When booking ultra-luxury cruises, Stewart Travel’s Donna Bicker knows that often all eyes will be on Silversea. As manager of the agency’s Prestwick branch, Donna describes herself as “a handson seller”, and explains: “I have a selection of clients who won’t sail with any other cruise line. They just love the brand, and want to try all the new ships.” 

Silversea is regularly booked by agents in Stewart Travel’s stores across Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as through sister brand Scotland’s Cruise Centre, with Donna personally securing around one cruise a month. Her recent bookings have included a £14,000 European sailing for a couple, a £15,000 Antarctica expedition voyage for a solo traveller and a £50,000 Caribbean festive adventure for a multigenerational family. 

She often uses Silversea’s extensive website, praising the wealth of information available, which spans more than 900 destinations across all seven continents. “It’s a great tool, as we can very clearly and quickly see all of the itineraries,” she adds. 

Donna has been on multiple ship visits and sailed on Silver Spirit, Silver Moon and Silver Ray. She explains: “Having experienced it fi rst-hand makes it so much easier to switch-sell people to Silversea. They’re smaller ships, so they’re very easy to get around, yet there’s also so much space onboard. The newer ships feel so modern too, which is helping the line appeal to a younger audience. They’re just fabulous.”

Experiencing the line’s S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) culinary programme was a highlight for Donna, who enjoyed a cookery class in the onboard culinary lab, before joining a S.A.L.T. excursion to an Italian tru  e-producing farm and a high-end restaurant. “It was all absolutely amazing, and something I know my clients will love,” she adds. 

For colleagues who haven’t been lucky enough to experience the line, she encourages them to join the Silversea UK and Ireland Travel Agent Facebook group and complete modules on the line’s digital training platform. “The training is very helpful, and ensures we’re all always up to date,” she adds. 

Last year, Donna’s passion for the brand also saw her become a member of the Silversea Advocates travel agent recognition programme, which acknowledges the line’s top-performing and most supportive agent partners. Having been with Stewart Travel for more than 40 years, she knows exactly what to look for in a trusted supplier, and Silversea continues to hit the mark. 

She explains: “We have a close relationship with our strategic account manager at Silversea, we do in-house events and client evenings, and have even had a managers’ conference onboard one of their ships. We work as closely with them as we can, and the UK team are brilliant. Silversea are a really strong partner.”

Get more top tips to help you sell Silversea in the TTG Expedition Cruise Selling Guide.

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