Virtuoso to expand Cruise Ship Tours program across Canada

Virtuoso has successfully hosted four Cruise Ship Tours events in Canada in partnership with Viking, Silversea, Seabourn and Cunard, with plans to continue the program throughout 2024 and beyond.

Designed exclusively for the network’s Canadian advisors, the Cruise Ship Tours provide a first-hand look at preferred partner cruise lines, which is then passed along to their clients as prospective passengers.

The private tours have taken place in Vancouver, with future events slated around Canada’s various ports, including Halifax, Toronto, Montréal and Quebec City.

“Experiencing a luxury cruise line firsthand provides a deeper understanding than one can get from a brochure or online,” said Virtuoso general manager, Canada Úna O’Leary. “By offering Virtuoso advisors exclusive access to our preferred cruise lines, they can learn, explore and gather invaluable information that can then be shared with their clients. We sincerely appreciate working with Viking, Silversea, Seabourn and Cunard to create these private, memorable experiences that will ensure our advisors are matching their clients with the best possible cruise experience for them.”

Showcasing ships

This past May, 20 Virtuoso advisors met with Kim Tobias, Viking’s sales director for Western Canada, aboard the Viking Orion ship. “It was a pleasure hosting the first Virtuoso dedicated ship inspection post-Covid in Vancouver,” said Tobias. “It was a great opportunity to showcase the Orion while she begins her Alaska season sailing the inside passage from Vancouver to Seaward. We were happy to share the modern Scandinavian design of the small ship that can host 930 guests onboard.”

In June, another 23 Virtuoso advisors, agency owners and managers were joined by Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch and Senior Vice President, Global Member & Partner Sales Cory Hagopian aboard the Silversea Silver Nova.

The group met with Jose Santiago, Silversea’s senior manager of national accounts, who said, “Since the Silver Nova is a new ship, most of the advisors were seeing it for the first time. We consider these types of site inspections very valuable to us, as well as to the advisor. Through these tours they can learn about the brand, the on-board experience, the suites each vessel has to offer and more. We were also happy to host the group for lunch to experience our cuisine and stellar service.”

Powerful selling tools

This month, advisors stepped foot aboard the Cunard Queen Elizabeth and Seabourn Odyssey ships.

Kallie Biggs, Manager, National and Strategic Accounts, Cunard, said, “We recognize that one of the most powerful tools for advisors in selling Cunard is seeing the ships and understanding our iconic brand and the experience guests will have when they sail with us. The intention is to continue offering as many of these opportunities as possible.”

Seabourn’s Business Development Manager, Western Canada, Fiona Schonewille, added, “Connecting with advisors is crucial to our business, and having them on board emphasizes the importance of investing in their education about the products they offer to their clients. The hands-on experience these advisors gained on the Seabourn Odyssey is invaluable. It allows them to fully understand the exceptional quality and luxury that our cruises provide, making it a perfect addition to the luxury portfolio they already booked.”

The Ship Tours have provided an advantage to the network’s advisors, too. Jessyca Georgison of Renshaw Travel said, “As part of the Virtuoso network, these opportunities to view the ships firsthand is an invaluable experience for us as advisors. To be able to share with clients that we have seen the ship in person, our own photos, small details about the cabins and amenities, as well as our experience with dining, really helps set us apart. It also ensures our clients know we are able to confidently recommend a cruise line in a way we wouldn’t be able to otherwise.”

Virtuoso will continue to offer ship tours exclusively for the networks Canadian advisors in Eastern Canada over the course of the next few months.

For more information on Virtuoso’s global network of luxury travel’s best, visit www.virtuoso.com.