Azamara: Connections and Destinations
“We will get out of this (COVID-19), and when we do, this (cruising) is something people will need even more, to get that joy back in their life, to keep their minds expanding, and we will be there for them,” said Carol Cabezas, chief operating officer for Azamara. What attracts passengers to Azamara are the…
Lindblad Expeditions: Diversity and Surprises
“Our destination experience must blow people away, knock their socks off,” Trey Byus, chief expedition officer for Lindblad Expeditions, told Cruise Industry News. “Within that, diversity is important,” he continued, “so if it is wildlife, for example, we are not just looking at a few species, but for diversity. On the flip side, the same…
Celebrity Apex Brings Food and Beverage To The Next Level
When Celebrity Cruises introduces the Apex, there will be some new experiences on the culinary side, according to Cornelius Gallagher, vice president of food and beverage operations. In an exclusive interview with Cruise Industry News, Gallagher said: “The biggest change for me is that we have completely changed the concept of the Eden Restaurant. On…
Cooking with Jon Ashton
Crystal Cruises has found a way of communicating with its guests via weekly half-hour cooking demonstrations on its Facebook page, hosted by Chef Jon Ashton. Part of a bigger effort to stay in touch, Cooking with Jon Ashton runs Sunday afternoons, while weekdays feature Storyteller Mondays, Wellness Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursday cocktail recipes; entertainment selections in…
Carving Out Luxe-Adventure
Five ships and 1,000 berths are heading for the North American source market with Atlas Ocean Voyages between 2021 and 2023, offering a luxe-adventure product at a five-star level. Headquartered in Florida, President Alberto Aliberti is leading the charge for the Mystic brand. The company spans just over 15 employees and is continuing to grow…
Driving Innovation
This year there will be quite a big focus on enhancing the experiences with guest services and embarkation. What can we do to streamline it, make it smoother and make it shorter; mobile applications are being tested for boarding,” said Frits van der Werff, vice president of hotel and food and beverage services for Holland…
Strong Deployment Footprint
Seabourn is moving its Alaska program to combinable and open-jaw, between Vancouver and Juneau, this year. A few thousand miles east, the Eastern Mediterranean is back in a big way as the brand is returning to Turkey. “The return to Istanbul and other Turkish destinations like Kusadasi and Bodrum, just having that ability to go…
MSC Accelerating Expansion
With up to 22 new ships on order for deliveries through 2030, Achille Staiano, vice president of global sales for MSC Cruises, told Cruise Industry News that the company is continuously looking for new destinations. “We have grown 800 percent over the past 10 years,” he said, “and we are accelerating our rate of growth…
Itinerary Planning: 2030 Here We Come!
The big planning window stretches all the way to the end of the decade, Fred Stein, vice president of itinerary planning and fleet deployment at Carnival Cruise Line, told Cruise Industry News. “We have a framework that goes out close to the end of the decade. But that is not to say that things will…
Managing Multiple Drydock Projects For Biggest Fleet
With 27 ships, Carnival Cruise Line has the world’s largest fleet to look after, meaning an intensive drydock program, including early 2020 dates for the Sensation, Miracle and Elation before a huge nine-figure project converting the Victory into the Radiance over 58 days, according to Lisa McCabe, vice president of revitalization and hotel refurbishment. The…
MSC Spending Billions on LNG Cruise Ships
Spending well over $5.5 billion on five new LNG-powered ships, MSC Cruises is under three years out to the first 200,000-plus ton World Class vessel coming in 2022, the MSC Europa. “There is no one single answer (to the bunkering process), because the supply chain has to be developed in most of the places we…
Port Everglades: Room to Continue Growing
Port Everglades will see itself at maximum capacity for seven days during the 2019-2020 cruise season with all eight berths full, said Glenn Wiltshire, acting chief executive and port director. The season is highlighted in part by the new Sky Princess, while the new Odyssey of the Seas calls Port Everglades home for its inaugural…
Seabourn Crafting Brand-Matching Expedition F&B
“How does champagne in a submarine sound?” asked Gerald Mosslinger, Seabourn Cruise Line’s vice president of hotel operations. Marrying a high-expectation food-and-beverage product with high-impact expedition cruising is no easy task. It has put Seabourn’s culinary minds to work in preparation for the line’s first purpose-built expedition ship, the Seabourn Venture, expected in mid 2021….
Seattle: Alaska Drives Demand
While moving ahead with plans to build a third terminal, the Port of Seattle set another record last year with 1,210,000 passengers on 211 calls and is forecasting a further increase this year to 1,380,000 passengers on 225 calls. “We are also extending our season starting as early as April 1 with the Grand Princess…
Royal Caribbean ‘Out-Wowing’ Itself
“We are going to keep pushing the envelope. At Royal Caribbean we are never satisfied with the status quo,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service. “That is why, as we Royal Amplify an Oasis-class ship, people might say ‘Vicki, there was nothing wrong with it, why do you…