Royal Caribbean scoops award for training platform

Cruising for Excellence has meant that less agents need to go on ship visits

Royal Caribbean (RCL) has been awarded a Peer Award for Excellence for its online Cruising for Excellence training platform.

The line – which also owns Celebrity and Azamara Club Cruises – beat competition from the likes of BP, Bupa and The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising to win the prize in the Technology for People category.

Cruising for Excellence offers travel agents one of the most realistic onboard experiences available within the industry meaning that the line doesn’t necessarily have to bring on thousands of agents to see its ships.

“I am exceptionally proud of each and every member of the trade training team who all deserve a share of this prestigious award,” said Michelle Russell, trade training manager for RCL. “Our trade partners are vital to our brand’s continued growth and we are committed to supporting them with training, ship visits and innovative marketing. Consistent trade feedback on Cruising for Excellence has been fantastic and the investment in training to bring our ships to life continues to convert yet more agents to be great Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises ambassadors. This award is a reflection of that I am honoured that the judging panel at the Peer Awards for Excellence recognises our efforts and the quality of our offering.”

Cruising for Excellence has so far trained over 20,000 travel agents since its 2006 launch. It is now available in 13 different languages.

By Sam Ballard, 3 October 2012, Wednesday 11:21 AM