Exclusive: a day on the road with Cunard
Cruise Trade News goes behind the scenes with the Cunard sales team as they visit four travel agencies in the south of the UK to update them on the line’s latest developments and activations
Having spent most of my career writing about how cruise lines engage with travel agents, I’ve never actually experienced it first-hand.
So, when Cruise Trade News was invited by Cunard to join its sales team on a sales blitz, visiting Sovereign Cruise Club in Reading, Fred. Olsen Travel in Ringwood and Hays Travel in Romsey, we leapt at the chance.
Having met sales director Tom Mahoney and business manager for development and engagement John Garbutt in Reading, we hit the road and headed to our first stop, Sovereign Cruise Club.
The mission for Mahoney and Garbutt is clear – to share Cunard’s new brand proposition as it looks to distance itself from being categorised as a “luxury” or “ocean” cruise line.
“We’re not one or the other,” Mahoney explains. “We’re Cunard. And that’s what we need to get across to our agent partners, so they are well-equipped to sell a Cunard holiday.
“Our mission today is to communicate the Cunard difference and what sets us apart from other brands. Throughout the year, we’ll be refining our assets and giving our trade partners a lot more tools around communicating what that difference is.
“While there is a cruise for everyone – and we have an amazing industry with lots of different types of cruises – we genuinely believe that within Cunard, we have so many passion points that appeal to all types of traveller.”
Cruise lines are very good at telling us what their latest prices are, but not always quite so efficient at telling us about product enhancements or plans for the future
As we arrive at Sovereign Cruise Club’s head office, it’s clear that Cunard is a popular choice amongst the agency’s customers. The line’s artwork adorns the walls and 10 per cent off balloons – referencing the company’s consumer promotion – are littered across desks and sideboards.
While Mahoney and Garbutt run the staff through their presentation, explaining how the line caters to each type of guest through its West End theatre-style shows, partnerships with Michelin starred chefs like Michel Roux and Nathan Outlaw and its wellness offering in Mareel Wellness and Beauty Spa, Sovereign managing director Stefan Shillito shares his thoughts on the line’s new marketing drive.
“This is the best relationship we’ve ever had with Cunard,” he says. “The team coming out on the road has built even more of a bond, and I think it’s useful for both them and for ourselves.
“Cruise lines are very good at telling us what their latest prices are, but not always quite so efficient at telling us about product enhancements or plans for the future, and coming here is a more personal way of doing it than them just sending an email.”
Shillito reports that Cunard business so far in 2025 is off to a “very good” start. “We’ve seen a large increase in our average sales and an increase in business overall, which we’re really pleased with.”
He put this increase in popularity down to the introduction of Queen Anne in 2024, which gave the brand a “fresh impetus” amongst British travellers.
It is really beneficial when teams come to visit us at gives us an insight into the brand and the chance to discuss ideas
Our next stop is Fred. Olsen Travel’s Ringwood branch, which opened last year as Carnival UK’s first concept store, showcasing each of the brands’ logos and brochures behind different desks.
The red wall dedicated to the line I’m travelling with is located opposite the main entrance and screams “Cunard” – much to Mahoney’s delight.
“Sometimes potential customers will assume that we only sell Fred. Olsen or we only sell Cunard or Carnival,” branch manager Rose Price admits, “so it’s really beneficial when teams come to visit us as at gives us an insight into the brand.
“We get the chance to discuss ideas as to how we can market the store more efficiently to reach more customers.”
Cunard business has been “a little bit on the slow slide” for the agency, Price continues, largely due to public misconceptions about the store and a slower start to the wave season.
“We have a lot of exciting activations planned with Carnival and other companies which will certainly boost our standing with the locals.”
Our final stop is Hays Travel in Romsey, where staff are treated to a short presentation from Mahoney and Garbutt before diving into the line’s Shine Rewards Club trade incentive platform.
Here, agents can download a range of Cunard marketing materials for window and desk displays, as well as benefit from incentive rewards like Just Eat vouchers and cruise credits.
“For agents to come off the phones and really take in the information from a cruise line is so important,” says Garbutt. “An online training platform may not be the right fit for everyone, and face-to-face immersion gives younger staff members the chance to ask us questions.”
If one thing is clear from my time on the road with Cunard, it’s that the brand’s dedication to its trade partners is woven throughout every aspect of the company’s DNA. And travel agents drink a lot of tea.
