Miami, FL-based Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest operating unit of Carnival
Corp., launched BookCCL.com, a live Internet booking engine for travel agents.
The site can be accessed directly at BookCCL.com or through a link on
Carnival’s Web site.
“The Internet offers ease of access, convenience and 24-hour-a-day
availability to travel agents, many of whom do not necessarily subscribe to
the major electronic cruise booking services, or may be working from home or
at hours when Carnival’s phone lines aren’t available,” said Bob Dickinson,
president of Carnival Cruise Lines.
He pointed out that a recent study by the Travel Industry Association of
America in Washington, D.C., showed that an estimated 33.8 million adults
used the Internet in 1998 for travel planning, which represents a 1,000
percent increase within the past two years alone.
Each travel agency will be required to designate one individual who will
contact Carnival for that agency’s user I.D. and password. Once having
accessed the agent-exclusive area, Carnival’s Internet booking engine guides
users through
each step of the reservations process.
All 14 ships in the fleet, including the 102,000-ton Carnival Triumph, which
is scheduled to enter service in July, are available for booking via
BookCCL.com.
The company said it is also developing a similar live Internet reservations
vehicle for consumers, which is expected to be launched later this winter. Holland
America Line, another operating unit of Carnival Corp., is expected to launch
its own booking engine for travel agents later this year.