Celebrity Cruises is making a strong push with its expansion and brand strategy. The suspension of operations caught them with one ship under construction, the Celebrity Beyond, but especially with another about to be launched, the Celebrity Apex. They had many plans for Spain, both as a source and destination market.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 56 – March 2021
A year later, Celebrity Cruises is waiting no longer and has announced its return to the Caribbean, with the Celebrity Millennium settling in St. Martin in June and the Celebrity Apex departing for Greece, also starting in June. There will be two seven-night itineraries embarking and disembarking in Athens, one visiting Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, and Limassol, and the other visiting Rhodes, Santorini, Haifa, and Jerusalem. The Celebrity Apex will sail with all crew and passengers over 18 years of age vaccinated against COVID-19, and those under 18 with negative PCR test results.
We spoke with John Wilson, sales director for the cruise company in the CEMEA region, which encompasses continental Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. John Wilson joined Celebrity Cruises in January 2020 as part of a unique, single-brand approach in the company's new strategy, and is responsible for the sales network across the region. In Spain, Celebrity Cruises appointed Utopica.Cruises as its general distribution agent. With over 20 years of experience in the tourism industry, he has extensive expertise gained with several leading brands, including Royal Caribbean, Virgin Holidays, and TUI.
He was recently appointed Director of Sales for CEMEA at Celebrity Cruises, excluding the UK and Ireland. The Spanish market is therefore among his responsibilities. How important is this market for Celebrity?
We recognize the importance of all our markets within Europe, and Spain is an exciting market with great potential for Celebrity Cruises, aligning perfectly with our values and positioning as “New Luxury.” We know that our Spanish travelers love to embrace international cultures and that the average Spanish cruiser is 49 years old (2019), which aligns perfectly with our target audience of Generation X. Celebrity Cruises offers experiences for each of our discerning travelers, from culinary exploration in our diverse onboard restaurants and transformative accommodations designed by award-winning designer Kelly Hoppen MBE to a wide collection of exciting itineraries.
Utopica.Cruises is our expert international representative in Spain and they have a Spanish-speaking call center available to all Spanish travel agencies.
You have extensive experience in cruises and tourism, having worked for some of the world's leading tourism groups. How and when do you think we will emerge from this unprecedented crisis? When will the cruise sector return to its 2019 figures?
Celebrity Cruises has just announced its long-awaited return to cruising, with the revolutionary Celebrity Millennium, departing from the tropical paradise of St. Maarten, and the Celebrity Apex, which will debut in Greece in June. This announcement is a significant moment for us and marks the beginning of our comeback.
Celebrity Cruises has announced its return to sailing with the Celebrity Millennium in St. Maarten and the Celebrity Apex in the Greek Islands and Israel.
The Royal Caribbean Group has successfully provided vacations to more than 100,000 guests since the start of the pandemic, and we are receiving record-breaking guest ratings. Based on these sailings, and after speaking with our business partners, it is clear that many guests are eager to sail with us again as soon as possible.
We are working closely with our Healthy Sail Panel (a group of medical and scientific experts) to assess scientific advancements as they become more precise. We will continually evolve and adapt our specific return-to-service plans based on the recommendations of this panel, to ensure we can once again offer amazing holidays in the safest way possible.
How would you define a Celebrity Cruises “guest”?
We are a purpose-driven brand that believes in opening up the world, and we know that our guests share similar values. Our passengers are diverse, but what they all have in common is their appreciation for luxurious and authentic experiences within different cultures.
We offer vacations all over the world, including Europe, the Galapagos Islands, Asia, and more. In 2021 and beyond, most people's priority will be experiencing freedom, a change of scenery, and time with family and friends. A cruise aboard a Celebrity ship is the perfect antidote to a year in which those important moments and celebrations with loved ones have been missed.
Spain is an exciting market with great potential for Celebrity Cruises.
Our guests love that feeling of “everything being taken care of,” so we launched our new “Always Included” program: drinks, Wi-Fi, and onboard service are now included on every departure and in every cabin or suite.
Celebrity Cruises has appointed Utópica.Cruises, part of Viajes El Corte Inglés, to market the brand in Spain. What did this project offer that led them to choose it?
