Seabourn has appointed former Cunard senior manager of commercial planning Tom Andrews as its new UK and EMEA sales director He replaces Wendy Lahmich, who announced her departure from the luxury cruise line and the wider travel industry earlier this year. Andrews has also held roles as strategic partnerships business manager and commercial planning executive with Carnival UK. “It’s been a special couple of weeks in my current role at Cunard as we welcomed Queen Anne to the fleet – she is truly iconic,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure working with such a prestigious brand but I am excited ..read more

Princess Cruises has announced that it will be releasing its lowest launch fares ever for its 2026 sailing programme, which is set to be its largest to date Speaking to trade and media at The Standard, London last night, Princess Cruises’ VP UK & Europe Eithne Williamson said the line’s discounted launch fares will ensure guests have the opportunity to book early and get the choice of cruise they want. Williamson also revealed that the line’s 2026 sailing programme will be its “biggest year yet”, with 222 departures between March and November, which represents a 20 per cent increase on its ..read more

A-Rosa River Cruises has launched its biggest ever trade incentive, offering agents the chance to win one of 25 free cruises for two when they make 2025 bookings between 10 May and 30 June 2024 Every booking made will be entered into a prize draw to win one of the free sailings of up to seven nights. Agents must email their booking references to hello@arosa-cruises.co.uk to be entered into the draw. Flights are not included and the winners will be selected at random from all the entries after the closing date. Lucia Rowe, managing director of A-Rosa UK & Ireland, said: “There is nothing be ..read more

Travel agents and cruise lines are being called upon to share their thoughts on the state of the industry, with findings unveiled at the Cruise Summit on 17 June The last 12 months have represented a period of unprecedented growth for the cruise industry, with record-breaking sales figures and a slew of major ship launches signs that there’s a bright future ahead for the sector. Now’s your chance to tell us your side of the story. What are the primary factors driving your cruise sales? How have your clients’ travel habits changed in recent years? Is there something preventing you from securing ..read more

AmaWaterways has reported triple-digit growth to its March and April departures, as well as a 30 per cent increase in Christmas river cruise bookings Bookings for March and April itineraries saw significant growth compared to last year after the river cruise line made the decision to bolster its February departures on the Rhine and Danube, a move that it will repeat in 2025. As a result of its strong performance in off-peak sailings, AmaWaterways has opened pre-orders for its 2025 brochure where agents will be able to book spring and autumn departures across Europe’s waterways for next year, i ..read more

Havila Voyages has been forced to cancel another sailing on board Havila Pollux after an “unforeseen malfunction” was discovered with the vessel’s motor The vessel was slated to depart on a round-trip itinerary from Bergen on Monday (13 May) following its naming ceremony on the same day, which will go ahead as planned. Since 2 May, Pollux has been docked at Bontelabo in the Norwegian city for warranty work, after a motor which powers the propeller system needed to be replaced. Over the past few days, testing of the new system has been conducted which revealed an “unforeseen malfunction” in a b ..read more

MSC Cruises has renewed its partnership with Emirates for another two seasons to help cement Dubai’s position as an upcoming cruise hub  The partnership builds on an existing 10-year relationship and will leverage the strengths of the airline and the cruise line to support the growth of Dubai’s cruise tourism eco-system. For the next two years, guests will be able to book a fly-cruise holiday package with MSC, which includes Emirates return flights from 21 airports across Europe and South America. Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said: “We are delighted to further extend our partnershi ..read more

For some agents, slashed fares can help attract a new strain of customer, but for others, they impact overheads and diminish cruise’s value proposition. Will Payne speaks to the industry to determine whether price cuts remain the way forward Pricing has long been a hot topic of debate across the cruise industry. In the short-term, cheaper rates can help get more passengers on board. However, in the long run, continued cuts can hinder growth. With more than 20 new ships set to come online this year, 2024 is tipped to be one of the busiest years for cruise since the pandemic, which means agents ..read more

APT & Travelmarvel have added Tara Jerrard to its sales team as business development manager for the south of England With a background in senior corporate, airline, and agency account management, including Etihad Airways and ACE Travel Management, Jerrard will develop the river cruise, small ship and touring operator’s trade partnerships in the region. Reporting into Brad Bennetts, head of sales and business development, Jerrard will build on the work already done in the southern sales region to promote the firms’ products to agents. Day-to-day Jerrard will support APT’s independent retai ..read more

Last month, Queen Anne became Cunard’s first-new vessel in 14 years following a handover ceremony with Italian shipbuilding firm Fincantieri On Friday (3 May), the ship set off on its maiden sailing from its Southampton homeport following an overnight preview event on Wednesday (1 May) for guests, travel agents and the line’s partners. Two Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux hosted a Q&A in the Queens Room, where he announced he will be running two Le Gavroche at Sir Samuels residencies on board Queen Anne in August and September. After, captain Inger Thorhauge, who will be at the helm ..read more