Fifty travel agents visited Celebrity Silhouette on Friday, ahead of the ship’s departure from Southampton on the first of a series of British Isles cruises.
It is the first Celebrity ship to resume operations in the UK and has undergone a multimillion-pound refit.
Called a ‘revolution’, the refurbishments saw upgraded cabins and facilities, plus an open-air hideaway called The Retreat for suite guests.
Claire Stirrup (pictured), UK & Ireland sales director, said the first three domestic sailings are now all sold out but there is availability on other departures.
Also, as Covid restrictions ease, the cruise line can increase capacity from the current limit of 1,000.
“I was on the rib with Jo Rzymowska [vice-president and EMEA managing director] when Silhouette came into Southampton – it was very, very emotional, especially to see the crew when we came on board,” she said.
Stirrup said the domestic cruises offer “phenomenal value” when the wide range of facilities and services are taken into account, plus Always Included, the standard offering for passengers which includes unlimited drinks and WiFi, plus daily gratuities.
“There are lots of selling points for travel agents,” she said.
“For agency staff who have been on furlough, we have a ‘return to work’ kit on Celebrity Central as we want to make it as easy as possible for trade partners.
“Everything is in one place – Revolution, our Cruise with Confidence policy, marketing collateral, all at the touch of a button.”
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Commenting on the VIP day for agents on Friday (July 2), Stirrup said: “The feedback was fantastic, they really enjoyed being on board.
“The trade is our number-one sales channel; I passionately believe in getting feedback from agents.”
As well as attracting new-to-cruise customers, the domestic sailings are also attracting new-to-cruise agents, added Stirrup.
Kelly Cookes, Advantage Travel Partnership leisure director, attended the VIP day and said: “From an Advantage perspective we have seen a really positive reaction to the seacations from agents and customers.
“They added some much-needed domestic capacity but also it is a completely new proposition and is a huge opportunity to drive new to cruise.”
Gemma Antrobus, Haslemere Travel owner, was also on the ship for the VIP day.
“Everything was perfect – the welcome, the new refit, the attention to detail and the food were all amazing,” she said.
“The cruise industry has worked so hard to build clients’ confidence.
“I am really confident we will quickly get back into the swing of things.”
There are about 150 trade partners on the first voyage, which visits Dover, Belfast and Liverpool before returning to Southampton on Friday (July 9).
Gill Williams, cruise specialist at The Travel Village, is on the sailing, thanks to winning a cruise as part of a Celebrity Moments incentive.
“It was really emotional with crew applauding as we came on,” she said.
“I have been on this ship two years ago so it is good to see how it has changed.
“These seacations encourage new-to-cruise and cruise operators have some good offers out there.
“It is very good value compared to holiday accommodation in places such as Cornwall – and there is more availability.
“Our customers really want to get away now; even if they just stay on the ship all the time.
“There is no worry about traffic lights or quarantine.”
The ship is sailing with fully vaccinated crew and guests over 18. Passengers also need a negative Covid test result. Guests aged two to 17 take an antigen test at the terminal before embarkation.
Photographs by Steve Dunlop.