On Location: “It's awesome”: What agents are saying at TravelBrands’ SeaU conference

For Caezar Flores, participating in SeaU is like attending a family reunion.

Ever since the Curtis, ON-based travel advisor from Durham Travel attended TravelBrands Encore Cruises' first conference at sea in 2012, he’s made a lot of professional contacts and friends.

This week, in stepping aboard the Carnival Celebration to attend SeaU 2024, Flores has had a lot of catching up to do with old colleagues, while also making time for new ones.

“I’m a bit of a SeaU pioneer,” Flores told PAX, which is covering TravelBrands' ninth annual training event in the Caribbean this week, exclusively. “This conference has grown so much since it started. It’s an awesome program for the agents.”

And grown it has. After pausing during the pandemic, SeaU resumed in 2023, and this year’s sold-out event is bigger than ever as TravelBrands welcomes its largest delegation yet.

On the guest list are 240 Canadian travel advisors, representatives from a dozen cruise suppliers, along with TravelBrands’ hard-working staff.

It’s a conference that offers the best of both worlds. When agents aren’t participating in workshops, brand presentations, training sessions and supplier one-on-ones, they’re exploring their host ship (which, this year, happens to be one of Carnival’s newest, largest and boldest vessels) and the beautiful destinations it visits.

A work-hard-play-hard, land-and-sea dance, you could say. 

This week’s itinerary, on until November 10, has not only shared tips (presented in English and French) for maximizing sales ahead of Wave Season, but it has also delivered an authentic experience at sea – one that agents can ultimately relay to their clients.

“The goal is to show travel professionals how to qualify a client for that perfect cruise,” said Nathalie Tanious, president and CEO of H.I.S. Canada Travel Inc, the parent company of TravelBrands.

TravelBrands = travel plans

SeaU is also a platform for TravelBrands to showcase its latest tools and technology, like GiGi, an air consolidation system, which now includes a calculator that agents can use to add up airfare prices and display differences.

As for tools that assist with cruise sales, there’s TravelBrands’ air-sea protection program.

This is a guarantee that should clients encounter a flight cancellation, delay or disruption, and they can’t get to their cruise, that TravelBrands will get them there – or at least to their next port (when the air is booked through TravelBrands).

“Cruising is an integral part of the TravelBrands portfolio,” Tanious told PAX. “Through TravelBrands, you not only book a cruise, but everything that goes with it. The flights, the pre and post stays, the transfers, the tours. We are the one-stop shop.”

All aboard the Carnival Celebration

Then there’s the classroom: the Carnival Celebration, a fun-filled, family-oriented ship (designed to hold up to 6,500 passengers) that debuted in 2022.

It’s the second ship in Carnival’s new Excel Class, and one of the largest vessels in the company’s fleet (it ties with sister ship Carnival Jubilee, which debuted in 2023).

At 183,521 GT, and filled with colourful amenities, including its own roller coaster (called “Bolt”), Celebration has six themed “Zones,” from 820 Biscayne” (a Miami-themed zone, named after the address of Carnival's original headquarters, complete with art deco design and neon lights) to The Gateway” (a train station-like neighbourhood, with an LED ceiling, that pays tribute to the charm and magic of travel) to “Celebration Central” (a multi-purpose space, with 1,400 colour-changing lights, for live shows).

Celebration, this week, has carried agents to sun-kissed ports of call, including Amber Cove (in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic), San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Saint Thomas.

TravelBrands organized various excursions in each destination. In Puerto Plata, agents visited the vibrant city centre, the Macorix House of Rum, the Amber Museum (which holds some of Dominican’s stunning amber stones) and Emotions Resort, a 475-room all-inclusive property, which hosted a lunch.

San Juan, meanwhile, was all about exploring the historic city centre, and visiting local attractions, like Casa Bacardi, the world-famous rum distillery, where agents learned about Bacardi’s production process and how to make their own minty Mojitos.

Saint Thomas was a free day – many spent the day at local beaches, or went on a shopping spree through town.   

Today (Friday) will see a second round of supplier presentations, as well as one-on-one sessions, which allow agents to meet with cruise BDMs and sales directors, in person, to map out business plans and learn about the latest trends.

The cruise comeback

For Heather Gibson of AMA Travel based in Calgary, AB, SeaU is timely as she sees an increase in demand for cruises from her customers in Western Canada.

“Cruising has definitely come back twofold from COVID,” Gibson told PAX. “In Alberta, cruises to Alaska are very popular. There has been an uptick in business, especially among people who have typically stayed at all-inclusive resorts. They’re now looking at something different.”

Gibson, who joined the travel industry six years ago, said SeaU has been “very helpful” in showing the differences between each cruise line.

“When I get home, I’m definitely going to review my notes and do more research into the different companies we’ve had the privilege of learning from this week,” she said.

Greg Tom of TravelOnly echoed that sentiment, noting the value that comes with being able to network with the industry’s top brands in one spot.

“It’s a great asset to have this,” he said. “These suppliers are giving us the tools to do what we do, but better.”

Tom’s action plans, after SeaU, is to explore some of the non-traditional segments of cruising. “Expedition is something I definitely want to learn more about,” he said.

Marc Geuzinge and Angela Jeffreys of N.S.-based Gin & Tonic Travel are also impressed.

“What I enjoy about SeaU is the ability to connect with our colleagues. We only get to see them two, three times a year. It’s wonderful to build those relationships. And we have fun together, which is the best part,” Jeffreys said.

There’s something to be said about the magic of getting travel advisors together in one place. As soon as tales from the trenches enter conversations, agents typically problem-solve and help each other out.

“Our colleagues are a great source of information and wisdom,” noted Geuzinge. “We often share stories about [work], how we have resolved situations..It’s so valuable to keep those relationships alive.”

“It’s a great time to be a travel advisor”

For Carnival Cruise Line, which is hosting SeaU for the first time, the conference has been an “amazing” and “rare” opportunity, Justin French, regional vice-president – Western/Northern U.S. and Canada at Carnival, told PAX earlier this week.

“There are so many options [for TravelBrands] to choose from,” French said. “We’ve bid [to host SeaU] in the past and weren’t successful. But TravelBrands has realized that there is a place for us. We’re the biggest cruise line in North America. We carry the most passengers. And we’re a well-known brand in Canada among consumers.”

Many agents this week are sailing Carnival for the first time (or for the first time, in a long time), and have reported positive experiences with the 52-year-old brand, which has “definitely evolved” in recent years, French said.

With its new Excel Class ships, which are larger in size, carrying more eateries, lounges, bars, and deck-top attractions, Carnival has entered a new era of vacations at sea.

From personalized service (servers in restaurants make a point of learning everyone’s names before meals begin) to mouth-watering food (the crispy chicken served at Big Chicken is the talk of the ship), agents like Flores, a Carnival first timer, have been “blown away” by the onboard offer.

“I’ve loved the atmosphere, the live entertainment…almost everybody would love Carnival Celebration. All demographics,” he said.

Two more yet-to-be-named Carnival Excel Class ships are on the way, set to debut in 2026 and 2027, and a new class of ship, called “Ace Class” for now, are scheduled for 2029, 2031 and 2033 (these will be even bigger, measuring 230,000 gross tons per vessel).

“It’s a great time to be a travel advisor, but also to sell cruises. The industry is growing exponentially,” said French. “We’re super excited because the demand for cruises – not only globally, but in the North American market – is at an all-time high.”

“We’re seeing people choosing a cruise vacation for the very first time in larger numbers than we’ve seen before.”

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Stay tuned for more of PAX’s exclusive coverage from TravelBrands’ SeaU aboard Carnival Celebration.

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