Earlier this week Carnival Cruise Line completed its biggest-ever agent ship visit programme, welcoming a total of 250 travel partners onboard Carnival Legend

The visits were held between June and August in Dover, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Belfast, with trade having the opportunity to tour the 2,124-guest ship and sample lunch at the Lido.

Carnival Cruise Line, which recently welcomed 21 travel agents on a cruise and stay fam trip in Florida in partnership with Visit Florida, had originally made 350 trade spaces available for the programme.

Iain Baillie, vice president international sales at Carnival Cruise Line, said: “Our record-breaking ship visit programme is evidence of our commitment to the trade and we’re delighted that so many agents were able to join us this summer.

“There is no substitute for first-hand experience, as it enables our trade partners to develop their brand knowledge and confidently promote Carnival to clients.”

Marketing manager Jess Hartley, who attended the ship visit on behalf of Paramount Cruises, added: “I cannot fault our ship visit. We had free time to explore the ship, meaning we got first-hand experience into how our clients would spend their time onboard.

“We were also given plenty of insight into everything Carnival, broadening our knowledge. Ship visits enable us to bring the product to life for our clients.”

The line also hosted a further 15 agents from Barrhead Travel for a one-off visit on Carnival Glory in May in Barcelona. Jackie Corbett, who attended the event, said: “We had a fun-filled day onboard Carnival Glory, which was fresh from a dry dock. We had the opportunity to see a handful of newly refreshed staterooms and the updated public areas. The food was on another level.”

Next year, Carnival Miracle will operate nine sailings from Dover, with nine, 12 and 15-day itineraries available. The line’s ship visit programme will be announced in due course.

The Carnival Cruise Line fleet is set to expand further following the announcement of three new 8,000-passenger ships, due to be unveiled in the summers of 2029, 2031 and 2033.