El Corte Inglés has a global reputation as an excellent brand and already accounted for a significant portion of Celebrity Cruises' sales within Spain. We are delighted with the infrastructure being built under the Utópica umbrella to support the growth of Celebrity's sales, and we remain confident that this new partnership will provide Celebrity Cruises with further growth opportunities within the Spanish market.
In January 2020, CruisesNews visited the Celebrity Apex at the Saint Nazaire shipyard and witnessed the first steel cutting of the Celebrity Beyond. Shortly after, we were scheduled to attend the Apex's christening, which ultimately had to be canceled. Celebrity was arguably experiencing one of its most significant expansion periods, following a major restructuring of the Royal group and with a European program aimed at further penetrating European and adjacent markets. How many of those plans and strategies remain in place, and how many have had to be modified? What are Celebrity Cruises' plans for the EMEA and Spanish markets?
The global pandemic has caused a "pause in essential service," and we have used this time as an opportunity to reflect on who we are as a brand and to refine our definition of luxury. We are eager to return to service, and when we do, it will be bigger, better, and safer than ever before.
I had the honor of visiting the Celebrity Apex at the shipyard and witnessing the monumental moment when the Celebrity Beyond went from concept to construction, as the first piece of steel was cut at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. We are very close to welcoming the first guests aboard the Celebrity Apex, and we still have exciting things planned for the Celebrity Beyond.
Drinks, Wi-Fi and onboard service are now included with every departure and in every cabin or suite.
Our plans for Spain and the EMEA region have certainly evolved over the past 12 months, but our goal remains to offer incredible holidays aboard our beautiful ships. We have a specific strategy for our Spanish market and for the entire EMEA region, which means we are focused on reaching new guests who align with our values. As I mentioned in November, we announced our new “Always Included” positioning, whereby drinks, Wi-Fi, and onboard service are now always included on every sailing, and we look forward to welcoming guests aboard to experience our New Luxury holidays.
Travel agencies worldwide are facing a critical moment, and some may not survive the crisis. How has your relationship with them been this year?
Relationships with our partners are fundamental to the success of our business, and we are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from the travel community since the beginning of the pandemic. To reciprocate that support, we launched RCL Cares, a resource hub featuring messages from our leaders, wellness tips, and our latest updates. Celebrity Central, our dedicated travel agency platform, has been updated to better support agents working from home; our booking and flight system, work-from-home marketing toolsets, and training modules are all accessible from one place.
We have used this time as an opportunity to reflect on who we are as a brand and to refine the definition of what luxury means to us.
The Edge will not be arriving in Europe this year, although the Apex, Infinity, and Reflection will continue with different itineraries in Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Is summer the definitive time for the return of cruising?
Based on our research, we know that consumers are eager to travel this year and that there is significant pent-up demand. We have just announced that the Celebrity Millennium will begin sailing in the Caribbean and that the Celebrity Apex will debut in Greece in June, marking the beginning of our return. Safety has always been our number one priority, and as an organization, we have formed the Healthy Sail Panel and are working tirelessly to plan our safe return to service. We are encouraged by the continued progress in testing and vaccination and the positive impact this will have on the safe return of our ships to service.
Cruise lines that have successfully resumed operations in Europe have demonstrated that their established safety protocols are reliable and effective. How do they convey this message to consumers considering booking their vacations?
Our top priority is maintaining the safety and health of our crew, guests, and the destinations we visit, and the entire Royal Caribbean Group, of which we are a part, follows the guidelines of our Healthy Sail Panel. Technology will be central to our safe return to service. Muster 2.0, the latest enhancement to our app, has transformed the safety drill—one of the least favorite but most important parts of a cruise vacation—from a process designed for large groups to a faster, more personalized, one-on-one approach that guests can complete at their own pace.
We are confident that the partnership with Utopica.Cruises will give Celebrity Cruises more growth opportunities within the Spanish market.
The Group has taken over 100,000 guests on cruise holidays since the start of the pandemic and we are receiving the highest guest satisfaction ratings on these cruises since before the pandemic; this is powerful proof that the health and safety protocols on board our ships are effective in keeping our guests and crew safe, while providing an amazing holiday.
The health and safety protocols on board our ships are effective in keeping our guests and crew safe.
Scientific research is changing and becoming more precise every day, and we continue to work with experts and local governments on our return to service, and therefore we will continue to communicate with travel agencies and guests.
