NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
‘Invite clients on board ships’
Celebrity Cruises welcomed 900 agents on Celebrity Edge as it arrived in Southampton for the first time. Harry Kemble reports
A
gents have appealed to Celebrity Cruises to produce more family-friendly fares and
host consumer ship visits when the line has three vessels in the UK and Ireland next summer. Celebrity Edge arrived in
Southampton last week to kick off a busy 10 months for the line ahead of the launch of sister ship Celebrity Apex in the UK in April 2020. However, rather than asking for
an Edge-series ship to homeport in Southampton for a full season, agents called for more opportunities to
promote the luxury line to customers. Next year, second Edge-series
ship Apex will operate a short season out of Southampton between April 5 and May 10; a revamped Celebrity Silhouete will start sailing from the port on May 1; and Celebrity Reflection will homeport in Dublin. Speaking on Edge’s maiden
European sailing, which was atended by about 900 agents, Travel Counsellors agent Sharon Bayliss said: “Doing these sort of events costs a lot of money, and I am sure [Celebrity] will see the return. “It would be lovely if we had
a couple of days [in 2020] in Southampton where we could invite our customers.” Claire Stirrup, the line’s director
of sales, suggested a ship visit programme for agents’ customers would be available next season on Silhouete, which will come out of dry dock on January 31, 2020. Sharon Fleming, owner of
Tompson Travel in Northern Ireland, said Celebrity’s fares should target families with teenage children. “I would like some pricing
that would entice a new-to-cruise family, especially next year when Apex comes in. I am not talking about families with small kids, but teenagers who don’t want to share a room with their mum and dad.” Currently, children aged 12 and
Jo Rzymowska
above pay the same price as adults. Stirrup said sister company
Royal Caribbean International was the market leader for families, but Celebrity had ambitions to atract parents with older children. “We want to go for the older families – nine, 10, upwards,” she said. Celebrity confirmed the UK was the line’s number-
two market, accounting for a 12% share of overall business.
Jo Rzymowska, vice-president and managing director for the UK and Ireland, said: “Every market is important to us. Our sourcing has remained the same – it has not changed much for a long time.”
travelweekly.co.uk
SHORE POWER
Celebrity Apex will become the first ship in Celebrity Cruises’ existing fleet to use shore power when it launches next year. The 2,910-passenger vessel
– the second in the line’s Edge series – will be fitted with one connection to take electricity from a country’s national grid when docked in a port. However, just 14 ports, including two in Europe, have shore power facilities for cruise ships. This means Apex will use conventional fuel when needed. Nick Rose, director of
Royal Caribbean Cruises’ environmental programmes, said: “Shore power is the cleanest form of energy available if it comes from a clean source.” Previously, Celebrity Cruises’
vessel Celebrity Century used shore power to sail after it was retrofitted, but the ship left the fleet in 2014. He said: “Our technology is so
far ahead it shows that we are not just reacting to public perception. “Over the last two or three
years, more people are asking what we do for the environment. “We have this saying that has
been ingrained in us when building ships and that is always ‘go above and beyond compliance’.”
Sharon Fleming
Sharon Bayliss
23 MAY 2019
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PICTURES: Steve Dunlop
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