Celebrating Seafarers’ House in San Juan
The Seafarers’ House in San Juan is celebrating its 20th anniversary to be marked with festivities on November 4. The initiators of the Seafarers’ House were the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union (NSU) and the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, explained Sharon A. Joubert Bernard, manager. “Recognizing the need for seafarers to have a network of personal support in…
Marella: ‘Optimistic for the Future’
With the addition of a fifth ship in the Marella Voyager, the Marella Cruises brand is set for its biggest year ever, according to Managing Director Chris Hackney. “We are the number three player in the UK market, with just under 20 percent,” he said. The TUI company’s edge is its fly-cruise business model and…
The Battle for Bandwidth
Despite everyone’s best intentions, efforts and technological integration, there are simply times when blazingly high-speed internet isn’t available. Frustrating as that might be, bobbing in an extreme-latitude sea at the edge of the world, there may come a time when life online is briefly interrupted by in-person physical interaction with objective reality. It’s a problem…
Icon of the Seas: No Straight Lines in Innovation
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is different things to different people. A playground to passengers, a paycheck to ports, a home away from home to crew, a profit-driving post-pandemic triumph to Royal Caribbean International, and to the people designing and building the 250,000-plus-ton ship, the largest cruise ship ever built is a floating laboratory….
Silversea Offering Broad Destination Immersion
“Our destination focus is one of the main pillars that separates us in the market,” said Joe Leon, vice president, sales – Americas, for Silversea Cruises. “We are all in the business of taking travelers to destinations, but at Silversea we sail to more than 900 destinations, which is more than double anyone else in…
Princess Food and Beverage: ‘Catching the Moment’
The Catch by Rudi seafood restaurant being introduced aboard Princess ships is about delivering a new way to enjoy seafood and a fresh perspective on something they (passengers) thought they knew, according to Chef Rudi Sodamin. “Everything we are doing with the Catch is about ‘catching’ that precious moment we call ‘now’ and doing it…
MSC Revving Up for Global Exposure
MSC Cruises is aggressively building up its global exposure through sponsorships of sports, including auto racing, soccer and basketball, in addition to the more traditional sales and marketing channels. Comparing the cruise line to the worldwide Formula 1 racing series, Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said: “We share common goals; we are focused on…
At the Helm of the Ocean Explorer
Operating a ship in Antarctica is similar to leading a “special forces operation in the military,” said Apostolos Kaknis, captain aboard the Ocean Explorer for Vantage Travel. Tthe best way to deal with it is to “leave talented people to do their job.” “I try to avoid micromanagement. To me, it’s better to leave people…
Looking to Further ‘Level Up’ Windstar’s F&B
When Bjoern Wassmuth came on as the new culinary director for Windstar Cruises at the end of 2022, he knew there would be a lot to learn. With more than 25 years of culinary expertise, including five years managing culinary operations at a luxury cruise line, Wassmuth has been around long enough to know there…
Scenic Building Luxury Cruise Capacity
Buzzing along beneath the surface of the sea, the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, is hard at work. Scenic Eclipse II’s Neptune II, the sister submarine to Scenic Eclipse’s Neptune I, is similar to its counterpart. It’s a little bigger, carrying nine passengers rather than seven, each of whom…
Lindblad: Demand Soaring
Lindblad Expedition started the year off with the biggest booking day in company history, said Noah Brodsky, chief commercial officer. “We always expect a bump in Wave Season,” he said, “But there is pent up demand to get out there.” The booking trends are interesting, Brodsky continued, noting significant close-in bookings. Typically (our guests) are…
Carnival Corporation Sets Future Course
“We are going to propel this company forward,” said Josh Weinstein, president, chief executive officer and chief climate officer of Carnival Corporation, in an exclusive interview with Cruise Industry News. “This company has had a fortress of a balance sheet and we are going to get that back. We will do that by driving revenue,…
Itinerary Planning: MSC Cruises Brings Global Focus
“We are focused on consolidating and increasing our presence in our core markets, while also developing new opportunities for the future,” said Achille Staiano, vice president of global sales for MSC Cruises. “So, for example, we will have 12 ships in the Mediterranean in 2024, seven in the Western Mediterranean and five in the Eastern…
Carnival Corporation HR: Workforce Planning Strategy
Carnival Corporation brands need to recruit more than 30,000 seafarers annually, according to Bettina Deynes, global chief human resources officer. “With bigger ships we need more seafarers,” she added. “So, as you can imagine, our workforce planning strategy is quite significant. And we have to constantly adapt to the challenges we face, which are quite…
Seattle Expecting Robust Cruise Year
Demand for Alaska cruises and Seattle remains strong, so the port expects another robust year in 2023. While slightly fewer ships will sail this year, compared to last year, ship occupancy is expected to be up, with forecasts calling for 1.3 million passengers. The preliminary 2023 cruise schedule starts with the Norwegian Bliss sailing on…