Pros
Tons and tons of freedom in the office or at home Like zero micromanagement. Not sure what others definition of micromanagement is, but when you can go weeks without hearing from your manager bc you are just doing your work, that is my definiton. No bs meetings. You take an hour if working in the office a couple of times a month to hear presentations from the cruise line. The presentations are kind of pointless bc the reps talk about “fancy this” and “unique that” but selling here does not allow in depth discussions on a small commission sale. ex We don't have time to talk to clients at length about Carnivals ships roller coaster for a $17 commission. From mid managers down: People here are really chill. Even most of the managers. The office is the epitome of diversity which is nice if you like nice people from all different cultures where you can just work with people vs thinking about race or gender. Its just a bunch of beautifully different looking people dealing with the same work challenges. Even people with “opposite” politics get along here bc we are all just humans doing a job. It is hard to find a nice melting pot in many places. The work is simple once you get the hang of it. Like super simple. Managers and coworkers are very helpful. Will always take the time to offer help. Very relaxed on calling time off and taking breaks or being on your phone. We have metrics but are treated as adults to get it done. Metrics pretty easy to hit if you work extra. But not during your normal shift. The company is really in a labor grey area bc workers cannot hit expectations working in their shift. It is a struggle. Lots of vacation and sick days You do not have to chase business…but..(see cons)
Kontras
The commissions are tiny. Like seriously small. You HAVE to work a lot of hours or 6 days to make a decent living and people who make 6 figures are stressed past a healthy place. They all look angry or agitated which is understandable. They have to make 6 figures $20-$70 at a time unless they are luxury certified. Agents are only paid 4% of the cruise price (not including taxes and port fees which can make up a huge part of the price). So you basically get $4 for every 100 of commissionable fare so a client pays $1000 + taxes and port fees and you make $40. Seriously. $40. And you have to service that client and you may only get 1 or no sales during your shift, hence working extra hours or days. You don't get a lot of leads bc there are a ton of agents all waiting for the phone to ring. 5 calls in a day can take a whole shift. So if you close 2 at $40 each… you made $80 but you dont always get two hence the massive amount of time after between shifts and off days. Not that big a deal if you work from home. The owners think you’re stupid by saying “treat this like your own business” Which is really just code for “work 6-7 days 12 hour days. You are not a business owner. You are an employee. The owner drives a luxury sports car and owns the building. You get a w2 paycheck. You are not an owner. But they will say that to you like you are a simple child to get you to work more hours bc if not, its your fault. You have to work 60 hours a week to make decent money. It is repetitive mind numbing work. It never changes but its also simple to do other things bc you can function on autopilot once you get the hang of it. Clients especially seniors can act like helpless cheap dollar store babies. Some are nice, and some are a nightmare that you will learn how to “navigate” The office vibe has a weird vague depressing vibe despite chill talks and laughter and friendly people. No one is excited about being here. But it is not agonizing pain. It is really a very well run factory with minimal oversight as long as you are doing your job. You are just there for the money but don’t expect a purpose. You are helping to pollute the planet… In fact you are actively contributing to major pollution with every booking as cruise ships are floating factories pumping countless fossil fuel poison into the air playing a role in the crazy weather we experience and more ships are being pumped out each year. There is zero talk at VTG about pushing cruise lines to be more environmentally friendly. And VTG has the leverage since it is the largest cruise agency in the world bringing cruise lines the most money. Owners only care about market share. Pretty much a place holder job or dead end for the young and or ambitious Perfect for retirees or single people who will work 60 hours to make really good money. Not the best job but There are waaay worst jobs t out there that require a lot more bs day to day pain points Weird caste system like divide with senior leadership. They almost never interact with agents but the plus side is they never bother us aside feom some random message from the top floor aka email announcement. But at least there are no stupid fake hypey rah rah meetings There are no psycho managers or bosses yelling anywhere around agents. If they do, they are called upstairs and calmed down, demoted or fired real quick.
