Royal Caribbean International will set aside 500 places for UK and European agents on a sailing of its new Icon class ship next summer 

The announcement, which was made during an event in London, comes as the line outlined plans to base Legend of the Seas in Civitavecchia from July, with a return to Europe scheduled for summer 2026. 

The company confirmed it will allocate 500 places for EMEA agents on Legend of the Seas next August as part of its largest-ever Seminar at Sea training initiative, followed by a further Seminar at Sea in the Caribbean in November 2026. Family ship visits will run from May to November 2026, with dates to be announced early next year. 

“We want get more people going out and seeing our ships to understand what it’s like to actually cruise on a Royal Caribbean holiday,” said Aaron Langford, senior sales director for Royal Caribbean, UK & Ireland. 

The line is also strengthening its agent rewards proposition with the launch of Upper Deck 250, a new tier above Upper Deck and Upper Deck 100. Agents securing more than £250,000 in bookings through the scheme will gain automatic access to the travel agent advisory panel, guaranteed attendance at any Royal Caribbean ship launch globally and £200 cashback on their own holiday.

Next year, Royal will introduce a new podcast and AI-driven enhancements to the My Royal Genie digital brochure tool. “We’re going to be taking our Royal Genie one step further where this will not only be an enhanced digital brochure, but also a huge sales closing tool,” Langford said.

“So, for a frontline agent using Royal Genie, they can send out their quotes, get a lot of interaction with their clients and enable them to close their sales in a way which is from the brand’s voice.”  

A new advisory panel, convening every other month and debuting next week with a focus on accessibility, will feed into future trade and industry priorities. Royal Caribbean also plans to extend its Royal on the Road initiative, offering full call-centre or store takeovers at no cost to participating partners.  

Nicki Lewis, head of sales admin and marketing, said: “Events are back and a way for us to thank our travel partners for working with us. Last weekend we had 20 travel agents experience a VIP experience at Winter Wonderland in London.

“We’ve got 80 more places to give away now every Saturday until Christmas, so look out for how to win these. We’ve also got a number of places to give away for the fantastic family event at Windsor Illuminations.” Incentive prizes will broaden to include tickets for concerts, major London winter events, the Big Feastival, Fulham FC fixtures and Six Nations matches.