Travelbiz talks to Nicola Mc Neish (Sales Director Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland)

Celebrity Xcel launches next month, what can you tell us about the new spaces on the ship?
We’re incredibly excited for the launch of Celebrity Xcel, as the fifth ship in our award-winning Edge Series, she continues to push boundaries in design, destination connection and elevated experiences. Building on everything guests already love about our Edge Series ships, Celebrity Xcel introduces seven brand new spaces designed to give guests an even deeper connection to the destinations they are visiting.

The Bazaar is a transformational venue that completely erases the line between ship and shore. It changes throughout the sailing with festivals inspired by the itinerary, offering destination-driven dining, live entertainment, artisan retail and cultural experiences. It’s unlike anything else at sea and we’re confident it will become a new guest favourite.

We’re also elevating al fresco dining with Bora, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant serving brunch by day with a decadent Bloody Mary bar, before transforming into a romantic, share-style dining experience by night.

Other innovative additions include The Attic at The Club, offering retro-style arcade games and interactive fun; our first-ever Celebrity Flagship store, featuring a blend of experiential retail and interactive exhibit; The Celebrity Pool Club, a reimagined poolside retreat, and The Hydra Room & Vitamin D Deck, brand new wellness concepts within the expanded Spa.

Celebrity Xcel will also host our largest cast ever with 75 world-class performers bringing new entertainment to life, as she sets sail from Fort Lauderdale next month before beginning her inaugural European season next summer from Barcelona and Athens.

River Cruise Market Entry

There’s been incredible excitement around Celebrity Cruises’ introduction into the river cruising market. The ships look fantastic. In what is already a highly competitive sector in Ireland, what makes Celebrity’s River cruise product stand out from the rest? And will we see an increase in trade support and strategy in Ireland as a result?
The excitement has been phenomenal, and Ireland has been no exception. Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker will redefine what guests expect from river cruising. Each ship will feature transformative top decks that open and close as they glide under bridges, Magic Edge dining pods that lift guests over the destinations they’re dining in, infinity-edge plunge pools, and guest-favourite venues like Café al Bacio, Sunset Bar and the Martini Bar.

River cruising, The Celebrity Way, will combine our signature hospitality, design, and innovation with the intimacy of a smaller ship. The response has been extraordinary, with our Priority Booking list selling out in under six minutes and strong demand for 2027 sailings.

From a trade perspective, Ireland is a key growth market for us and we’ll continue to drive focus and investment here. Tea & Training sessions, ship visits, sales meetings and home-based agents events are essential to our engagement, and we’ll be expanding to cover Celebrity River Cruises within those sessions. Irish agents have been instrumental in building our ocean business, and we know they’ll play a vital role in helping us bring this exciting new offering to market.

Future Itineraries and European Focus

With more than 175 itineraries on sale for 2027/2028 and Celebrity Xcel returning to Europe for a second season, do you anticipate an even greater focus on Europe and additional destinations utilising Edge-class vessels? How have bookings for 2027/2028 performed since going on sale in August?
Europe remains at the heart of our deployment strategy. The 2027-28 season will be our largest in Europe yet, with eight ships in the region, including three Edge-series ships visiting nearly 100 destinations, 59 overnight stays, and more than 1,000 extended port calls.

Celebrity Xcel, our newest Edge-Series ship, will sail her inaugural European season next summer before returning for 2027, joined by Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Apex. Together they’ll offer our most destination-rich itineraries ever, from the Norwegian Fjords and Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean and the Canaries.

In August we announced our 2027–28 itineraries, two months earlier than ever before, and it’s off to a phenomenal start. We value agents feedback and releasing our itineraries earlier helps partners to provide customers who tend to book their holidays earlier with greater choice.

Set to open in summer 2026, Royal Beach Club Santorini will welcome guests from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, combining the breathtaking volcanic beaches of this iconic Greek island with the company’s signature experiences alongside the vibrant Grecian spirit and culture to create the ultimate Santorini experience as part of an elevated day ashore.

New-to-Cruise Market Trends

Are you seeing growth in the “new to cruise” segment in Ireland? Has there been a noticeable demographic shift in your 2025 booking profile compared to previous years?
The Irish market is evolving, with more new-to-cruise guests entering the sector than ever before. At Celebrity Cruises, we’re seeing strong growth among couples, friends travelling together and multi-generational families, many drawn by the convenience and value of our All Included package.

The perception of cruising has changed dramatically with holidaymakers realising they can explore multiple destinations, enjoy premium culinary experiences and world-class entertainment, all while travelling in style. Celebrity’s unique hospitality-first approach and contemporary design appeal strongly to this audience, who appreciate elevated experiences which redefine a premium travel experience at sea.

Brand Differentiation

The travel trade operates in a crowded and competitive space with a constant flow of information. From your perspective, what makes Celebrity Cruises stand out and resonate most strongly with trade partners and consumers alike?
For me, it comes down to how we make people feel. Celebrity offers the intimate, thoughtful service of a small ship with the variety, excitement, and innovation of a larger one.

Our Edge-Series ships have redefined premium cruising, from the outward-facing design that connects guests to the sea, to incredible dining experiences led by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud and the award-winning service that has become our hallmark.

For trade partners, Celebrity stands out because we’re collaborative, consistent, and easy to do business with. We equip agents with simple tools through Celebrity Central, regular training sessions and support. And above all, we share the same goal: ensuring every guest who books a Celebrity cruise comes back saying “nothing comes close”.

Trade Support and Presence in Ireland

Trade support and on-the-ground presence have been key to Celebrity’s success in Ireland. With the river cruise expansion and an increasingly diverse product portfolio, are there plans to further strengthen your presence in Ireland? Or will there be closer alignment or shared resources with Royal Caribbean International?
Our commitment to the Irish travel trade couldn’t be stronger. Ireland continues to excel in both performance and partnership, and that’s entirely down to the relationships we’ve built together. We’ve already increased our presence with regular ship visits in Belfast and Cork, ongoing Tea & Training sessions and dedicated home-based agent events, all of which have been extremely well received. You’ll see more of that as we move into 2026 and expand training to include river cruise and Solstice-Series updates.

We work closely within Royal Caribbean Group, particularly around loyalty benefits such as our industry-leading status match programme which recognises members across Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Silversea. Across larger activations, such as partner conferences and sales blitzes, we also work at group level to provide access to multiple brand touchpoints and maximise the time investment for our travel partners. We still work at brand level with a dedicated team across the UK and Ireland, including local contacts in Ireland as well as a wider network across the sales team, as well as ongoing support from our training, trade support, trade marketing and contact centre teams, ensuring our partners in Ireland continue to get the tailored support they deserve.