Posts Tagged ‘cruise industry’

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

Updates on the Impact of Hurricane Irene and Concierge Lounge Policy

One of the striking features of cruising is its complexity. When hospitality intersects with maritime, the result is — a lot of variables!

Usually we master the variables in a way that reinforces the world class reputation Royal Caribbean is fortunate to enjoy. This blog just posted an entry about a spectacular passport retrieval that saved a cruise with minutes to spare. There are many stories directionally like that and we are proud of our people who so often deliver the WOW.

The complexity produces two consequences from time to time. First, we sometimes fail to read a guest situation correctly and the failure has implications. Second, we sometimes do get things right but there is nevertheless a perception that something is amiss. In recent days, we have experienced one of each. This blog provides an opportunity to comment on such matters.

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BY:Adam|6th September, 2011 84 Comments
CATEGORY: Our Company

Navigator of the Seas Hosts Governor-Elect

On Thursday afternoon, Navigator of the Seas played host to Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott. Governor Scott conducted a week long “Jobs Tour” of the state and understandably wanted to feature the cruise and tourism sector which collectively is the state’s largest employer.

The event consisted of a “town hall” style gathering in the Ixtapa Lounge at the forward end of the Royal Promenade with about 80 travel and tourism professionals and public officials in the audience. I had the privilege of introducing the Governor-elect and moderating the Q&A, not that Governor Scott needed any help. Afterwards, we walked the Royal Promenade and then ascended to the Viking Crown Lounge for press interviews.

Many of the attendees were struck by the spirit of cooperation amongst the cruise and land-based tourism interests. It’s a little sad that such cooperation should be cause for celebration, but it was and so I guess this is a case of better late than never. One thing is clear- everyone in the Broward County area is justifiably proud of Terminal 18 at Port Everglades where Navigator of the Seas was docked for the event. It is truly a world-class terminal and it enables the tourism ecosystem that encompasses our Oasis-class ships and all of the economic benefits that accrue to the surrounding community.

Governor Scott certainly gave every indication that he will support the continued growth of our industry. In the mean time, I am serving as team captain of his child welfare transition team subcommittee. Our report is due in a week even though we just got started. You’ll all be pleased to know that I have found enough to keep me busy following the introduction of Allure of the Seas and our company board meeting.

Final notes on Allure of the Seas: there were many, many highlights over the course of three remarkably successful weeks. One of them was the private function hosted by our Chinese colleagues where the winner of “China’s Got Talent” played concert-level piano with his toes, since he has no arms. That was truly amazing. Congratulations to all of Allure’s officers and crew for a great introduction and for delivering the Wow on the first two actual cruises. Congratulations also to Lisa Bauer and Bill Wright and their respective teams for their leadership and hard work that really paid off.

Here are a couple of photos from my time onboard Allure during the inaugural cruises. You can see the rest of my pictures on Facebook here: http://on.fb.me/gDnJOQ

BY:Adam|16th December, 2010 No Comments

The Business Triangle

If one is going to be involved in managing a business then one must take what I call the Triangle into account at all times. The Triangle is shorthand for the three crucial constituencies whose interests we must look after in order for our business to be successful: customers, employees and shareholders. As an aside, I’ll note that sometimes people internally refer to travel agents as a type of customer while others believe the Triangle should be a Diamond with Travel Agents as a 4th constituency. However one looks at this, travel agents are important in our world. So are the destinations and communities we serve around the world.

Let’s look at each of the three constituencies of the Triangle in turn:

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BY:Adam|18th May, 2009 17 Comments
 

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