Excelling at Diversity
Everything on the Star Legend’s deployment this year is new, with the ship now in the Pacific and seasonally split between Asia and Alaska. There are also new programs for Windstar Cruises in Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Canada/New England in a monster year of new itineraries for the Seattle-based six-ship brand. Planning for 11-,…
D’Souza’s Eclectic F&B Journey
At first, Linken D’Souza may seem like an odd hire to run food and beverage for Royal Caribbean International’s 25 ships and estimated 250 dining venues. He’d never worked in the cruise industry, never been on a cruise, and by his own admission had maybe never even seen a cruise ship before taking the job….
Ultra Lux Experience
The addition of the 604-guest Seabourn Ovation will round out the line’s fleet at five ships as the Seabourn brand marks its 30th anniversary this year. “Quite frankly that is a perfect way to celebrate our leadership in the ultra-luxury category,” said Rick Meadows, president, Seabourn. The additional ship will boost capacity and further help…
Major Revitalizations
Among the big out-of-water projects for Royal Caribbean Cruises this year are revitalizations of the Adventure, Mariner and Independence of the Seas, plus the complete refurbishment and transformation of the Adonia into the Azamara Pursuit. The company’s large-scale drydocking projects are overseen by the newbuild and innovation department, headed by up Kevin Douglas, vice president,…
Prototyping to Streamline Refits
“We are working to support the brands on prototypes and new innovations, as well as strategic corporate projects,” said Peter Fetten, senior vice president corporate ship refit for Carnival Corporation. New refurbishment jobs are spearheaded by Fetten and his team, known as “prototyping.” These items are generally completed on one ship as a prototype project….
Sound Supply Chain Strategy
Posting more passenger cruise days, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) has held the line on its food spend. Much of the credit goes to Carl Robie as senior vice president of supply chain. Robie said in an exclusive interview with Cruise Industry News that he and his team of 70 supply chain professionals have been…
Fleet Operations Centers
“Imagine if you have 10 to 15 ships in the Caribbean and a hurricane is coming, but you do not know what the storm track will be, and you need to avoid having the ships managing themselves in an uncoordinated fashion,” said Andy Paul, senior director, special projects, corporate maritime quality assurance for Carnival Corporation….
Seaside Strikes New Note
“The MSC Seaside has lots and lots of new features that will entertain our guests. A seven-day cruise may not be enough,” said Roberto Fusaro, president of MSC Cruises USA. The company has spent money, time and a lot of effort to lay the foundation in North America ahead of the Seaside, which arrived in…
Chinese Eye a Higher Calling
The 12th China Cruise Shipping Conference and International Expo was held in the ever-green Sanya in early November, bringing together cruise lines, Chinese government officials, ports and suppliers. The event was organized by the China Cruise and Yacht Industry Association (CCYIA). For the government and its various ministries, along with state-backed companies, the message was…
Mexico: Acapulco: Calls and Homeporting
Thirty calls are scheduled for the 2017-2018 season for Acapulco. That is a slight dip from last year, because Holland America canceled eight calls when Carnival Corporation did not conduct its destination site inspection, despite being invited by the port, explained Alex Casarrubias, port director. “We are confident that once Carnival, as well as Royal…
PortMiami Set to Continue Record-Shattering Growth Pace
“We do have space. I want that to be very clear, that we have space for growth here at PortMiami,” said Juan Kuryla, port director. “We are growing and need to continue investing.” Miami is coming off a record year, with 5.3 million cruise passengers, and a similar, slightly better year is expected in 2017-2018….
Respecting the Sea
With a 35-knot wind and strong Hudson River current, Captain Ubaldo Armellino was in control of a full bridge team docking the Seven Seas Navigator at Pier 88 in Manhattan on an October Monday with two tugboats on standby. “I treat every maneuver as if it was my first. All ports and situations should be…
Leading in China
“In our role, and my role, customers are the priority and exceeding their expectations on a daily basis,” said Mario Zanetti, president of Carnival China. “Right now the focus is on Costa. It is a pioneer in the market and the market leader with our Italy at Sea concept. We need to make sure that…
Diverse Sourcing Model
The SuperStar Gemini is moving to homeport in Bangkok in December for a five month program, offering two- and three-night cruises. The SuperStar Libra launched its triple homeport deployment program in September, sailing from Port Klang, Penang and Phuket, offering three- and four-night cruises. In Taiwan, the SuperStar Aquarius sails from Keelung to Japan, and…
‘Hitting on All Cylinders’
The Norwegian Bliss is set to steal the show in Alaska next summer, as the brand new ship sails her first itinerary from Seattle in early June. “It’s the first time we have put a new ship into that market,” said Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. “That is capturing a lot…