Celestyal issues ‘rallying cry’ to agents to book cabins early

Celestyal Cruises has issued a “rallying cry” to urge UK agents to book early because passengers from other overseas markets are booking well ahead of departure.

 

Chief commercial officer Lee Haslett said the cruise line is adding more sailings for 2026 – such as its new Heavenly Adriatic itinerary – and also has put departures for 2027 to March 2028 on sale.

 

He noted a current trend for sales to be later than last year – but urged UK agents to encourage clients to book well in advance.

 

“If you look at markets like North America or even Australia, they are booking earlier and earlier,” he told a Travel Weekly webcast.

 

“That’s a rallying cry, certainly to UK agents, to say if there will be a race for space, try and get some of those cabins booked in as early as possible. I think it’s essential, because others are racing into that space.”

 

Commenting on sales for this summer season in the Mediterranean, he said: “Like most, most cruise lines…there was a softness in that wave period.

 

“There are still pockets of good deals available. We’re actually pretty full in the rest of this month. Into August, there are a few bits of availability.

 

“In general, it’s been a really good season [with] higher occupancy than last year.”

 

Average selling prices are also higher thanks to investments in the two-ship fleet.

 

He said Celestyal Discovery and Celestyal Journey had seen a “really successful” inaugural winter season in the Gulf region.

 

“The ships were 20% fuller than we’d hoped they’d be,” he said.

 

“On a global scale, all the way from Australia, APAC to North America [and] Europe, we’re getting great traction for the Gulf.”

 

He said the cruise line aims to replicate strategies for its Gulf winter seasons that have proven successful in the Eastern Med, such as port-intensive itineraries and limited sea days – while taking advantage of the many airline services linking Dubai and Abu Dhabi to airports across the UK.

 

“The UK is growing at a rapid pace for us…and that’s going to continue as we add more capacity,” he said, noting how Brits are used to travelling to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar for winter-sun holidays.

 

Seven-night itineraries offer the chance to visit a different port every day, while three- and four-night sailings are designed to be paired with a land stay.

 

“We’re seeing great pick-up from our partners taking [those] three and four-night [sailings] and packaging up with a couple of nights,” he said.

 

Haslett noted how the cruise line remains committed to its winter seasons in the Gulf but is monitoring the situation with the conflict in the Middle East.

 

“We’ve seen no change in cancellation rate since the recent conflict, and our booking pace is where we want it to be,” he said.

 

“We haven’t seen a softness in our global demand at all. I think there are some markets that we have seen a bit of softness. But from a global perspective, we’re building our occupancy.”

He said the US market comprised only 9% of the cruise line’s passengers in the Gulf region last year, which is set to rise to about 15% this year.

 

In the Mediterranean, just over 55% of Celestyal passengers are Americans.  

 

He also noted the impact of a new Greek tax that has been imposed since June 21 on cruise passengers disembarking in Greece.

 

Passengers can pay the fee as they disembark or in advance via a payment portal.

 

“I don’t think it’s necessarily putting people off, but it is a cost that goes on top of the cruise,” he said.

 

More: Celestyal unveils Celestyal Travel package holidays brand

 

Celestyal opens sale for 2027-28 itineraries in its earliest-ever season launch

 

Celestyal makes three-year commitment to Abu Dhabi

 

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