RIVER CRUISE TRAINING
If you’re a travel agent and happen to love river cruises, chances are you’ve found River Cruise Advisor to be a helpful resource. It’s true that you’ll find a wealth of information here, but beyond what you can learn from us, there are also some training opportunities for travel agents who are interested in pursuing the “river cruise niche.”
Also, we publish a trade newsletter, distributed every other week, called European River Currents. For more information, visit europeanrivercurrents.com.
If you’re thinking about specializing in river cruises, you’ll need some of the additional training resources that are available. A great place to start is with the river cruise companies. Although not all of them offer training about their products, some do. And some of what’s offered is pretty extensive. Let’s take a look at a few of these programs.
River Cruise Company Training Programs
We’ll begin with Scenic, since it has two of the most comprehensive programs. For both of its brands – Scenic and Emerald Cruises – the company offers a six-part course Specialist Course for travel agents. Both courses do a great job covering the products as well as demonstrating how to navigate the travel agent section for bookings. The courses even address how to market the Scenic and Emerald Cruises’ products effectively.
Next up, AmaWaterways. The AmaWaterways Specialist Program offers a training program that is hosted by Travel Agent University. The course is designed to familiarize travel agents with the AmaWaterways’ products, including the ships and the rivers they travel. In order to take the course, you’ll need to be registered with Travel Agent University.
Avalon Waterways has training available through its parent company, Globus. The Avalon Specialist Training is designed for travel agents who would like to learn more about the Avalon Waterways’ products. You’ll need registered with Globus in order to enroll in this program.
CroisiEurope has a Travel Agent Portal, with information about reward/commission programs, groups, charters and incentives, and access to images as well as an online agency booking tool.
Tauck has its own Specialist Program, which is offered by the Travel Agent Academy. This course is designed for travel agents who are interested in learning about the Tauck River Cruise brand.
Uniworld features a River Cruise Specialist program. Travel agents must be registered with Uniworld in order to access the course material. The training focuses on the company’s own brand and how it serves the river cruise market.
Viking River Cruises has seven certification courses. Upon successful completion of these courses, travel agents receive the Viking Master Cruise Expert designation. The program focuses on the company’s river cruise products with a strong emphasis on selling river cruises.
Other River Cruise Training Options
Travel Weekly offers several webinars for travel agents every month. If you can’t attend the live broadcast, recorded versions are usually available on demand. While training topics vary, there are some for river cruises. The webinars are usually presented by the river cruise companies, which means you’ll learn about the brands and what they have to offer with regard to river cruises.
Another resource available to travel agents is Travel Agent Central. There are a variety of topic available to choose from. River cruises is one of them.
Travel Agent University also offers a course entitled “How to Sell River Cruises.” In order to access the training, you need to be registered with Travel Agent University.
The Sell River Cruises‘ course is available to travel agents who are members of the Travel Agent Academy.
chris smith says
cruise planners is also a great cause for river cruise training –
http://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/travel-agent-university/travel-agent-training/
Ralph Grizzle says
Thanks Chris. Yes, I am a fan of Cruise Planners and the management team.
Ann Bartholomew says
Ralph;
Actually, Tauck in fact does have a river cruise training course. I took it, as well as the ones from AmaWaterways (and your River Cruise Academy), Uniworld, and the one offered by the Travel Agent Academy.
Ralph Grizzle says
Thank you Ann! I rely on my front-line guards, like you, to keep us up to date. I’ve corrected it already.
Ann Bartholomew says
So where do we report empty blog entries?
Ralph Grizzle says
You can tell me. Do you have my email address? Many thanks for your help!
Ann Bartholomew says
Sorry, no I don’t…
Ralph Grizzle says
This will reach me directly Ann: https://rivercruiseadvisor.com/contact/
Cheryl Dixon says
Excellent resource! As a river cruise specialist travel agent, I value RCA for general information and to stay current on “what’s happening”!
Cindy Watty says
Thank you, Ralph! Great site with good information. I did notice, though, that you checked off port charges for Scenic, and they are not included in their price.
mosspa says
Ralph, thanks for starting a section for those of us who are TAs!
Ralph Grizzle says
Thank you Patty. Please let us know what you need and we’ll try to include it in the TA section.