An Amazing Race on board one of the world’s newest, most impressive cruise ships. Valuable seminars from cruise line representatives and top officials from TravelBrands. Not to mention cocktail parties, great food and entertainment and a coming shore excursion to one of the world’s most popular cities.

One hundred and sixty of Canada’s top travel agents are enjoying this week’s SeaU Cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles on the Norwegian Bliss, thanks to the folks at TravelBrands and Norwegian Cruise Line. Representatives of 18 cruise lines are holding special sessions all week, informing agents of what’s new and explaining how they can improve their own businesses and their bottom lines.

TravelPulse Canada is the only media outlet on the cruise, which began Monday night in Vancouver and finishes in Los Angeles Sunday. Stops include Victoria, where agents were exploring the delights of one of Canada’s most attractive cities, and a Friday morning excursion in San Francisco that TravelBrands is putting together.

“This our biggest SeaU cruise so far,” TravelBrands President and CEO Frank DeMarinis told agents. There was only room for 160 advisors, but more than 400 applied to make the trip.

“We only selected the best in the industry,” he told agents on board the posh Norwegian Bliss.

Shannon Smith, TravelBrands’ director of sales for Ontario, reminded agents that TravelBrands is their one-stop shopping place for everything from cruises to flights to rental cars to hotels and more.

“We’re all about customization,” she said.

TravelBrands’ Encore is the number one cruise wholesaler in Canada, and TravelBrands has been voted the top consolidator for flights in Canada as well.

The company continues to fine tune all its offerings “so agents can work smarter and not harder,” DeMarinis said.

Sabrina Greca of Norwegian told agents that her company has wonderful deals, including “Free at Sea” offers that allow advisors to book everything from open bar programs to specialty dining features and “family and friends sail free” offers.

Norwegian will have a fourth ship in Alaska next year and also has six in Europe. Japan has become a big destination for the company given the Tokyo Summer Olympics next year.

“We’ve been voted best cruise line in Europe for 12 years,” the high-energy Greca said in a presentation that had agents laughing as hard as they could without spitting out their morning coffee. “We’ve also been voted best in the Caribbean for seven years in a row.”

Janet Johnson of Azamara Cruises said her company has done more than $1 million in sales with TravelBrands’ Encore this year.

Azamara focuses on destinations more than traditional cruising, so you won’t find on-board casinos with fancy lights and ringing bells.

“We’re all about what we call destination immersion,” Johnson told agents. “Our ships are like European, hand-crafted, boutique hotels.”

Kristen Erz, a former Travel Brands executive who’s know Business Development Consultant – Canada for Hurtigruten, said Hurtigruten is the largest operator in both polar regions and has been in the expedition touring business for 125 years.

“We have 10 ships with 280 to 600 passengers. We have excellent food and beautiful ships. But we’re not about champagne and strawberries. And there no Broadway shows.”

Hurtigruten will be doing in-depth Alaska trips next year and a has a new expedition version of its Norway program on tap for 2021, she said. They also have a trip that features a circumnavigation of Iceland, and another that pretty much encircles Ireland.

Agents took part in an “Amazing Race” style program after the morning sessions, with valuable prizes up for grabs.