Interview Article - Del Rio's Shake Up Plans for NCL

[ezcruiser56]

As a public company it will all come down to profits and shareholder value. Any new CEO that comes in with changes will be held accountable by the share price. The customer profile providing the most recent growth in the cruise industry has been in the mid-level income bracket vs the luxury higher end bracket. As long as the industry keeps increasing capacity it will be difficult to increase prices. Just look at the Vegas model for hotel rooms in the last 10 years.

[4774Papa]

What an interesting read. I'm as excited as he is about going to Cuba. I can't wait, and I'll likely book as soon as it's available.

 

I am curious what is going to happen to the 2 other Breakaway Plus ships that are planned after Escape and Bliss. He doesn't seem excited at all about the idea of adding new ships.

It will interesting when Cuba opens up. We lived in Germany during the late 80s and early 90s. I had been to Hungary and East Berlin in the early 80s when the communist states still existed. We did a tour of Poland and Czechoslovakia in fall of 89 when the commies were still in charge, but change was in the air. The Poles went out of their way tell us how much they hated the communists.

 

We went to Berlin and Prague after the wall came down and the atmosphere was fantastic. The people were in a celebratory mood all the time.

 

Another thing we notices in traveling through these countries was how dilapidated the infrastructure was. Highways were generally poor, there were derelict buildings in the city centers, other buildings were poorly maintained.

 

We visited shops and stores and their department stores were worse than the Salvation Army sales.

 

I hope when we visit Cuba that the communists are gone and freedom reigns.

[NYcruzzer]

What a great article! I took several things away from it on first reading:

 

1) Del Rio knows his stuff. Seriously, the man has been in the industry for a long time running several successful lines. He has been here long enough to know what works and what doesn't and that will serve NCL well. Nothing against Sheehan, as he was the man who brought NCL back from the dead, but the company has a legit cruise business executive at the helm for the first time in a long time and that can only mean good things.

 

2) As for the 7-night comment, what I got was those are fine, but you need to offer options. If you price out a 4 or 5 night cruise on other lines, you'll find comparable pricing at times to 7 nighters! Why? There is a huge demand for shorter cruises and NCL doesn't currently offer ANY 5 night Caribbean cruises at all, for example. This is an untapped market for them and honestly, you could offer a 7 night one week then a 4 night and 3 night or some odd combination even on the same ship the next week! This would be a solution for the argument that NCL doesn't have enough ships to sail shorter itens... just simply slip a few short cruises into the current ships' schedule on occasion!

 

3) Finally, on the point of getting more money out of passengers, that's his job. But I didn't read it that way, from what I read, I think we will continue to see amazing promotions (such as the current one) but the base rate may increase slightly. But because you are getting a beverage or dining package for free, you get better value for your money on Norwegian than other lines due to the level of choices on the bigger ships. If you think about it, this is probably already paying off because how many people booked an OV or above who may have booked an interior otherwise? They've already made more money off this booking than they would had originally.

 

If you read closely, you'll note that he mentioned current promotions and how bookings are up big time in February, expect to see this continue. If you read between the lines, it sounds like this promotion may have been the new management team's idea in the first

place.

 

 

If you meant it was managements idea to offer a promotion similar to one offered by Celebrity for several years I agree

 

C

 

 

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[mking8288]

Overall, I will look at all these with an open mind & wait for the rollouts - both as a consumer/customer and micro-tiny shareholder (portfolio with stocks in both NCL & CCL.)

Well, changes are sometimes good and for the better, maybe just for variety and "going outside the (milk) box" - on those popular 7 days run. Last time we looked at ports like Miami, all the mass lines got their ships of assorted sizes doing these milk runs. It worked & they sailed full and folks paying different prices - the base fares is just part of the story, onboard spendings and extras & tours, etc. made the difference on the corporate bottom line ... in a nutshell.

Looking strictly at our own short lists & to-do's, I don't mind paying an $50 p/p and 1 or even 2 extra days, especially from our homeport - just to see "some" different ports every now & then, even if that's just for 8 to 12 hours before "all abroad" to the next stop.

