The Advantage Cruise Finder was launched at the Advantage Cruise Conference onboard P&O Cruises’ Ventura in Southampton on October 27 – the first time the conference has been held on a ship.

The bespoke tool, which is powered and designed by technology firm Widgety, allows agents to find detailed ship information, itineraries and pricing, and can be customised by ship, port or cruise line.

Cruise Finder is free for Advantage members if they access it through the members’ intranet system. Agents who want to share the system with customers through their website or Facebook page will be charged a monthly fee.

Claire Brighton, senior commercial manager at Advantage Travel Partnership, said: “We are incredibly excited to provide our members with a searchable cruise list on Facebook for the first time, with easy links to their websites.

“Working closely with Widgety, Advantage Cruise Finder has been designed for travel agents who do not have a large development budget, want to avoid hefty set-up fees and want a solution that can be built and installed within a few hours.”

Brighton added to delegates: “It means customers can find out about cruises at any time of day. The ship information is detailed enough to answer all their questions and the technology is easy to implement,” she said.

The new tool also features a “brochure rack”, with cruise programmes from more than 50 different cruise lines and tour operators.

Widgety director Damian Gevertz said: “Cruise Finder really is a one-stop solution for agents’ cruise needs. It also has UK port information to assist with pre and post-departure plans and we have a growing selection of detailed worldwide destination guides for 2018.”