Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has announced the inaugural season of the 5,400-pasenger Allure of the Seas, 42 sailings of alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean departures on Sundays starting Dec. 12, 2010. Both itineraries will feature three days at sea and Eastern Caribbean ports will include St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau; Western Caribbean calls include Falmouth, Jamaica, Cozumel and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination on the northern coast of Haiti.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean is also relaunching OasisOfTheSeas.com with a new series of webisodes. Also, a new weekly Chairman’s Blog will offer personal perspectives from Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
As part of the line’s Travel Agent Appreciation Month, RCI treated agents to an Oasis of the Seas AquaTheater experience in early April and Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, inducted more than 900 agents as Ambassadors of the Nation of Why Not, the new brand campaign that emphasizes the variety of experiences at sea that they could not do on land.
Vicki Freed, senior vice president, sales, support and trade services, noted that other appreciation moves include two additional Group Amenities Plus points on many itineraries from September 2009 forward and new fam Weekends bringing agents to port cities throughout the country to meet with executives, learn more about RCI and tour ships. A nominal participation fee covers the cost of transfers, lodging and most meals during the weekend. Agents can earn two CLIA credits upon completion of a fam weekend or up to 40 CLIA credits and 10 Travel Institute credits for Seminar at Sea.
New eConnect enhancements will help travel agents create interactive and personalized eQuotes that include full travel agency details and a logo, dynamic pricing and send-to-a friend functionality, as well as single, triple and quad pricing in a professional design that agents can send directly to their clients from CruisingPower.com.
In addition, new Royal Caribbean monthly webinars feature advanced topics such as unlocking the power of CruiseMatch, developing and selling themed cruises and strategies during economic downturns. Likewise, quarterly conference calls with Freed and Ken Muskat, vice president of sales, discuss relevant and timely issues with travel agents across North America.
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