It’s been a record-breaking year in the travel industry—but as 2023 nears an end, travel advisors who sell the Middle East are wondering about the possible fallout of the Israel/Hamas War. Some already are feeling the pinch as suppliers shift itineraries, customers try unsuccessfully to cancel—and travel advisors and their commissions are caught in the middle. Again.

“I have been fighting with Regent since they announced my clients would not be going to Israel and Egypt—which was the whole reason for their trip—and put Greece in its place,” says Samantha Hamilton at Ultimate Vacations. “My clients have already been to Greece and have no desire to go back Read the rest of this entry »

Royal Caribbean on Monday announced a new “Flex-Pay” program allowing the passenger to pay in installments. Because travel is typically a larger than average purchase, a number of installment payment programs have cropped up in the industry, such as Uplift.  

In addition, cruise lines have always allowed for an initial deposit, interim payments, and a “final payment.”

Now, however, Royal Caribbean has developed a program, in conjunction with its Espresso booking system, without interest charges and only if the passenger is booking through a travel agent. This apparently means passengers booking directly with the cruise line cannot use the program. Flex-Pay allows the scheduling of up to 10 automatic payments and the payments can be on different credit cards. The Flex-Pay system is available to travel agents using the Espresso program through Royal Caribbean immediately.

The release of this information derived from the “Royal Caribbean Blog” which bills itself as an “unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International” but which disclaims affiliation with Royal Caribbean International.

Updated April 12, 2022 at 7:42 am