Celebrity boss urges early bookings for Apex as ‘demand surges’

Agents must secure early bookings for Celebrity Apex as demand from the North American market has exceeded all expectations, according to Celebrity Cruises managing director and vice-president for the EMEA region.

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Giles Hawke urged agents to begin booking for summer 2025 Celebrity Apex sailings from Southampton, citing a “race for space” between the UK and North American market.

He said the Edge-class ship is the “first or second best sold ship for 2024” in terms of percentage load factor in the line’s fleet, saying it switches between first and second place regularly, but is “always” in the top two.

More: Celebrity Cruises announces return of wave campaign

Strong sales mean the line will maintain prices, Hawke said, so agents must “explain the value proposition in a Celebrity Cruise” when selling.

“Sales for Apex are exceeding all our expectations,” said Hawke. “The ship is better sold than Celebrity Silhouette was this time last year which I think is due to it being an Edge-class vessel which means people are more willing to pay a premium for an elevated product.

“The ship is internationally appealing and we are seeing good demand from North America, so we’re anticipating international sourcing to account for up to 30% of passengers on board, which is higher than we expected.

“There is still plenty of capacity for UK agents but it means they need to start talking to their customers about 2025 to ensure they can secure sailings.

“The international demand should help agents close sales because they can tell their customers that if they don’t book their chosen itinerary today, it won’t be there tomorrow.”