The interim sales boss of Royal Caribbean has said she will be out on the road visiting as many agents as she can throughout wave.
Nicki Lewis, who has worked for the cruise company for 33 years and is currently senior sales enablement manager, is caretaking the role following the departure of sales director for the UK, Ireland and Spain, Stuart Byron, and of head of sales Torey Kings-Hodkin two weeks before that.
She said she anticipated overseeing the sales function in the UK for about three months as the recruitment process for a replacement for Byron was already underway.
Lewis told Travel Weekly: “The week after The [Travel Weekly] Globes, I am going out on the road and I’m going to visit as many retail agents and cruise specialists as I can. I’m going to start at the bottom of the country and work my way up.
“Ben [Bouldin, vice president of EMEA], is also going to visit key accounts too throughout January and February and we will both be supported by our brilliant sales team. In fact, everywhere you turn, there will be a Royal person.”
Royal Caribbean currently has 18 people in its sales team.
Lewis said getting to agents on the frontline and hear what would help them sell more Royal Caribbean cruises would assist in her regular role.
“It will help me plan exactly what we need to do for the trade: what they want more of, what they need less of. I will be able to really listen,” she added.
Lewis said the key focus for January and February would be wave season messages, which include children sailing for £99 if bookings are made between January 3– 31, plus a reduced drinks package on European sailings longer than six nights, to €75 or £65 per person, per day, available for bookings made between January 4 and March 7,
She added: “We’ll also be running flash sales on top of this, so one to keep an eye out for. The first is just three days only, from January 3-5, offering an additional $600 onboard spend – which can be used to book the drinks package.”
A new flash sale offer would also be announced weekly.
All sales team members will have printed postcards with Royal Caribbean’s wave offers “at a glance” to give to agents on their travels around the UK and Ireland making it easy for agents to find exactly what they need.
The line is also producing a digital selling guide and other updates on the Club Royal trade portal.
Lewis said Europe sailings were the main focus for 2024.
“We’ve got committed air and regional airlift, so we can offer keen prices to Oasis out of Barcelona and Odyssey of the Seas too. We also have a few gaps in the shoulders still on Anthem for her last season out of Southampton,” she said, but added that she would also be inspiring agents about the line’s newest ship Icon of the Seas, which launches in January, sailing in the Caribbean.
“I visited her last week. I thought it was going to be just like a bigger Oasis class ship but it’s not at all. The layout and scale is totally different. It’s super-smart – it’s so well thought-through, and is going to give THE best family vacation.”
She said the new Pearl area was staggering and also pointed to the Aqua Dome (theatre) moving to the front of the ship and becoming enclosed to the elements, meaning shows can take place whatever the weather.
Lewis also said suite class passengers can now dine in Coastal Kitchen and watch the aqua shows as the restaurant now wraps around the theatre.
“The whole ship was mind-blowing. It made me super-proud to work for Royal Caribbean.”