Tag Archives: royal caribbean cruises

Royal Caribbean Smoking Policy Change

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Smoking Policy Change effective 1 January 2014
Dear valued guest,

In consideration of ongoing guest feedback and evolving industry standards, Royal Caribbean International is revising its onboard smoking policy, effective for all sailings departing on or after 1 January 2014.

Under this new policy, all indoor public spaces will be smoke free, with the exception of the Casino and the Connoisseur Club on Freedom and Voyager Class ships. In the Casino, there will be designated smoking and non-smoking areas.

Additionally, smoking will not be permitted in the staterooms or on stateroom balconies. Outdoor smoking areas will be designated on the starboard side of all ships.

Indoor smoking areas permit electronic cigarettes. Cigars and pipe tobacco can be enjoyed in designated outdoor areas, or in the cigar club on the ships that offer this venue.

Please consult our Smoking Policy FAQ for more details.

Royal Caribbean International is committed to continually enhancing the guest holidays experience. To find smoking venues and areas while onboard, please consult your Cruise Compass, or visit Guest Services, where we will be happy to assist you. Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you aboard soon.

Royal Caribbean International

Big Interview: Clia president Chistine Duffy

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Big Interview: Clia president Chistine Duffy

By Hollie-Rae Merrick

Big Interview: Clia president Chistine DuffyThe leader of cruising’s global trade body outlines the challenges facing the sector ahead of her speech at Clia UK’s Columbus Day. Hollie-Rae Merrick reports

As someone who started her career as a travel agent in Philadelphia, Christine Duffy understands what agents need to do their jobs.

She appreciates the level of information and training agents need to make a sale and is aware of the demands they face.

And although Clia already provides support for thousands of agents around the world, one of Duffy’s main aims is to reach an even greater audience of members.

It’s been a tough couple of years for the cruise industry. But Duffy said the Costa Concordia tragedy highlighted the importance of arming agents with information necessary to handle enquiries.

“Since the tragedy of Costa Concordia many questions were raised by consumers and the trade about what the industry does to ensure the safety and security of passengers,” she said.

“It is something that was definitely brought home following Concordia and other issues that we have had this year.

“Communicating is something that we have always done, but we need to do it more. We can’t just do it when there is a crisis or an issue. Agents are on the frontline and we want to make sure they have the details they need so they can be responsive to customers.”

Many would assume that since becoming a global association earlier this year, Clia has become completely united on methods of working and the messages to be highlighted to agents.

But Duffy said this wasn’t the case, and that each association across Clia’s global network had particular issues.

“We are careful to make sure all the things that are important and unique in each area don’t change,” she said.

“We understand that each has its own issues, challenges and ways of working.

“The UK is a very strong and mature market, but there is always potential for further growth around the world.”

Duffy’s appearance at Clia UK & Ireland’s Columbus Day on September 19 will be warmly welcomed by the trade, many of whom are keen to hear her thoughts on the global cruise industry and the challenges ahead.

Duffy said issues including price, value and the perception of cruising were top of the list.

“The value of cruise is currently one of its biggest attributes – we have been able to offer great value for money,” she said.

“There is a great opportunity as we generate greater demand to see that price develop. The price is lower than what we would like.

“We need to work on that by promoting the value and the price of cruising. And to really help 
the industry, we need to ensure the trade has what it needs.”

Duffy also believes the industry as a whole needs to ensure cruise lines inform agents about their environmental investment and the impact they have in destinations.

She said those details weren’t relayed to agents frequently enough, and increasing this communication could result in growth in the new-to-cruise market.

She added: “We always represent the industry in the policy-making arena, with ongoing education on the important issues such as the cruise industry as a global corporate citizen, the impact on ports, and the environmental investment our industry is making to improve our ships.

“Many of these things have not been communicated frequently enough to the trade and agents.”

Clia has more than 14,000 members, but as the industry grows, Clia follows suit. It plans to expand further into Europe, with

Clia Italy and Clia Spain set to open within the year. Duffy’s long-term strategy is to expand in the east and she is looking to see what support agents would need in the emerging Asian cruise market.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara to run as separate businesses

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Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara to run as separate businesses

By Lucy Huxley

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara to run as separate businessesRCL Cruises Ltd is to create three individual businesses for each of its brands in the UK, claiming they have each now grown to a size that warrants “increased focus and investment”.

The new structure, which will take effect from January 1, 2014, will see current associate vice president & general manager Jo Rzmowska become managing director for Celebrity Cruises. A recruitment process is already underway both internally and externally for separate managing directors for the Royal Caribbean and Azamara Club Cruises brands.

Each individual managing director will also get his or her own commercial, marketing and sales teams, as well as separate agent trainers and trade marketing budgets.

But the proposed structural and operational changes also include the consolidation of guest and trade call centres around the world – including the UK and Ireland team based in Addlestone in Surrey – into just three multi-lingual contact centres in Guatemala, Romania and the Netherlands, operated by an external partner, Xerox.

Under the proposal, the Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises UK and Ireland guest and trade service call centres would be operated from Guatemala, resulting in the potential redundancy of 100 people. A period of consultation with potentially affected employees in Addlestone has begun today.

A Celebrity Cruises guest and trade services team, dedicated to the UK and Ireland, will be set up in the UK, employing 50 people.

Dominic Paul, who remains as vice president and managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the proposed restructure was an important milestone in the history of the global RCL Cruises Ltd business:

“The only other market that we have this kind of focus is North America. This is the first time we have given any other market such attention. We have seen that when a market gets to a certain size of importance, this is the structure that works best to grow.

“The UK is the second-largest market globally and this move is a recognition of the growth achieved so far and to best position each cruise line for future development and growth.”

The three RCL brands collectively in the UK and Ireland have seen 8% growth in the last five years versus the overall cruise market in the UK and Ireland which has grown at 3% in the same period.

Asked if it meant the company, which is the second largest cruise operator in the world, would deploy more than the current five ships to the UK as a result of the restructure, Paul said: “This underlines our commitment to the UK market. We are investing in the brands and see the future potential for more growth. We hope that this will mean we can bring new ships into this market.”

The company said the partnership with Xerox would allow it to address efficiency challenges that are common in any business that has experienced rapid global expansion.

“As a renowned leader in this area, Xerox supplies the contact centres of many customer service focused brands globally. This proposal follows an extensive global review specifically looking at the operational efficiency of multiple guest and trade service centres around the world,” a statement said.

“All of the proposed changes are being reviewed in order to best position the business for future growth, whilst maintaining a competitive edge and strong customer service for trade partners and guests.”

Rzymowska said of her new position: “I am very passionate about all three of our brands, but the Celebrity role is the opportunity that I have been asked to look at and I am very happy with that.”

She described the search for her counterparts on the Royal Caribbean International and Azamara Club Cruises brands as “significant” because they are such “key roles going forward”.

And commenting on the creation of separate teams below them, she added: “There will be opportunities for the [current] team.”

Rzymowska said agents could expect to see more attention paid to them under the new structure.

“Everybody is in business to run a profitable business. And we believe that the trade seeing more of us, and us being able to give them more focused, dedicated time and more investment, will result in increased profitability for them.”

Rzymowska added: “Changes made earlier this year to the commissions structure are working for the business. There are currently no plans to make any changes to the base commission structures of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises, including when the dedicated brand teams take effect in January 2014.”