Luxury cruise

Brands team up for £100,000 Race Across the World-inspired agent incentive

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Virgin Atlantic have joined forces to give agents the chance to win £100,000 in marketing and commercial support for their business, as well as a spot on a cruise

ROL Cruise contacted by ‘five or six’ agencies about new employee ownership model

The Colchester-based cruise specialist announced in November it had become employee-owned, with Rosie Cairns assuming the role of chief executive and Sarah Wikevand taking up the position of managing director

The key ships launching in 2025 – and how agents can get on them

TTG approached travel’s ocean and river lines late last year to find out how agents could get onboard the new vessels launching in 2025. Here’s what they had to say

NCLH creates new luxury role ahead of fleet expansion

The global cruise company has made the hire as part of a leadership restructuring

Explora Journeys' Anna Nash: 'I’ve always had a deep respect for travel partners'

As luxury cruise continues to grow, Explora Journeys new president knows she has a challenging and fulfilling time ahead

Judges revealed for TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2025

A panel of leading luxury travel retail and supplier experts have been recruited

Inspire targeting 'significant' growth with launch of 'one-stop-shop' cruise website

Inspire Europe customers can search different live cruise options according to their preferences on the new website – www.cruisecollection.uk – but must call one of the agency’s 90 homeworkers or ring its call centre to book. The site features 44 lines from across the cruise sector

Panache Cruises invests £500k to support UK and US expansion plans

Money will be spent on additional office space for Panache Cruises at Strawberry Fields Digital Hub in Lancashire, and a larger premises in the US as well as more staff on both sides of the Atlantic

'Our evolution has only just begun', says confident Crystal boss

The luxury cruise line has announced an order of three new-build ships by 2032.

New Explora Journeys vessel to touch UK soon after debut

Explora III will arrive in Quebec City, Canada, on 27 September 2026 via Southampton following its maiden cruise from Barcelona on 3 August. The vessel will be slightly larger than its sister ship – Explora I and II

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth to undergo 'significant' refit next year

The 2,000-passenger ship, which launched in 2010, will enter dry dock from 25 February to 13 March 2025 at Seatrium’s Admiralty Yard in Singapore

Silversea's Mediterranean, expedition and 2026 voyages In The Spotlight

Get the inside scoop on Silversea’s Mediterranean cruises and what makes them unique, hear why your clients will love an expedition voyage with the line and discover the new ocean voyages for 2026, in this short In The Spotlight video

'Business as usual,' says Scenic Group as Nick Hughes departs

Director of sales, partnerships and strategic growth departs, with Scenic pledging to ensure support for agents is ’business as usual’

A&K and Crystal bosses on making their marriage work

Abercrombie & Kent and Crystal have been working together since 2019.

Gus Antorcha named Princess Cruises president amid Carnival Corp shake-up

The leadership reshuffle sees Holland America Line president Gus Antorcha replace Princess Cruises boss John Padgett who will leave the cruising giant in February. While Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice-president and chief commercial officer at HAL, will become HAL’s president as well as have executive responsibility of Seabourn

TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2025 finalists revealed

Winners will be announced in February as the event makes its highly-anticipated return to Raffles London at The OWO

Uniworld bets on demand for unique long-haul river experiences

UK and Ireland managing director Chris Townson has told industry partners long-haul destinations such as India and Peru are already sold out for early 2025

Atlas Ocean Voyages to launch agent programme and trade portal before 2025

The new luxury expedition line believes now is the right time to put down roots in international markets, including in the UK and Ireland, after a period of building brand awareness among travel agents. Atlas recently fixed pricing in US dollars on its website to help international markets which Bernie Carter oversees

Accor's Orient Express brand to enter cruise market with two yachts

Accor is set to debut the first of two luxury yachts in 2026 under its resurrected Orient Express brand

Crystal to launch new ship in 2032 after firming up option with Fincantieri

The order comes after the ultra-luxury line agreed a ‘two-unit’ deal with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in the summer

Ponant bolsters UK trade team with Celebrity BDM hire

Andrew Bolton moves from the premium cruise line – part of Royal Caribbean Group – where he spent more than 20 years in a range of roles including acting head of sales

New eco expedition line to target ‘best agents’ as it readies for debut

A new sustainability-focused expedition cruise line is keen to make sure agents are onboard with its plans

Discounting frustration, female leadership and famous explorers, plus four more cruise talking points

How did cruise lines react when agents expressed frustration over discounting in the market? What can agents do to up their expedition sales? And how cruise is becoming a more sustainable holiday choice? Everything we learned from Advantage’s biggest-ever cruise conference

Cunard to roll out best Queen Anne features across the fleet

Queen Elizabeth will be the first Cunard ship in the fleet to be retrofitted with new features that debuted on Queen Anne in 2025