We loved Bermuda, Nassau & GSC are okay, but frankly, must we see Cape Canaveral each time we do 7 nights out of NY - we didn't get off the BA last year, not even hit the pier and have no plans to do it next month either. Now, if NCL can come with some 5 nights and 9 nights, or, maybe 6 and 8 nights in rotation, that would be fun - like a NYC-Bermuda-Nassau-NYC. Worked that into our work/holiday schedules, taking an extra day from the job when we can do that on a public holiday meant still requesting just one week off - it's a win win. Flying/driving in from the nearby states is more challenging, but who knows - someone unsure about doing 7 nights & worried about winter flight cancellations & delays - can now fly in 1 day early & have 1 day extra cushion to get back to the office/work ; and, now that 6 nights cruise is going to fill out faster (and, less price breaks just to fill the ship on a last minute to avoid empty cabins) Some of the reasons we sailed RCI and CCI were that we could ONLY do 5 nights and/or WANTED something a little longer than 7 - they offered it but NCL didn't - at the prices acceptable to us.

On the notion of pricing & promotions - the latest one some of us are locked into, I cannot recall anything lasting this month & broad scale in our 10+ years of sailing NCL, some of us got better deals than others - majority are happy about it. It's true that looking ahead, prices seemed to be up & up higher, even for the peak-season prices this summer (but, they always do - supply & demand, it's Economics 101) Every cruise line is watching everyone else with the changes, pricing & itineraries for the ports, and these competition will keep things fair & reasonable for the cruising public.

Go ahead, prove it with innovations and changes, give us some new menus and selections - afterall, we ARE paying more for everything else these days - as much as I HATE McDonalds & can't stand Starbucks, they are still in business - and even those Meal Specials are getting expensive these days ... something about the rising prices of beef.

Everybody is watching, so let's bring them on ... showtime for the new CEO and new management team. Sheehan got his credits & recognitions for his leadership & contribution to NCL (who was there before him, I frankly don't remember) and now it's Del Rio's call to make.

[HowardK]

Does this mean the end of last minute discounts and ugprades? I really haven't seen any since Mr. Sheehan left. Are they just going to leave the last minute supply in non-peak seasons out there or are they going to adjust prices like in the past?

 

In terms of 7 day cruises that is standard because of people's work schedules and availability. Now, perhaps they could test in the summer a 4 night breakaway followed by a 10 night breakaway.

 

RCCL as an Anthem sailing for 10 nights that starts on a Friday. Something like that would require 7 vacation days for people, perhaps 8.

 

If I don't find a last minute deal in the fall for the Breakaway, I simply won't go and might try something else. Others might feel the same way or not. If I am going to pay more for something extra thats fine,but not everyone is interested in the promos.

 

Because I ended up with a decent deal, I was more inclined to lose at Bingo and be happy about it lol.

 

Maybe I should price the next cruise based on the last cruise + bingo losses :)

[LrgPizza]

Does this mean the end of last minute discounts and ugprades? I really haven't seen any since Mr. Sheehan left. Are they just going to leave the last minute supply in non-peak seasons out there or are they going to adjust prices like in the past?

The plan is to fill the ships before it gets to that, and based on Escape early sales vs. Breakaway and Getaway, it might be working.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here's another thought: right now NCL is competing directly against Carnival and Royal. DelRio may want to move up a little to avoid the "commodity" cruise business where everybody is cutting quality to keep cost down. The last thing he will want to do is have NCL compete with Oceania, since they already own that -- but there's a nice space in between at the Celebrity level. That would mean improving quality, adding more ports and some longer cruises (but still keeping plenty of 7-nighters). [breaking the week into 3- and 4-night cruises has not worked well for Princess -- remember the desperation of last year's promotion of 100% credit from those cruises on your next one.]

[NJ Fred]

I do not see Mr. Del Rio's tenure at NCL as being lengthy. His yuppie-like, buzz-word filled answers in the referenced interview demonstrate an ignorance as to NCL's core market - the passengers who pay the fares that keep the boats afloat.

 

NCL has a reputation as a meat-and-potatoes cruise company. I do not mean that as a condescending remark to NCL loyalists. In fact, the Freestyle concept has a broad appeal to those preferring a more casual setting.

 

Pricing is always a consideration for the cruising faithful. A cruise is sold as a somewhat comprehensive holiday. Room, board, on board entertainment, etc. To effect a significant price hike at this time - in this economy - might lay an egg and cost Mr. Del Rio his key to the executive washroom if those mega ships need ballast because they lack customers.

 

A major timely issue is security. We live in perilous times. Terrorism is a fact of life. And while most of us will not begin living in our home closets, being reckless via travel to precarious ports of call will have an effect - - you betcha.

 

I am a business person. And while I have zero experience in the cruise industry other than 70 cruises under my belt I think I have the savvy to recognize when the new kid on the block is moving too fast because he thinks he can change the universe by reinventing the wheel.

