Virtuoso announces its roster of Virtuoso Cruise Icons for 2025

Global luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso announced its 2025 Virtuoso Cruise Icons today, 11th March.

The Virtuoso Cruise Icon title a distinctive honour for advisors whose sales performance excels within the industry. 

An esteemed group of 185 advisors from 13 countries worldwide have received the Virtuoso Cruise Icon designation, an increase of 27 percent from the 2024 total. 

This accolade recognises those who generate the top one percent of the network’s cruise sales. 

According to Virtuoso senior vice-president for global member and partner sales Cory Hagopian: “The 2025 Virtuoso Cruise Icons set an extraordinary standard in their field, and I congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition. The Icons are trailblazers, consistently surpassing benchmarks, creating momentum that strengthens the entire network and inspiring others to follow their lead. This distinction elevates their standing with our partners and reinforces their industry prominence with clients, serving as a badge of honour they can wear with pride.”

A growing number of Icons

Since its creation in 2019, Virtuoso’s Cruise Icon programme has seen a 363 percent increase in advisors honoured with the designation. 

The programme went global in 2023, and sales have continued to rise across Virtuoso’s various regions each year. 

The Icon Impact is undeniable: from 2023 to 2024, their Virtuoso preferred supplier cruise production saw an estimated 45 percent increase, reflecting significant growth in the US and Canada. 

What’s in it for Icons? 

In addition to industry clout and further reinforcing Virtuoso Cruise Icons’ position as leaders within the luxury travel industry, this prestigious status provides advisors with quarterly collaboration sessions designed to foster growth and networking.

Icons also gain access to invaluable insight and best practices within the network’s Cruise Community and a private dinner during Virtuoso Travel Week, luxury travel’s preeminent worldwide gathering.

Many Virtuoso cruise partners offer exclusive amenities to Virtuoso travel advisors, enabling affiliated advisors, including Virtuoso Cruise Icons, to provide unique benefits to their clients that distinguish them from the competition. 

Through the Virtuoso Voyages programme, they can access over 450 select cruises each year across 13 different cruise lines. 

This programme includes a dedicated onboard host and offers a choice of additional benefits ranging in value from $500 per couple to several thousand dollars, depending on the sailing.

Explore the world as an Icon

Likewise, Icons are offered exclusive travel opportunities, such as the inaugural season of PONANT EXPLORATIONS’ Le Commandant Charcot through Canada’s St. Lawrence River during the boreal winter. 

Hosted by Samuel Chamberlain, PONANT EXPLORATIONS CEO of Americas, the 2024 Cruise Icons embarked on an exhilarating journey through the St. Lawrence River’s icy landscapes from 22nd February to 6th March 6 of this year. 

Beginning in the historic district of Old Québec and ending in the natural harbour of Saint Pierre, this expert-led adventure showcased breathtaking polar landscapes and rare cultural insights, accessible only to a select few.