RCL Cruises Ltd now has more routes for travel agents to enjoy special offers, selling tips and great competitions with a new dedicated travel agent Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/rcltravelagents. Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises’ 3,030-guest ‘Celebrity Reflection’ has left the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and is sailing to the North Sea.
The former Cruising for Excellence page on Facebook has been rebranded as RCL Travel Agents and will provide the core of a centralised online community in which agents can engage and interact with Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. Expanded and refreshed to include the latest news, deals and information about the cruise lines, as well as establishing a forum for agents, the new RCL Travel Agents Facebook page will also allow agents to brush up on what each ship has to offer, so agents can easily provide customers with what’s new and ensure clients are excited by their potential holiday.
Jo Rzymowska, Associate Vice President & General Manager, UK & Ireland, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, said: “Over the years RCL Cruises has made considerable investments to engage agents and help them sell with the utmost confidence. The new dedicated travel agent Facebook page provides a space to share advice, expertise and cruise fun with our loyal trade partners and we look forward to increasing our interactions online. Agents will also be able to find out what’s new and keep up to date with the latest campaigns and offers on the Facebook page.”
The new RCL Travel Agents Facebook page follows feedback from agents, which includes wanting to have access to a forum where they can regularly engage with their fellow agents and to have a space with easy-to-find content that is directly relevant to commonly placed questions from clients.
Travel agents can ‘like’ the new RCL Travel Agents Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/rcltravelagents.
Celebrity Reflection Leaves Shipyard
Meanwhile, Celebrity Cruises’ 3,030-guest Celebrity Reflection has left the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and is sailing to the North Sea. The 1,047-foot long, 121-foot wide vessel crossed the Ems River in about 10 hours – an amazing feat, considering the scale of the ship and the geography of the shipyard required the Captain to steer the ship backward, assisted by tugboats fore and aft.
Preparations for the transit – known as ‘the conveyance’ – include removing power lines and railway tracks that normally pass over the river, to allow the ship to pass through. The journey must take place when wind conditions are calm and at high tide to ensure ample depth of water in the river to prevent the possibility of the ship scraping its multi-million-dollar paintwork.
Thousands of spectators lined the river to watch and enjoy the conveyance. Travelling at less than four miles per hour, Celebrity Reflection joins four award-winning Solstice Class sister ships that have made the same complex journey prior to officially entering service. Celebrity Reflection is the largest ship to complete the challenging manoeuvre. Following sea trials and finishing work while in Emshaven, the Netherlands, Celebrity Reflection will host an invitation-only preview sailing before embarking on 12th October 2012 on her first cruise from Amsterdam.
Celebrity Reflection has a number of industry firsts, including AquaClass Suites, Signature Suites and the ultra-luxurious Reflection Suite – the first to include a glass shower extending out over the edge of the ship. The ship will also feature designer boutiques, Celebrity Cruises’ signature speciality dining venues and glamorous main dining room, and expanded AquaSpa by Elemis experiences.
After presenting holidays from Amsterdam to Belgium and France to Barcelona, Celebrity Reflection will cross the Atlantic Ocean to arrive in Miami on 1st December 2012 and depart for its inaugural Caribbean sailing on 5th December 2012, following invitation-only promotional sailings. The sleek, new ship will offer guests a series of seven-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries from Miami, Florida.
