“Cruise was my Achilles' heel,” admits Colchester Travel’s Cathy Dorsett. Although she’d been a travel agent for more than a decade, it was the one sector she hadn’t gained the confidence to pitch to her clients, mainly due to such a wide variety of cabin choices and unfamiliar booking systems.
“Even though I’d been on a few cruises myself and knew how they worked, whenever I received a cruise enquiry I would always feel anxious and think: ‘Oh god, what am I going to do with this?’ – and I've probably missed out on a few bookings because of it."
But when Cathy came across Switch Me on to Cruise by TTG – a two-part campaign designed to help to educate new-to-cruise agents on selling Royal Caribbean products, she used it as an opportunity to conquer her fears – beginning with growing her knowledge on the world-renowned cruise brand.
The first part of the campaign provided agents with exciting daily competition, tasking them to solve riddles or watch short promotional videos for chances to win. “A lot of training programs are quite overwhelming and also time-consuming,” says Cathy. “When you are busy with inquiries and day-to-day life, it's hard to maybe factor in the amount of time needed to do the kind of longer training sessions.
“[Switch me on to Cruise] gave us the opportunity to do like the daily bite-sized learning chunks, and made it fun and interactive as well, which kept you engaged – I think it was a really forward-thinking way to provide training.”
Selling success
Armed with fresh knowledge on Royal Caribbean, along with insight on how to use its booking systems, the second phase of Switch Me On To Cruise tasked agents with booking a cruise for a customer.
“Funnily enough, an enquiry came in from a family,” says Cathy. “I finally felt confident enough to just go on and get it booked for them – and they had a fantastic time.”
Cathy was rewarded with a place onboard Legend after making a Royal Caribbean booking
“I knew that [Royal Caribbean] would be ideal for them, as it just has so many family-friendly facilities,” she adds. “There's literally something for everyone – I don't think you can beat their entertainment.”
In 2026, Cathy has now sold six Royal Caribbean cruises to date. “And I’m working on an enquiry for Legend right now!”
Onboard surprises
Cathy’s sales success is how she earned a spot on Legend of the Seas for its inaugural four-night sailing. Arriving at Barcelona to board the ship, she was stunned from the moment she saw the new Icon-Class ship. “I knew it was going to be big so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my first thought was – ‘What a gorgeous ship’.
“Although it’s obviously huge, the way they've designed it is so sleek and very clever,” she adds.
For Cathy, a major highlight from her time onboard was the entertainment. “I went to every single show!”
Icon-Class Legend of the Seas launched in 2026
“The areas where the shows are performed are just incredible – you would never think you would get that on a ship – the AquaDome and the indoor ice skating arena [Absolute Zero] for example.
Another surprise onboard was Legend’s open-air neighbourhood – Central Park – with more than 30,000 living plant and tree species. Cathy explains how the area is a great spot for people either nervous about cruising or missing being on land.
“If you want to just go and sit and relax, read a book, dine at one of the cafes or something like that, it's so nice to have that green area – it’s literally like being in a park.
“It's also where I met the ship’s dog, a golden retriever called Skipper!” she adds. “If that’s not a selling point, I don’t know what is.”
An 'invaluable' experience
After her time on Legend, Cathy is now aware how Royal Caribbean’s Icon-Class ships can appeal to more than just families. “There are adults-only areas, and you've got your specialty dining restaurants – which would be great for date nights.”
Cathy described her firsthand experience on Legend as ‘invaluable’, especially for first-time cruisers who might have preconceptions about the sector. “I don't think anything sells quite like having experienced it yourself, and that's why I would always encourage any agent that is wanting to break into cruise to book a cruise.
"You can really explain the entire experience, and can obviously recommend ships that you've been on – I'll be definitely recommending Legend because it was incredible.”
For agents yet to get onboard, she encourages them to use Royal Caribbean's trade hubs with agent training, rewards and marketing tools. “It gives you great insight with fact sheets on the different ship classes and helps you match your client to the right ship and itinerary.
"It's a really straightforward system to navigate – don't be afraid like I was!"
More information
Agent portal: myclubroyal.co.uk
