Adam's Posts

Adam Endures 49 Hours in the Air as His Travels Continue

My travels have continued with visits to San Juan for the annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) conference and to Asia/Pacific for company business.

The FCCA conference is always an intense affair because of the economic significance of the cruise industry to many of the island nations of the Caribbean basin. The focus of the meeting has evolved over time and this year the impact of the globalization of the industry was more evident than in the past. Although new ships still make their presence felt in the region (not the least of which being Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas), the growth of other cruise markets and the predominance of “homeport” cruises (i.e., cruises originating on the U.S. Coast that do not require air travel for many of the guests) have caused the number of cruise visitors to certain ports to decline quite dramatically. Many of these ports are to the south and southeast of San Juan. So it was important that the conference took place in San Juan. The government of Puerto Rico took advantage of the opportunity to restate its commitment to the cruise industry. They really put on an impressive showing from Governor Fortuno on down.

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BY:Adam|15th November, 2011 5 Comments

Our President and CEO Shares Some Random Thoughts

Randomness:

- Someone once said the business of America is business. Even taking that into consideration, the outpouring of grief and accolades for Steve Jobs after his death was remarkable. And it wasn’t limited to America. There is a global recognition that his leadership and accomplishments were transformational. As both an admirer and a customer, I join in the mourning of his untimely passing and wish the leadership of Apple well in the daunting task of carrying on with Jobs’ vision. He obviously inspired a lot of people. Who else do you find similarly inspirational?

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BY:Adam|28th October, 2011 5 Comments

Meeting Presidents, Heading to DC, and Visiting Europe: All in Days Work

I’ve been on the road a bit lately. We are all quick to highlight the hassles of travel but with those hassles usually come a variety of interesting experiences.

Richard Fain and I recently spent a day in Port au Prince, Haiti. We met with Haiti’s new and energetic President Michel Martelly. Given our status as Haiti’s second largest foreign direct investor, it made sense to take the time to meet the President and a number of his advisors. The outlook for the new government is uncertain given the President’s struggle to obtain the Parliament’s approval of a Prime Minister. It was apparent that President Martelly and his team understand the role of tourism in generating sorely needed economic activity. We hope and expect the government will actively support the necessary steps to establish the Citadelle and the Palais Sans Souci as first tier attractions.

citadelle-laferriere-mountaintop-fortress-at-the-top-of-labadee-in-haiti

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BY:Adam|6th October, 2011 4 Comments

From Princeton to Sao Paolo, Follow Adam on his Latest Whirlwind Visit

Yes it is possible to attend your college 30th reunion and then go on to Sao Paolo for two days of frenetic business without checking a bag, but it’s not easy.

OK, I admit it. I’m biased. I genuinely believe Princeton University is the greatest place on earth. Two days of hot, sunny weather surrounded by lots of friends and family did nothing to disabuse me of this notion. Running along the path by Lake Carnegie in such weather was a highlight, and there were many others along the way. I have a new resolve to see more of my college roommates in different parts of the country. Three of my law school roommates were there as well, two because they went to Princeton and one because his daughter was graduating from Princeton. On Sunday morning we assembled 18 of the 29 members of the Vacation Gang.

After a fly by in Manhattan for my in-laws’ 50th wedding anniversary dinner, I was off to Brazil to attend the first ever Seatrade South America Cruise show. After flying all night I took a helicopter from the airport flying above Sao Paolo’s awe-inspiring traffic and made it to the cruise executive panel discussion with 30 minutes to spare.

The panel included my counterparts at MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, our largest competitors in Brazil, not to mention in Europe. It was an important opportunity for the cruise industry to articulate to the Brazilian government the challenges that will potentially undermine the impressive growth the market has had in recent years. These challenges consist of a lack of infrastructure (piers and terminals), costly operations and bureaucratic processes such as those related to visas for crew and foreign guests. It’s not possible to tell immediately if the dialogue will have an impact. The Brazilians are riding high on the strength of their new President, economic growth, ascendant currency and upcoming World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016). There is a sense that cruise ships may be helpful as temporary hotel capacity during one or both of these mega-events. My involvement with the show concluded the first night with a dinner with Brazil’s Tourism Minister.
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BY:Adam|7th July, 2011 No Comments

The Goal May Not Have Been Reached, but the Fight Carries On

I have not previously written about one topic that is of prime importance to my family. My 16-year-old son, David, has dedicated himself to fighting for improved education, prevention, testing and treatment related to concussions. He has experienced several concussions from soccer that have demonstrated to our family how significant these brain injuries are and how little people know about avoiding them and/or getting help once they have occurred. Thanks to David and his Countywide Concussion Care effort, for the first time, football and soccer players in all of the public high schools in Miami-Dade County will receive baseline testing for concussions before next fall’s games.

