Celebrity Cruises has reported its highest single day booking value ever, following the opening of its 2024/25 season in the UK and Ireland.
This follows the announcement of industry-transforming Edge Series ship, Celebrity Apex, homeporting from Southampton for the first time from May 2024 yielding the record results and signaling the line’s most successful product launch of a new ship into the UK market. The brand also achieved its highest booking value per guest from the UK.
Listening to travel partner feedback, the line announced Celebrity Apex’s homeport season two weeks ahead of opening for the first time, with a pre-registration platform set up to allow guests to indicate their interest. Travel partners were quick to respond to the opportunity, reporting record-breaking sales, with one agent claiming a six-figure booking yield in less than 24 hours from opening.
Furthermore, the line has seen a huge rise in travel partners consulting Celebrity Central, the brand’s agent portal, with a 43% increase in visitors to the hub since the news of Celebrity Apex homeporting in Southampton for the 2024-2025 season was announced on 1st November. Agents accessing Celebrity Central benefit from a suite of training and marketing tools to make selling Celebrity Cruises even easier, including fact sheets, talking points, website banners, itinerary flyers, ready-to-use print adverts and tailored toolkits, including a focus on Celebrity Apex.
Celebrity Cruises Vice President and Managing Director, Jo Rzymowska, said: “Since the announcement of Celebrity Apex from the UK for the 2024/25 season, the response from this market in such a short space of time has been phenomenal. We really hit the sweet spot: a first-class ship, featuring the most exciting itineraries from north to south, in our most profitable region outside of the U.S. It underlines that the level of consumer demand from the UK for the relaxed luxury experience at sea uniquely offered by Celebrity Cruises, supported by our incredible travel partners, is a recipe for success. We are looking forward to their continued support as we move into 2023 and beyond.”
Support for agents is further bolstered by new training modules featuring Celebrity Apex from Southampton available soon on Celebrity Passport, plus agents selling Celebrity Apex can earn up to £20 per booking on all 2024 Apex bookings via Celebrity Rewards. Additionally, the line is committed to hosting 600 agents on board Celebrity Apex in 2023, from ship visits to the brand’s much-loved Seminars at Sea.
Popular itineraries on Celebrity Apex in 2024 include a brand new 12-night Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle sailing unveiling the breathtaking beauty of Tromso and Honningsvag for the first time for the line from Southampton, as well as an 11-night Canary Islands and Portugal sailing, featuring an overnight stay in Porto, and ports of call in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Madeira, making the most of the late summer sunshine across Europe.
For more information on all sailings available on Celebrity Apex for her spring/summer 2024 season, as well as a full suite of training, toolkits and marketing support, please visit celebritycentral.co.uk.
