Explaining how attending advisors were selected, Claire Stirrup, Celebrity Cruises managing director for the UK and EMEA said: “Everyone on Celebrity’s first ever mega-fam has earned their place to be on it.”
“It’s great to reward agents with places, but we also need to get new starters in the industry on the cruise too, as they need to have that training and development,” she told TTG.
Ten spots were also offered to agents who engaged with the Celebrity Cruises Xcelerator Programme by TTG Media. Stirrup highlighted the importance of this growing sector, noting the brand’s commitment to providing homeworking agents with the “right business tools”.
The mega-fam departed from Lisbon on Tuesday (5 May) evening for a three-night voyage to Southampton, following a welcome reception with Celebrity Cruises and Clia.
During presentations, Andy Harmer, managing director for the UK at Clia, told agents they were a "significant reason" the UK is the world's third largest market for cruise, increasing by 6% to 2.54 million in 2025. Meanwhile, cruisers in Ireland are up by 12.2%.
Now onboard, agents are invited to join 'Celebrity Signature Sessions' led by the Celebrity Cruises sales team, designed to deepen knowledge across the line's products and drive future sales, including for the highly anticipated Celebrity River Cruises, launching in 2027.
Agents also have free time to explore the ship at leisure, and take part in a fun challenges to win credit to spend onboard.
Agents boarded Celebrity Apex in Lisbon
“We want agents to immerse themselves in Celebrity Cruises, but also enjoy themselves – this mega-fam is a massive thank you for their hard work,” said Stirrup.
TTG spoke with attending agents who were excited to experience some of Celebrity Apex' unique spaces during the sailing, including its ‘levitating’ Magic Carpet bar, Le Petit Chef – a restaurant where dishes are ‘prepared’ by a 3D animated chef, and the Roof Top Garden.
“Talking to our trade partners, everyone has got something different they want to see on Celebrity Apex,” said Stirrup. “[Apex] is really special because she sails out of Southampton, and as part of our Edge Series, we know she is different from anything else on the market.”
Amidst the ongoing Middle East crisis, Stirrup also confirmed European sailings remain the most popular right now, with new addition Celebrity Xcel in high demand for bookings.
Consultants who missed out on the mega-fam are encouraged to engage with Celebrity Cruises' expanded training programme throughout 2026, including 10 ship visits and and training roadshows in cities across the UK.
