It’s a “golden age” for cruise travel, with plenty of untapped
potential for travel advisors who want to increase sales and grow their
businesses.
Last week, that was the message at Cruise360 at
the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The biggest
professional development event of the year for the Cruise Lines International
Association (CLIA)
attracted about 1,000 attendees—including travel advisors, cruise line representatives
and other industry suppliers. The gathering marked the 20th
anniversary of Cruise360, coinciding with CLIA’s 50th anniversary.
“The opportunity is really there to introduce new
people to this fantastic business that I feel we’re all really fortunate to be
a part of right now,” said Bud Darr, president and CEO of CLIA, at the opening
general session. “It really is a golden age that I think has the best days yet
to come.”
Growing Enthusiasm and Passenger Counts
CLIA estimates that the cruise industry carried 34.6
million passengers in 2024, with 37 million passengers expected in 2025 and 42
million in 2028. What’s more, 80 percent of those who cruised would cruise
again. “That’s a fantastic number,” said Darr, adding that 36 percent of cruise
passengers are now under 40. “Millennials and GenXers—particularly
millennials—are the most enthusiastic.”
Darr noted that travel advisors are “by far the
number-one distribution channel for the cruise lines,” accounting for 72
percent of bookings. “That number has stayed relatively stable over time,” said
Darr. “You’ve got to match up the customer and their needs with the right
product that’s out there, and to do that, you have to understand both. I don’t
know that an algorithm can ever replace that. I don’t think a user interface on
a computer platform on its own can ever replace that.”
New CLIA Campaign: Cruise Actually
To help travel advisors sell even more cruise bookings,
CLIA announced the launch of Cruise Actually, a campaign inspired by the movie Love
Actually.
“Cruise Actually is a new social movement that CLIA is
going to provide to you, conceived to create awareness of the realities of
cruise travel and dispel cruising myths and misconceptions,” said Charles
Sylvia, CLIA’s vice president of industry and trade relations. “Cruise Actually
is ready to post content that you can share with your clients, and that they
can share themselves, because you and I both know that cruise actually is for
everyone—groups of families and friends, couples, young and old, and
individuals of every ability. Cruise Actually content will help you convert
your hesitant, new-to-cruise prospects into finally booking their first cruise
vacation by correcting false beliefs.”
Drawing attention to the campaign’s theme, Sylvia
channeled Hugh Grant by dancing onto the stage to The Pointer Sisters’ “Jump
(For My Love)” before the second general session. “Just as Hugh Grant’s
character shattered the image of a stuffy British politician with his carefree
dance moves, you, as brilliant travel advisors, have the power to dispel
outdated stereotypes about cruising—whether it’s the myth that cruises are
boring or confining, too expensive, or only for newlyweds and the nearly dead,”
said Sylvia, drawing chuckles from the crowd. “These misconceptions are like
walls that need to be danced through and knocked down.”
“Travel Trade Titans” Take the Stage
For the first time, Cruise360 gathered travel agency
leaders on stage for a panel discussion in which the executives shared their
best advice for travel advisors. Moderated by Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara
Cruises, the opening general session panel included Jeff Anderson, co-CEO of
Avoya Travel; Theresa Scalzitti, COO of Cruise Planners; Danny Genung, CEO of
Harr Travel; Tara Minson, president of InteleTravel; and Lori Speers, CEO and
owner of Levarté Travel.
Anderson emphasized specialization when asked about
effective strategies for building a business client base from scratch:
"First of all, specialize. Pick out what you're going to be the best at...because
you will become infectiously excitable about that topic, and that will spread.
So from a client-building perspective, so long as you know the product better
than the internet, you’ll probably fare really well with attracting customers.”
Speers highlighted the power of building a community
through platforms like Facebook groups, while Minson advised new advisors to
start with their immediate network: “Start with your family, start with your
holiday card list. And that will grow into referrals.”
Travel advisors make their way to educational sessions at Cruise360. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Advice for New Travel Advisors
As for common mistakes that a new travel advisor might
make, Scalzitti had some blunt advice. “If you are new, and you’re not with a
host, you’re making a big mistake,” she said. “If you’re with a host, you
already automatically get the top commission tiers. You have access to
marketing, you have access to technology, you have access to websites, you have
access to social media programs.”
The panel also emphasized the value of authenticity and personal
connections. “Nothing is better in this industry than picking up the phone and
speaking with your guests and leaning into that,” said Genung.
Speers urged advisors to “show your travel and create a little FOMO,” or
fear of missing out. “That’s not AI; that’s very authentic. Even from your
Cruise360 experience, take some pictures of those cruise ships out there when
you see them this weekend. That’s actually great content.”
Anderson pointed out that text messages are one of the most effective
ways to reach clients due to their high open rate. Scalzitti emphasized group
travel as a smart revenue stream that can pay off in repeat business and
stressed the importance of leaning on cruise lines’ business development
managers (BDMs): “They talk to thousands of agents, and they see what works and
what didn’t work. They can give you a ton of information.”
Looking ahead, the panelists discussed key trends and innovations
impacting the travel trade. Genung applauded the adoption of Starlink internet
access on cruise ships: “I think we’re going to see a lot more people that are
traveling for the long term and working.” Scalzitti praised the deployment of
newly built ships to the short Caribbean market, such as Royal Caribbean’s
Utopia of the Seas: “I can’t tell you how great that will be to introduce
new-to-cruise to this industry.”
The panel provided “great information” to advisors, said first-time
Cruise360 attendee Sharon
Rendfrey of Enjoy Life Travel LLC, based in Fair Lawn, New Jersey: “I loved
that you could tell that they truly weren’t competing against each other. They
were just so supportive.”
