So why do I blog? I was forced to confront this question when I gave a speech to a Conference Board gathering the other day in New York. The topic was on building brand loyalty. In 2011 this topic requires one to talk about social media. If you are doing a CEO blog and you are talking about social media to a group of CEOs, you are going to have to say something about your blog. Or at least that’s how it seemed to me.
Adam's Personal Updates
KEYWORDS: Adam Goldstein , blogger , brand loyalty , business blogs , CEO blogs , corporate blogs , how do I blog , how to blog , marketing mix , marketing strategy , Royal Caribbean International , social media , what is a blog , why blog
I recently posted an entry on some of some memorable work-related events from over the years. The topic today is memorable travel experiences I have had during my years at Royal Caribbean, and a few from before I joined the company. I would like to hear from you about your own favorite travel experiences.
1990 & 2002 – Alaska cruise and excursions most notably the Taku River flightseeing and salmon bake, the helicopter tour that landed on the glacier and the boat trip to see the orcas. This is a major bucket list experience and so far we have cruised twice in Alaska. Even if the local bear that ran to the grill and licked the remnants of the salmon was staged, it was entertaining. The views of the blue ice in the glaciers make for top notch sightseeing. But the best memory of all is the kayak trip near Ketchikan with my then-7 year old son in a rainstorm so powerful the water penetrated all seven layers of our clothing starting with the orange rain gear which only succeeded in turning our bodies orange.
You can imagine that over time I receive some interesting emails and letters. It goes with the territory but every once in a while I am unusually impressed. When that happens, with the permission of the writer, I will publish it here.
In a week I’ll be on Oasis of the Seas for several nights. You’ll see this afterwards and most likely I will comment on what actually transpires during my trip. Here are some pre-cruise thoughts.
People inside and outside the industry ask me questions such as “Do you like to cruise?”, “How often do you cruise?”, “What do you do on a cruise?”, “What is your favorite cruise?” and “What else do you do for vacation?” So here are my short answers to those questions.
KEYWORDS: Adam Goldstein , Alaska , cruise , cruise vacations , Cruises , Cruising , Europe , family vacations , Oasis of the Seas , President & CEO Adam Goldstein , Royal Caribbean , Royal Caribbean International , vacation ideas
I recently spent two days in Washington, DC along with others from the cruise industry. The primary purpose was to attend a Board meeting of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). We have our summer Board meeting in Washington, DC every year so that the cruise line executives and CLIA’s Executive Partners (mostly top suppliers and key ports) can get an update on what’s happening inside the Beltway and have a chance to do some visits to Members of Congress or at least to the congressional staff.
The cruise companies are first and foremost competitors. So there’s an odd ambiance at these meetings that we all need to work through to attend to the association’s business. And there is never a shortage of business to address. Most of the collective effort of the industry is in the areas of safety, security, environment, medical and public health. But the U.S. government and most other governments seem to come up with an unending array of challenges that keep us on our toes.
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KEYWORDS: Adam Goldstein , CLIA , cruise , Cruise Lines International Association , cruise vacations , Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act , Cruises , Cruising , DC , debt reduction , Energy Security Leadership Council , job creation , President & CEO Adam Goldstein , Royal Caribbean , Royal Caribbean International , Washington
Since my debacle at Albuquerque in March where I tried my first track meet at national level and had a terrible race, I have been very focused on ramping up the quality and intensity of my training. My next opportunity to run the way I believe I can run was in Houston in June at the National Senior Games. Fortunately, things went much better than they did in New Mexico.
Before I get to the race, a few observations about the environment of masters track racing. The bottom line is I really enjoy the atmosphere. Of course there are a few hyper competitive (fill in the blank)s but for the most part the men and women are mutually supportive and a pleasure to be around. They know a lot more about training and racing than I do at this point. I take that deficit as a positive – if I can learn more over the next few years I will have a better opportunity to improve relative to my competition. Nevertheless, there are runners who are and most likely will always be on a higher level.
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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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KEYWORDS: Adam Goldstein , Brazil , business travel , college reunions , Cruise Lines , Cruises , Princeton University , Royal Caribbean International , Sao Paolo
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.
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.
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.
KEYWORDS: Adam Goldstein , Chops Grille , Cruise Lines , Cruise Ship , cruise ships , Cruises , dry-dock , Lisa Bauer , Portofino , President & CEO Adam Goldstein , Radiance , Radiance Class , Radiance of the Seas , Royal Advantage , Royal Caribbean , Royal Caribbean International , ship enhancements , ship revitalizations
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