Widgety’s Marketing Coordinator, Emma, caught up with Louise Craddock, UK Sales Director at Oceania Cruises. Louise Craddock has more than 25 years’ experience in the cruise industry, having held senior roles in both the UK and the USA.
She has spent the past 14 years with Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line and has served as Director of Sales UK & Ireland since 2021.
In her current role, Louise leads the UK sales team and focuses on expanding the brand’s reach, strengthening trade partnerships and supporting agents to drive sales growth, particularly following the launch of Oceania Allura in 2025 and ahead of the debut of Oceania Sonata in 2027.
In her spare time, Louise enjoys spending time with family and friends at her home in Dorset, travelling, and indulging her passion for fine food and wine.
“Oceania Cruises recently transitioned to become an adults-only line. Can you tell us more about that decision and the benefits it will bring guests?”
Louise: Of course, it’s lovely to speak to you today. Oceania Cruises has always been very adult-centric. Families travelling with younger children was a very small part of our guest profile, so it made sense to bring in this change that solidifies our position in the luxury cruise sector, avoids any confusion for our guests, and helps to reinforce our dual focus of offering the Finest Cuisine at Sea and destination-rich itineraries.
“Your 2027 around the world cruise aboard Oceania Vista is an epic global adventure, with the opportunity to spend up to 244 days aboard. How should agents sell this unique product, especially because the voyage is now on a larger ship than previously?”
Louise: We traditionally had our world cruises on our smaller ships so transitioning to Oceania Vista was a game changer. But it also made sense to move it to our newest ship at the time. It’s been hugely successful, not only because of the change to Vista, but also because we offered so many ports of call, with lots of overnight stays and longer in the ports. We were also able to really mix up the portfolio of ports between really popular destinations and some more niche places that were off the beaten track.
There are lots of extras for Around the World guests, like exclusive shoreside events; they become like a little community on board. It is absolutely fascinating when you speak to the guests – some of them have done more than one world cruise, which is really surprising because it is such a bucket list thing. But to just unpack once and then take yourself off around the world is amazing – travelling in luxury and with none of the hassle of navigating airport after airport.
You get to go on these amazing trips when you’re in the ports, and then you get the days in between to relax and recover. And with the Wi-Fi included you can still keep in touch with all your friends and family. It’s just a brilliant experience. I would love to do it myself and I’m sure you would as well, Emma, in years to come.
Emma: Yeah definitely. Did I see it was 46 countries?
Louise: Yes! It’s so expansive and you are navigating the globe, connecting continents and experiencing rich cultures and authentic cuisine. It’s unforgettable.
Emma: It almost feels like it’s a lifetime of travel but just done so easily.
Louise: We believe it is the best way to travel. But not everyone has the time for the full 244-day voyage. About a month after the World Cruise has gone on sale, we unveil a selection of wonderful bite-size segments from the overall itinerary which are a great way for agents to access this incredible itinerary for their customers that might say they only have 90 days they can sail, or can only be away for certain months. It also works really well for their customers that might know certain regions very well, they can choose the segments that really appeal to them.
“Oceania Sonata is launching in 2027, how does it differ from Oceania Allura and what should agents focus on when selling cruises on this ship?”
Louise: Oceania Sonata will be in a league of her own. At 84,000 tonnes she is our biggest ship yet; larger than Vista or Allura. But while we have increased by 30% in size, we will only have 1,390 guests – just 10% more than Vista or Allura. Beautiful, gorgeous staterooms and suites, all balconies, and new stateroom grades including a deluxe penthouse which is a huge 490 square feet.
I’m really excited by the new Horizon Suites which have been designed using guest feedback – they told us they wanted separate living and sleeping spaces, so Horizon Suites are larger than Penthouse Suites, with a partition that guests can pull across to separate the areas.
There are also 13 incredible restaurants included at no extra cost, all our customer’s favourites, but with exciting new additions, as well as new evolutions from Allura. We are going to have an amazing Nikkei Kitchen, that will be housed in Aquamar in the evenings. We introduced Nikkei dishes to the Red Ginger menu in Allura, but this is the next step, with an expanded range of delicious Nikkei cuisine, freshly prepared for guests to enjoy without having to make a reservation. Baristas have been relocated to incorporate an outside area for the first time, where guests can enjoy their coffee, treats from the Bakery, or Creperie, or gelato.
Her debut cruise is an amazing 14-day Mediterranean voyage, starting on the 7th of August 2027. She will do several Med voyages and then transition over to the Caribbean. She’s going to do a little bit of Canada, New England, the Caribbean, and then Panama Canal cruises. The Maiden Voyage is priced so reasonably and is selling very well; I would really encourage agents to have a look.
The response from the UK trade and guests has been so strong. We had really fabulous interactive brochures where agents could place themselves anywhere they liked onboard in a ‘bubble’ to really understand the layout. We sold 15% of the entire inaugural season, including 30% of the top suites, in the first week that Sonata went on sale.
She will be in Southampton next September. Emma, you and the team have got to come on and have a look around.
Emma: Oh, definitely. We’d love to, that sounds great.
“What other USPs should agents focus on when selling Oceania Cruises?”
Louise: We have four key selling points:
Oceania is known for small ship luxury – we have such a range now in our fleet, from 670 to 1,250 guests. Once Sonata launches, with 1,390 guest capacity, we will also have something for agents looking for midsize luxury. And we have five Sonata class ships on order in total – we’ll be launching a new ship every other year from 2027.