 

And that is not how it works in business or in life. You crawl, you walk and only after you've done that should you dare to run.

 

Slow down Mr. Del Rio. Get out and onto your boats. Meet your lifeblood - your customers. Then disembark and do some methodical analysis.

 

Kevin Sheehan "got it." And that didn't happen overnight, sir.

 

That said, I wish Mr. Del Rio well.

[tntornadox]

If you meant it was managements idea to offer a promotion similar to one offered by Celebrity for several years I agree

 

C

 

 

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And what works for one may very well work for another. My point was these promotions are more value added at NCL due to the breadth of their offerings, particularly on the newer vessels.

[LrgPizza]

His yuppie-like, buzz-word filled answers in the referenced interview demonstrate an ignorance as to NCL's core market - the passengers who pay the fares that keep the boats afloat.

If you think someone who has experience heading a cruise line is ignorant about the core market of a competitor, you might be the one ignorant. Do you think he's sitting there with no clue as to the customer base of NCL? Really? That's the most ridiculous thing I've read here, next to the people that somehow inferred that he was going to do away with 7 day cruises, even though that was not suggested at all in his comments.

[L-in-CLT]

I do not see Mr. Del Rio's tenure at NCL as being lengthy. His yuppie-like, buzz-word filled answers in the referenced interview demonstrate an ignorance as to NCL's core market - the passengers who pay the fares that keep the boats afloat.

 

 

 

NCL has a reputation as a meat-and-potatoes cruise company. I do not mean that as a condescending remark to NCL loyalists. In fact, the Freestyle concept has a broad appeal to those preferring a more casual setting.

 

 

 

Pricing is always a consideration for the cruising faithful. A cruise is sold as a somewhat comprehensive holiday. Room, board, on board entertainment, etc. To effect a significant price hike at this time - in this economy - might lay an egg and cost Mr. Del Rio his key to the executive washroom if those mega ships need ballast because they lack customers.

 

 

 

A major timely issue is security. We live in perilous times. Terrorism is a fact of life. And while most of us will not begin living in our home closets, being reckless via travel to precarious ports of call will have an effect - - you betcha.

 

 

 

I am a business person. And while I have zero experience in the cruise industry other than 70 cruises under my belt I think I have the savvy to recognize when the new kid on the block is moving too fast because he thinks he can change the universe by reinventing the wheel.

 

 

 

And that is not how it works in business or in life. You crawl, you walk and only after you've done that should you dare to run.

 

 

 

Slow down Mr. Del Rio. Get out and onto your boats. Meet your lifeblood - your customers. Then disembark and do some methodical analysis.

 

 

 

Kevin Sheehan "got it." And that didn't happen overnight, sir.

 

 

 

That said, I wish Mr. Del Rio well.

 

 

This seems like old school thought processes to me. Many companies go from twinkle in the eye to execution in a heart beat and see large success because of it. DelRio is going the way of many new CEOs who realize that shaking up the company at its core generates innovation. The Crawl, Walk, Run mentality (of admittedly my generation) is quickly being replaced by the Fail Fast, Succeed Faster mentality of the up-and-comers. Keep up or get out of the way is their rally cry. Often with this type of management is a changing of the guard at all levels. Some people, previously content with the merry-go-round, want off the roller coaster, while others can't wait for the fast ride.

 

I can't wait to see what comes out of this leadership change. I am intrigued by his approach and what he is able to execute on. I hope he moves fast and doesn't get stuck in the analysis paralysis that so many executives get mired in.

[NYcruzzer]

The plan is to fill the ships before it gets to that, and based on Escape early sales vs. Breakaway and Getaway, it might be working.

 

Could it be that Escape's early sales are better due to the fact the economy is stronger now then when bookings first opened for Breakaway ?

[HowardK]

I truely love ncl and consider myself a very loyal fan of ncl.this article worried me a lot.mr del rio must understand that ncl is a cruiseline that has a lot of fans people who love ncl for what it is...for freestyle cruising for its entertainment for the good rates for everything.i would be bored to death if i embarked on an oceania cruise.i love the ambience of ncl.i am worried that this is going to change.if you already check prices on ncl for 2016 and 2017 the prices have skyrocketed!low season oceanview staterooms for 900usd for example on ncl jem from san juan for example.even celebrity is cheaper on some of the cruises.mr del rio might want to increase a lot the fares to get ncl to be a more upper class cruiseline.he hasnt understood that ncl is a mass market cruiseline and now the prices are sometimes more than rcl celebrity hal etc..a lot of competition for mr del rio

 

 

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Your exactly right- I am finding the same thing. Increasing prices is only going to beneficial as long as you maintain a decent occupancy rate. It might get to the point where I actually try another line

[kdzkatz]

That is the beauty of competition. We love NCL but if the changes that are implemented are not to our liking that opens the door for us to explore other cruise lines. If we do that maybe we will be back maybe we won't. Change is certainly not necessarily a bad thing. If they are changes that are bad for us it is just an opportunity for another change in the form of another cruise line getting our business.

