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…
Port Everglades Embracing Cruise Growth
“This year we are looking at a transition from recovery to a level of growth,” said Jonathan Daniels, CEO and port director at Port Everglades. “The port is moving in a different direction. We are seeing diversity in an extremely strong business line,” he added. Among that diversity are new and big ships homeporting, like…
Efficiently Running the Allure of the Seas
The Allure of the Seas had five engines on and was cruising at just over 21 knots on the way to Cozumel, Mexico, on its inaugural departure from Galveston, Texas, with chief engineer Martin Atanasov keeping an eye on energy consumption and much more. Atanasov said the majority of the hotel load was being consumed…
Vancouver: Targeting 1.3-Plus Million Passengers
For the 2023 season, Vancouver is expecting a record 334 ship calls, most of which are homeported, according to Mandy Chan, manager of cruise services for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “This will be a 9 percent increase over last year,” she said, “which means we could get more than 1.3 million passengers. That would…
Carnival Cruise Line Set for Busy Year
Carnival Cruise Line is having a busy 2023, having just introduced the new Carnival Celebration, while also planning for another new ship later this year, the Carnival Jubilee; launching “Carnival Fun Italian Style” with two rebranded former Costa ships, the Carnival Venezia and Carnival Firenze in 2023 and 2024; and launching a second ship in…
Virgin Voyages: Building a Brand
“We’re growing rapidly. We’re introducing 33 new ports and over 10 new itineraries,” said Tom McAlpin, CEO of Virgin Voyages, which takes delivery of two new ships this year as the Resilient Lady joins the company this spring and the Brilliant Lady follows later in the year. “We’ve got Resilient Lady starting in May from…
MSC Goal: To Become Best
The goal for MSC Cruises is to become the best cruise company in the world, according to executives who spoke at a presentation for travel agents in conjunction with the christening of new MSC Seascape in New York in December. They compared to how the MSC Group’s cargo operation started with one old ship and…
Going Carbon-Free Goes Well Beyond the Ship
The video of a sea turtle with a drinking straw stuck in its nose did what no amount of environmental science could. The emotional struggle to get the piece of plastic from the reptile’s nostril spelled the end for most single-use plastics. Nick Rose, Royal Caribbean Group’s associate vice president of environmental stewardship, pointed to…