Celebrity Launches Second Phase of Five-Star Academy

Celebrity Cruises is introducing the second level of its Five-Star Academy for travel agents. Agents who have already completed the One-Star level that became available last month can now move on to the second phase of the multi-tiered program.

The program is launching in stages, each named with the number of stars earned by successfully completing it. The Two-Star level will cover detailed aspects of the Celebrity Cruises onboard experience, including dining, accommodations, Celebrity’s Star Treatment, nightlife/entertainment, activities and spa services.

Travel agents who complete the training and score over 80 percent on its tests will earn the designation of being a Celebrity Two-Star Agent. The third level, launching next month, will focus on specific ports of call. Levels four and five will follow, consisting of training on all the tools Celebrity offers travel agents in the areas of business development and selling Celebrity’s cruise vacations.

As travel agent partners successfully complete each of the first four levels, they can print a certificate noting their designation as a Celebrity One-Star, Two-Star, Three-Star or Four-Star Agent. Those travel agents who go on to complete the fifth level will be designated a Celebrity Five-Star Agent. Their travel agency will be featured in Celebrity’s online travel agent locator tool.

Five-Star Agents will receive vouchers that they can use to help to increase their business, including a Five-Star Agent logo for use in their marketing materials. Five-Star Agents will also be eligible to win cruises, co-op funds and training opportunities for themselves and/or their agency. More than 6,700 North American travel agents registered for Five-Star Academy when the first level was launched in September, and to date, over 1,500 have completed the first stage.

“Celebrity's Five-Star Academy is an exceptional training tool,” said Randy Norris, a manager with Frosch Travel. “It offers a thorough overview of the current deployment and service, along with future product enhancements.” For more information, visit www.cruisingpower.com.