Ambassador Cruise Line to host 50 agents on ‘extreme day trip’ to Majorca

Ambassador Cruise Line plans to host 50 agents on an “extreme day trip” to Majorca to see the newest addition to its fleet, Renaissance.

Agents can win a place on the ship visit, taking place on September 25, by making a new booking for any Ambassador cruise between August 8 and 15 and emailing competitions@ambassadorcruiseline.com.

Winning agents will be flown from London, Manchester or Bristol for the Caribbean-themed day, which will tie in with the line’s inaugural season homeporting in Bridgetown, Barbados from October.

There will be a Caribbean cocktail reception and a Caribbean lunch in the Kreole restaurant on board, followed by a full ship tour.

Head of distribution Nicola Harper told Travel Weekly: “This is a new concept for us and these agents will be some of the first to step on board to see everything Renaissance has to offer.

“We know that ship visits really benefit our agent partners, and we also know that extreme day trips are really popular at the moment so we thought we absolutely should do it.”

Renaissance is currently sailing its season predominantly for French passengers, as Ambassador Cruise Line merged with French company Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) earlier this year.

Interim head of trade Karen Cameron added: “The biggest thing we hear from agents is about ship visits.

“We want to have as many agents as we can on all our ships, and make sure we are visible and vocal.”

The line will also be launching a virtual ship tour of the 1,100-passenger Renaissance tailored to agents on August 15, presented by chief experience officer Bob McGowan.

This will be a continuation of its ’Ask Bob’ short video series, which Harper revealed had gained more than 10,000 views on Facebook. The ship tour will invite agents to submit questions for McGowan to answer.

She added: “It’s another tool for agents who are yet to book or maybe have got an enquiry where the guest wants to see more of the ship, or they have guests that are already booked that are counting down and will have more questions.”

The short clip series so far has been divided into different categories, from restaurants to cabins, to make sure it is “most relevant” for different members of the trade.

Harper and Cameron highlighted key selling points for agents for the inaugural Caribbean season were its small-ship experience, value for money and chartered flights with Virgin Atlantic.

Harper said the market was “dominated” by larger ships, and many passengers wanted fewer queues and more of a community experience on board.

She added the lead-in fares worked out at £80 per person per night in the Caribbean and paying in sterling on board, as opposed to US dollars.

Cameron said the chartered flights from London Heathrow and Manchester with Virgin was “a huge point” for agents to sell.

Harper added: “Every decision we have made has always been about our trade partners, so for me it’s about continuing and strengthening existing relationships and finding new opportunities for growth.

“Our approach is about education and rewards. We do a lot of incentives at Ambassador and that is what we will continue to do.”