Pros
No cold calling because the website drives all the business to you. You can take as many leads as you want, as long as you are providing good customer service and your scores are good (or above average). There is a general script to follow (called a Recap summary) but you do have flexibility to negotiate your own deals. As long as your scores are good, they pretty much leave you alone to do your thing. Occasional call reviews with a manager, to make sure you are using the script. I would say the top 40 agents in the cruise department make $100k or more with the top agent around $200K. Most agents make around $50k-$80k. Opportunity to earn free cruises (Sell 3, sail for free) and the perks from being a Travel Agent are nice. Complete the Marriott training for discounted Marriott hotel stays! Some cruise lines give you free cruises just for completing their training programs.
Cons
Travel consultants are expected to handle the customer service aspects as well. So after making the booking, you service the client until after they depart for their cruise. This can mean changing dining times, changing sail dates, re-pricing their cruise to a lower fare, etc. Since this is a 100% commission based job, this can be very time consuming and prevents you from making more money. After 5 years on the job with excellent customer service, most of my clients will call me directly for ALL service. Some days I cannot take new leads or even make new bookings because of the amount of service I have. Its getting to the point that I will not be able to take any new leads for an entire week at a time. And you do not get paid on the booking until they pay in full (90 days before sail date). So just because you make a booking, you are not guaranteed to make a commission on that sale. I think the longer you have been with the company, your commission % should increase because of the amount of service involved. When you buy a car from a car salesman, you shouldn't expect him to be able to change your oil and rotate your tires (because you have a service department for this). In order to be successful, you must work long hours during "Wave" season and especially when you first start out. Typically have to work the night shift/ and or weekends starting out.