Royal Caribbean Group transforms waste management In the cruise industry

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 July 2023 13 July 2023

Royal Caribbean Group is building on its industry-leading waste management practices by introducing the next generation of technology to make its way to the high seas. These tools, from waste-to-energy systems, food waste applications and an expanded network of green hubs are a result of the cruise company’s relentless drive to deliver the best vacation experiences responsibly.

Debuting this year, on two of the cruise company’s newest ships, will be the cruise industry's first systems to turn solid waste directly into energy onboard.

“I am proud of Royal Caribbean Group’s drive to SEA the Future and be better tomorrow than we are today,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “Pioneering the first waste to energy system on a cruise ship builds on our track-record of waste management and furthers our commitment to remove waste from local landfills and deliver great vacation experiences, responsibly.”

Solid waste to energy at sea

The systems, Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis (MAP) and Micro Auto Gasification (MAG), debuting respectively on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Silversea Cruises' Silver Nova, will take waste on board and convert it into synthesis gas (syngas) that the ship can directly use as energy. Much like land-based waste-to-energy facilities, the result is repurposing waste in an efficient and sustainable way. An additional bioproduct of the system, biochar, can also be used as a soil nutrient.

Reducing food waste

Royal Caribbean Group is also looking at waste management from start to finish. Including its plans to reduce food waste across the fleet by 50% by 2025. To do so, the cruise company is implementing initiatives across its brands including:

– Developing a proprietary platform to monitor food supply and accurately estimate how much food should be produced, prepped and ordered on a given day.
– Using artificial intelligence (AI) to adjust food production in real time.
– Introducing a dedicated onboard food waste role to monitor and train crew members.
– Tracking guest demand for specific menu items and adjusting menu preparation and ordering accordingly.
– Introducing a food waste awareness campaign in the crew dining areas fleet wide.

To date, Royal Caribbean Group has achieved a 24% reduction in food waste by focusing on the front end of the food system, which prevents and addresses many of the main causes of food waste, including inventory management and over-preparing.

Expanding Green Hubs

Since the company’s first environmental initiative, Save the Waves, aimed at ensuring no solid waste goes overboard, Royal Caribbean Group has worked diligently to increase accountability and strengthen responsible waste management practices. To do so, it developed Green Hub, a capacity-building program to identify waste vendors in strategic destinations that has helped divert 92% of its waste from landfills. Since its start in 2014, the program has grown to 33 ports worldwide.

Now joining the Green Hub program is the Galapagos Islands, where Silversea became the first operator to gain certification in environmental management by diverting all waste from landfill. Initiatives like this allow Royal Caribbean Group to continue to safeguard the delicate ecosystem of the Galapagos for future generations.

Championing the environment

With a sustainability journey that began over 30 years ago, Royal Caribbean Group has remained steadfast in its commitment to innovate, and advance, the solutions necessary for a better future. Building on a robust portfolio of technologies that improve energy efficiency, water treatment and waste management, incorporating waste-to-energy systems is an extension of the company's commitment to reach beyond the expected and SEA the Future to sustain the planet, energize the communities in which it operates and accelerate innovation.

Azamara returns to Canada and debuts double night stays with 2025 itineraries

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 13 July 2023 13 July 2023

Azamara – the upmarket cruise line and leader in Destination Immersion experiences – has released 73 itineraries for 2025, including two brand-new voyages visiting Canada for the first time since 2017. Along with these itineraries comes the debut of double night stays, giving guests two overnights to explore one destination at their leisure.

“Azamara is known for offering more time in port with late nights and overnights, and now we are taking that even further with our new double night stays, allowing our guests plenty of time to travel further and dive deeper into each destination,” said Carol Cabezas, President of Azamara.

