Carnival Cruise Lines has upgraded the booking engine within its popular travel agent Internet portal, BookCCL.com, to include a host of new user-friendly features to help travel agents save valuable time during the on-line reservations process.

The enhancements include more streamlined and simplified processes for creating and managing bookings, along with a new interactive toolbar that allows for easier navigation between different components of the booking engine.

Other features include a new voyage information section that provides travel agents with a dynamic summary of the various options chosen for their clients, along with a new “upsell” tool that displays the cost for upgrading to a higher stateroom accommodation category.

In addition to an entirely new “look and feel,” the upgraded booking engine offers convenient links to applications such as the FunPass pre-registration system, e-documents, and FunShipPay, an on-line payment option for travel agents.

“With more travel agents booking their clients’ cruises via BookCCL.com, the updated booking engine is designed to reflect the changing business models of travel agents and represents the latest enhancement to this comprehensive portal which serves as a one-stop-shop for travel agents to fulfill all of their sales and marketing needs,” said Lynn Torrent, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and guest services.

The booking engine complements BookCCL.com’s more than 1,000 web pages of graphics, content and information on Carnival’s ships and itineraries, along with updates on the “Fun Ship” product and various company policies and procedures.

Recent additions to BookCCL.com include access to a series of webisodes with interviews with Carnival executives, along with links to such popular features as FunShipIsland.com and GoCCL.com, a technology-oriented blog aimed specifically at the travel agent community.

The site also features a “marketing resources” area with downloadable advertising slicks, radio promotion scripts, group sales forms, and other tools, as well as a Bon Voyage section where agents can purchase gifts to enhance their clients’ “Fun Ship” cruise experience.