2024 set to be ‘record year’ for Celebrity Cruises, says chief

2024 is set to be a “record year” for Celebrity Cruises, according to Giles Hawke, managing director and vice-president EMEA.

Hawke told Travel Weekly that 2023 has been a record year for the brand in terms of volume and load factors but he is expecting 2024 to be even bigger.

He said the line is better sold for 2024 than it was this time last year for 2023, but the line wants to increase load factors further.

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“This year has been a record year but next year is going to be better,” he said.

“The combination of how we’ve deployed the fleet plus the launch of Ascent means we will definitely have more passengers on board in 2024.

“We are already better sold as we go into 2024 than we were going into 2023 in terms of load factor, although we always want more as a full ship is both the most profitable and the most enjoyable for passengers.”

Hawke said Caribbean sales have been particularly strong, although “everything is selling well”.

He advised agents who have passengers keen to book Caribbean or Alaska sailings in 2024 to encourage them to book quickly, as there will be a “race for space”.

“I don’t want to say demand is insatiable, but it isn’t far off,” said Hawke.

“Caribbean sales have been driving really hard and we have more demand for sailings that call at Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas than for any other Caribbean sailings, despite those costing on average $15 more per person per day.

“The demand for both the Caribbean and Alaska is massive from the North American market so if agents have passengers who want to go to either of those destinations they need to push them to book as there is going to be a race for space on board those sailings.”