Level 2 Has Landed: Inside the CRA Product Knowledge Diploma

5 hours ago

4 min read

28 Sept 2026 · @Adrian

It's here: Level 2 of the Cruise Retail Academy Product Knowledge Diploma is officially live!

We launched Level 1 just over 18 months ago to give aspiring and current cruise retail associates a free, accessible foundation in shipboard retail. Since then well over 2,000 members have completed the signature qualification, which told us we needed to keep going and build more for you.

We knew exactly what we needed to build next, — real depth in the categories that actually drive sales onboard: fine jewelry, gemstones, duty-free, watches, fashion, logo and beauty.

If you're preparing to join a ship, or you're already onboard and want to sell with real confidence, here's what both levels cover — and a first look at the visual guides you'll be learning from.

What Is the CRA Product Knowledge Diploma?

The Diploma is built as three progressive levels, taking you from onboard retail fundamentals through to specialist, category-deep expertise:

Level 1 — Introduction. The foundations and essentials every retail associate needs before their first day on the shop floor.
Level 2 — Specialist Categories. Deep, accurate product knowledge in the categories that drive the highest-value sales: jewelry, gemstones, precious metals, duty-free spirits, watches, fashion, and fragrance.
Level 3 — Leadership Personal development, self awareness, goal setting and much more for associates ready to lead on the floor.

And critically: it's all completely free. There's no other learning resource built specifically around cruise retail product knowledge at this depth — most training either generalizes across all of retail, or assumes you're already on a ship. The Cruise Retail Diploma is designed to get you genuinely ready before you join.

Level 1: The Introduction

Level 1 is where every associate starts. It's built around the core skills that make a great cruise retail experience possible:

The guest journey onboard — understanding how and when guests shop on a cruise, and how that differs from land-based retail.
Guest service fundamentals — engaging guests with confidence in a duty-free environment.
A broad introduction to cruise and luxury retail — watches, jewelry, fragrance, spirits, and souvenirs, so every associate speaks the same language from day one.
How duty-free retail actually works — allowances, pricing, and the systems and standards that keep shops running smoothly at sea.
Readiness for Life Onboard - talking you through excatly what life on a cruise ship will be like

By the end of Level 1, associates can greet and engage guests naturally, describe the main product categories accurately, and explain the real value of shopping duty-free onboard.

Level 2: Specialist Category Knowledge

This is where the Diploma goes deep. Level 2 is built around the categories where genuine product knowledge makes the biggest difference to a guest's confidence — and to a sale.

Fine Jewelry

The 4Cs in full: Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight, including real GIA-based grading scales and accurate carat-to-millimetre sizing.
Diamond clarity grades from Flawless through to I3, and what each actually looks like under magnification.
Quality factors for individual gemstones — Alexandrite, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Tanzanite — covering color, clarity, cutting style and carat weight for each.
The chemistry behind 16 major gemstones: their chemical composition, Mohs hardness, and what actually causes their color.
A full guide to the metals and alloys used in fine jewelry, from rhodium and platinum to 14K and 18K gold in yellow, white and rose finishes.
The Mohs Hardness Scale, and how it applies to gemstones and everyday materials alike.

Duty-Free

Rum, Tequila, Vodka and gin from raw material to bottle: production processes, distillation, and filtration explained simply.
Cigars of the World and how they are made
Key regional styles and base ingredients (grain, potato, rye, grape) and what they mean for taste.
Gin's defining styles — London Dry, Plymouth, Old Tom, Genever and New Western — and the botanicals that shape them.
Whisky essentials — Scotch, Irish and American styles, Scotland's six whisky-producing regions (Speyside, Highlands, Islay, Lowlands, Campbeltown, Islands), Ireland's distillery landmarks, and the basic mash-to-cask production process.

Watches

Presentation standards for watch specialists — uniform, grooming, body language and greeting — because guests judge the specialist before they ever look at the watch.
A quick-glance occasion-matching guide: which watch styles (dress, diver, chronograph, aviator, smart) suit black-tie, cocktail, smart-casual, daytime and excursion settings.
Guide to the main Swiss watches brands
Insight into the technical specifications of watches

Fashion

Visual merchandising fundamentals, including "eye level is buy level" — how shelf and fixture placement changes whether a piece actually sells.
Full category overview of sunglasses and the technical specifications of different styles
The brand new category of Pre-owned handbags
Why does Logo work so well and what are the top sellers
Destination merchandise - key destinations and ranges

Fragrance

Concentration levels explained — Eau de Cologne through Extrait de Parfum — and how strength affects how long a scent lasts on skin.
The fragrance pyramid: how a scent unfolds from top notes to heart notes to base notes.
The fragrance family wheel — fourteen families across four quadrants, giving associates a shared language for describing scent to guests.
Different types of skincare and how best ot advise guests
Makeup - different guest profiles and sales journies

Here are just a few of the types of examples we will be showing you throughout the diploma:

A Look Ahead: Level 3

Level 1 and Level 2 give you everything you need to walk onto a ship product-ready. But for associates who want to go further, Level 3 is where the Diploma moves from knowledge to leadership mastery and the preparation needed to move into cruise retail management.

For now, the best way to be ready for it is to start where everyone does: Level 1 and then onto Level 2.

Ready to Start?

Level 1 and Level 2 are both live now — and both completely free. Whether you're preparing for your first contract or want to walk onto the shop floor already speaking the language of diamonds, gemstones and fine spirits, this is the most comprehensive cruise-retail-specific product knowledge resource available before you join.

Sign up for Level 1 and Level 2 today: cruiseretailacademy.com/cruiseretaildiploma or download our app to join.