Winter Is Coming: What’s Celebrity’s plan for Canada? Allan Brooks explains

Winter Is Coming is a special PAX series that offers a glimpse into the war rooms of Canada’s leading travel companies as the winter booking season takes flight. Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with industry leaders as PAX dissects what’s new and next this season.

New places, new spaces.

On the heels of a busy summer season, which saw the newest Edge Series ship, Celebrity Ascent, sail through Europe for the very first time, Celebrity Cruises is gearing up for the winter rush.

It’s been a big year for the premium cruise line, which made waves by offering first-ever homeports for its innovative outward-facing Edge Series ships, new year-round offerings in Europe, new ports and overnights (and some double overnights) and voyages to more than 250 destinations in 70 countries.

Earlier this year, Celebrity upgraded its all-suite Retreat experience, unveiling more perks and amenities than ever before, and now, momentum is building for the brand’s next vessel, Celebrity Xcel, Celebrity fifth Edge Series ship, which is set to arrive in late 2025.  

What’s Celebrity’s plan for Canada? Here, Allan Brooks, national director of sales for Canada at Celebrity Cruises, speaks to PAX about winter readiness for the trade, why more people are trying cruises for the first time and the one thing that will help agents quickly build their business. 

PAX: Winter is coming. How is business looking at this stage of the game?

Allan Brooks (AB): One of the challenges we've had is the Canadian economy. It’s been a big topic this year, and I think everyone has been holding their wallets a little closer. We didn’t see the uptick that we would normally see at the end of summer, but it's starting to happen now, which is great.

In terms of trends, it's Europe, which is one of our biggest sellers out of Canada right now. And people are starting to plan a little bit further out. There’s still business coming in for 2024, which is nice. There’s not a lot of inventory available, but there’s a few pockets and still some great deals.  

We’re building excitement for Celebrity Xcel, our next Edge Series ship. We're about a year out from that and the reveals on food and beverage, entertainment and design will start happening soon. The biggest buzzes will be around our new itineraries.

It’s important to note that we’re being benchmarked off of 2023, which was a record-breaking year of revenge travel for Celebrity. We definitely want to get back to that same place. What’s great is that we’re getting a lot of new-to-brand and new-to-cruise travellers. And our net promoter scores are really high. So that's promising.

PAX: What are you most excited about?

AB: We're all waiting with bated breath on what new and exciting itineraries are coming out, whether it's Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, South America. The team always seems to find new ports and destinations. Details on our 2026-27 season be out within the next three months.

PAX: What makes the Canadian cruising market unique?

AB: There are nuances in Canada that make us special. Our mortgage rates, for one, is something that's unfamiliar to the U.S. We renew our mortgages every five years, so spending trends are going to change. Cruising in the U.S. really rebounded. Our shorter four and five-night itineraries out of Miami have done very well. But that doesn't attract Canadian travellers that much. They’re looking for seven day or longer itineraries.

PAX: What’s Celebrity’s target market right now?

AB: We’re no longer just targeting luxury travellers to The Retreat [Celebrity’s suite class], which I think sells itself. It’s well-established in the industry. We’re now getting used to being in that premium, mid-level sector.

In terms of ages, it’s the 55 to 75 range, a lot of retirees. Multi-gen is something we've also seen a big rise in – especially clients that have come from another brand. What's happening is that couples, or groups, are bringing family with them. They're staying in a Veranda or an Aqua Class suite, and they're being introduced to cruising for the first time. Or being reintroduced, because they used to travel when they were children.

PAX: What do you think is attracting new-to-cruise customers?

AB: The value. We're seeing people who typically go to resorts sailing with us because they know the quality is there, whether it’s the entertainment, the activities, or the meals. Especially Canadians – they're spending more time researching on what’s actually included in a cruise. And I think we've got a reputation for delivering that high-quality experience. We’re consistent.

PAX: Cruising has one of the most loyal audiences. Why do you think that is?

AB: It has to be the crew. I was on that side of it for many years. It's because of who you sail with and how you're treated on board. I think our crew is why people come back to us. People will talk about a great itinerary, a beautiful ship, amazing food and service. But there's always going to be one, two or three people that stand out for them. Their stateroom attendant, their waiter, or a captain, like Captain Kate. It’s how they make people feel when they’re on board. Our crew makes sure our guests are happy and comfortable in a way that’s attentive, but not intrusive. We make them feel like a celebrity.

