By
Michele Witthaus |
This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read the full article, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats
As you move from the Cruise lines International Association (CLIA) to Carnival Cruise Line, what aspects of your past career experience do you think will be of most value in your new role?
At CLIA I represented the entire cruise industry to a broad and diverse group of stakeholders including policy makers and regulators. I was able to work very closely with the senior leaders from across our cruise line and got to know many people in the cruise industry and forged many relationships. I believe there is great value in that, as it is in all of our best interests to maintain a collaborative approach to addressing challenges that impact the industry as a whole. So although CLIA is a trade association which is clearly different from the day-to-day operation of a 24-ship cruise line with 43,000 employees, I believe my time spent at CLIA is quite beneficial as I dive into my new role at Carnival.
I also worked as a travel agent early in my career and understand the important role travel agent members play in promoting our industry and growing demand around the world. I’m looking forward to building on my experience with the agent community and strengthening Carnival’s relationship.
What excites you most about the Carnival brand today?
Where do I start? First, I’m excited by the passion and commitment that our people have for serving our guests and delivering the very best vacation experience. Second, I very much want to continue to foster the growth and innovation that has made Carnival an industry leader. I love what Carnival stands for and the guests we serve and am so fortunate to have the chance to lead such an extraordinary brand with a bright future ahead of it.
Carnival Cruise Line has been ranked as the most improved US brand in consumer perception for the past year in YouGov’s BrandIndex Buzz Rankings Report. To what do you attribute this success?
The culture and our people in a nutshell. They put together a strong plan and made it happen and they believed in themselves and each other. All comebacks start and end with the values and beliefs of the people in all facets of the organisation.
Following the Carnival Triumph incident in 2013, the teams worked very hard to assemble and begin executing a sweeping operational enhancement programme to ensure such an incident does not occur in the future. That was an important first step towards regaining consumer confidence. Following that, Carnival has introduced a number of programmes, ranging from the Great Vacation Guarantee to our partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and our new Camp Ocean youth programming, that are really resonating with consumers. I believe all of these efforts combined have contributed to the significant rise in consumer perception. But again, none of this happens without the drive and perseverance of the people at Carnival.
What’s new in your itineraries and what impacts are you seeing from fluctuations in the fuel price and from the low sulphur regulations?
To be honest, this is an area where I am still coming up to speed. I do know that it’s important to balance itineraries that are compelling and appealing to our guests while at the same time achieving optimum fuel efficiency. Although, from my time at CLIA, I know that all Carnival Corporation brands have been working very hard during the past several years through a combination of itinerary planning and technology investments to maximise energy efficiency, reduce our environmental footprint and meet the new sulphur regulations. The vast majority of Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet is receiving air emissions scrubbers over the course of the next few years. We have a talented team in this area and I look forward to learning from them.
What are the priorities for refits and Fun Ship 2.0 upgrades to the fleet over the coming months?
Around a dozen of Carnival’s ships at this point have significant Fun Ship 2.0 features and several elements have rolled out across our fleet. This enhancement programme has been a great success and we are continuing to expand it and roll it out to other ships over time. Carnival Miracle is the next one that will be receiving enhancements, which will occur this month.
Carnival Cruise Line is to offer voyages of longer duration in the 2015-2016 season. What is the thinking behind this and what additional attractions will you be offering, both on the ships and in terms of shore excursions and other activities?
For more experienced cruisers and our loyal past guests it’s important to offer variety and these cruises are a great choice for anyone who has the time for a longer vacation experience. The length gives us flexibility to build ports into the itinerary that are not normally featured on our week-long cruises – places such as Bonaire, Grenada, Martinique, Colon, Panama and others.
We do enhance the shipboard programming on longer voyages to ensure our guests are fully entertained and have a really exceptional experience on board. Also, our shorex team does a great job of assembling a huge roster of tour options to meet all tastes and activity levels.
What differentiating factors do you think are most important in motivating first-time cruisers to choose Carnival over competing cruise lines? And what makes people return to Carnival despite the competition from other brands?
I sailed with my family during the holidays on Carnival Breeze and we had a fantastic vacation. It really is a fun ship experience and given my new role I participated in as much as I could, including Water Works, where I ‘flew’ down both slides! The food was fantastic and we loved all the dining options, especially Bonsai Sushi and Guy’s Burger Joint. I had my niece with us and she was a first-time cruiser and just kept saying that she “had no idea” that cruising could be this fun. It just proved the point that we have to get more first-time cruisers onboard our ships.
Where do travel agents fit into the picture when you look to Carnival Cruise Line’s future?
Travel agents are and will continue to be a vital distribution system for cruises and it is imperative that we do everything we can to help them sell Carnival. That means constantly making available the tools and opportunities to educate them about the Carnival product, providing opportunities to experience Carnival and making sure that we are listening closely to what agents have to say to learn what they need from us and how we can help them do their jobs better.