Cruise: A Travel Specialist Course

Build the knowledge and confidence to navigate today’s diverse cruise marketplace, match clients with the right cruise experiences, and create vacations tailored to their needs and travel goals.

Testing fees are not included.

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$89.00

INDUSTRY LEADING Training, FOR OVER 60 YEARS

Welcome to Cruise
A Destination Specialist

Today's cruise marketplace offers travelers more choices than ever, from contemporary and premium voyages to luxury, river, expedition, sailing, and yacht experiences. With so many options, the value of a knowledgeable travel advisor goes far beyond finding the right price or itinerary. The Cruise Travel Specialist course gives you the industry knowledge, practical planning skills, and consultative approach needed to confidently match clients with the cruise experiences that best fit their travel styles and expectations. You'll learn to ask better discovery questions, navigate key planning and booking considerations, and curate cruise vacations that build stronger client relationships.

Thank you to our course sponsors

When you complete your learning journey through the Cruise Travel Specialist course, you will:

Differentiate among major cruise categories, including contemporary, premium, luxury, river, expedition, sailing, and yacht cruises.
Understand how cruise line culture, ship size, itinerary design, onboard atmosphere, and included amenities shape the overall cruise experience.
Match clients with the right cruise experience by asking effective discovery questions, identifying priorities, and managing expectations.
Navigate cruise pricing and promotions, stateroom selection, loyalty programs, documentation requirements, shore excursions, and pre- and post-cruise planning.
Address common traveler concerns and misconceptions to help clients make more informed decisions.
Confidently position and sell cruise vacations by focusing on traveler needs, overall value, and long-term relationship building.

Practical tips and advice

Gain practical cruise planning insights and resources you can use when qualifying clients, comparing cruise experiences, making recommendations, and managing the booking process.

Multi-media presentations

Explore today’s cruise industry through engaging multimedia lessons, industry insights, real-world examples, interactive learning activities, and knowledge checks designed to reinforce key concepts.

Apply Your Knowledge

Put what you’ve learned into practice through activities and real-world scenarios that strengthen your ability to evaluate cruise options, understand client priorities, and confidently recommend the right cruise experience.

Become a Specialist

Earn the Certified Cruise Travel Specialist designation and demonstrate your expertise and commitment to helping clients navigate today’s diverse cruise marketplace.

Journey to Success

Your Learning Experience

Build your cruise expertise through an engaging online learning experience designed specifically for travel advisors. Practical activities, industry insights, real-world scenarios, and application exercises help you move beyond simply booking cruises to confidently curating cruise experiences around your clients.

Students have 12 months to complete their studies.
Course length: 10-12 Hours
The Cruise Travel Specialist course is featured on a variety of computers and mobile devices.

Course Curriculum

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Cruise Industry

Build a strong foundation in cruising by exploring the industry’s evolution, today’s cruise marketplace, and the role of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Lesson 2: Cruise Categories

Explore the differences among contemporary, premium, luxury, river, expedition, sailing, and yacht cruises, along with the factors that shape the onboard experience.

Lesson 3: Matching the Right Cruise Experience

Learn a strategic recommendation process that uses effective discovery questions, traveler priorities, and expectations to match each client with the cruise experience that’s right for them.

Lesson 4: Cruise Destinations and Itinerary Styles

Explore popular warm-weather regions, scenic and nature-focused voyages, immersive and specialty cruises, charter and themed sailings, and off-the-beaten-path experiences to expand the options you can confidently recommend.

Lesson 5: Curating Cruise Vacations

Navigate the details that shape a successful cruise vacation, including pricing and promotions, loyalty programs, stateroom selection, documentation, shore excursions, travel protection, the booking process, and pre- and post-cruise planning.

Lesson 6: Marketing Cruise Experiences

Learn how to position and market cruise travel, communicate its value to clients, and identify opportunities to grow your business through individual and group cruise experiences.

Testing

A Certified Cruise Travel Specialist

Become a Cruise Travel Specialist and demonstrate your knowledge of today’s cruise marketplace and your ability to confidently match travelers with cruise experiences that meet their individual needs and expectations.

Students have 12 months to complete their studies.
Pass the closed book multiple choice test.
Complete the required Experiential Checklist to become a Cruise Travel Specialist.

Continuing Education Units

Completion of this course qualifies for 10 CEUs toward maintaining the CTA, CTC, or CTIE certification.

Education HUB

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RETURNS/REFUNDS:

All products purchased from The Travel Institute are NON-REFUNDABLE. This includes memberships/subscriptions; online/downloaded courses and materials; textbooks and reference materials; and/or materials not created by The Travel Institute (3rd-party products). Damaged products will be exchanged for the same title.

Cruise: A Travel Specialist Course

INDUSTRY LEADING Training, FOR OVER 60 YEARS

Welcome to Cruise
A Destination Specialist

Thank you to our course sponsors