Larry Pimentel
January 23rd, 2012, 05:10 PM
I’m delighted so many of you are asking questions. I will to try to answer all of them during the week so please be patient if you don’t see a response right away to something you asked. As I said earlier, since so many questions are similar and deal with the same subjects, I have been aggregating them.
First let me respond to those of you who have asked if Azamara has plans to expand its fleet. By the way, I like that question. It shows that you like what you are getting from Azamara and want more of it.
There was a post on this question by linda47 who added that if we expand the fleet will we do so with a larger ship? We like the size of our ships just fine and apparently so do you. In my view our parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCL), has the most popular, elegant and entertaining large ships in the world. These are the Royal Caribbean International ships called the Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. They are simply magnificent, especially for us maritime admirers. Having stated this, they are not remotely like Azamara Club Cruises. We are simply in a different class serving a different market.
But let me get on with this question of fleet expansion. When I joined this fledgling cruise line in 2010 several people immediately asked me if I planned any additional tonnage and I told them that I didn’t join Azamara with the intention of it remaining a two-ship fleet. I’m sure you could ask any cruise line president if they wanted to add tonnage and they would all say they want to expand. It figures. But expanding the Azamara fleet isn’t as simple as flipping a light switch. We need to be prudent, perform our due diligence and satisfy the management of our parent company and its shareholders that we are on the right track. I’m telling you here that I believe we are on the right track and a day doesn’t go by without my thinking about expansion. There are sound business reasons for our expansion as well as the sound guest reasons that many of you expound. But while I’m mentally planning our expansion, I’m also working hard at making the Azamara cruise experience the absolute best it can be. I would appreciate hearing from you on what you think should be in a new Azamara Club Cruises vessel. Why not help me dream a bit?
But more to the point of this question, all of us at Azamara are on the same page here. We are striving toward achieving such striking success that additional vessels will be possible. And I’m confident that our senior management and shareholders will support that goal at the right time. When it’s the right time, it will be the right time. If that sounds a bit Zen, consider this--- we want to continue to achieve successes in profitability--- because that’s the name of the game in a public company. We want to increase our customer base and exceed our guests’ satisfaction.
One last comment on this subject: Don’t succumb to rumors. When I can honestly tell you something about fleet expansion I will do so.
Larry
First let me respond to those of you who have asked if Azamara has plans to expand its fleet. By the way, I like that question. It shows that you like what you are getting from Azamara and want more of it.
There was a post on this question by linda47 who added that if we expand the fleet will we do so with a larger ship? We like the size of our ships just fine and apparently so do you. In my view our parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCL), has the most popular, elegant and entertaining large ships in the world. These are the Royal Caribbean International ships called the Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. They are simply magnificent, especially for us maritime admirers. Having stated this, they are not remotely like Azamara Club Cruises. We are simply in a different class serving a different market.
But let me get on with this question of fleet expansion. When I joined this fledgling cruise line in 2010 several people immediately asked me if I planned any additional tonnage and I told them that I didn’t join Azamara with the intention of it remaining a two-ship fleet. I’m sure you could ask any cruise line president if they wanted to add tonnage and they would all say they want to expand. It figures. But expanding the Azamara fleet isn’t as simple as flipping a light switch. We need to be prudent, perform our due diligence and satisfy the management of our parent company and its shareholders that we are on the right track. I’m telling you here that I believe we are on the right track and a day doesn’t go by without my thinking about expansion. There are sound business reasons for our expansion as well as the sound guest reasons that many of you expound. But while I’m mentally planning our expansion, I’m also working hard at making the Azamara cruise experience the absolute best it can be. I would appreciate hearing from you on what you think should be in a new Azamara Club Cruises vessel. Why not help me dream a bit?
But more to the point of this question, all of us at Azamara are on the same page here. We are striving toward achieving such striking success that additional vessels will be possible. And I’m confident that our senior management and shareholders will support that goal at the right time. When it’s the right time, it will be the right time. If that sounds a bit Zen, consider this--- we want to continue to achieve successes in profitability--- because that’s the name of the game in a public company. We want to increase our customer base and exceed our guests’ satisfaction.
One last comment on this subject: Don’t succumb to rumors. When I can honestly tell you something about fleet expansion I will do so.
Larry