Bookings for existing Cunard ships ‘keeping up with Queen Anne sales’
Cunard has told TTG bookings for its three existing ships are tracking above where they were a year ago, despite the imminent launch of Queen Anne.
The 3,000-passenger ship will be based in Southampton during its debut season, which starts in early May 2024.
Speaking during an immersive dining experience onboard Queen Victoria in Southampton on Monday (11 December), Cunard’s UK sales director Tom Mahoney revealed “Cunard loyalists” were making multiple bookings at any one time.
“For next year, the ex-UK programme is our best-sold programme because Queen Anne is operating here in the summer,” said Mahoney.
“Our bookings in 2023 have been driven by Queen Anne, but our constant capacity has kept up. In other words, more guests have booked the existing ships than at this point last year.
“We’ve seen a lot of Cunard loyalists book Queen Anne, but they’re also booking their favourite ship as well.”
Mahoney said that “close to 40%” of trade bookings came from new-to-brand customers, adding these bookings normally “over indexed” when wave or Black Friday promotions were running.
Cunard’s 2025 fly-cruise programme is currently in the “best booking position that it’s been in within the past five years”, Mahoney added.
“We’re almost where we would be for cruises out of Southampton,” he said. “We’ve got really healthy availability of airlift that we’ve scheduled from Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow.”
Mahoney pledged to grow the trade sales team following the launch of Queen Anne, but would not reveal exactly how it would expand.
With sailings on Queen Anne now bookable, Cunard is looking to fill an extra 44% capacity next year.
Cunard president Katie McAlister added: “2024 is a great year for agents because there’s much more to sell. Our trade sales are exactly where we want them to be.
“We’re really pleased that we’re getting great support from agents, but that’s because we’ve invested in the team. Our agent sales are a really high percentage.”
Angus Struthers, vice-president, global marketing and EMEA sales, said the line would not have managed to fill the additional capacity “without the travel agent community”.
“Everyone has phenomenal opportunity to grow,” said Struthers. “We’ve had a record wave and Black Friday thanks to travel agents and their ongoing support.”
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