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When you think of cruise ship shopping, standard logo tees and duty-free souvenirs might be the first things that come to mind. But Royal Caribbean’s newest flagship—Legend of the Seas, the third vessel in the mega-popular Icon Class fleet—is completely rewriting the rulebook for retail at sea. Partnering exclusively with cruise retail innovator Starboard, Royal Caribbean has turned the ship into a high-end, immersive shopping hub. Debuting during its inaugural summer season

Discover why cruise retailing relies entirely on human connection and how 'shoppies' use rapport to drive luxury sales in a limited-space environment. For years, I have coined the phrase that on cruise ships "people buy people" and I want to use this blog to explain very briefly why that is true and why cruise retailing is simply all about people.

When we look across the global fleet—with over 300 cruise ships currently active on the seas—we see an incredible diversity of operators, ship sizes, and canvases. Yet, regardless of the vessel, there is a distinct attitude, an energy, and an infectious enthusiasm that connects everyone who works onboard. It is a singular onboard mindset that completely changes their outlook and their attitude toward everything.

We invited Cruise Retail Academy members from across the industry to participate in providing their feedback to you. Over 300 responded and please find below the results of our survey on Cruise Retail Staff Feedback on Brand Training Effectiveness to provide you some expert guidance as to what onboard teams need, want, and expect from brand training.

Today’s cruise guests are experiencing a profound sense of digital and AI-slop fatigue. When they step onboard, they aren’t craving automated efficiency; they are craving authenticity, trust, recommendations, inspiration, and excitement. Because of this, value is no longer measured solely by a price tag or by a 'express checkout'. It is measured by storytelling.

A great milestone for the cruise retail team at Harding+ with the successful launch of the retail spaces onboard Celestyal Journey and Discovery. For the first time, Pandora is now available onboard, with newly installed shop-in-shop concepts launching as part of the experience. Alongside Pandora, guests can discover brands including Lacoste, Tom Ford, Coccinelle and Citizen. The ships will sail across Greece and Turkey itineraries, with guests able to discover destination-in

The 2026 State of the Cruise Industry Report has just been released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and the message is clear: the cruise industry isn’t just recovering—it is breaking every record in the book.

This week, the Cruise Retail Academy has been on location in Miami for the 2026 Seatrade Cruise Global industry conference. Seatrade brings together cruise lines, suppliers, ports and brands together each year. With over 11,000 attendees across 3 packed days, there is a huge amount of activity across this annual event. We were on-site trying to see as much as we could, so let's bring you the main headlines from the week in terms of industry news, State of the Industr

Fancy a quick walk around the newest cruise ship retail offering at sea. From fashion, to beauty, from accessories to luxury watches, there are some amazing retail concepts onboard this new ship. Including the launch of luxury Swiss watch brands Franck Muller and Jacob&Co for the first time. Photo: Avolta The ship’s new retail offer has been built around the realities of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries out of Miami, with a guest mix that includes families, first-time cru

How to Become A Cruise Retail Manager: The 60-Second Answer: Timeline: Expect a 5-year journey from Associate to Manager. Key Requirement: Master 12 essential hard/soft skills (from Sales to EQ). Potential: Move from shared cabins to a Private Manager’s Cabin. Earnings: Potential to earn up to $4,200+ per month

Cruise retail has evolved. It is an industry that has shifted fast to a changing consumer and also a changing operator. For years, we had basically 2 main operators that were dominating the cruise retail seascape. Not any more! In 2026, we have the most ever cruise retail companies operating across the different cruise lines, and with that has come brand new job roles, innovative ideas on how to sell to guests and as such loads of exciting new opportunities to join the in

For anyone working in on-board retail, hearing "I am just browsing" is the equivalent of a horror movie jump scare—it’s the phrase that slams the door shut on a potential sale. The good news is that the study also provides the direct, human-powered solution to this problem.

A new multi-sensory retail experience has been unveiled aboard Celebrity Xcel, Celebrity Cruises’ fifth ship part of the groundbreaking Edge Series

So, in this blog we have built you a comprehensive guide to the major onboard departments, how they generate sales, the job roles within them, and how the teams work together throughout a typical cruise.

The cruise industry remains in a strong, bullish and robust mood, as financial results continue to showing increasing profitability, whilst also seeing a strong forecast for future passenger growth ( see our previous blog ). But what does this strength mean in terms of the way that this will change and adapt the cruise industry to maintain this high performance, and ultimately what does it mean for the cruise retail sector? In this blog, I will take you through the 3 main wa

It's time for another ship launch..... Elevated shopping experiences feature curated, guest-first offerings that blend exclusivity, storytelling and destination relevance. Welcome onboard Star Princess 🌟⚓️ Starboard Group has unveiled new, expertly curated immersive retail experiences onboard Star Princess , the newest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet. Star Princess set sail from Barcelona on October 4, 2025, and will begin her US inaugural voyage from Fort Lauderdale o

Yesterday marked a significant moment for our journey at building a new business in the middle of the cruise retail industry. We achieved our MLC 1.4 accreditation. Now, this may sound no particularly sexy or exciting, but it represents a very significant point in our journey to build ourselves up to the best possible standard. It represents a moment that validates the trust that is so important to us. Our audit, conducted by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency is an intense

The cruise industry is experiencing a remarkable boom. With passenger numbers soaring and a record number of new ships on the horizon, the sector is set for unprecedented growth. According to the CLIA's latest "State of the Cruise Industry Report," a staggering 42 million passengers are forecast to set sail by 2028, a 41% increase from pre-pandemic levels. This surge presents a golden opportunity for the cruise retail industry

The cruise industry is booming, with over 42 million passengers expected by 2028. For brands, this represents a unique and powerful opportunity to connect with a captive, highly engaged audience who see on-board retail as a key part of their holiday. The potential for vast sales uplifts from impulse purchasing is immense. But how do the top brands truly succeed in this channel? The answer isn't what you might think. While product and placement are crucial, the most successful

For as many years as I have worked in cruise retail, as an industry we have been stuck in a never ending 'Groundhog Day' of having to cope with the continual challenges in respect to crew recruitment and training. We know that if we can get the best crew with the best confidence with the best products, the magic happens. But simply put, getting those 3 things lined up together has proven to be a never ending headache which has plagued all of us in the sector continuously. W