Almost 30 agents were handpicked to attend the day, which included a Tuscan food tasting session with wine pairings selected by Amelia Singer from ITV’s The Wine Show, and one of the wine experts the line is working with this year for onboard tastings and shore excursions to vineyards.
Included among the guests were four agents invited by ttgluxury, along with Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland training manager Leon Hand, who is also hosting national ship visits and interactive training events on Celebrity Silhouette over the summer, ahead of the ship being based in Southampton in summer 2018.
“I want agents to understand that at the heart of what we do is a passion for great food and wine – we have 200 sommeliers across the fleet for example,” said Hand.
“We also want agents to appreciate that Celebrity is for their clients who love to be indulged, but in a contemporary setting. Some people still think cruises like this are posh and expensive, but our approach is that they don’t have to be either of those things, and that they represent great value for what you get.”
He also hailed the line’s new interactive onboard training method, GooseChase, as a success. Now into its second year, the game sees agents work in groups to solve riddles.
Sessions with around 80 agents each are taking place on Eclipse and Silhouette in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Greenock, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Southampton this year.
