Deployment

The Puzzle of Placing Ships: Adam Takes a Look at the 2012 Deployment

Another year of Royal Caribbean International deployment is open, in this case from the spring of 2012 to the spring of 2013. Deployment means the placement of the ships on itineraries every day of the year except for when they are in dry-dock. Deployment is one of the most important and time-consuming processes we undertake each year. It is one of the most secretive processes we engage in while it is in process, and then one of the most publicized after we are finished.

Everyone cares about deployment – shareholders, customers, employees and communities. These are the same four constituencies we mention in our corporate vision statement. One of my occasional guest bloggers, Chris Allen, is Director of Deployment and Itinerary Planning. He oversees a small but ace team of experts who coordinate amongst numerous departments internally and with hundreds of ports externally to identify the right place for each ship on each day of each year. His team is charged with understanding the economics (i.e., profitability) of every decision we make with our fleet. As if that were not enough, another team led by Jason Liberty, our VP of Corporate Planning, evaluates ship profitability from its own perspective.

(more…)

BY:Adam|19th July, 2011 No Comments
CATEGORY: Deployment

Adam Discusses the Recent Events that are Shaping Royal Caribbean’s Future

Some updates from Royal Caribbean’s world:

The tragic events in Japan have posed a number of challenges to us as it relates to Legend of the Seas’ Asia program. Before I get into those, I will re-emphasize that our thoughts and prayers remain with the people who have suffered from the effects of one or more of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant breakdown.

Because we were enthusiastic to get going with our North Asia program in 2011, we had picked an early start date – March 14th – to begin our cruises from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. The series of disastrous events unfolded right as the program was beginning. Eventually, we had no choice but to relocate Legend to Hong Kong and Singapore for the spring and early summer period. That means we had to start from scratch to offer cruises that no one had anticipated selling or buying. While this year will not be what we thought it could be for Legend, I am incredibly proud of the efforts of our colleagues in China and Singapore for the way they have taken up the multiple challenges of dealing with this situation. Fortunately, China’s government has rescinded the travel ban to Japan and we look forward to resuming our scheduled program from Tianjin in July.

“It might be 20 years too late for my wife and me, but Royal Caribbean now has a honeymoon registry website at RoyalCaribbeanHoneymoon.com. I won’t even try to compete with the copy writers for this new offering: “(it) will be a site that allows brides and grooms to register to have guests make contributions to their honeymoon onboard one of our ships as their wedding gift. The couple will be able to register for items such as spa treatments, specialty dining, shores excursions, Gifts and Gear, onboard credits or cash contributions towards the cruise fare.” Having missed our chance by two decades, we’ll have to find out if it’s possible to register for a vow renewal.

I’m happy to say that thanks to the release of iPhone app v1.1 we have expanded our global reach to Brazil and Spain and this blog is now available in the mobile world. Please do not read my blog while you are driving! Also, if you are inclined to book your next cruise on our website, you can get inspired by our new destination pages and you can now hold up to four staterooms simultaneously whereas until now you needed to book one room at a time. You can even split the payment among different credit cards!

Finally, you can watch our two mini-movies, “Royal Reunion” directed by and starring James Brolin, and “The Allure of Love” directed by and starring Jenny McCarthy, at any time by going to our web site or just by searching “Ocean Views films”. They are about 11 minutes each, or less time than it will take to make and eat the popcorn.”

BY:Adam|13th June, 2011 2 Comments

Ask Adam Blog Series – May 2011 Answers

We’ve just completed our third month of our “Ask Adam Blog Series”. You can view March’s Answer blog here and April’s Answer blog here. Again, a big thank you to everyone who has contributed questions, they have been enjoyable. If you’d like to ask a question for June’s Answer blog please do so on our facebook discussion page.

Now let’s get to the questions.

Why don’t you plan stops on certain ports for the whole night?
-Marcia G

Thank you for your feedback. You are right, a day might not be sufficient time to experience all there is to see in some of the wonderful cities that we visit around the world. The process of determining how much time to spend in each port as well as which ports to call on is complex and one that our Deployment and Itinerary Planning team put a lot of effort into.

Many factors go into this including operational considerations such as how far the port is from other ports and if we stay later would we still be able to reach the next port of call. Usually if we spend more time in one port then we will spend less time in another port. Or in the case of an overnight it could mean not including another port on the itinerary. The Deployment team has to balance these considerations.

