If you book cruises through an Irish travel agent, the people selling Celebrity Cruises to that agent have changed, and so have the tools they use. Celebrity has spent the autumn of 2026 putting a new sales director in charge of its Irish trade, moving agents onto a shared booking platform and lining up a 2027 that includes its first river cruises in Europe.
The clearest signal came on 1 November 2026, when Leigh Aslett took over as the line’s sales director covering Ireland. Less than two weeks later, Celebrity and sister brand Royal Caribbean switched UK and Irish agents onto a single trade platform. Both moves point the same way: Ireland stays a market the company is spending money on, heading into 2027.
Who Is Leading Celebrity Cruises’ Irish Sales?
Leigh Aslett was appointed sales director for England and Ireland, effective 1 November 2026, reporting to managing director Claire Stirrup. Aslett, who has been with the company for 14 years, spent the previous two as head of sales for EMEA, covering continental Europe and the Middle East. She now leads Celebrity’s trade sales strategy for the Irish market.
She isn’t new to the agent side of the business. Aslett built Celebrity Central, the line’s trade portal, and the Celebrity for Beginners training programme for travel advisers.
What Changes for Irish Travel Agents
On 12 November 2026, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity merged their trade platforms into CruisingPower, a single dual-branded site for booking, rewards, training and marketing aimed at UK and Irish agents. It replaces Club Royal and Celebrity Central, so the portal Aslett built has now been folded into the joint one.
For agents, the practical changes are fairly simple:
- One login covers both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
- New tools include shareable stateroom walk-throughs, a live ship locator and a chatbot.
- Bookings still go through AirWaves or Espresso, depending on which system the agent prefers.
- Loyalty status carries over, with no change to tiers or earnings for existing Upper Deck and Celebrity Central members.
- Silversea is due to join later, though no date has been given.
Aslett said the platform gives agents “faster access to the training, rewards, booking tools and marketing support.”
Celebrity Cruises’ Plans for 2027 and Beyond
The biggest new product on the 2027 calendar is Celebrity River Cruises. The first ship, Celebrity Compass, was floated out at the Zwijnenburg shipyard in Rotterdam in September 2026 and is scheduled to begin sailing in August 2027. The ships will sail the Danube and the Rhine, with optional stays in Prague and Budapest before or after the cruise. Fares include all meals, drinks, WiFi and one shore excursion per day.
Demand has run ahead of supply so far. Priority booking for the first voyages sold out in six minutes, and the remaining 2027 river sailings went in under five hours in September 2025. The 2028 river programme is already on sale, with an 80% increase in European destinations on the 2027 launch season, and the line expects to have 20 river ships by 2031.
On the ocean side, Celebrity said in August 2026 that the trade is reporting strong bookings for 2026 and 2027 after a dip in consumer confidence that followed the outbreak of war in Iran. “Customer demand is coming back,” managing director Claire Stirrup said, adding that the line had committed “our biggest ever investment in the trade.” Irish agents were part of a three-night familiarisation sailing on Celebrity Apex from Lisbon to Southampton that brought more than 200 UK and Irish agents on board.
Celebrity isn’t the only line building out its 2027 European programme; Holland America has also added more Norway fjord stops in 2027.
How Celebrity Sells Cruises to Irish Holidaymakers
Ireland has been a strong market for the line. In January 2026, Celebrity was named premium cruise line at the Irish Travel Industry Awards for the seventh year in a row, ahead of finalists Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Cunard.
If you’re the one going on the cruise, honestly, not much changes at your end: the new sales director and the new platform sit on the agent side, so you still book through your travel agent as before.
FAQ
Who Is Celebrity Cruises’ Sales Director for Ireland?
Leigh Aslett became Celebrity Cruises’ sales director for England and Ireland on 1 November 2026. She reports to managing director Claire Stirrup.
What Is CruisingPower?
CruisingPower is the joint Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises trade platform launched for UK and Irish travel agents on 12 November 2026. It combines booking, rewards, training and marketing under one login and replaces Club Royal and Celebrity Central.
When Does Celebrity River Cruises Start?
Celebrity Compass, the first Celebrity River Cruises ship, is scheduled to begin sailing in August 2027, with the line’s European river programme covering the Danube and the Rhine.