[NJ Fred]

If you think someone who has experience heading a cruise line is ignorant about the core market of a competitor, you might be the one ignorant. Do you think he's sitting there with no clue as to the customer base of NCL? Really? That's the most ridiculous thing I've read here, next to the people that somehow inferred that he was going to do away with 7 day cruises, even though that was not suggested at all in his comments.

 

What I think is what I said. Instead of a lame attempt to vilify someone whose perspective differs from your own, why not try being constructive.

 

Surely that's not too much to ask. Make mine with anchovies.

[sparks1093]

Here's another thought: right now NCL is competing directly against Carnival and Royal. DelRio may want to move up a little to avoid the "commodity" cruise business where everybody is cutting quality to keep cost down. The last thing he will want to do is have NCL compete with Oceania, since they already own that -- but there's a nice space in between at the Celebrity level. That would mean improving quality, adding more ports and some longer cruises (but still keeping plenty of 7-nighters). [breaking the week into 3- and 4-night cruises has not worked well for Princess -- remember the desperation of last year's promotion of 100% credit from those cruises on your next one.]

 

I'm not interested in sailing on Celebrity lite, either.;)

[eroller]

I'm not interested in sailing on Celebrity lite, either.;)

 

 

I would have to agree. If I want Celebrity I will sail on Celebrity and do so often. In fact I love Celebrity and they do what they do well. I don't see NCL succeeding in that market. Two different animals. I also enjoy NCL and think they do what they do well, but no need to try and make them more upscale then they are.

[old nutter]

It is interesting sitting across the pond listening to the 7-day discussions as though they are the be all and end all of NCL business. It is true that most of the contributors to this particular board are from the USA, but there are a lot other people who have money to spend alfoat and neither live nor work in the USA.

 

The paid holiday entitlements for most US workers are the lowest in the developed world and most can only spare 7-ish days a year to cruise. If you are aiming your business purely at that market then clearly you are going to stick to the 7-day limit. You will, of course, have those who have retired and have enough cash to spend on their holidays and so could extend your choice a little to get them to cruise with you, but you will soon hit a ceiling and let's not forget you also have to compete in a very crowded market place with many broadly similar products.

 

Kevin Sheehan has committed NCL to increase the number of passenger births in the fleet by almost 100% by the time the rest of the new ships on order arrive. FDR has the task of filling those births by increasing the number of passenger days by that extra 100% and making more profits at the same time.

 

An interesting population statistic to look at is that by numbers alone there are 130% more potential passengers in Europe than the USA (never mind more in Canada, the Far East and Aus/NZ) most of whom are well able to take 14-21 days together in order to cruise. Add to that fact that by the time Europeans have bridged the pond, the cost of their cruise has been almost doubled by the air fare. A 7-day cruise either side of an exhausting day/night flight is much less attracrive than one lasting 12 or 14 days and costs a lot less per day than a 7-day one. Reverse that argument for USA residents wanting to see Europe, and the 12-14 day trips there become more attractive to those USA citizens who can take more time. Not only that, but only having to change those customers round togtether with all of their luggage every 14 days instead of every 3,4 or 7 days would reduce the number and hence bottom-line costs of those reduced numbers of turnarounds.

 

Take those overwhelming stats, and then looking at the benefits of that extra body of potential customers more than doubling your potential market with passengers who have much more time to spend on your ships and you can begin to see where FDR's mind could (maybe should) be taking him.

 

Answer - Stick to the 7-day passenger day numbers for your current market and use more of those extra passenger days to service a huge market with very different contraints and requirements and attaract them to spend their dollars, euros, pounds etc on your ships by keeping them aboard longer.;)

[Cruzface]

Which would be really, really good for business. That's his job.

 

Of course, but not good for the customer. And if a customer feels ripped off, they may go elsewhere. After all, NCL is not the only ship co. on the sea...

[barnacle_boy]

What I remember most is his tenure at Renaissance Cruises, which built the 8 R-class ships. They tried to bypass travel agents completely to help eliminate their distribution costs. It was a disaster and pretty much spelled the end for Renaissance. Travel agents would not even mention Renaissance Cruises let alone book them. What I don't remember is if Del Rio joined Renaissance before, during, or after that debacle?

