Cruise lines have committed to substantially increasing the number of ship visits for agents this year.
- Holland America Line is setting up eight ship visits with 430 places, a 23% rise compared to 2023.
- Princess Cruises is reviving family days, allowing agents to bring their relatives on board.
- Carnival Cruise Line emphasises first-hand experiences for agents to understand products better.
- P&O Cruises and Cunard are also expected to increase their ship visit programmes.
In a bid to bolster trade relations, cruise lines are significantly upping their game this year by offering more ship visit opportunities to agents. This move highlights the growing importance of firsthand experience in fostering a deeper understanding of the cruise sector among travel agents.
Holland America Line, for example, plans to offer eight ship visits in 2024, accommodating 430 agents, which marks a notable 23% increase from the 350 slots made available in the previous year. This ambitious initiative underscores the brand’s commitment to enhancing agent familiarity with their offerings.
Princess Cruises is also joining the movement by not only increasing the number of agent ship visits but also reinstating their family days. This allows agents the unique opportunity to bring family members to experience the cruise offerings together, thus extending the experiential learning to personal contexts.
Carnival Cruise Line has placed a strong emphasis on allowing agents to ‘touch, feel and see the hardware’ of their offerings. This strategy aims to provide agents with a tangible understanding of the products they promote, which is expected to translate into more effective sales techniques and a better customer experience.
While P&O Cruises has not yet detailed their 2024 ship visit schedule, sales director Ruth Venn hinted at an increased number in alignment with industry trends, focusing on reaching out to agents who have not previously been on board, thereby expanding their pool of informed representatives.
Moreover, Cunard’s UK sales director, Tom Mahoney, stresses the privilege these opportunities represent, urging agents to seize the limited chances to gain insightful exposure to the cruise ships, which despite the large scale of the programmes, remain selective.
The expanded ship visit programmes reflect the cruise industry’s commitment to enhancing agent engagement through experiential learning.
