On a positive note for travel agents and their clients, Celebrity Cruises has announced a new and improved group policy to better align with consumer booking trends. This change provides travel agents with options, depending upon the number of staterooms they need to hold, with one of the key benefits being more time to market and sell their group inventory. That also gives their clients more options and more time to get on board.“We want to make it easy for travel agent partners to think of Celebrity as their go-to cruise line when it comes to group space,” said Celebrity’s Senior Vice President of Sales Dondra Ritzenhaler. “We not only aim to design ships and programs that appeal to the tastes of our guests, but also to cater to the desires of our partners, especially travel agents who are vital in creating memorable vacations for their clients.”
Celebrity’s group policy will continue to offer both a no-deposit and deposit program. Celebrity’s no-deposit program will now permit travel agents to hold a maximum of 16 staterooms up to 120 days prior to the sailing date for cruises of up to eight nights and 150 days prior to the sailing date for cruises of nine nights or longer. The deposit program grants travel agents the opportunity to set aside between 17 and 50 staterooms until 120 days before the sailing date for cruises of up to eight nights and 150 days before the sailing date for cruises of nine nights or longer. Deposits are due within 30 days of creating the group space.
Travel agents are welcome to use either group booking program at any time based on need. These changes do not apply to cruisetours or Celebrity Xpedition sailings. The new group policy becomes effective Aug. 10, 2010. The new policy pertains to travel agencies operating in the United States and Canada. For more information on the group policy, travel agents can visit CruisingPower.com or call 1-800-963-0311. For consumer information, call your travel agent, dial 1-800-437-3111, or visit CelebrityCruises.com.
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