Cruise operations involve both sea-based and land-based divisions of labor. Sea-based operations are divided into sailing operations, led by the first officer, and hotel operations, led by the hotel manager. Land-based operations include corporate leadership roles like the CEO and various vice presidents who oversee areas like marketing, sales, and operations. Travel agencies play an important role in selling cruises and come in various forms like independent agencies, agency chains, and cruise-only specialists. Agents receive training and certification from the Cruise Lines International Association to become accredited cruise counselors.

1. WHO’S WHO IN CRUISING

2. SEA-BASED OPERATIONS
• Cruise lines divide operations onboard their
ships into 2 broad categories: SAILING
OPERATIONS & HOTEL OPERATIONS.
• The captain is in charge of both operational
sectors.
• He also attends certain social functions
onboard so that the passengers can get to
know him better

3. Sailing Operations
• First officer – in charge when the captain is busy or not on
board.
• Chief Engineer – oversees all mechanical operations,
including the engines, electrical system, lighting, plumbing, waste
management, and onboard climate.
• Chief Medical Officer or Doctor – tends to health of
passengers and crew.
• Chief Radio or Communications Officer – oversees
in-room satellite, phone calls, internet service, and all shipboard
communication system

4. Hotel Operations
• Hotel manager/director – responsible for guest satisfaction
and comfort, Human resources, security, expenditures, and
revenues.
• Shore excursion manager – orchestrates the operation and
booking on port-based packages. Sometimes called the concierge.
• Purser – administers day-to-day affairs, like, passenger accounts,
mail, messages, immigration and costume requirements.
– Has 2 assistants: Crew purser, who treats crew issue. Hotel
purser, tends to passenger matters.

5. • Cruise director – coordinates all entertainment and
informational activities that take place as part of the cruise
experience. He/she is a part host, part entertainer, and is a
critical link between passengers and crew.
• Executive chef – controls the preparation and serving of
all food and beverages.
• Head housekeeper – Manages all stateroom, public
space, and other shipboard cleaning. Supervises a squad of
cabin steward.
• F&B manager – oversees the serving of meals and drinks,
also the bartenders, wine stewards, waiters

6. LAND-BASED OPERATION
• CEO or Chairman – The principal or sole owner of the cruise
line or may be responsible for the stockholders
• President – sets the company’s direction in all areas: sales,
marketing, operations, finance, and the like.
• VP of marketing – orchestrates the research, development,
promotion, and follow-up on the cruise line products.
• VP of sales – oversees the actual selling of cruises, either through
agencies or directly to the public.
• VP of finance – administers and addresses all financial issues.
• VP of operations or passenger services – responsible
for all onboard and shore-side activities.

7. • VP of national accounts – represents the cruise
line to major agency chains.
• VP of groups and incentives – orchestrates all
group sales, marketing, and operational activities.

8. TRAVEL AGENCIES
• Travel agents are important because all
cruises are different from each other and we
need the expertise of the agent to help us
decide which cruise is the right one for us.

9. 3 KINDS OF TRAVEL AGENCIES
• Independent agencies – privately owned agencies,
unaffiliated with any larger institution. Often called
mom&pops. They are the “corner store” of travel retailers.
• Agency Chains – as with most other retail industries,
this is a large group of regionally or nationally branded
agencies.
• Cruise-only agencies – are specialists. They pride
themselves on their especially deep knowledge of ships,
cruise lines, and ports.

10. OTHER SELLERS
• Online Companies – sell cruise via internet.
• Tour companies – sell cruise through their catalogs and other
promotional avenues.
• Cruise consolidators – buy blocks of staterooms from the
lines, for resale.
• Incentive companies – buy space from cruise lines for special
cruise experience they arrange for major corporations.
• Intermediary companies – buy cruise in volume, package
them with air, tour, and other components, then resell.

11. 2 KINDS of Salesperson
• Inside salesperson – works at the agency,
fielding calls, responding to emails, and
dealing with walk-in businesses.
• Outside Salesperson – also called Home-
based agents, are allied to an agency and sell
to friends, acquaintances, or customers
referred by them.

12. Associations & Training
• Familiarization cruises or Fams – a training that
permits agents to have first-hand experience with
the cruise product, the kind of training that helps
them sell cruise vacation to their customers
• Cruise lines International Association(CLIA) –
represents the vast majority of cruise companies.
CLIA’s training program is considered the best.

13. 2 LEVELS OF CERTIFICATION
• Accredited Cruise Counsellor(ACC) and
Master Cruise Counsellor(MCC) – credits are
earned via combination of classroom and
internet training; cruise experience;
attendance of CLIA.