Disney Cruise Line launches new trade training app

Disney Cruise Line has released an “immersive” phone app designed to boost knowledge and confidence among travel agents selling its sailings.

The trade can learn about different aspects of a Disney cruise through 10-day virtual learning courses delivered through the Magic Ahoy! app, dubbed ‘departures’ by Disney, which begin on May 29, June 19 and July 8.

Agents start their training on each ‘departure’ date and have the chance to learn about a different part of the ship on each day of the course, starting with the staterooms.

More: Disney Dream to debut in Europe next year

Those signed up to the experience can also take part in interactive learning sessions and activities and can win prizes, including a Disney cruise. All five Disney ships, including soon-to-launch Disney Wish, are featured on the app.

Magic Ahoy!, which can be downloaded via the Apple App Store or the Google Playstore, took 10,000 hours over 18 months to develop. The line estimates the app offers up to seven hours’ worth of Disney Cruise Line experiences.

Tracey Silverwood, director of trade, marketing and transport, Disney Destinations International, explained the company was aware that consumer and agent knowledge of Disney Cruise Line was “relatively slim” when the decision was made to develop an app.

She said: “We knew that we had to make a change. Over the last two years, we’ve realised that the way agents work has changed.

“Magic Ahoy! is a fun and educational app to engage with the cruise line whether they are at home or in the office. It is something of a game-changer.”

Silverwood admitted that fam trips were the “best way” to increase brand awareness but explained how it was not realistic to get every UK agent on a Disney ship.

The line hopes 1,000 UK agents will start engaging with Disney and selling its cruises following the launch of the Magic Ahoy! app on Sunday (May 29).

More than 7,000 agents are currently on the operator’s database for both cruise and Disneyland Paris.

Agent feedback from the line’s UK ‘staycation’ sailings last year, suggested Disney Cruise Line was “something new” for the trade, Silverwood added.

“We already knew that we needed to have that ‘Disney difference’,” she said. “The [domestic] ‘Disney Magic at Sea’ sailings solidified that.

She added: “[The app] does not take away from the fact that fam trips are crucial to our offering. This [app] is complimentary.”

The line confirmed the first fam trip would be on Disney Wish when it launches in July 2022.

“We’ll be taking agents on board for the christening,” the line added.