Certifications

Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) Certification Requirements

Master Cruise Counsellor

In order to qualify for Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) Certification, credits must be achieved as follows, through either the Traditional Path or the Experiential Learning Program.

Enroll In Traditional Path
     
ENROLL IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAM

Certification requirements vary by year. The requirements below pertain to those who have registered for the certification in 2022 and beyond. Please refer to your Certification Logbook if you’ve enrolled in previous years.

Traditional Path:

Pre- and Post- requisites

Enrollee must be an active CLIA Individual Agent Member (IAM) and maintain active membership during the certification completion period; and must have completed and graduated with the Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC) designation. Master Cruise Counsellor Certification candidates have two (2) years from the date of enrollment to complete the certification requirements and submit documentation per the Logbook instructions. Once a CLIA IAM graduates with the MCC designation, the graduate must renew CLIA Individual Agent Membership to maintain the certification.

In order to qualify for Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) Certification, credits must be achieved as follows:

Mandatory Credits

Ninety (90) credits received for any combination of the following:

  • Successful completion of Case Studies (15 credits each or 50 credits for all three)
  • Attendance at CLIA’s Cruise360 Conference (40 credits)
    • Cruise360 attendance can only be used once per certification level. If you have attended Cruise360 multiple times, you must use a different year for other certification levels.
  • Full attendance at a CLIA Live Learning or Virtual Learning Event (30 credits each, one per certification level)
  • Completion of the following CLIA Certificate Program (50 credits each):
    • RiverView
    • Public Relations for Your Cruise Business
    • Family Cruise Travel
    • Luxury Cruise Travel
    • Accessible Cruise Travel
    • Cruise Groups
    • Meetings and Events at Sea

Elective Credits

Forty (40) credits received for any combination of the following:

  • Attendance at CLIA’s Cruise360 Conference (40 credits)
    • Cruise360 attendance can only be used once per certification level. If you have attended Cruise360 multiple times, you must use a different year for other certification levels.
  • Full attendance at a CLIA Live Learning or Virtual Learning Event (30 credits each, one per certification level)
  • CLIA online courses and live seminars evident by successfully passing the course quiz (10 credits each)
  • CLIA Industry Partner Training - Global Cruise Line Members, Hotels, Destinations (credits vary)
  • Completion of an additional CLIA Certificate Program as listed below (50 credits each):
    • RiverView
    • Public Relations for Your Cruise Business
    • Family Cruise Travel
    • Luxury Cruise Travel
    • Accessible Cruise Travel
    • Cruise Groups
    • Meetings and Events at Sea
  • Achievement of The Travel Institute’s CTC designation (10 credits)
  • Achievement of Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) CTC designation (10 credits)

Product Knowledge

  • Three (3) Live or Virtual Ship Inspections
    • Must be Live Ship Inspections or CLIA provided Virtual Ship Inspections
    • Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
    • May include Ship Inspections from up to three (3) years prior to enrollment date
    • Must be Ship Inspections that have not been used for the attainment of any other CLIA certification level
    • May use the same Global Cruise Line Member, but must be for different ships
  • Thirty-Two (32) Stateroom Bookings
    • Must be booked or fully deposited through a current CLIA Travel Agency Member
    • Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
    • May include bookings one (1) year prior to enrollment date
    • Must be bookings that have not been used for the attainment of any other CLIA certification level
  • Two (2) Personal Cruise Experiences
    • Two Cruises of 7+ Nights
    • Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
    • May include cruises from two (2) years prior to enrollment date
    • Must be on two (2) different CLIA Global Cruise Lines
    • Must be on two (2) different product and destination itineraries (i.e. Alaska and Caribbean)
      • May include similar itineraries that stop at different ports
    • Must be completed cruises that have not been used for the attainment of any other CLIA certification level

Experiential Learning Program:

Pre- and Post- requisites

Enrollee must be an active CLIA Individual Agent Member (IAM) and maintain active membership during the certification completion period. The ELP for Master Cruise Counsellor certification candidates have one (1) year from the date of enrollment to complete the certification requirements and submit documentation per the logbook instructions. Once a CLIA IAM graduates with the MCC designation, the graduate must renew CLIA Individual Agent Membership to maintain the certification.

In order to qualify for Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) Certification through the Experiential Learning Program, you must meet the requirements referenced below. (Candidates may include requirements achieved three (3) years prior to enrollment in ELP for MCC)

Mandatory Credits

Elective Credits

  • One (1) comprehensive paper (3 – 5 pages) reflecting on your career to date that analyzes your proficiency in at least seven (7) of the learning outcomes referenced in more detail in the logbook PDF that you’ll access after enrolling. You should identify an approach on reflection from the listed options below and use this concept as the basis of your paper:
    • Concrete Experience – Having a direct experience and documenting it presently
    • Reflective Observation - Reviewing or reflecting on the experience
    • Active Experimentation – Planning and trying out what you have learned
    • Abstract Conceptualization – Concluding/learning from the experience
  • Any three (3) CLIA Industry Partner Trainings – Global Cruise Line Members, Hotels, Destinations

Product Knowledge

  • Ten (10) Live or Virtual Ship Inspections
    • Must be Live Ship Inspections or CLIA provided Virtual Ship Inspections
    • Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
    • May include Ship Inspections from up to three (3) years prior to enrollment date
    • May use the same Global Cruise Line Member, but must be for different ships
  • One Hundred (100) Stateroom Bookings
    • Must be booked or fully deposited through a current CLIA Travel Agency Member
    • Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
    • May include bookings three (3) years prior to enrollment date
  • Four (4) Personal Cruise Experiences
    • Four Cruises of 7+ Nights
    • Must be on two (2) different CLIA Global Cruise Lines
    • Must be on two (2) different product and destination itineraries (i.e. Alaska and Caribbean)
      • May include similar itineraries that stop at different ports
    • May include cruises from three (3) years prior to enrollment date