The move follows the promotion of Ben Bouldin to associate vice president and managing director UK & Ireland at the end of last year.
Starting on April 24, Darrington, who prior to her position of sales director at Funway was head of trade sales for Kuoni for three years, will lead and oversee the 30-strong Royal Caribbean sales team in the UK & Ireland.
She will be tasked with building on the success of Royal’s promotional campaigns and the Club Royal programme throughout 2017 “as the company heads into a series of innovative ship launch years from 2018”.
Darrington said: “Joining the Royal Caribbean UK and Ireland sales team is a dream job for me and I’m excited to build on the ambitious plans Ben has set in motion.
“Cruise holidays are en vogue for our industry as an increasingly favoured holiday experience, and there is no one innovating quite like Royal Caribbean.
“It’s an exciting time to join the business and to steer the team to even more extraordinary successes.”
Bouldin added: “Amanda is the perfect person to lead our sales team into 2017 and beyond so it’s with great pleasure that we welcome her onboard.
“Her proven drive and ambition, as well as her unparalleled industry experience, clearly shows that she has what it takes to drive our business forward.
“She has also demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and a real passion for fostering and developing talent, which will no doubt help us achieve our vision of having the best sales team in the travel industry.
“We have another incredible year ahead of us and plan to take our sales team and agent training and initiatives, such as our award-winning Club Royal loyalty programme, to new heights.
“I have every confidence that Amanda will bring with her the knowledge, business acumen and tenacity to ensure 2017 is our most successful year to date and, on a personal level, I’m very much looking forward to working with her.”
Stephen Rhodes, managing director, Funway Holidays said: “We wish Amanda well as it is a fantastic opportunity for her and I am sure it’s a role she will thrive in.
“Amanda has built a strong sales and reservations team offering outstanding customer service that will continue to serve our trade partners."
