Another week has gone by, and another week of cruise news has floated away. It’s hard to keep up with all the stories, but that’s what we’re here for! Honestly, the cruise industry moves pretty quickly even during the winter, and there are constant changes to keep track of. This week, there were pretty major announcements from Silversea, Crystal, and more. Let’s check some of them out!
Silversea Announces Program for Travel Agents
Here’s a piece of news that will benefit any travel agents that happen to be reading this (or anyone who’s close with a travel agent!). Silversea announced a program called “Sell and Sail Free” that basically guarantees a travel agent and a plus one a complimentary cruise. Of course, they have to sell three suites, but that should be easy, right? Right…. There are lots of possible itineraries that agents can pick out for their free trip, with some in 2020 and some in 2021. Silversea stated that it’s their “way of showing appreciation and rewarding our travel agent partners for their loyalty and efforts.” Cool! If you’re not a travel agent, your time is dwindling to become best friends with one, as the promotion ends on April 30.
Crystal Declares New COO
While this news may not be quite as exciting as the idea of a free cruise with your travel agent bestie, it’s still a pretty big deal. Crystal Cruises recently announced that Karl Muhlberger is their new Chief Operating Officer. He’s worked his way up from the restaurant business into the cruise industry, working stints at Cunard, Seabourn and Norwegian. In a statement, he said that he is “happy to lead these teams as we move into the next chapter for Crystal and welcome the challenge of finding ways to enhance what is already the very best in our business.” Your guess is as good as ours in terms of what this next chapter is. Maybe ships made of real Crystal?! Probably not, but who knows! We’re counting on you, Muhlberger.
Windstar Launches New Cancellation Policy
If you’re the type of person that gets nervous booking a trip because of all that could possibly go wrong, Windstar’s got your back. They’re rolling out a new program where guests can get a full refund on cancelled trips up to 15 days before the cruise was scheduled to leave. This makes lots of sense, as lots of people are wary of booking cruises right now due to coronavirus concerns. Hopefully this little extra bit of assurance will help keep passengers excited to book trips!
Well, there you have it folks, a quick look at some the hottest news this past week. Of course, coronavirus is still looming creepily over the cruise world, but news in regards to that has started to slow down with most cruise lines having cancelled lots of Asian sailings. We’ll keep you updated on any further developments!