Along the way, David has become a voice for an effort to achieve legislation in Florida to address basic issues of concussion education, removal from play and return to play. About 15 states have now passed such legislation with active support from the NFL. Florida had a great chance to be the first state in the Southeast U.S. to pass such legislation. Although we were warned that it was not easy to get legislation through the Legislature in Tallahassee on the first try, things were looking up after the legislation unanimously passed the House.

When the action moved to the Senate, the process was derailed at the last moment in a way that turned even my cynical political stomach. One powerful Senator who is himself a chiropractor decided – in my opinion without any basis in fact - that this legislation was a threat to the chiropractic profession. Displaying zero concern for Florida’s youth athletes, he engineered the legislation’s defeat on a voice vote that the President of the Senate was unable to manage effectively in the tumultuous last hours of the session. Maybe most remarkable is that the two Senators I understand (through my Our Kids service) to have specific child welfare responsibility both opposed Florida’s interest to protect its youth in favor of the chiropractic lobby. Don’t get me wrong, I am a loyal long-term patient of a wonderful chiropractor, but no one, who has anything to do with concussions in a serious way, believes chiropractors had justification to kill this bill. But they did, and now my son and the rest of us need to forge on to achieve the right result as soon as possible.

BY:Adam|27th June, 2011 10 Comments

Through Legislation and Leadership, Adam Discusses his Life Outside of Cruising

Some updates from the rest of my world:

Life goes on in Washington DC. I’ll be visiting again next month in connection with industry meetings. There are so many new members of Congress that it will take two years to meet a decent number of them, after which they probably all change again and it will be time to start over.

There are interesting developments in connection with the Energy Security Leadership Council on which I serve. There appears to be an opportunity for bipartisan support to spur the electrification of road transportation. Senators Alexander (R, Tennessee) and Merkley (D, Oregon) have introduced legislation before the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee to spur action in this area. Here are some facts that bear on the topic: the U.S. uses almost 20 million barrels of oil per day; it imports about 50% of what it consumes; about 70% of the oil it uses goes to the transportation sector; and oil provides 94% of all the energy the U.S. consumes in transportation. The electricity grid is the only widespread infrastructure that is a meaningful alternative to the gasoline infrastructure. The U.S. doesn’t use much of its electricity generating capacity between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., so there is plenty of spare capacity which can be fueled by a variety of power sources. There are no magic solutions that can eliminate the short-term pain of $4 gasoline and a volatile oil market, but electrification should be a core component of our long-term quest for reduced dependence on imports of oil.

I have no progress to report on the prospects for the Citadelle to become a functioning tourist attraction in Haiti. Michel Martelly has just assumed office as the new President of Haiti. We are waiting to see who he will name to his Cabinet, in particular his choice of Minister of Tourism. It has been a year since Royal Caribbean presented the government with a Master Site Plan for activating the Citadelle. It would be great if the new government would commit to bringing this essential symbol of the country back to life.

My involvement in child welfare is not at the same level it was when I was on the Board of Trustees of Our Kids (OKI – the agency responsible for foster care and related services for several thousand children and young adults in Miami and the Keys). I have moved to the OKI Advisory Board (i.e., I’ve been kicked upstairs), but I still try to keep my finger on the pulse of what is happening on this always daunting terrain. Over time, OKI’s relationship with Florida’s Department of Children & Families (DCF — the oversight agency, and funding source for OKI) has ebbed and flowed. Now after several years of promising improvement the relationship has regressed. For the sake of the youth who need every advantage we can give them to improve their chances of leading enjoyable and productive lives, DCF and OKI need to find their way to a more mutually supportive environment.

Last but least there is my running. I’m running more and doing better in practice. That’s the good news. The frustrating part is turning that unofficial success into improved race times. Of course the remorselessly increasing heat and humidity are not allies. It also did not help in the Corporate Run in downtown Miami that the drawbridge was up in the middle of the race! I did manage a PR in the 10k with a 40:46. My personal trainer ran with me. He supplied motivational comments such as “Adam, don’t worry, they have paramedics if you need them.” My big 1500 meter races this summer are coming closer and closer.

BY:Adam|20th June, 2011 No Comments

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

Ten Years and Counting! Radiances’ Revitalization will make Her Better than Ever

The revitalization of Radiance of the Seas is underway in Victoria, British Colombia. She is in dry-dock or “high and dry” in our parlance. I won’t re-cap all of the new features she will be getting as Lisa Bauer will give you a detailed update after she visits the ship in a few weeks. I will make a few general observations as the Royal Advantage revitalization program gets going in earnest.

I’m pleased that Radiance happens to be the first of our new generation of revitalizations. She is an important ship in our history. As the first ship in the four-ship Radiance-class (followed by Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas), she led us into a new era of cruise ship design, particularly featuring a close connection between the outside and inside via acres of glass that produce a wonderful effect. Throughout the last ten years we have often placed two of the Radiance-class ships in Europe and two in Alaska, allowing us to compete favorably with any ships in those markets.

