We're deep into so-called "silly season" when Claire Stirrup, Celebrity Cruises' UK and EMEA Managing Director, sits down with TTG. Parliament is in recess, and the relentless hot weather is dominating national headlines.
A week prior to our chat, Celebrity Cruises announced it will swap out its current ex-UK ship Celebrity Apex and replace it with its larger sister ship Celebrity Beyond in 2028. And amid the lack of noise currently emanating from the travel industry, Stirrup wants to make one thing clear.
"Celebrity Beyond will be the best hardware out of Southampton for the summer season," she insists, unequivocally.
Celebrity Beyond 'has more space'
Why? Well Stirrup understandably won't comment on other lines' deployment decisions, but she does list how Celebrity Beyond compares with Apex, which has been operating out of Southampton for three years. Having an Edge-series vessel in the UK's number one cruise port has been a resounding success.
"We've already got an Edge series ship in, so getting Celebrity Beyond in was the right decision for the itineraries and the ports of call that we wanted to do," she says. "Apex has been in Southampton for three years, so it's good to have a change.
"Celebrity Beyond has got more space," Stirrup adds. It has 179 more staterooms, including 22 more suites, than Apex. The all-suite "ship-within-a-ship" Retreat area is also larger on Beyond. Plus, the Sunset Bar is split over two storeys on Beyond, and there's a larger and longer resort deck.
Stirrup says there was no lobbying for a newer Edge-series ship from her team. However, she does reveal Celebrity's Miami head office recognised how well the UK and Irish market is currently performing.
Basing Celebrity Beyond in Southampton is a sign of that recognition. In 2028, Beyond will be joined in Europe by Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Xcel and the current ex-UK ship, Apex, as well as four other ships from other classes. It's Celebrity's largest-ever European programme.
"Celebrity Cruises is performing well for Europe, and we listen to where our customers want to go, we speak to our trade partners, and we plan deployments far out," explains Stirrup.
"We obviously look at how the current seasons are going as well, and that's why we're bringing four Edge series [ships] into Europe for 2028 and that's why we're bringing Beyond in.
"Europe is always really popular with our customers. We've brought new destinations in as well, which is great. There's a lot to be excited about, whether that's 2027 or 2028."
Apex has sold 'really well' this summer
The future is bright for Celebrity Cruises. But Stirrup admits it has not always been plain sailing this year due to the Middle East crisis. Like most operators – inside and outside the cruise sector – there was a slowdown from the end of February onwards.
"Celebrity Apex has sold really well this summer," she says. "Obviously, there was a short period of time where customers booking their holidays slowed down for everybody, but customers are booking again now and they want something to look forward to."
On Tuesday (18 August), Celebrity launched its Mini Wave campaign, offering savings up to 35% off the cruise fare for the first and second guest as well as up to £250 per stateroom on Europe 2027 flights.
Agents can also earn £15 on every 2026 or 2027 sailing booked before 2 November 2026.
Celebrity seems well placed to capitalise on this growing consumer confidence even if Donald Trump is still struggling to bring the war he started in the Middle East to a conclusion. Celebrity also recently confirmed a structural review of its sales and marketing teams, which Stirrup says has now concluded.
"I'm not going to comment on personal matters and that of the team that we've gone through," she explains. "What I will say is we proposed some changes to align ourselves and marketing functions more closely across the markets, and that's now concluded."
Why Stirrup is in 'complete denial'
Last month, and very much separate to that structural review, Celebrity announced its UK and Ireland Sales Director Nicola McNeish would join its sister brand Silversea at the end of September. McNeish and Stirrup joined Celebrity six months apart around 13 years ago.
Stirrup jokes she will be in "complete denial" about McNeish's departure until she packs up and walks out of Celebrity's Weybridge office for the final time.
Stirrup does, though, confirm she believes her colleague will do "a fantastic job" at the ultra-luxury cruise line while revealing the pair had discussed the move prior to the move being announced.
"Of course she did, I'm her line manager!," smiles Stirrup, who reveals she is "the middle of the recruitment process" to find McNeish's successor.
McNeish's move allows me to ask how Stirrup views her own promotion 18 months ago to UK and EMEA Managing Director and the decade or so before that after joining Celebrity as an Account Manager for Thomas Cook.
"One thing we do in Royal Caribbean Group is we invest in our people," she explains. "That's through training and development. I think I could sit here all day and talk to you about the number of people who have been promoted and moved across the brands. There are so many phenomenal opportunities.
"In my last role, I was Senior Sales Director and I had a team of roughly 35, managing the majority of the trade teams. Then I moved to Managing Director last February – 18 months ago now."
Stirrup says Celebrity's International Vice-President, Giles Hawke, played a large part in her becoming UK and EMEA Managing Director. "I've worked for Giles now since he came to the business," she adds.
"It's all about having a voice, and he's doing a great job at that. I still work really closely with him because the UK and Ireland is a really important market."
Celebrity and Stirrup clearly have lofty ambitions for the UK and Irish market. Long may that continue.