Dubai. 18th July 2011: Travel agent training is about to reach a new level with the re-launch of the award-winning Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises
e-learning programme, Cruising for Excellence online. The new online training includes 3-D environments for agents to explore and learn the key selling points of the ships, almost as if they were onboard.
Since its inception in 2006, Cruising for Excellence online has trained more than 20,000 travel agents, with half of these agents making it to the highest tier of the training program. First developed for the United Kingdom and Ireland market, Cruising for Excellence online is celebrating its fifth anniversary by rolling out the e-learning tool into 10 languages (16 versions including local dialects) for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s travel agent partners residing outside the United States and Canada. The languages available are English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Helen Beck, Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., explains: "The investment in training is exciting for our travel agents throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. University of WOW was a popular tool in our markets, but was focused only on the Royal Caribbean International brand. We are thrilled to be offering Cruising for Excellence, which encompasses all three brands - Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. The tool allows travel agents to learn at their own pace and to receive recognition based on successfully completing the different modules."
Highlights of the new Cruising for Excellence online e-learning programme include:
· Interactive, virtual graphic ship environments that allow browsers to take a look around key onboard features such as Central Park on Allure of the Seas and the Lawn Club onboard Celebrity Cruises' Solstice class ships
· 3-D virtual environments include 'real' people to create a feel for cruising
· Intuitive and fun navigation
· Visual training sessions that include quizzes and videos to keep agents motivated and engaged
· A leader board of top scorers completing the Cruising for Excellence online training allows everyone to see top achievers and drives a sense of competition between agencies
· The opportunity to become a brand 'Captain', the highest achievement in the training programme, so that agents can focus on being a specialist on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Club Cruises, rather than all three if their business focuses on only one or two of the brands
· Agents who complete all training modules become the ultimate cruise specialists and gain the "Admiral" status
The revamped interactive Cruising for Excellence e-learning programme follows feedback from agents who said they wanted to get "closer to ships", and who wanted a more engaging learning experience, as well as sessions that are clear and concise and use more visual content.
For a preview of the online training from Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises please visit http://english.cruisingforexcellence.com
To access the new Cruising for Excellence in English, travel agents should visit www.cruisingpower.com
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About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France. The company has a combined total of 40 ships in service and two under construction. It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Dubai, Europe and South America. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.cdfcroisieresdefrance.com or www.rclinvestor.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Andrea Krenn +971 4 3902974
andrea.k@actionprgroup.com
© Press Release 2011