Behind the scenes, as I have mentioned previously, we took a fresh look at our shipboard organization during Project Radiance (1999 – 2001). Although the immediate effect of profound change was a challenged start-up period for Radiance after her delivery in early 2001, the new approach has been critical to our successful expansion to a 22-ship-fleet operating all over the world.

Our long-term fans will recall that Radiance of the Seas debuted with two specialty restaurants, Chops Grille and Portofino. Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas, which had arrived in 1999 and 2000, respectively, had only one – Portofino. So we really thought we were doing something dramatic by doubling the number of specialty restaurants. That thought seems quaint and naïve as we prepare to add multiple new dining establishments to Radiance during her revitalization.

Radiance of the Seas arrived in 2001 as the dot com crash was unfolding. There wasn’t a strong connection ten years ago between the online environment and the cruise ship experience. Just as with culinary variety, a sea change has occurred in our and our guests’ expectations of technology. Pervasive Wi-Fi, upgraded in-stateroom televisions, digital signage and electronic waivers are some examples of additions in the current project, which we regard as obviously necessary for Radiance today.

The revitalization of Radiance will make an already fabulous ship even more fabulous. I cruised on her with family and friends to Alaska in 2002. I could not have envisioned most of what we are adding to her right now. I might have to find time for a repeat cruise to experience the changes for myself. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we are applying the final touches to the revitalization plan for Splendour of the Seas this fall.

BY:Adam|6th June, 2011 2 Comments

Project Sunshine: Adam Sheds a Little Light on the Next Fleet Member

A new ship project like Project Sunshine is a remarkable phenomenon. The physical ship won’t be ours until well over three years from now. Yet we already live with an unending series of deadlines that drive our team as the customer for the project. The shipyard, Meyerwerft in the case of Sunshine, metes out these deadlines so that our actions support the successful completion of their incredibly complex undertaking to create a state of the art cruise ship on time and on budget.

Since I cannot divulge anything about the new ship concept, I will write a little bit about the process. If you know anything about our company, you know that our Chairman & CEO Richard Fain is intensely interested and involved in all of our new ship projects. The only reason I use the word intensely is because I cannot think of a more intense word to use to describe his level of attention, fascination with and contribution to our new ships.

We have a specialized department at the company for these mega-projects called Newbuild. I think the real name is Fleet Design & Newbuild but everyone just says Newbuild. The short-hand is a misnomer because the department is involved in much more than new ships including our Royal Advantage revitalization program which has Radiance of the Seas in the dry-dock in Victoria, British Columbia getting a make-over as I write this. But the new ship design and construction process is the key involvement that Executive VP Harri Kulovaara, chief designer Kelly Gonzalez and the rest of the Newbuild team focus on the most. Harri’s number one responsibility is to make sure the ships come out as amazingly as Richard has in mind for them to do.

Our design process is immersive for our Marketing and Operations teams. We believe that the teams who have responsibility for understanding consumer desires and delivering the products and services should be directly involved in the Newbuild creative and design processes. This may sound obvious but I believe different cruise companies have different opinions about who to involve and when to involve them. In our case, there is an Executive Steering committee for Project Sunshine that is led by Richard, Harri and myself that oversees all aspects of the effort. Most of my leadership team participates on the committee. We meet every month, usually for a full day, to go over critical aspects of the project.

Another typical aspect of our company’s approach to new cruise ship design is to utilize a roster of design firms under our central direction. There is no one master designer who takes the project and runs with it. Harri and Kelly are constantly working with the designers on the various ship features and then the designers regularly must present to the Steering Committee and receive our feedback. This interaction is always interesting. To paraphrase former football coach Bum Phillips, there are two types of designer/architects you never want to have on your team – the ones who always push back and the ones who never push back. In fact, we are extremely fortunate to have an incredibly talented roster of creative and committed professionals who are determined that their particular assignment will add something very special to Project Sunshine. Many of these designers have been with us on previous projects and know the drill well.

The Executive Steering committee normally meets in Miami which requires a number of people to fly regularly from the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany to our headquarters. However, in May the Miami-based committee members traveled to the shipyard and held our monthly meeting at Meyerwerft. We might do this once or twice per year and in this case we had a very successful session that has the team even more enthused about Project Sunshine if that is possible. It certainly underscores the reality of the project when you go to a working shipyard and go through everything in detail. Shipyard CEO Bernard Meyer advised me that the larger of his two enclosed building halls is either the largest building in Europe or second to the building hall for the A380 airplanes.

Before we left, Richard, Harri and I took a quick tour of the nearly completed Celebrity Silhouette, our sister brand’s 4th of five Solstice-class ships. We have a long way to go on Project Sunshine before similar finishing touches are applied. But rest assured that behind the scenes, a lot of dedicated and knowledgeable people are propelling us towards the finish line in 2014. Eventually, we’ll tell you all about it.

BY:Adam|1st June, 2011 36 Comments
 

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