We are so proud of the hospitality, the warmth and the service that we offer guests. We have a really high staff to guest ratio, and we really deliver on that. Our onboard team really are the soul of the ships; their warmth, spirit and friendliness are really what define a holiday for some people. Whatever tiny thing it is, our staff are trained to have that little bit of familiarity with the guests, which is so nice – when your waiter remembers your drink or remembers that you like a certain type of mustard and has it prepared for you.
And then it’s the destinations that we go to. We have eight ships at present and we really do pack a punch with where we are traveling to. The destinations are what really excite the agents, and everybody that works at Oceania. When you’re able to offer this type of value in luxury and take your guests to Asia, to the South Pacific, to Australia, or closer to home in the Mediterranean where we include smaller, niche ports of call. We’re going to go to Sorrento, Positano, Portofino. We even go to the Amazon, the size of our ships means we can take them up the river in Manaus and we have three days in the Amazon. In Alaska we go beyond the bog standard 7-day turnarounds, with different ports of call and 10, 11, 12 day itineraries.
I’ve talked about the staff, the destinations, the hospitality, but the one that is really at the top of the list has to be the cuisine; our strap line is ‘the Finest Cuisine at Sea’. The food is really on a different level. I think everybody knows that if you ever come on board for a ship lunch, you’re going to sample some of these incredible dishes. I very rarely hear a complaint about the food on board our ships. We’re evolving and really leading the way as well, with vegan and vegetarian menus. It is a fantastic product. On Oceana Sonata we will have one chef for every eight passengers, and two master chefs on board.
Something else that is brand new, which agents may not know about, is that we are now travelling to Europe in the winter. When you look at the demographic of our guests, they don’t necessarily want to be in the heat in July and August, but don’t want to miss really iconic ports such as Rome and Venice, and the Canary Islands as well. This year we have Oceania Sirena sailing from October all the way through to March in the Med, but next year it’s going to be Oceania Allura. We’re taking our best hardware and popping it into the Mediterranean and it’s really nice. It’s a different experience, it’s not so crowded in some of these ports, and obviously the weather is not going to be scorching hot. We think that it’s going to do very well for us, and it is something I’d like to point out so that our agent partners can really get behind it.
I’ve just come back from Spain myself. I went at the end of March, and it was beautiful during the day. It did get a little bit chillier at night – you had to put a cardigan on – but it was really pleasant. It was the perfect weather for sightseeing because you get a little bit of a breeze. So, it’s very lovely to go and see these places in a cooler climate.
“Oceania Cruises have worked with Widgety for several years, what does working with Widgety mean for Oceania Cruises?”
Louise: We love Widgety. I think it’s so nice that we were one of the partners you had from the very beginning and it’s been wonderful to see the journey that Widgety has been on – and the technology is just incredible. What I really love is that you’re just on it – if I send an email, I’m going to get an answer back from the team straight away. It’s such a pleasure to work with a company where we can send you our itineraries, because it’s crucial that we can rely on agents being able to use your platform to promote things like the first day of sale for new launches like Sonata.
The Widgety tools for agents are wonderful. It makes such a difference that agents can navigate the ships or quickly download a brochure for their customer.
“What is your favourite part of working for Oceania Cruises?”
Louise: I’ve been in love with this brand since I started with the company 14 years ago when I stepped on board Riviera, and I just fell in love with the ships. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to work for such a wonderful cruise line. I’ve been working in cruise since I was 21 years old, so a very long time. With Oceania, I feel at home, it’s that feeling that you get on board – and I’m sure our guests get it, and I’m sure that’s why our agents, sellers and guests come back and travel on us time and time again. It’s hard to put into words. You feel relaxed, you feel at home.
For me it’s the decor, seeing how we’ve evolved. When I first joined, we had these little ships which were really like a country house hotel – all dark wood and reds and golds. Now they’re modern, boutique-style, in grey and silver. I can’t pick a favourite – I love them all. I love the destinations we sail to because that is a top criteria for luxury guests.
I can’t not mention the Oceania Cruises team I work with. I’ve got the best sales team. We’ve worked together for a long time and they are incredible. We are great friends, with the same goals and aspirations for the brand, which makes it such a positive environment to work in.
“What is the one thing people get wrong about Oceania Cruises, or the one thing they don’t realise until they step on board?”
Louise : I think if you stepped on board one of our ships, your eyes are wide and you can’t believe what you are seeing. They are beautifully designed, and there are lots of wonderful, tiny details. I think people could potentially think, oh gosh, this is going to be a bit ‘stuffy’, but it’s not; it’s very relaxing and very refined.
It is also really about the food: ‘the Finest Cuisine at Sea’. I know that this is a bold statement, but it is absolutely true. This is the DNA of the brand. Even when Marina and Riviera were built, they were custom made and they were designed around the galleys, so the galleys were put in first and then the whole ship design was created around that. Everything then just evolved with different types of restaurants on board. We’re changing all the time, with relaxed dining – like the Nikkei Kitchen and a pizzeria, so guests can sit by the pool, enjoy the sun and have a nice slice of pizza and glass of wine.
I think there could be a misconception that the dining may be very sophisticated because its ‘the Finest Cuisine at Sea’, but it’s actually the choice that’s really important. From room service to the healthy options, to specialist Asian, French, Italian, and the Steakhouse, and even the a la carte dining in the Grand Dining Room. But there is also relaxed dining – like the Nikkei Kitchen and a pizzeria, so guests can sit by the pool, enjoy the sun, and have a slice of pizza and a glass of wine. People can come and go and choose what suits them – it’s all about having that choice. There truly is something for everyone.
