Leibowitz: ‘Brand Driven’
“Guests sail on our nine brands, and our strategy is to have the world’s leading cruise brands, some of which are global and some of which are local,” said Josh Leibowitz, chief strategy officer for Carnival Corporation and senior vice president for Cunard North America. “Each of the brands are targeted to market segments and…
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Focused on Target Markets
Working for both the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises brands, Chris Allen, vice president of deployment and itinerary planning, said that itineraries are designed to fit the target audience and guest demographics of each brand, supporting their (brand) pillars. “We work very closely with the leadership groups of Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to ensure…
Continuous Analysis Drives Deployment Planning
The Amsterdam departed Port Everglades for her 113-day world cruise on January 22 this year, a few weeks later than usual. The simple deployment move meant Simon Douwes, senior director of deployment and itinerary planning, could mix in Northern Europe in an acceptable weather climate at the end of the voyage. “That has proved to…
Driving Galley Production
“Each main dining restaurant has their special menus,” said Shyam Jeetun, executive sous chef on the Celebrity Edge. The ship’s main dining room has essentially been carved up, with four unique smaller restaurants sharing one finishing galley, also separated into four areas. The four venues share the same core menu, with each restaurant offering up…
Ocean Medallion: The First Smart City
Princess Cruises and Carnival Corporation officials are still pondering how to best present their much-anticipated Medallion Class to passengers. It’s not a new waterslide or port of call; it’s bigger than that – yet it’s intentionally nearly invisible. Interactive maps, keyless staterooms, streamlined passenger check ins and countless other current and in-production functionalities of the…
Celebrity Edge Brings Technically Advanced Platform
From the bridge wing of the Celebrity Edge while maneuvering into port, Staff Captain Matthaios Karandreas is looking down through a glass window at the pier, lining up gangway and mooring arrangements as is tradition. On the rest of the bridge the cruise industry is looking to the future with 11 new systems, and five…
Silversea Sets Aggressive Growth Course
“We have made the decision go grow aggressively because we believe in this segment of the market and see the opportunity grow quite dramatically in the years to come,” said Roberto Martinoli, CEO of Silversea Cruises. “Demographic trends and the demand we have seen over the past two to three years support our decision. “In…
Prothero: ‘Great New Concept’
More than half of the bookings for the inaugural season of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection have come from guests that have never taken a cruise before, according to CEO Douglas Prothero. “They are coming because of the brand and because of the design,” he said. Delivery of the company’s first 298-guest ship is scheduled for…
Russians Eye Expedition Newbuild Program
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has designed a series of expedition cruise ships as the Russian state-owned company aims to enter the cruise-ship business in the near future, according to Dmitry Kolodyazny, vice president. USC has taken notice of the expedition boom, the number of ships in the Arctic, and wants its piece of the pie….
Excellence on Nieuw Statendam
“The focus has been on elevation and excellence, we continue to strive to be better than before,” said Frits van der Werff, vice president of food and beverage at Holland America Line. “We want to continue to refine the experience. We are doing things really well and want to continue to offer a better experience.”…
Royal Caribbean: New Experiences at Sea and on Land
Introducing the Symphony of the Seas in the North American market in November, Royal Caribbean International President Michael Bayley said that the features on the new ship will be introduced on the 2009-built Oasis, the first ship in the class, when she goes into a two-month drydock in Europe this year, and then on the…
San Diego: Strong Uptick in Cruise Traffic
After a near decade-long hiatus, Carnival Cruise Line will be back in San Diego for a seasonal deployment starting in December. “They were drawing quite a few passengers from San Diego (to Long Beach) and you want to capitalize on those markets; we have a strong drive up market,” said Adam Deaton, senior account trade…
Pushing Energy Savings
Eight of 15 MSC Cruises ships have been fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems, and three have shorepower plugs, with more to come, according to Bud Darr, executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs. “On existing ships, where feasible, we are retrofitting exhaust gas cleaning systems. We also have a plan in place…
Carnival Sunrise: $200 Million Investment
The biggest refurbishment in the history of the cruise industry is set to take place this spring as the Carnival Triumph will emerge as the Carnival Sunrise following a $200 million drydock. In 2020, the same will happen with the Victory, which will be renamed the Radiance. “We’ve been investing in our fleet in terms…
Multiple Newbuild Projects
A set of newbuilding projects on opposite sides of the world are being run by Nikolaos Doulis, senior vice president of newbuildings at Lindblad Expeditions. The first of those projects will come to completion later this year when the company takes delivery of its second 100-guest newbuild from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders in Washington State….