NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
Here comes the Sun C
onstruction of Princess Cruises’ second Sphere-class ship is under way, showing the
confidence it has in both its brand and agents, according to the line’s UK and Europe sales director. Nick Hughes confirmed the line’s
17th ship is currently being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, alongside the line’s first Sphere-class vessel, Sun Princess. He said the latest ship was yet to
be named but was expected to enter service in 2025. Asked where the new ship would sail, UK and Europe vice-president Eithne Williamson said: “We can’t confirm anything yet, but we are hoping for some nice European itineraries.” The announcement came during
a shipyard visit to see Sun Princess, which is due to set sail on its maiden voyage on February 8, 2024. Agents and press were welcomed
on board the 4,300-passenger ship and given a tour of its cabins, piazza, bars, restaurants and new theatre concept the Princess Arena. Hughes said: “It is important for
travelweekly.co.uk
us to get agents on board this early in the process so they can get a feel for what the ship is going to look like and start building some excitement. “Seeing all the amazing things
the ship has to offer and getting our agents to know it will encourage them to make early bookings.” Dylan David, head of trading at
Cruise.co.uk, said: “It was great to see Sun Princess and to hear about the exciting differences compared to Princess’s other vessels. “The arena was the most
impressive thing for me – I’ve not seen anything like it in the industry, so that will be a great selling point.” Simone Clark,
Iglu.com’s senior
vice-president of global supply, said: “It’s a large ship and we don’t know everything about it yet, but from what we’ve seen it seems like Princess has really thought about each of the areas of the ship so it has a really nice flow. “There are lots of windows, which
gives so much light. And having cabins on the sixth deck means passengers are really close to the water, which some of our customers will love.”
Nick Hughes
Princess Cruises showcases Sun Princess 11 months ahead of launch. By Josie Klein in Venice ‘WE WANT AGENTS ON BOARD’
Princess Cruises will welcome more than 2,000 UK agents on ship visits, fam trips and “graduate cruises” this year, as it looks to build confidence among its trade partners. The line plans to host 750 agents on UK ship visits in 2023 as well as run a minimum of four overseas fam trips for a total of at least 260 agents. Additionally, agents who complete the line’s training modules will receive a
free inside cabin on a sailing of their choice as part of the line’s graduate cruises rewards programme, with more than 1,000 spots available. Hughes said it was vital that agents had confidence in the brand and the best
way for them to understand what they were selling was to get them on board. “We want to invite agents who know and love the brand – those who have sold a little bit of cruise but want to grow their confidence, plus those agents who have never sold a cruise but are keen to learn what it’s all about,” he said. Williamson added: “Agents are of critical importance to us as a brand and it
is imperative we do everything we can to support them, so we want to welcome them on board and show them what we have to offer.”
Eithne Williamson
16 MARCH 2023
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