While the majority of the ports we call are day calls there are some ports such as St. Petersburg, Russia offered by Jewel of the Seas; Venice, Italy offered by Voyager of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas; and Istanbul, Turkey and Haifa and Ashdod, Israel offered by Vision of the Seas where we have sailings overnight in a port. Outside of Europe we offer overnights in a few other cities such as Buenos Aires, Honolulu, Dubai and Sydney. An additional consideration for many destinations is the option to extend your trip on land with a Cruisetour before or after your voyage. This is most popular for our Alaska sailings on Radiance of the Seas between Seward, Alaska and Vancouver, Canada.

Thank you also for giving me an opportunity to mention our boutique sister brand Azamara Club Cruises. This deluxe two ship brand specializes in interesting itineraries featuring overnight stays in a variety of ports. You may find an upcoming itinerary to your liking on either Azamara Journey or Azamara Quest.

Why aren’t there military discounts on Oasis of the Seas cruises? Let me take it one step further, why aren’t there military discounts on all Royal Caribbean cruises?
-Shannon H.

We offer special rates to United States and Canadian military on select sailings, so please keep an eye out for sailings that offer these fares. At this time, we currently offer military discounts on over 100 sailings throughout the brand, on many different itineraries, including several Oasis and Allure sailings.

When searching for a cruise on RoyalCaribbean.com, be sure to click on “See if you qualify for exclusive rates” and then “check” the U.S. Military or Canadian Forces option.

Why can we not use our celebrity cruises towards Royal Caribbean?
-Patrick K. and Barbara M.

Currently we are not combining the Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises loyalty programs but we appreciate the feedback and will take it into consideration in the future.

Just so everyone is clear, the brands do provide reciprocal recognition to each other’s loyal guests while they are onboard. So let’s take the example of a Diamond level member of Royal Caribbean International’s Crown & Anchor Society who has not previously cruised on Celebrity Cruises. When this Diamond member takes her first Celebrity Cruise, she will receive onboard recognition as if she is Celebrity’s equivalent of Diamond level. This reciprocal recognition has been in place for several years.

Why are there no listings for Allure or Oasis of the Seas for Fall/Winter 2012?
-Ed B.

On May 5th, we announced our new deployment schedules for Oasis and Allure. Both ships now have Caribbean sailings available to book through September 2013. You can view the sailings listed here.

I read on a forum that maybe in the future Royal Caribbean Cruise Line build a third sister ship of Oasis of the Seas. True or False?
-Marco M.

Marco, I’m glad you are enjoying our deployment in Italy. At this time we do not have plans to build a third ship in the Oasis Class. Recently we signed a letter of intent to build the first of a new generation of Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. We are using the code name, “Project Sunshine”. While there is a lot I can’t disclose about Sunshine, there are some things that I mentioned in a recent blog post.

Why are the hulls of Allure and Oasis of the Seas light blue instead of white?
-Dale M.

Dale, glad you enjoyed your recent cruise on Allure of the Seas. The hulls of Oasis and Allure are painted a very light blue. Please note that I am not in favor of gender stereotyping and do not always support blue for boys and pink for girls. On the other hand, I am a traditionalist and the ship will always be a “she.” We think the light blue looks terrific on her.

There was a lot of internal debate about moving away from the traditional white hull. Ultimately we decided that the Oasis-class ships are so unique that we wanted a somewhat different hull color. The difference is most visible when the sun is shining directly on the hull (never a bad thing!). At other times you have to look pretty closely to notice much of a difference from the rest of the fleet.

What do all the employees get to eat onboard the ships?
-Alexander B.

We continually hear from our guests that they want to know more about crew life while onboard. We offer a selection of freshly prepared meals in the crew dining area everyday generally in accordance with a 14 day meal cycle. We have a list of menu requirements for each meal of the day to ensure that the selection is satisfactory. The list is much more extensive than pasta with oil and does not include food from the guest dining areas. In fact, we also make a point to prepare foods from many different ethnicities which are very familiar to our International crew members. By the way, any crew who wish to voice concerns or suggestions about their food or any other aspect of life onboard are able to do so to a committee of their peers who have regular discussions about shipboard life with the officers onboard.

Why do some of the Royal Caribbean ships have a car onboard in the Royal Promenade?
-Brad T.

The first car was on Voyager of the Seas and was a donation by Richard Fain, our CEO and Chairman of the Board. A couple of years ago Richard posted a blog about the cars in the Royal Promenade, and I’d prefer that you read the post so you can get a sense of his enthusiasm, love of ship building and classic cars.