With Azamara’s new double night stays, guests can spend three days and two nights in Bordeaux, France. Due to their small size, Azamara’s ships can dock in the center of the city, allowing guests to explore the stunning architecture and renowned museums, as well as the world-famous surrounding wine region. Azamara guests can also sail seven hours down the Guadalquivir River to enjoy an extended stay in the heart of Seville, Spain, where they can fully immerse themselves in the local culture and traditions of Andalusia by indulging in tapas, watching authentic flamenco dancers and bullfighters, and admiring historic palaces – all at their own pace.

“We are thrilled to return to Canada in 2025, and we’re excited for our guests to experience these unique itineraries visiting lesser travelled ports in Quebec and Newfoundland as well as Iceland and Greenland,” said Michael Pawlus, Head of Itinerary Planning at Azamara. “As demand for our Country Intensive sailings remains strong, we’ve also added a range of these specialty voyages across Europe for 2025, so our guests can discover smaller ports and hidden gems within a single country.”

Marking the cruise line’s return to the country for the first time in more than five years, Azamara’s new sailings will stop in six Canadian ports, including:

– Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec (maiden port): Known as the center of the Magdalen Islands, this small fishing town boasts incredibly fresh seafood, stunning coastal trails, and over 300 species of birds.

– L’Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland (maiden port): L’Anse Aux Meadows is the only authenticated Viking site in North America. Guests will be transported back 1,000 years as they explore the recreated Viking Encampment and discover original Norse artifacts.

– Harve Saint Pierre, Quebec (maiden port): With panoramic views and never-ending sandy beaches, Saint Pierre sits on the north shore of Quebec’s Saint Lawrence River and is the gateway to the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, home to an abundance of wildlife.

Azamara’s signature Country Intensive sailings continue to see high demand, making up more than half of the newly released 2025 itineraries. These specialty voyages encourage guests to dive deeper into countries such as Italy, Spain, France, Norway, Ireland, and Scotland by providing more time to discover the local culture and hidden gems. Two of the fleet’s four ships will visit Greece in 2025, a destination Azamara knows best as its ships visit more unique ports throughout the country than any other cruise line.

Azamara’s 2025 itineraries include a record number of 15 golf cruises in collaboration with longtime partner PerryGolf. Golf lovers will want to book the 2025 British Isles Golf Cruise, which includes weekend attendance to the final two rounds of The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Janet Bava appointed Chief Commercial Officer of Windstar Cruises

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 11 July 2023 11 July 2023

Windstar Cruises, a luxury yacht-style cruise line based in Miami, has announced two important leadership changes. Janet Bava will be Windstar Cruises’ new Chief Commercial Officer as of July 24, 2023. Betsy O’Rourke, the CCO for Windstar since 2020 and the CCO of Windstar’s parent company Xanterra Travel Collection since 2012, will move to a consultancy role with Xanterra and its ownership, The Anschutz Corporation, as well as engage in outside Board opportunities.

Christopher Prelog, who is celebrating three years as President of Windstar in September after a long-standing career in ship operations, says: “This is a very comforting and energizing evolution for all of us at Windstar Cruises. We couldn’t be happier for Betsy and her success, and to still have access to her wisdom and counsel, while at the same time enthusiastically welcoming cruise industry veteran Janet Bava onboard, who previously worked with Betsy at Royal Caribbean.”

By all accounts Windstar is more successful than ever in its history with a fleet of three all-suite luxury ships and three sailing yachts, taking 148 to 342 guests on immersive experiences across the globe to both iconic and small ports where big ships can’t reach.

Janet Bava will be responsible for driving strategic growth initiatives, leading marketing, sales, reservations, and deployment teams to further elevate the company's position in the global market.

“I am passionate to return to small ship, luxury cruising, a category that has experienced tremendous growth in demand in the last few years. As the new Chief Commercial Officer at Windstar, I am eager to build upon the exceptional work done by Betsy and further elevate the Windstar experience under Chris Prelog's leadership. Magnify that with the Xanterra Travel Collection and the brand will continue to provide unparalleled experiences to our guests while driving innovation and growth in this exciting sector of the cruise industry,” stated Bava.