Levarté
Travel’s Speers said she received a lot of positive feedback about the panel,
with attendees appreciating hearing the agency leaders’ perspective: “We had a
lot to share, because we all hear from a lot of advisors about what their
struggles are, what their challenges are.”
Highlights
from Cruise Line Executives
Cruise360’s second general session—“Sales &
Marketing Hot Seat,” moderated by Cruise Planners’ Scalzitti—featured executives
from eight cruise lines sharing their brands’ latest news and “best secret
weapons” for travel advisors:
- Mike Julius, vice president of North America field sales for Carnival
Cruise Line, emphasized Carnival’s “close-to-home cruising,” noting that half
of the U.S. population is within a five-and-a-half-hour drive of its 15 home
ports. Noteworthy developments include last year’s launch of the Carnival
Firenze, sailing from Long Beach, California, to the Mexican Riviera, and the
upcoming July opening of Celebration Key, Carnival’s new 65-acre destination on
Grand Bahama Island.
- Katina Athanasiou, Celebrity Cruises' senior vice president of sales and
services Americas, promoted the delivery of the Xcel 2 in 2028, the line’s
sixth Edge Class ship; Celebrity’s entry into European river cruising in 2027, and
the launch of Celebrity Xcel this November. She praised Celebrity’s “empowered”
sales team, who helped advisors close the sale and noted the popularity of the
Loyalty Status Match for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Silversea.
- Rob Coleman, senior vice president of sales for Holland America Line, focused
on the line’s $70 million investment into its Denali property in Alaska as well
as the renaming of its Bahamian private island to RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay,
with distinct destinations for both Holland America and Carnival guests. Coleman
said Holland America’s secret weapon is being “really great at longer sailings,”
which means higher commissions per transaction.
- Wendy Whitener, vice president of field sales for MSC Cruises, highlighted
the company’s expanded U.S. presence, with seven ships sailing from U.S. ports during
the winter 2025-2026 season, and the recent opening of the world’s largest cruise
terminal in PortMiami, home to its new flagship, MSC World America. She touted the
Status Match program as a secret sales weapon, giving travelers with status in
another travel program instant benefits on MSC.
- Derek Lloyd, vice president of strategic and national accounts for
Norwegian Cruise Line, emphasized the brand’s More at Sea program, positioning
the line as the most inclusive in its category. He mentioned NCL Connect as an
easy promotional tool for travel advisors, allowing them to create their own
NCL website with no links back to the cruise line.
- Carmen Roig, vice president of sales for Princess Cruises, emphasized the
upcoming launch of Star Princess in September, the sister ship to Sun Princess,
launched in February 2024. She pointed to Princess’ MedallionClass technology,
which provides personalized experiences for passengers—“one size fits one, not
one size fits all”—as a secret sales weapon.
- Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service
for Royal Caribbean, touted the upcoming Star of the Seas, debuting in August,
as well as Sailor, the ship’s resident dog; the December opening of Royal Beach
Club Paradise Island; the 2027 opening of the Perfect Day Mexico private island;
and the summer 2026 launch of Legend of the Seas in Barcelona. She emphasized the
local support Royal Caribbean’s strategic account managers offer to travel
advisors.
- Nathan Rosenberg, chief brand and marketing officer for Virgin Voyages, noted
the brand’s record-breaking quarter, thanking travel advisors for their
support. He said Virgin’s adults-only product was its secret sales weapon, giving
advisors a great booking option for clients seeking a child-free vacation.
Royal Caribbean’s Vicki Freed (right) poses with travel advisors. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Trade Show, Workshops and Ship Inspections
In addition to hearing from experts during the general
sessions, Cruise360 attendees could get certified in river cruising and group
sales, attend seminars and workshops, meet cruise line and travel industry
supplier reps at the trade show, and attend a variety of ship inspections.
First-time attendee Lisa Harvey of Someday Soon Travel
in Tampa, Florida, “really enjoyed the educational sessions, specifically about
accessibility and expedition cruising.” She said networking with other travel
advisors was invaluable. "It’s great to learn from others—not only about
the things we maybe should look at doing, but the things we might want to
reconsider doing.”
Levarté Travel’s Speers, attending her ninth
Cruise360, says the opportunity for advisors to visit ships and collaborate at
the show is "priceless," adding: "The cruise industry is just
booming. It's got many new things coming out, and you've got to stay on top of
it."
One supplier at the trade show, ToursByLocals,
attended partly because of the increase in bookings from travel advisors. Between
30 and 40 percent of the company’s customized tours, available in 176
countries, are sold as shore excursions. “Post-pandemic, we’ve seen a rise from
about 14 percent to 18 percent of all sales coming through travel advisors,”
said Sara Cooke, director of communications.
Dario Rustico, general manager-Americas for Italy-based
Costa Cruises—part of Carnival Corp.—called the energy at the show “really
impressive” as he spoke with travel advisor partners about working together to
reach more of the North American market. “We believe that Costa, for the type
of product, the type of programs that we have, has the potential to grow
exponentially here.”
The mood at Cruise360 was “remarkably upbeat,” said
Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group. “People are optimistic,” she
said, despite some uncertainty in the market. “Cruise is a little less impacted
than other segments. Premium, upper premium, luxury are really solid. Mass
markets are a little slow right now, but I think it will pick up.”
Friedman, who attends the show every year and talks
with advisors at Nexion’s trade show booth, encourages Nexion members to attend
Cruise360: “Come to events like this, where you can build those relationships,
meet your BDMs, figure out what partners are the best fit for your clients, and
then broaden it from there. Be very intentional about what you want to learn.”
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