Link to Richard Fain’s Blog Post

Why won’t Royal Caribbean Cruise Line bring up a newer/bigger ship to sail out of Cape Liberty, Bayonne, NJ?
-Kathleen G-M.

We believe that Explorer is a great fit for the Northeast region and we are happy with her there. We will introduce some new itineraries for Explorer. Specifically Explorer will offer 7 night cruises to Bermuda for the fall of 2012 which she has not had before.

For the New Jersey and Baltimore region I do want to point out that Enchantment is now deployed on a year round basis from Baltimore. We just completed the first winter season. This provides a number of new options for the region.

Also, in the fall of 2012 we will bring a new ship to the Northeast region. Brilliance of the Seas, which is part of the beautiful Radiance class, will offer a new program of open-jaw sailings between Cape Liberty and Quebec City as well as round-trip Quebec City sailings. We are very excited about this program as it is very unique and gives guests an opportunity to see the wonderful Canada Atlantic destinations and the dynamic city of Quebec.

I would love to see a cruise of the pacific coast. Maybe starting in San Diego, with possible stops in Catalina Island, Monterey, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, then back to San Diego. Is there any possibility this can happen in the future since there is no more cruises being offered to Mexico in the West Coast?
-Delia G.

Thanks for the feedback. We will continue to review this as an option but do not have any immediate plans to offer a Pacific Coastal cruise.

We hope everyone enjoys reading these answers, and if you have a question that you haven’t seen yet please feel free to share your question in this month’s discussion http://on.fb.me/jpzblX.

BY:Adam|10th June, 2011 3 Comments

Which New Voyager of the Seas Port is on Your Must-See List?

Voyager of the Seas is embarking on a new cruise itinerary this summer and many of her ports of call will be new to the Royal Caribbean International brand. In this blog entry, I have asked Patrick Schneider, Director, Shore Excursions, to update you on some of the highlights of the tour program that will be offered for guests cruising on Voyager of the Seas this summer. Patrick is one of the leaders in Craig Milan’s Land Operations group.

____________________________________________

My primary responsibility as Director, Shore Excursions, is to oversee a team of Account Managers who identify and develop the tour programs offered worldwide on Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We have added several new ports to our cruise itineraries this summer, several of which are included on Voyager of the Seas’ sailings. I recently returned from a site inspection of many of these ports and wanted to provide an update on the experiences awaiting our guests this summer.

We conduct site inspections for several reasons and one of those is to visit new ports we’ll be calling to frequently in the coming months. The goal of a site inspection may vary but it’s often focused on reviewing the operation with the local tour operators who will be conducting tours for our guests. We visit the venues, port facilities, downtown areas, etc. that our guests will be visiting. We work with experienced and reputable tour operators and through collaboration with these professionals, it’s quite common to develop several additional ideas for tour products we believe our guests will find interesting.

During the recent site inspection, we visited five of the ports Voyager of the Seas will be calling on in 2011.

Koper, Slovenia is this modern-day country’s only commercial outlet to the Adriatic Sea. I’m excited about this port in particular, as it is relatively unknown to most of our guests, and it has so much to offer. The local population is thrilled to welcome our guests, and the town of Koper is such a wonderful experience right next to the ship. However, the port is just a gateway to so many other interesting and unique venues. It is quite a fascinating country, offering a new experience in Southern European cruise destinations. There are several interesting things for guests to visit, many of which are outside the town of Koper, including the town of Bled and Lake Bled, which have existed for over a thousand years. Or guests can visit the picturesque Karst region of Slovenia which is a short distance from the Slovenian/Italian border and is home to the Lipica Stud Farm, founded in 1580 and for over four centuries, has nurtured the tradition of breeding and selecting thoroughbred Lipizzaner horses. Or guests can explore the Postojna Cave which has well-kept paths making it a horizontal cave, and is quite impressive. There is also a unique tour available so guests can explore Slovenian heritage on display through various festivals in small towns. The tour will visit various festivals based on the local schedule. Examples of the festivals to be visited during the 2011 season are the Cherries Festival, Festival of Prosciutto & Wine, Festival of Plums, Fisherman’s Festival, Salt Festival, and Medieval Festival.

