The discount is real, the rules are specific, and the numbers change daily. Here is exactly how it works and what to send me to get a price.
Cruise lines set aside discounted fares for people who work in the airline industry. They are not published anywhere public. They arrive as rate sheets and daily reports to host agencies like mine, and the rate is applied inside the cruise line's own booking system when I book you. You see the public price and the interline price side by side, and you decide.
I am an active flight attendant based in Charlotte, so I read these sheets every morning for my own trips too. That is the whole reason this business exists.
The general rule my host agency KVI Travel applies, unless a cruise line says otherwise: airline, courier or military employees and retirees, their spouse, dependent children under 19, parents and parents-in-law, and anyone sharing a cabin with one of those people. Some cruise lines allow an additional interline cabin for friends, and extended family and friends can often get a special rate even without an eligible interliner in the cabin. Every interline booking needs proof of eligibility at the time of booking, usually your airline ID or an employment letter.
On Virgin's current interline list the rate is a percentage off the voyage fare, 60 percent on most sailings and 50 to 65 percent depending on the date. Taxes and port fees are added on top and are not discounted. Because Virgin's public price already has its own promotions built in, the interline price usually lands 30 to 40 percent under the public number for the same cabin on the same day, and that is still the best rate on the ship. Eligible cabins are Sea Terrace (balcony), Sea View (porthole) and Insider (interior), including Lock It In fares. RockStar suites are not on the interline list. Full detail on the Virgin Voyages page.
Explora publishes an interline benefit fare per person, double occupancy, by suite category, in a daily pricing report and inside its travel partner booking engine, which I can search directly. Prices on the report are good for the day it was issued and I re-check the engine before I quote. Everything that is included in the public fare is included in the interline fare. Detail on the Explora Journeys page.
Royal Caribbean Group sends a daily interline rate file covering Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea by ship, departure date and cabin class. Holland America and Seabourn send interline pricing updates by email. I do not publish those numbers here, but I can pull them for any sailing you name.
No. Active and retired employees of any airline qualify under the general rule, along with courier and military employees and retirees. Eligibility is confirmed with your ID or an employment letter when we book.
Anyone sharing a cabin with an eligible interliner is covered. A second cabin for friends is allowed on some cruise lines, and many lines offer a special rate for extended family and friends even without an interliner in that cabin. Tell me who is coming and I will check the line you want.
On Virgin, for example, the 60 percent comes off the voyage fare before Virgin's own promotions, and taxes and port fees are added afterward. Against the promo-loaded public price on the same day it usually works out to 30 to 40 percent less. I show you both numbers so there is no surprise.
Interline fares are confidential to the cruise lines and their partner agencies, and they change daily. I share real numbers in the Insider List emails and the private Facebook group, and I quote any specific sailing on request.
No. I am paid by the cruise line. You pay the same deposit and balance you would pay booking direct, and the interline rate is applied by me inside the cruise line's system.
Then I book you the best public or promotional fare, the same way any travel advisor would, plus the training and supplier access on my Credentials section. My river cruise and luxury cruise pages are written for everyone.
Tell me the dates you are thinking about and who is traveling. I answer within 24 hours with a priced option, not a brochure. Put your airline in the form and I will price the interline rate first.