TTG's Guide To Cruise June 2021

With most cruise lines scheduled to resume operations this summer, the sector may finally be able to have the restart we’ve been waiting for. While I know we all have our fingers and toes crossed for this, I also know that the new cruise landscape will pose fresh challenges for you as agents.

Additional embarkation requirements, altered itineraries and enhanced rules and regulations mean the customer journey follows a new path with tricky-to-navigate twists and turns. So, in order to help you best prepare for any challenges selling cruise in 2021 throws at you, we’ve provided an overview of what’s changed – from how customers now choose and book a cruise to how they prepare for travel and what they can expect once they board their ships.

We’ve also rounded up some of the best new ex-UK cruise itineraries for clients who may be concerned about air travel during the pandemic, and asked some leading cruise lines how they’ve adapted their processes for 2021 in order to keep passengers and crew safe.

The resumption of cruise also means all the ships that weren’t able to make their maiden voyages last year can, hopefully, take their inaugural sailings alongside all those scheduled for this year. We’ve created a handy directory of 2021’s new ships to get you up to speed with their launch dates and destinations.

Given all the precautions in place and that many people, including myself, are keen to take to the water as soon as it’s safe to do so, I hope that when it restarts this summer, cruise is here to stay.

Madeleine Barber

Special projects editor

TTG Media