Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Briana Bonfiglio
    • Candace Protzman
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Jennifer Arango
    • Kelly Fontenelle
    • Louis Intreglia
    • Tom McCarthy

Trade Bolsters Royal Caribbean Group’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales

by Dori Saltzman / December 21, 2022
three of royal caribbean's oasis-class cruise ships

Last month Royal Caribbean Group saw record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales across its three main brands – Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

“It was fantastic,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International during a press conference onboard Wonder of the Seas’ two-night naming cruise. “It was ‘wow.’ And it was every single channel.”

Neither Liberty nor Bayley would provide an exact percentage of sales provided by the trade, but Liberty emphasized that it was impressive all around.  

“It’s booming for all,” he said. “Talk to travel agents and they’ll tell you the month of November has just been exceptional.”

Liberty did say the percentage share coming from travel advisors has increased over the past few months.

“We saw here toward the back half of the year, as we look at Q3 and now early Q4, our travel partners have really regained their footing… of course the mix would shift more toward travel [agents] relative to the beginning of the year, just because they’re fully back up and running. It’s a natural mix shift.”

Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service at Royal Caribbean International added, “We’ve seen strong increases with the trade over the last several months to the point that we had not budgeted for all of the backend overrides to the degree that we are now going to be paying them.”

Travel Market Report reached out to two of the biggest cruise-selling franchises to find out just how good Black Friday and Cyber Monday were for their franchisees.

“Our Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchisees recorded what can be considered the network’s best Black Friday and Cyber Monday booking period ever,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager for Dream Vacations and CruiseOne. “Compared to the same four-day booking window in 2019, sales and bookings were up more than 30% across all lines. When narrowing the focus across the big three (Carnival, Norwegian and Royal), we saw a nearly 70% increase in sales and nearly 40% in bookings.”

Cruise Planners reported similar results.

“They call it Black Friday but our agents were seeing green all the way through to Cyber Monday,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners.

“We had a stellar sales weekend with a 35% increase compared to the same time in 2019 on Black Friday and over a 100% increase on Cyber Monday. The demand is out of this world and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see our advisors doing what they do best.”

  4
  0
Related Articles
Royal Caribbean Reveals Details of Hideaway Beach on Perfect Day at CocoCay
Royal Caribbean Opens Bookings on Icon of the Seas' 2025/26 Deployments
Why Travel Advisors Should Check Out a President's Cruise
Royal Caribbean Teases New Private Destinations, Reveals Additional Icon & Utopia Details
Explora I's Delay Linked to Failed Fire-Safety Panels, Other Cruise Ships Affected
Royal Caribbean's Next Oasis Class Ship, Utopia of the Seas, to Sail Short Getaways
Royal Caribbean Shows Off Icon of the Seas during Shipyard Tour
Royal Caribbean Reveals More of Icon of the Seas' Family Fun
Royal Caribbean Monitoring Haiti Violence
Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas to Offer Over 40 Dining, Drinking, and Entertainment Experiences

MOST VIEWED

  1. Maui Fires Update: Which Hotels and Resorts Are Open and Closed After Lahaina Fires
  2. FAA Issues Nationwide Ground Stop for United Airlines Flights
  3. Southwest Airlines Strike Seems Imminent
  4. Hurricane Lee's Uncertain Path Raises Some Travel Concerns
  5. Celebrity Cruises Removes Gratuities from "All Included" Pricing
  6. Hurricane Lee Intensifies to Category 5: Caribbean and U.S. Impact Uncertain


  1. Two Florida Ports Remain Closed After Hurricane Idalia
  2. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  3. Idalia Expected to Hit Florida as ‘Extremely Dangerous Major Hurricane’ on Wednesday
  4. Hurricane Lee Update: Storm Poses Threat to New England and Atlantic Canada
  5. Royal Caribbean Monitoring Haiti Violence
  6. Cruise Ships Reroute to Avoid Hurricane Idalia
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by Carnival Cruise Line
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=8eb8c379-4b59-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b&Width=350&Height&250

Why Every Travel Advisor Needs a Business Plan…And How to Start One

A business plan is not just a document; it's your compass. 

Read More...
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Princess Cruises Offers First Look at Dining Onboard Sun Princess
Princess Cruises Offers First Look at Dining Onboard Sun Princess

In total, the ship will offer cruisers a selection of 29 dining and lounge options.

Read...
Carnival Cruise Line Opens Celebration Key Itineraries
Carnival Cruise Line Opens Celebration Key Itineraries

Twelve Carnival ships will visit Celebration Key in 2025 and 2026, sailing from eight homeports.

Read...
Hurtigruten Expeditions Appoints General Manger for the Americas
Hurtigruten Expeditions Appoints General Manger for the Americas

HX has a new general manager to oversee sales in the U.S. and Canada. 

Read...
Your Replies: When Celebrity Drops Gratuities from All Included, What's an Advisor to Do?
Your Replies: When Celebrity Drops Gratuities from All Included, What's an Advisor to Do?

Our recent column, "When Celebrity Drops Gratuities from All Included, What's an Advisor to Do?" hit a nerve with our readers. 

Read...
Sitka Wants Cruise Limits, NYC Pushes Shore Power
Sitka Wants Cruise Limits, NYC Pushes Shore Power

Two more cities are pushing legislature to control cruise ship visits. 

Read...
Carnival Cruise Line Doubles Down on Galveston
Carnival Cruise Line Doubles Down on Galveston

Carnival Cruise Line is expanding its presence in Galveston, starting in 2025. 

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
European Travel Trends 2023 Outlook
CP White Paper 1
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
View All
industry insider
industry-insider.jpg
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=f22339b7-9c5b-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b
What Does Social Media Really Mean?
Advertiser's Voice
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=19a07eaa-b65e-ee11-92d0-005056a8720b
MasterAdvisor 77: Tips for Making the Move to the Luxury Travel Segment
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Packaged Travel |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Resources |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy