Agents say Black Friday deals have 'shifted the dial'

Agents are reporting a strong start to November as operators step up their focus on Black Friday promotions.

 

Offers have already been launched ahead of November 28 with many out earlier and lasting longer than in 2024.

 

Jet2holidays and Norwegian Cruise Line were among the first out of the blocks. NCL is offering 50% off all cruises, with no set deadline, and Jet2holidays is promoting £100 off all holidays via independent agents in its earliest Black Friday offer. Tui brought forward the release of a £300 Black Friday discount to cover holidays up until October 2027.

 

Other deals released include Celebrity Cruises’ 75% discount on a second guest’s fare; up to 40% off with Cunard; up to 45% off Regent Seven Seas Cruises; up to 50% off Oceania Cruises; buy one and get second 80% off with Virgin Voyages; up to £800 savings for new bookings with Royal Caribbean, with third and fourth passengers from £99; and 30% off selected 2025 and 2026 MSC Cruises.

 

Independent Travel Experts managing director Gary Gillespie noted: “Black Friday has really shifted the dial this year, particularly in cruise.

 

“We’re seeing strong demand, driven by headline offers from some of the cruise lines. These deals are creating urgency to book now rather than wait for wave, and the level of activity rivals what we’d expect in January.”

 

Cruise Monks managing director Wael Seliman agreed this year’s deals had “switched the lights back on” for clients who were “browsing rather than booking”.

 

He said: “The intensity has stepped up. The cruise lines can see customers are price-sensitive, so they are trying to make the decision to say “yes” as easy as possible.

 

"The headline offers are certainly louder this year. A ’50% off’ headline is eye-catching, especially for new to cruise customers who don’t yet know the baseline pricing.

 

"We’ve seen strong offers before, but what’s notable now is the consistency across many cruise lines. Conversions are noticeably stronger than a few weeks ago. People are still mindful of budgets but value speaks loudly.”

 

Cruise Nation sales manager Natasha Crossley called the scale of this year’s Black Friday offers as "impressive", describing NCL’s 50% off “one of the strongest” the agency had seen and citing Royal Caribbean’s “all-in campaign” as generating interest.

 

“It feels like Black Friday has been supercharged this year – customers are definitely waiting for it before committing, as they know something big is coming. We’re already seeing more engagement this week,” she said, adding:  “We’re expecting these Black Friday offers to stimulate a real uplift in enquiries – it feels like the buzz we’d usually see around peaks in January is starting early this year.”

 

She noted “bundled prices” where clients could see “one clear cost including drinks, Wi-Fi and dining” made a “huge difference” to clients.

 

“It helps customers budget more confidently, especially when everyone’s being cautious with spending right now,” she said.

 

James Cole, chief executive, Panache Cruises, said it was the first year all ultra-luxury cruise lines had offered large scale Black Friday promotions.

 

"I would say they are stimulating demand. We set up a pre-register for our customers to enter and be the first to access Black Friday deals. We saw a huge increase in open rates and sign ups to this at the start of November," he said.

 

Joe Biggs, of Personal Travel Advisors for Constant Travel, was “encouraged” by how suppliers had “jumped onto the Black Friday concept with such gusto”.

 

“What initially started as a day has extended to practically the whole of November. Jet2holidays and NCL have kick-started Black Friday by starting so early and the proof is in the pudding with early-November trading looking great,” he said. “The campaigns are some of the best I’ve seen.”

 

Despite the impending November Budget, Biggs said bookings were increasing, noting: “I think customers are almost numb to the doom and gloom of the government and just ignore it.”

 

Fred Olsen Travel said Black Friday offers had begun to stimulate demand “in the last few days”.

 

Retail director Paul Hardwick said: “Last year was the first year it made an integral difference to our business and again it’s cruise leading this. Some operators have gone further than before.”

 

However, he cautioned: “The fear is this surge at lower value just moves the booking curve earlier but ultimately reduces turnover and income in a product that might have booked anyway.”

 

Sandra Corkin, executive director at Oasis Travel, welcomed the discounts during a quieter booking period. “Some people are purchasing trips as Christmas gifts, so the timing is perfect,” she said, adding: "So far the biggest chunk of our November sales are cruise holidays but it is early days."

 

Idle Travel director Tony Mann reported sales up 35% last week on the same week last year, while October finished 5% down for the agency.

 

He said: “It’ll be interesting to see if it continues or if it’s muted by the Budget. I would say operators have probably got behind Black Friday more this year for November so there’s more deals and more planned. Black Friday last year was so successful, we hadn’t seen that before.”

 

He said some clients were waiting for Black Friday deals before booking but cautioned the volume of deals could be overwhelming for clients and agents, noting: “It could be a case of ‘deals overload’.”

 

Jonny Peat, director of cruise at Advantage Travel Partnership, said it was “too early to tell” whether the cruise sector was enjoying more Black Friday deals than others as “only a handful” of operators had so far launched their offers.

 

But he said Black Friday would be a “key” sales period. “With up to 50% off fares we are confident these strong offers will drive sales and enquiries. The deals this year look competitive, but campaign overlays can be somewhat complex,” he said.

 

Agents said suppliers offering “simple, strong value” messages were enjoying the most cut-through.

 

“As always, simpler deals, like ‘X% off’, are attracting more interest than the more complicated ones,” stressed The Travel Network Group’s cruise sales director John Wilson.

 

Seliman, of Cruise Monks, agreed: “When the offer is clear, easy to understand, and genuinely saves them money, they are happy to go ahead. So the appetite is there but you have to deliver a good deal.

 

“Right now, the cruise lines offering simple, strong value messages are winning and so are agents. The “all-in” offers where drinks, Wi-Fi or gratuities are included are resonating most, because customers feel they understand exactly what they are paying for. We have seen particularly strong interest where the deal removes the usual mental maths of “but what will it actually cost once I am on board?”.

 

Paul Beale, vice-president sales UK and Ireland for Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, said Black Friday was now a “key moment” in the travel marketing calendar but some agents played down its importance.

 

Ambassador will launch its Black Friday campaign on November 24, with details to be announced soon.

 

A spokesperson for the line said: “Over the past few years we’ve seen Black Friday grow from being a high street retail event to becoming a firm fixture in the travel calendar. More agents are leaning into it than ever before, using it as an opportunity to engage with their customers and showcase great-value products.”

 

Joanne Pearson, managing director of Southampton Cruise Concierge, said: “People are in ‘Christmas prep’ mode. We should save our energy for the new year.”

 

Sam Ballard, managing director, Club Voyages, added: “[In] my experience is we don’t see many bookings resulting from them (Black Friday offers).”