Prior to this, Bava was the Chief Marketing Officer at AmaWaterways in California. She served as one of their strategic leaders of global luxury river cruise operations and increased customer engagement across all digital channels by developing new distribution channels and relevant content that led to an increase in brand awareness and preference among new and existing travel advisors and guests. Bava also leveraged the emerging social media landscape and developed new marketing tools to enhance and strengthen trade partner relationships across national account and consortia groups.

She was Vice President, Marketing (Americas) from 2016 to 2018 with Silversea Cruises Ltd. in Miami. She worked with the CMO on a Global Marketing restructuring and the successful launch of the new brand campaign to reposition Silversea as a global leader in luxury small-ship ocean and expedition cruising. Bava also was an integral part of the launch of the cruise line’s flagship Silver Muse and responsible for all communications, media, trade marketing, and event planning for the Americas region.

From 2014 to 2016 she was the Director CRM & Customer Engagement at NBCUniversal, Inc - Universal Parks & Resort in Orlando expanding their capabilities and teams supporting digital customer relationship management initiatives.

O’Rourke had been the Chief Commercial Officer across all brands for Xanterra Travel Collection, Windstar’s parent company, since 2012 and picked up oversight of the commercial functions of Windstar in early 2020. O’Rourke led a reimagined marketing, sales, revenue management, and reservations team while navigating the global pandemic and relaunching half the fleet following the $250 million stretching and rebuild of the Star Class yachts.

Before Xanterra, O’Rourke was SVP of Marketing at Royal Caribbean International where she promoted Bava, who was part of her team, to Manager, Direct Marketing & Customer Experience Communications. O’Rourke’s career also included leading marketing and communications teams at Wyndham Worldwide, Choice Hotels and the US Travel Association.

Reflecting on the decision to join Windstar, Bava acknowledged the remarkable foundation built by O'Rourke in shaping the company's brand identity and driving its commercial success. Bava says she eagerly anticipates the opportunity to build upon this strong framework and is looking forward to leveraging the collective expertise of the entire Windstar team under the direction of President Chris Prelog.

"I have been very fortunate to work with great brands, companies, and people and worked closely with Janet Bava during our time at Royal Caribbean International, and I have witnessed firsthand her exceptional leadership and strategic vision. I am confident that she is the ideal choice to drive Windstar's commercial success and help guide the cruise line to new heights," said O’Rourke.

Crystal Serenity completes sea trials

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 11 July 2023 11 July 2023

Crystal Serenity, the first ship to relaunch following the cruise line’s purchase by A&K Travel Group last year, successfully completed sea trials in anticipation of its inaugural cruise from Marseille, France, on July 31st.

Currently in the final stages of a refurbishment at Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, the vessel had a full contingent of officers, technicians and engineers on board who thoroughly tested the ship’s navigation, technical and mechanical systems, and all passed inspection. We have ensured that the fire-resistant panels were properly certified and not defective.

“Completing sea trials is one of the final milestones needed before we can officially return to service,” said Senior Vice President of Marine Operations Roberto Fazi. “We are proud of the entire team who helped get us to this day both on board and shoreside. We also want to thank our wonderful partners at Fincantieri who worked around the clock to deliver this beautiful ship on time and ready to welcome guests in just a few weeks.”

And, when guests board for the first time, they will find updated and larger suites with artisanal finishes, refreshed specialty dining venues and cutting-edge onboard wellness, including the completely renovated and renamed Aurōra Spa. Additionally, there is a new pickleball court and re-energized entertainment and events. What hasn’t changed is the exceptional service and one of the industry’s best staff-to-guest ratios.

Following the July 31st cruise from Marseille, Crystal Serenity, will spend the rest of the summer in the Mediterranean before repositioning to North America in September for Canadian and Caribbean sailings for the remainder of 2023. The ship will also host the highly anticipated 2024 World Cruise.