North America
Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC)
Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) certification is CLIA’s distinguished credential for accomplished travel advisors who are passionate about advancing their cruise industry expertise a higher level. Advisors will deepen their professional development, expand their sales and product knowledge, and demonstrate leadership through advanced learning and extensive hands-on experience to achieve the distinguished MCC designation.
The Distinguished CLIA Certification
Passionate travel advisors who are excelling in their career and strive to become an expert in the cruise industry
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.
The enrollment fee does not include individual courses, certificate programs, ship inspections, personal cruise experiences, or other out-of-pocket expenses required to complete certification. These components are selected by CLIA based on the certification’s goals and are completed separately as part of the overall certification requirements.
Certification Requirements
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 Certificate Program
- Public Relations for Your Cruise Business Certificate Program
- Family Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Luxury Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Accessible Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Cruise Groups Certificate Program
- Meetings & Events at Sea Certificate Program
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 Certificate Program
- Public Relations for Your Cruise Business Certificate Program
- Family Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Luxury Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Accessible Cruise Travel Certificate Program
- Cruise Groups Certificate Program
- Meetings & Events at Sea Certificate Program
- 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