Tag Archives: Neil Palomba

Neil Palomba Named EVP, Operations, MSC Cruises USA

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Neil Palomba has been named executive vice president of operations for MSC Cruises USA, while Josef Jungwirth has been named vice president of food and beverage operations, reporting to Palomba.

“As a testament to our continued growth in the U.S. and focus on providing an exceptional onboard experience, we are pleased to welcome Neil Palomba and Josef Jungwirth to our U.S. Operations Team,” the company said.

Palomba will lead the operations function for the line’s U.S.-based ships and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve.

He held several positions from 1996 to 2013 with MSC Cruises, including Chief Operating Officer in Fort Lauderdale for MSC Cruises USA from 2006-2010, and then relocating to Geneva, Switzerland where he led multiple corporate functions. Most recently, Palomba served as President for Costa Crociere in Genova, Italy and Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Carnival Cruise Line in Miami, FL.

Jungwirth will take on the role of vice president, of food & beverage operations, at MSC Cruises USA, reporting to Palomba. He brings more than 25 years of food & beverage operations experience to the role. Previously, Jungwirth spent 11 years as the Corporate Executive Chef at Sandals Resort International and 14 years at Royal Caribbean International where he oversaw the development of the company’s annual business objectives for culinary operations.

Costa Cruises to build world’s largest passenger ships

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By Hollie-Rae Merrick 

Costa Cruises is to build two 6,600 passenger ships, making the vessels the largest in the world by capacity.

The Carnival Corporation-owned brand will launch the new ships in 2019 and 2020. The two vessels will be built at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, and will be the first ships powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

The announcement of the new ships for Costa is a significant statement about the brand’s recovery following the Costa Concordia tragedy in 2012.

The Costa new builds will have 600 more passengers than Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class, which will remain the largest cruise ships in the world by size.

Costa’s ship order is part of parent Carnival Corporation’s multibillion dollar contract with two Meyer shipyards in Finland and Germany.

Costa Cruises to build world's largest passenger ships

Carnival’s deal with the shipyards is for a total of nine new ships between 2019 and 2022, including the two newly announced Costa ships.

Michael Thamm, chief executive of the Costa group, said: “These ships will expand the leadership position for the Costa Group, the market leader in all major continental European markets.

“The multibillion dollar contract with Meyer mirrors our strategy to constantly innovate our vacation offers and to deliver an unmatched cruise experience to our guests.”

Neil Palomba, president of Costa Cruises, said: “The two Costa ships are a real innovation for the market, setting new standards for the whole industry: they will be the first green ships powered with LNG and they will offer an extensive number of guest-friendly features.

“The order also confirms that the Costa brand will continue to grow, becoming even stronger and keep on generating a positive economic impact in the main countries where it operates, including Italy.”