Celebrity Cruises aims to build on ‘record-breaking year’ in 2026

Celebrity Cruises’ sales chiefs have outlined ambitions to build on “another record-breaking year” in 2026 through multiple UK trade initiatives.

The line plans to host 200 UK and Ireland agents on a Celebrity Apex SAILING, launch a new trade platform in collaboration with Royal Caribbean and reveal more details of upcoming Celebrity River Cruises itineraries.

Nicola McNeish, UK and Ireland sales director, told Travel Weekly: “Everything we are doing this year is on the back of another record-breaking year in 2025.

“One of the things we are really excited about this year is our Celebrity Moments campaign where we are getting 200 of our top-selling agents onto a Celebrity Apex sailing.

“We have never done anything to this scale before.”

While the incentive is “predominantly focused” on top sellers, McNeish stressed the line wanted “everybody to have a chance to get on board”.

The team has introduced ’Wildcard Wednesdays’ which have received engagement levels they “have never seen before”.

“The response on social media has been off the scale,” McNeish said. “We had over 1,000 entries and comments on the first Wednesday after Christmas, which was the second Wildcard Wednesday, which was brilliant and blew us way.”

McNeish also revealed Celebrity Cruises would be launching “a new one-stop shop platform” for the trade called Cruising Power.

“We’ve invested in millions and millions of pounds in to revamp this platform,” she said.

“We are working with sister brand Royal Caribbean, so the trade have got everything in one place across both brands later this year, and in time that will encompass Silversea as well.”

In addition, the line’s newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, will be coming to Europe along with two other Edge Class ships, while Apex will come back to Southampton for a third year, which McNeish called “a brilliant opportunity for UK partners”.

Further to that, Claire Stirrup, managing director for the UK and EMEA, said updates for Celebrity River Cruises including more details on itineraries for 2028 and pre and post-stay will be “coming soon”, with tools and assets for agents to “be ready to book”.

McNeish added: “The demand [for Celebrity River Cruises] was absolutely unprecedented.

“We had trade partners waiting for it to go on sale and I would say the trade took their typical share [in the first round of sales].

“We know lots of people are waiting for 2028 to go on sale, so that will be ready very soon.”

McNeish explained that the next programme launch for Celebrity River Cruises will be “more like a normal ocean launch”, whereas the first two ships had a preview sale and general sale.