Costa’s Food and Beverage Program: Always Evolving
Costa Cruises is staying current with the latest trends, said Massimo Leimer, food and beverage director aboard the Costa Diadema, in an interview with Cruise Industry News. “We are a department that is always progressing. We are always making changes adjusting to the newest trends and passenger preferences,” he said. One of these trends is…
MSC’s American Goals
North America is now MSC Cruises’ number one market when it comes to passenger sourcing, according to Gianni Onorato, CEO. “Some time ago, we decided we needed to grow in North America and that is happening for us. We are better positioned and recognized by U.S. customers. We have a distinctive product with strong European…
Luxury Market: Regent’s New Feel
Regent Seven Seas Cruises opened the year with a new brand identity, part of a strategy as the company grows with two new ships and a focus on attracting generation X travelers, said Steve Odell, senior vice president and chief sales officer. Odell called the new ships, coming in 2026 and 2029, part of a…
Cruise Operations: Navigating the Diadema in South America
“We are currently cruising at 17 knots with three generators running, maintaining the necessary speed to arrive at our next port,” Captain Ignazio Giardina told Cruise Industry News onboard the Costa Diadema. The 132,500-ton ship debuted a new seven-night itinerary to Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay this past season. “For us on the bridge, this is…
Explora Journeys: New Take on Ocean Travel
Explora Journeys is an entirely new and fresh take on ocean travel, Anna Nash, president, told Cruise Industry News. “The hardware we have, the ships, is the best in class. The vision comes from a family-owned business with a seafaring heritage of over 300 years; they are masters of the sea. So, we know what…
Windstar: Big Expansion with Two New Ships
“We’re getting two new ships, so with our fleet growing by a third, we have looked at where we want to put additional capacity,” said Jess Peterson, director of destination experience and itinerary planning at Windstar. “With the Star Seeker and our other plans, we are shifting capacity to the Pacific.” After a debut in…
Seabourn: Differentiating Luxury Deployment
Itinerary planning is very much like baking a cake, according to Crystal Morgan, senior director deployment and itinerary planning for Seabourn. Morgan said. “It is the sum of all the ingredients that define a successful itinerary, which is a little bit of science, a little bit of flavor and a little finesse. The end result,…
Virgin: Building Destination Portfolio
The Brilliant Lady will join the Virgin Voyages fleet later this year with four mermaidens, exploring all four corners of the United States in her debut season, said Natasha Salzedo, director itineraries and destinations. The ship first starts in New York before moving to Miami, then the West Coast and then Seattle for Virgin’s debut…
Miami: Cruise Records To Continue
“This season we will have 22 different cruise brands operating and five newbuilds,” said Hydi Webb, director at PortMiami, which is coming off setting a world record with 8.2 million cruise guests in its 2024 fiscal year. She said that 2025 would bring around 8.4 to 8.5 million guests, and there was a combination of…
Royal Caribbean Gearing Up for Huge Allure Drydock
Royal Caribbean is ready for a $100 million-plus drydock for the Allure of the Seas this year that will see the ship in drydock for 42 days and out of service for 48, with 14,000 different tasks set to be completed in Cadiz, said Kevin Douglas, vice president, technical projects and new build, in an…
MSC USA: Readying for Big Moves
“We’re excited about how the product is positioned in the U.S. market with very clear points of distinction, with our European style and American comfort, and how we bring that together,” said Lynn Torrent, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Torrent said MSC had tweaked the product for U.S. passengers and was gaining ground…
Sun Princess Food and Beverage: ‘Authenticity and Quality’
Maintaining authenticity and quality, Princess Cruises’ Vice President of Food and Beverage Sami Kohen said the cruise line has a team of chefs that are constantly traveling on the ships. “We have six chefs and each have three ships under their belt,” he told Cruise Industry News aboard the new Sun Princess. “And whenever we…
Port of Seattle Expecting Record Year
“Over the next two years, we will have three new brands sailing out of Seattle: Cunard, MSC and Virgin,” said Linda Springmann, director, cruise and maritime marketing for the Port of Seattle. “We will set new (cruise traffic) records this year and next,” she added. For 2024, Seattle posted 275 calls and 1.75 million passengers,…
AIDA Set for Evolution Drydock Program
“We are looking forward to the largest fleet modernization program in our company’s history,” Steffi Heinicke, senior vice president of guest experiences and onboard revenue, told Cruise Industry News. Three ships are going into drydock, starting with the AIDAdiva which will dock into the Chantiers Naval shipyard in Marseille from February to March. For the…
Carnival Cruise Line: Reinventing Fun
The addition of five new ships through 2033 will provide Carnival Cruise Line with opportunities to innovate further and continue building on the Carnival (fun) experience, Christine Duffy, president, told Cruise Industry News. “New ships also give us the opportunity to diversify our offering across our 14 U.S. homeports as we plan new deployments, appealing…