“Just Read the Room”: Travel Advisors React to the Royal Caribbean-Sandals Partnership

Many travel advisors were taken aback when Sandals and Royal Caribbean announced their new partnership earlier this week. But at the Travel Market Symposium in Texas, travel advisor Christina Royer came up with a vision of the future that seems to explain it all. 

As one river cruise company after another touted its expanded in-port destination immersion program and increasing number of overnights at the TRAVELSAVERS and NEST conference, Royer suggested that Royal Caribbean Group is following the same playbook.  

“Just read the room,” she told TMR at the show. “The number-one complaint with cruises is you are not there long enough to enjoy the destination. But what if one company differentiated itself by doing overnight extensions?  

“A cruise line buying an all-inclusive experience is brilliant. You can sail for a couple of days and then stay at a Sandals for a couple of days. It finishes the argument—and it makes everyone is a cruiser.” 

And she is not alone in thinking outside the box about what the combination of travel brands could mean.  

“I believe it’s moving towards an exclusive clientele. Royal Caribbean’s pricing structure and marketing strategies with the various private island experiences have upped the ante by partnering with Sandals,” says Linda Solomon of Traditional Elegance Vacations & Events. “I see the possibilities of cruises coupled with cruise tour resort experiences similar to what’s done in Alaska—fly into one of the 10 islands where Sandals is located and couple a three-night pre cruise with a seven-night cruise. And the revenue generated remains in house. 

In fact, she believes “it’s just a matter of time” for Royal Caribbean to replace its expansion into private islands with fully-owned Sandals, giving customers access to “the cream of the resorts in 10 islands spread across the Caribbean, with their infrastructure and operations already in place. It’s a brilliant business move—but I’m not so sure it’s good for clients and agency partners.”:  

Initial Concerns by Travel Advisors 

Like Solomon, many travel advisors reacted with both surprise and dismay when they first heard the announcement. They were concerned about Sandals beaches being overrun with day-trippers from the ships; service levels falling; the effect on wages and staff morale.  

On the Royal Caribbean side, they worried about prices going up to cover the $6 billion outlay the cruise line will be making.  

“Royal Caribbean should stick to cruises and invest that $6B in their ships,” said Susan Aft at Discount Travel and Cruise. 

“I’m not a fan,” said Shelby Morris at Morris Vacations. “We shall see how it pans out but I feel like it may take away from the uniqueness of each.” 

 “My personal concern is how people will view Sandals,” said Jo Ann Rapacciuolo at All The Wonder Travel. “Will the resorts just become another cruise day excursion location? Will Royal take over an existing property and turn it into one?” 

“I’ve been selling Sandals for 30 years,” says Letitia Mika at Crystal Lake Travel. “It’s difficult for me to envision what this merger will look like. But I also know that it’s naive to think that everything will stay the same in this current market. Adam [Stewart] said that Sandals/Beaches will stay the same….but they always say that in the beginning.” 

On Second Thought 

But just a day a day later, many began to focus on the positives the new partnership might bring.  

At Vitamin T Vacations LLC, Molly Murphy is hoping the investment will help fund the Sandals agent rewards program, which has been paused since Hurricane Melissa. “It was one of the best resort agent reward systems out there, allowing us to visit many Sandals and Beaches to truly know the brand and the properties,” she said.  

“I’m really excited,” said John Maddox at Tropical Getaways. “It’s a brilliant business move on Royal’s part to grab more of the vacation pie. And it’s going to offer Sandals the capital it needs to open more resorts in places outside of the Caribbean islands.” 

“I feel confident with Sandals and Beaches remaining as they are as Adam Stewart stressed,” said Cindy McCabe at Bethany Travel. “Royal Caribbean is a great partner and will enable Sandals to branch out to other areas, as we’ve been asking for. More resorts means more sales and more commission! I’m very excited!!” 

At Vacation Guru, meanwhile, Sandals and Royal Caribbean are two top partners, says Irene Sauger. “What makes this partnership particularly meaningful to me is that these two brands have consistently demonstrated strong support for travel advisors. I’m optimistic about what two strong travel advisor partners can accomplish together.” 

And Jennifer Hawthorn, owner of vacation Planners of Central Arkansas, is “cautiously excited. A big announcement is just the beginning. What matters to me is how it plays out for the people actually taking—and planning—the vacations.” 

For her clients, she says, “the potential is more resort choices and investment in the vacation experience. I’m also watching pricing, service, and whether those little touches that make a vacation special stay a priority.”  

For her business, she says, “this could open more doors to introduce my cruise lovers to a fabulous resort stay—and my resort lovers to life at sea. I’ll be paying close attention to how travel advisors are supported as this partnership develops. Whether your vacation comes with a captain or a swim-up bar, I’m still going to ask the same question: Is this the right fit for YOU?”  

In the end, says Mandee Migliaccio of Stepping Out Travel Services, “this isn’t about whether RCCL buying 50% of Sandals is good or bad. It’s about what they do with it.”