MSC Cruises revealed its plans for a new smart booking engine for agents, MSC Book, which will make it easier for them to make bookings with the cruise line, as well as its plans for year-round sailings on the MSC Divina.
“MSC Book is being designed with travel agent’s booking needs in mind, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the end-user experience and making the booking process as quick and simple as possible,” says Ken Muskat, executive vice president of sales, PR & guest services for MSC Cruises.
MSC’s new booking engine will go live June 2015 and with it agents will be able to book a cruise in four steps, including selecting a cruise and stateroom (with the ability to select up to five staterooms), finding flights and hotels, and adding pre-paid services such as spa treatments, shore excursions, specialty dining and beverage packages. Agents will also be able to save client’s itineraries as favorites to be viewed quickly at a later time; get a quick quote or option at any point during the booking process; find the best cruise options using a search by price range, destination, departure date, or embarkation port, and search for client’s MSC Club loyalty status by name or MSC Club I number. The new system will also allow agents to compare prices, dates, itineraries, and additional items included in the price for up to three cruises on a single page and print or e-mail the results to clients. Agents will also be able to select staterooms via an interactive deck plan, which allows them to browse by deck and position of the stateroom, and check availability for the category selected. Agents can view stateroom photos and layouts, as well as descriptions and videos of the 12 ships in the fleet. Also available on the system is the ability to request a group directly from MSC Book, and then use the booking engine to manage the group; send or print customer booking confirmation and e-tickets; and read commission and other accounting reports on an improved dashboard.
MSC will be hosting 18 roadshows from June to September 2015 as part of the Serving You initiative, where agents can receive training on MSC Book, and get company updates. For more information, visit msccruisesagent.com/msc-book.
Year-Round Sailings
The cruise line also recently announced that due to popular demand, the MSC Divina will sail year-round from Miami to the Caribbean starting November 2015. New itineraries from April 2016 to March 2017 will rotate between Eastern and Western Caribbean routes and include stops in St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and the Bahamas. Bookings for sailings on the MSC Divina April 2016 through March 2017 will be available on Friday, May 1. The cruise line will offer consumers a value-added offer including shipboard credit, a beverage package, and a WiFi package, depending on the category of stateroom booked. For more information, visit msccruisesusa.com.
