘go after’ the business since they do not have a retail location, thus benefiting both the supplier and themselves.
“Carnival continues to develop new initiatives to reach out to all travel agents to help them learn more about the ‘Fun Ship’ product, develop new business and close more sales. Most recently, the line launched its new Carnival University Online travel agent training program, comprised of seven comprehensive chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of the line’s business, all in convenient, Web-based format available 24/7 — ideal for Home Based agents.
“Carnival University Online is the latest addition to the line’s travel agent Internet portal, bookccl.com, which provides agents with a “one-stop shop” to fulfill all of their sales and marketing needs, with more than 1,000 pages of content and a dynamic booking engine linked directly to Carnival’s reservations system. Additionally, with Carnival’s level playing field initiative — which ensures that all travel agencies, regardless of size, have access to the same pricing from Carnival — agents are able to compete on price and let service be the difference,” Freed added.

Costa Cruise Line
“Learning what Costa has to offer has never been better for Home Based agents,” said Lynn Torrent, president and CEO of Costa Cruise Lines.
“A dedicated team of Costa sales development managers is easily accessible to meet with Home Based agents on an individual basis to discuss the many valuable tools and resources that are at their fingertips — including innovative new ‘Webinars.’ In addition, agents who work with Costa will find exceptional group rates, meaningful concessions, up to 17% commission on cruises booked and 24/7 booking capability on Amadeus, icruise, Revelex, Worldspan and Sabre.”

Holland America Line
To meet the opportunity of providing full service sales and marketing support to travel sellers working from home, Holland America Line features its comprehensive @Home With HAL program, which is backed by a department of dynamic sales representatives committed to working with Home Based agents, according to Richard Meadows, CTC, senior vice president of marketing and sales.
“At Holland America Line, we have realized sustained growth and success through our esteemed alliance with the travel agent community, “ said Meadows. “We have entrusted the sales of our products to the talents of travel experts in large and small agencies and placed infinite value on servicing not only the high-volume producers but also our travel agent partners at the smaller, lesser known and younger businesses.”
@Home with HAL is a multitiered program to fit the varying needs of travel professionals. Upon registering, agents will have access to their Business Development Team and a special Web site, which directly links them to promotions, customizable sales and marketing materials and a monthly newsletter.
“One of the first tools they can use to save time and money is our E-brochures. In addition to the same content as in the hard copy brochures — photos, deck plans, port descriptions and pricing — these online books offer up-to-the-minute information on onboard services and itineraries, including port additions and changes, guest speakers and more,” said Meadows.
“The premier feature of @Home With HAL is the extensive Business Development Services Department. The teaming of local Business Development Managers with the Seattle-based Business Development Representatives creates double the coverage for all travel professionals, including Home Based agents.
“Professionals working from home have the challenge of generating interest without a storefront or office network of agents,” said Meadows. “However, we know that they are adept and experienced and our Business Development Teams are ready to work creatively with them.”

Norwegian Cruise Line
NCL has “put a lot of energy into understanding Home Based agents,” according to Andy Stuart, executive vice president of marketing, sales and passenger services.
The line recognized early on that there is a difference between brick-and-mortar and Home Based agents — particularly since NCL has over 100 home based res agents whose needs, including motivation and communication, differ from the in-house staff in Miami.
Terri Burke, the line’s vice president of business development — who set a precedent when she became a home based executive — also pointed out that “the majority of our sales team is out in the field and very much home based. We need to embrace our counterparts on the agency side and recognize the fact that they are different. For instance, many Home Based agents see themselves as entrepreneurs — not as travel agents.”
Burke said that among the primary moves NCL made to differentiate and recognize Home Based agents was creating an advisory board featuring a group of agents who speak out on behalf of their counterparts across the country. “For instance, they advised us that they needed a dedicated phone line to reach inside sales...and we did that.”
In about a month, she added, NCL will have a “100% Home Based” Web site that will resemble an “electronic house,” with portals designed as windows leading to information on marketing tools, collaterals, Sales PAL (a weekly rate sheet) and more.
“We want Home Based agents to feel that they’re inside our system,” said Burke. “We offer them special training, exclusive seminars at sea, luncheons, etc. We’re asking our DSMs to give a higher profile to Home Based agents. For instance, we invited a huge contingency of Home Based agents to the Pride of Hawaii inaugural. And, realizing that many of them find it very difficult to get away, we have a program built into our res system, in which a secondary phone number of an associate is required, resulting in a seamless booking process.”
Stuart pointed out that today’s technology allows Home Based agents to have “the benefit of scale” that was unavailable a decade or so ago. “These agents can be a part of a large Host agency with all its booking advantages and still be in the community and touch the customer in a personal way. It’s both personal and high tech — a powerful combination.”
Burke said that NCL is in the midst of reassessing its sales department and will be looking for a manager “who will be the face and home of everything Home Based, building it to a higher level, taking the Web site, newsletter, etc., and infusing that with really important Home Based idea sharing.”

Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises inaugurated the Oceania@Home Agent Suite two years ago specifically for Home Based agents. It’s designed to identify and service the growing population of Home Based agents with innovative and educational online/offline marketing and sales tools, according to Bob Binder, executive vice president.
The Oceania@Home Agent Suite is comprised of varied tools tailored specifically for the unique needs of Home Based Agents and includes: an exclusive, private-label Web site; Web-based Training Tools; concierge-style personal support; online access to live availability; onboard training seminars; and special incentive commissions. These, along with personalized marketing tools that allow Home Based agents to customize their E-marketing, are all part of the Oceania@Home program.
“Home Based agents are one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry and Oceania Cruises realizes that they have highly specialized needs. The Oceania@Home program shows how vital Home Based agents are to the cruise industry,” stated Binder.

Princess Cruises/Cunard Line
Home Based agents can take advantage of “incredible booking and management tools” that have recently been enhanced, according to Jan Swartz, senior vice president customer service and sales for both lines.
Among the “dramatic changes” she cited is POLAR online, a Web-based tool that offers Home Based agents direct access into the reservation mainframe service. “POLAR Online was introduced about a year and one-half ago and usage has skyrocketed. It’s now the number one source of bookings for Princess and Cunard,” said Swartz.
“It puts power in the hands of Home Based agents, who can make a booking in two minutes. It’s an enormous time saver for the front line agent — particularly for the Home Based.”
Earlier this month, Princess and Cunard added group space reservations to POLAR Online.