Cruise Corner

Welcome to the first episode of our brand-new podcast series ‘How to sell’, where we provide a succinct selling guide for a particular cruise line to help you boost your sales and reach more customers. First up, we shine the spotlight on Virgin Voyages, with UK sales director SJ Walker joining us in the studio to share three essential tips for pitching the adults-only cruise line to your clients.

In the first episode of the new-look Cruise Corner Podcast, co-hosts Jack Carter and Will Payne take a look back at the whirlwind start to the year for World of Cruising and Cruise Trade News. The duo also discuss January's CTN Investigates, which looks at the potential impact recent rulings by the CMA and ASA on price transparency could have on the cruise industry. Virgin Voyages UK sales director SJ Walker also joins the podcast to discuss the brand's recent takeover of Cruise Trade News and how her glittering career in cruise has driven her to lead one of the industry's most exciting operators.

There’s no doubt about it: touring holidays are having a moment. The hunger for immersive escapes that combine unbridled adventure with comfort and convenience has seen companies like Titan Travel step up to the plate, with its getaways for every type of traveller.

In our third and final instalment of our special Titan Travel series, Shane Lewis-Riley explains why 2026 is the perfect time for agents to get behind this lucrative sector.

As holidaymakers become more price-conscious and value-driven, the role of all-inclusive cruising has never been more important for UK agents. In this episode of the Cruise Corner Podcast, host Rashmi Narayan is joined by Sarah Whitehouse, training delivery manager for Marella Cruises, to explore how the trade can better communicate the true value of cruise. The pair also discuss why Marella’s all-inclusive proposition continues to resonate with customers, how tools such as the line’s AI cruise-price calculator can support agent sales conversations, and what the brand’s recent successes mean for the trade.

In the second instalment of our three-part special with Titan Travel, the operator’s director of trade distribution, Shane Lewis-Riley, talks to co-host Rashmi Narayan about delivering "true value for time" for avid explorers and how a cruise can complement a pre- or post-sailing tour. The episode also dives deeper into touring for first-timers, key selling points for travel agents and some of the highlights from Titan's portfolio of global tours.

In the first instalment of our three part special with Titan Travel, co-host Will Payne sits down with the operator's director of trade distribution, Shane Lewis-Riley, to discuss his plans to utilise his vast experience in the cruise sector to position Titan as the go-to adventure operator for UK holidaymakers in 2026. The duo also discuss Lewis-Riley's first year at the company, his recent trip to Kenya with Titan, and his advice for junior travel executives looking to grow their careers in cruise.

The team behind the Cruise Corner Podcast sit down to reflect on their standout moments from 2025 and share what’s on the horizon for 2026. Co-hosts Will Payne and Jack Carter also welcome new host Rashmi Narayan, who offers a sneak peek at her first episodes, coming soon. The trio are joined by Cruise Corner producer Shelby Woods, who provides a behind-the-scenes perspective and shares practical tips for agents and cruise professionals looking to launch their own podcasts.

Ambassador Cruise Line turned heads when it announced the launch of its first-ever Caribbean fly-cruise season at the turn of the year. So, what can the trade expect from the line's foray across the pond? In the latest episode of the Cruise Corner Podcast, co-host Jack Carter sits down with interim head of trade Karen Cameron and business development executive Jade Cheadle to lift the lid on the new deployment, while taking a closer look at the vessel spearheading this venture, Renaissance. This episode is sponsored by Ambassador Cruise Line.

From crossing the River Dart on a small passenger ferry to get to school everyday to leading one of the world's most exciting luxury cruise lines, Anna Nash's career trajectory was written in the stars and discovered in the seas.

On this week's episode of the Cruise Corner, co-host Will Payne sits down with the Explora Journeys president to take a look back at her tenure in luxury travel, and how her beginnings in the south west set her on a path to becoming a key driving force behind the MSC Group's foray into the high-end market.

Nash also offers insight into the imminent launch of Explora Journeys' third vessel, Explora III, while outlining the company's plans to work with its trade partners to ensure the ship hits the high seas with a splash when it makes its debut next summer.

What does it take to maintain a successful career in travel for nearly 40 years? For AmaWaterways director of sales UK and Europe Andrea Stafford, a can-do attitude, an eagerness to learn and enough energy to sustain multiple late nights and early mornings. In this week's episode of the Cruise Corner Podcast, Stafford chats with co-host Will Payne about her glittering four-decade tenure in travel, which started in 1986 with Lunn Polly (now known as TUI). Payne and Stafford also discuss the imminent launch of AmaWaterways' AmaSofia on the Danube and the Rhine and AmaMaya on the Mekong, as well as Stafford's highlights of 2025 and her predictions for the cruise sector in 2026.