PAX: Do you think Royal Caribbean Group’s Loyalty Status Match program (which allows members of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea's programs to enjoy reciprocal status) will have a positive impact on winter sales?

AB: I think so. It opens a lot of doors for people. Like the airline and hotel industries, people are driven by points and loyalty programs. I think it's been great for business. The premise is that’s it's not just a vacation of a lifetime, but a lifetime of vacations. If you look at the journey of a guest, they may start on Royal with their family, and then move to Celebrity for a more foodie, in-depth experience in ports, where we have more overnights. And then there’s Silversea, which is tied to that with smaller ships. Our brands complement each other well and I feel like you can go back and forth, which is a great part of this program.

One thing I want to mention is our Elite Certificates. If you have guests with loyalty points that want to sail Celebrity, or are curious and haven’t sailed with us in a couple of years, our Elite Certificates gives them Elite Status on board our ship for their first cruise. And, if they book a future cruise within 30 days, they retain that Elite Status.

We know there are guests that want to sail with Celebrity, but are tied to a brand they've been with for years now. They now have that opportunity to try us at a higher level and retain their status.

PAX: What do you think will be this winter’s top cruise trend?

AB: The Caribbean and Europe are obviously leading the way. Asia is also really popular. With our new deployment, I hope to see more robust offerings there. I also hope to see more bookings in Australia and New Zealand.  I think longer itineraries will be popular. People really want to immerse themselves in experiences, and our itineraries lend to that, with double and multiple overnights on any given sailing. Canadians are not shying away from taking longer trips.

PAX: Can you share any details about Celebrity’s upcoming new ship Celebrity Xcel?  

AB: I have no new information, but we’re constantly getting hints. The cadence of that reveal is supposed to start in November, and we're all hungry to know more. She's going to be an Edge Series ship, so that will be the foundation. Edge and Apex were very similar, and then with Beyond and Ascent, there were tweaks, like the cantilever pools, the Moroccan-style Sunset Bar and Grand Plaza changes. Our designers and architects are definitely looking to tweak things more. One thing I’ve heard is that there’s going to be eight new dining options, which is huge.

PAX: What is Celebrity doing to make the booking experience easier for travel advisors this winter?

AB: We’re constantly enhancing our programs, and the Celebrity Commitment, to be that one-stop shop. Whether you're a seasoned travel partner or new to the game, the Celebrity Commitment is super user-friendly. You can be sitting on the phone or across from a client and pull up whatever information you need, from deck plans to itineraries to our onboard programs. You can even now filter searches by port. The platforms we have are great, but our sales managers and directors are ultimately what travel advisors need to lean on. That's what we're here for – to make it easier to work with us.

PAX: Celebrity removed gratuities from its ‘All Included’ pricing package last year. Can you explain why?

AB: When gratuities were included, guests were paying the full price of the gratuities, while the beverage package and Wi-Fi were heavily discounted with the all-included offering. When we removed them, we reduced the cruise fare by the exact amount of the gratuities. So, while the optics don't look great, it’s really the same. It's just packaged differently now. If a guest is adamant about gratuities, they can just add it on.

PAX: Are there any promos that agents should be aware of right now?

AB: We have an evergreen promo that offers savings during certain days of the week, whether it’s onboard credits or savings on the cruise fare. We have a calendar that shows travel partners exactly what’s offered on each day. We’ve kept this pricing strategy pretty consistent.

PAX: What’s your top sales tip for travel advisors this winter?

AB: Hands down, groups. There's an amazing price advantage that a lot of people aren't aware of. Many will escort a group in their community, whether it's a church or sports league. And that’s another trend – escorted travel. More people are looking for that extra guidance when travelling. The travel advisors who are escorting groups are pied pipers. They get this amazing following, and they end up getting more people involved.

It’s also good to look into headquarter groups – your consortia or network. They will often take out group space and then distribute it. You may not see the advantage right away, but down the road, when inventory starts to dwindle, they're able to package it and add perks, like onboard credits and transfers. That’s what really resonates with Canadians. They see the value.

My advice to travel advisors is to not be afraid of groups. There's a lot of resources around it. It’s a great way to build your business fast, because when someone experiences a cruise, they'll tell their friends and neighbours about it, and it’s an automatic referral for you. Our most successful partners in Canada are the ones who start doing groups or build group business.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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