Located on the Adriatic coast in northeast Italy, Ravenna was briefly the capital of the Roman Empire and later the Italian capital of the Byzantine Empire. During this time, incredible mosaics were constructed throughout the city. Described as a symphony of color in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Ravenna’s well-preserved mosaics are some of the finest remaining in the western world and it is home to 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The history and significance of Ravenna is often overlooked, and the walking tours with the guides really bring it into perspective. It is also a gateway to two major Italian cities, Bologna and Florence (and Voyager remains in Ravenna long enough to for guests to visit to Florence, which is a first for ships in the Adriatic). Bologna, approximately 75 minutes from Ravenna, was once an ancient Etruscan settlement and within its walls the first university of the world was established in the 11th century. In its charming historical center, many ancient palaces and churches stand as a witness to the cultural relevance that Bologna has had over the course of time. I would categorize Bologna as a ‘don’t miss’ Italian city – once you have wandered its streets and understood its history (it has the two towers that are over 10 stories tall and date back almost 1000 years – right in the middle of the city!), you will want to come back to visit it again. Of course, one of my personal favorite attractions from this port would be the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums, with the added bonus of actually going onto the production floor of the Lamborghini factory and watching them assemble these famous cars by hand.

A principal harbor for over two thousand years, Bari, Italy is a charming city on the Adriatic coast. The old town, Barivecchia, is cherished for its medieval characteristics and buildings. For me, it is more about the region than just the town, however. What struck me most about Bari and the surrounding area was its ‘old school’ atmosphere of Italy. You can go to the downtown area and the women are still making pasta outside their houses, visit the unique trulli houses in Alberobello, and then there are olive tree plantations where some of the olive trees are up to 2,000 years old – and still producing olives. Imagine that – the region has been able to sustain these olive plantations through so many different civilizations.

For guests who may have visited Venice, Italy before, there are always new experiences to be had in the city that is composed of 117 islands in the Venetian Lagoon and held together by a series of canals. While Venice is a very well-known city, it is hard to understand it without exploring it thoroughly. It is a maze of pathways, with no vehicles driving around, just lots of people! As you explore, and think of the history of the city, why it developed, how it was developed (fascinating in its own right!), and how much influence it had on Europe’s development, you really start to feel the mystique. I do think there is a lot of value to taking a tour, and then spending time delving deeper into the towns, exploring the various squares and neighborhoods. We offer an after hours visit to the famous St. Mark’s Basilica, appropriately titled St. Mark’s Basilica After Hours. St. Mark’s is one of the most popular and visited sites in the city and is crowded with visitors during the day but it becomes a silent temple of worship as the evening falls and guests can experience this reverential peace. Most visitors catch only a glimpse of Venice which may provide a very superficial picture of the city. There is far more to see in Venice than the traditional sight of St. Mark’s and our Secret Venice Walking Tour will take guests deep into Venice’s intricate maze of hidden pedestrian passageways on a 2.5-hour guided walk, plunging into the bustle of everyday Venetian life.

Dubrovnik, Croatia is most famous for its old city and walls which have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Dubrovnik has recently become a highlight port for many European itineraries, and there is no question it is worth all of the hype. However, the villages near Dubrovnik give our guests a much more comprehensive understanding of the lifestyles of Croatians, as well as a great view of the amazing coastline. Visiting the old city is a must for first-time visitors and we offer multiple tours that include or entirely focus on the walled city, but our local tour operator has also put together some great full day options that enable our guests to see both the city and also experience other parts of the country. For returning visitors, the resort town of Cavtat is a charming example of a seaside town and the views along the Dalmatian coastline are fantastic. One unique way to experience this is on the Konavle 4WD Safari which allows you to explore areas of Dubrovnik, not often visited by tourists, as well as some of the most beautiful parts of the Croatian countryside. Or try the Bike Adventure in Konavle Valley for a scenic ride through the countryside, vineyards and along the Ljuta River.

I’ve only covered some of the highlights in this blog – each of these ports has much more to offer. Visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/ShoreEx for more details on the tours and venues referenced in this blog as well as all the other exciting options available. Guests looking for a new and unique experience will have plenty to talk about after cruising on Voyager of the Seas this summer and experiencing all that these ports have to offer.

BY:Patrick Schneider|23rd May, 2011 No Comments

Liberty of the Seas and Saturday Night Fever Dazzle

Although I had just written my “LB from LB” update after visiting Liberty of the Seas post dry dock, I traveled to Barcelona this week to sail with her again. I don’t want to get accused of playing favorites with the ships, but I promised the entertainment team I would be onboard when we premiered our latest Broadway Show, Saturday Night Fever the Musical. I also wanted to see how Liberty and the team onboard did after her first embark in Barcelona, as this is her inaugural season in Europe.

