Royal Caribbean International’s 5,400-guest Allure of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, will offer 22 seven-night cruises ex-Barcelona from 19th May 2015 to October 2015 – and dedicated trade packs will be delivered to agencies from 12th February 2014, with 10 lucky agents at random receiving a special Golden Ticket to win a VIP weekend in Barcelona as one of the first to see the ship arrive in the Mediterranean. A further 10 agents will win the exclusive Golden Ticket and Barcelona prize by making a booking and registering it at www.cruisingpower.co.uk.
The trade pack will include a mini brochure specific to Allure of the Seas, plus a dedicated marketing toolkit that includes videos, campaign assets, top offers and images, and more, to aid selling the new itineraries.
The new 2015 cruises from Allure of the Seas will go on sale for Crown & Anchor Society members on Wednesday 12th February 2014 and on general sale from 18th February 2014. Agents can now register interest from their clients who will enjoy priority booking as soon as the ship goes on sale. More details on booking and further announcements can be found on cruisingpower.co.uk.
Allure of the Seas will be based in the Mediterranean for the first time ever, following nearly five years based at Fort Lauderdale. Her sister ship Oasis of the Seas, also based in Fort Lauderdale, will be offering three sailings ex-Barcelona in September this year, before undergoing routine maintenance in Rotterdam. Both Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas will introduce the pioneering RCI holiday experience, which features real outdoor parks, zip lines and an awe-inspiring aquatheatre, to European families and holiday makers.
The seven-night cruises from Barcelona will call at Palma de Mallorca, Marseilles for Provence, La Spezia for Florence and Pisa, Civitavecchia for Rome and Naples. Guests will also have the option to travel to Rome and join the ship in Civitavecchia for a week-long cruise starting and ending in the Italian port. Offering more flexibility for agents and their clients, the choice of embarkation ports is expected to be a popular addition.
Stuart Leven, Managing Director, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland said: “At Royal Caribbean International we have always delivered the unexpected and enjoyed behaving in a way that no other cruise line can. Not only are we increasing our European deployment, but we are also doing it in impressive style. News that Allure of the Seas will enjoy a full season based in the popular Mediterranean port of Barcelona is brilliant for agents – they have the opportunity to sell cruises on the world’s most high profile ship closer to home.
“We will be supporting our agent partners extensively in ensuring that they get to learn more about this ship when sister-ship Oasis of Seas calls into Southampton later this year. We are urging agents to forget what they think they know about European cruises – Allure of the Seas will change the face of selling Mediterranean cruises, especially for a family audience.”