The guest reaction to SNF (That’s how we refer to Saturday Night Fever internally) was nothing short of amazing. The first song started and the guests were already clapping and totally into the show. The audience participation continued through the one hour and twenty minute long show, and culminated in a six minute finale that had the guests on their feet the entire time singing, dancing and clapping wildly. The cast is incredibly talented, in fact, the lead “Tony” actually just came from playing the lead in Grease on the West End in London. The caliber of the cast is unbelievable, because not only do they have to be great singers, but the level of dancing is also highly complex. I know I am biased, but this is the best show we have done yet. I don’t want to spoil too much, so everyone will have to sail on Liberty to experience this special show.

As I did my incognito walk around, I always enjoy watching the guest reaction to our product. This sailing was 4 nights and over 2,300 guests were Spanish. This is more than three times the usual amount of guests on this itinerary. It was very interesting to see what a great asset the digital signs were for our non English speaking guests. These signs are in five languages, and they were used extensively by our guests and got rave reviews. I stood behind a number of guests and asked if I could help them with anything and they said no, that they loved the signs and got the information they needed.

Captain Charles Tiege invited me to dine at the Captain’s table, and it was truly a reflection of the global nature of our brand. We had a number of our most frequent cruisers at the table, and it included couples from Texas, Germany, Canada, and two couples from Spain. As we introduced ourselves around the table, it was interesting to hear the Spanish guests say this was their 43rd cruise, and the German guests had just returned from Allure.

I’m headed home today and sailing on Majesty of the Seas this weekend for a Make a Wish Board retreat and also our Anchored in Excellence program, so I will be sure to update everyone on what is happening on Majesty next week!

BY:Lisa Bauer|9th May, 2011 4 Comments

Royal Caribbean Clarifies Decision on Mariner of the Seas’ Deployment Change

There have been many posts from loyal guests who are unhappy about our decision to move Mariner of the Seas out of Los Angeles next January. We truly wish we could justify the ship remaining in LA, but we are unable to do so. Many of the comments have focused on how much people value the ship being there and/or the ship being routinely full. There is no question that there are tens of thousands of loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers who live in the Western U.S. and cruise on Mariner of the Seas. And yes, she does normally go out full. Unfortunately, it is possible for both of these observations to be true and yet the ship does not perform at an acceptable level to be able to remain in California. Throughout the industry, ships normally go out full. The critical question is at what price? Royal Caribbean has tried multiple ships over multiple decades at various lengths of cruises in California. We may very well try again in the future as we would love to be back on the West Coast. But for now we are unable to generate acceptable levels of performance for Mariner of the Seas. We are obligated to our shareholders to deploy her where she can earn superior returns.

BY:Adam|4th May, 2010 35 Comments

Royal Caribbean - Changes to Deployment

Today Royal Caribbean International announced significant changes to the deployment of Mariner of the Seas beginning in early 2011. This is an important announcement and it deserves comment.

First, we will not be offering 15 seven night Mexican Riviera cruises from January 16, 2011 to April 24, 2011 that until now have been open for bookings. I apologize to our customers who had booked on these sailings. We felt obligated to make this change in order to align the ship’s new itineraries with the seasonality of traveling around the southern end of South America as well as the timing of the Brazilian and European cruise seasons. For customers who are affected by this change, we are offering compensation as explained on our website under itinerary updates or you can contact your travel partner for further details.

Second, just to be clear about what Mariner of the Seas will be doing as well as the implications for two of our other ships, here is a summary of the new information:

Mariner of the Seas

On January 16, 2011 Mariner will begin her odyssey to Europe. She will depart from Los Angeles on a special 16-night voyage to Valparaiso, Chile and then continue on as part of an exotic 14-night voyage through the Chilean Fjords, the straits of Magellan and around Cape Horn of Chile and on to Sao Paulo (Santos), Brazil.

Once in Sao Paulo (Santos), Mariner of the Seas will offer a short season of 6-night Brazilian sailings in addition to a special 8-night voyage which will be offered over the Carnaval holiday. On March 13, 2011, Mariner of the Seas will offer a transatlantic sailing from Sao Paulo (Santos) to Rome (Civitavechia). In Rome, Mariner of the Seas will offer a unique 9-night Eastern Mediterranean sailing followed by a series of alternating 12-night Holy Land and Egypt itineraries. This program will be offered from March 27, 2011 to July 10, 2011 and again from September 8, 2011 to October 14, 2011.

(more…)

BY:Adam|22nd April, 2010 107 Comments

With Our Guests in Mind, These are Some of Royal Caribbean’s 2010 Initiatives

When I saw people at the Cruise Shipping Miami show, they invariably asked about Oasis of the Seas first and possibly Haiti second. This is understandable but it does not give props to the endeavors that are coming to fruition throughout the year for the benefit of all of our guests. While many initiatives are not ready for public airing, I will mention a few that have recently become public.

Our website is a major reference source for travel agents, repeat guests and prospective guests. This phenomenon only grows and therefore we must be responsive to the hunger for better information. If we don’t do a great job of informing people about our brand through our website, they may very well take their next vacation with someone else. We have recently completed a facelift designed to reflect the look and feel of our Nation of Why Not global marketing platform. We have also simplified the steps of the booking process for those who are interested to book on the website. While the people coming to the site for information far outnumber those who book on the site, we are pleased to provide an improved experience for those who wish to book. A work in progress is our effort to bring oasisoftheseas.com and nationofwhynot.com directly under the umbrella of royalcaribbean.com.

After enduring episodes of three steps forward and two steps backwards, we have launched eDocs. We still provide guests the option to receive paper documents for a $35 fee, unlike some of our competitors who have eliminated the paper option altogether. But our focus will be to leverage the new eDocs technology to provide our guests with much richer pre-cruise communications. With eDocs, guests can order self adhesive luggage tags pre-printed & customized to their specific ship, sailing & stateroom location and we’ll mail them to guests free of charge. When you consider this initiative in the context of the website, SetSail (pre-cruise check-in) and the ability to purchase and/or reserve many elements of the cruise in advance of sailing, the quality of the pre-cruise interaction between us and our customers has elevated considerably. We believe there are yet more opportunities to advance the pre-cruise experience and plan to bring more enhancements to market.

(more…)

BY:Adam|25th March, 2010 25 Comments

Insights into the Question, “Will Royal Caribbean Ever Build Smaller Ships?”

A frequently asked question: Will Royal Caribbean ever build smaller ships? A few considerations:

First, even as the average cruise ship size increases over time, it is in our interest to have a balanced and flexible fleet profile. There are both physical parameters (e.g., Panama Canal) and market parameters (e.g., starting up in Dubai) that dictate a mix of smaller ships as well as Oasis-class ships. We are very fortunate to have the 1,800 guest Legend of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas in our fleet to spearhead our global expansion.

Second, we are able to utilize larger ships on routes that we would not have believed possible even ten years ago. The fact that we will have a Freedom-class ship and three Voyager-class ships in Europe in 2010 is remarkable in comparison to our thinking in the late 1990’s that we would have a maximum of one or two Voyager-class ships and they would always be Caribbean-based. Now our view is we will use any of our ships anywhere in the world where it makes economic and logistical sense.
(more…)

BY:Adam|13th October, 2009 9 Comments

Guest Blog: More on Deployment

I’ve been threatening a guest entry on our ship deployment process and here it is courtesy of Diana Block, VP, Revenue Management & Deployment, and Chris Allen, Director, Deployment & Itinerary Planning. Diana and Chris also do this work for Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises not to mention that Diana is responsible for the pricing of our cruises. So we’re talking a lot of responsibility. Some of you no doubt would like more specific information on the actual choices we make (e.g., why aren’t there year round cruises out of Galveston?). Unfortunately, for legal reasons we cannot comment on those specifics in public plus we argue so much about these things in private that we don’t want to air our dirty laundry. Deployment issues are BY FAR the most frequently recurring discussion topics at my monthly staff meetings.

Diana Block, VP, Revenue Management & Deployment

Recently, Adam mentioned that readers of this blog have a keen interest in how we decide where to deploy our ships. As he said, this is a particularly difficult task as we have demand from across the US and around the world from consumers to both cruise from near their homes and to visit new and exciting places in the world. Our goal is to provide the best possible experience for our guests while delivering profitability to our shareholders. So, the big question is…how do we do this?

The process starts with a significant amount of research. It’s the feedback of our Crown & Anchor guests, potential guests and our trade partners that guide us on the types of vacations we should be offering. First, we conduct formal consumer research. Then, we actually go through the enormous task of reading every free form comment ever written on a guest comment card about itineraries or specific destinations. We augment this information with post cruise surveys on specific port experiences, and feedback from tour operators in hundreds of destinations, and from our travel agent partners.

(more…)

BY:Adam|10th August, 2009 28 Comments
 

Community picks