 

Del Rio was with Renaissance since 1993. I'm not sure if he personally concocted the disastrous travel agent bypass scheme, but one would assume he approved it as Executive VP of Sales.

 

Del Rio's comment of getting rid of the steering committees that Sheehan instituted is troubling. NCL did not fare well the last time power was concentrated in the hands of a man with an oversized ego and a "I'm smarter than anyone else" mentality. The last thing NCL needs is another Colin Veitch.

 

He also comes across as rather arrogant in these interviews. Del Rio constantly refers to the NCL fleet as "his" ships, and how "he" will change NCL. Sheehan was likable because he made it clear that they weren't "his" ships, but rather "our" ships. Sheehan was always focused upon NCL as a team effort and product. If you complimented him on his success, Sheehan usually refused praise and directed it toward others. Even if it's just lip service, it's important to foster a sense of community in order to create a productive work environment. From what I can see, Del Rio is already rubbing people the wrong way with his pompousness.

 

Del Rio's attitude and distain for the existing apparatus Sheehan left behind (that turned NCL into a profitable company) don't bode well for the future. I hope I'm wrong.

[eroller]

Del Rio was with Renaissance since 1993. I'm not sure if he personally concocted the disastrous travel agent bypass scheme, but one would assume he approved it as Executive VP of Sales.

 

Del Rio's comment of getting rid of the steering committees that Sheehan instituted is troubling. NCL did not fare well the last time power was concentrated in the hands of a man with an oversized ego and a "I'm smarter than anyone else" mentality. The last thing NCL needs is another Colin Veitch.

 

He also comes across as rather arrogant in these interviews. Del Rio constantly refers to the NCL fleet as "his" ships, and how "he" will change NCL. Sheehan was likable because he made it clear that they weren't "his" ships, but rather "our" ships. Sheehan was always focused upon NCL as a team effort and product. If you complimented him on his success, Sheehan usually refused praise and directed it toward others. Even if it's just lip service, it's important to foster a sense of community in order to create a productive work environment. From what I can see, Del Rio is already rubbing people the wrong way with his pompousness.

 

Del Rio's attitude and distain for the existing apparatus Sheehan left behind (that turned NCL into a profitable company) don't bode well for the future. I hope I'm wrong.

 

 

 

I agree with much of what you have to say, especially from the perspective of an outsider looking in, not knowing Del Rio personally or as a leader. I'm not a travel agent or involved in the cruise industry in any way, so it's hard to really know his leadership style. I do take great interest in the cruise industry and have for years, and it sounds like you do as well.

 

I have a lot of respect for Sheehan and how he turned around NCL. He seemed like a great leader and also a genuine and sincere person. While having too many meetings can be counterproductive, Steering Committees can accomplish great things. They promote collaborative thinking and generate new ideas while overcoming obstacles. Royal Caribbean uses Steering Committees extensively for product & new build development. It works as they probably have the most innovative ships and product on the high seas. These committees also help ensure the important details are not overlooked. So I'm not sure that doing away with them is a good thing. One comment Del Rio made that I liked was that of empowerment. He feels important decisions should be made by empowered executives and not everything should go through him. If that is truly the case and not just lip service it's a great thing. The problem is he needs to back up that philosophy with action, or lack of action if the case may be. Too many executives back off from making the big decisions due to the possible repercussions if it's not received well by the man in charge. Hopefully Del Rio is that type of leader that backs up his leadership team even if he doesn't agree with every decision they make.

 

I also agree that NCL doesn't need another Colin Veitch. He was successful at Princess but I think his ego got the best of him at NCL. He did have some good ideas though, but they were not well executed. NCL America was his baby and it had promise, but as I'm sure you know the plans were too grandiose and almost brought down NCL for good. The same could be said for EPIC. A bit too extreme for time and overall not well received.

 

Back to Renaissance, it would be interesting to know Del Rio's role in all that. Eliminating travel agents was such a ridiculous idea I can't believe anyone would go along with it. It's like cutting off a massive worldwide sales force that is actively promoting your product if leveraged correctly. Del Rio may have actually been instrumental in reversing that policy but I can't remember. Either was it was too late for Renaissance. Carnival Cruise Lines over the last several years has been trying to squeeze out travel agents, and they quickly realized how important they are when things got tough for them. Now they are backtracking and doing everything possible to win them over again.

 

One person I feel left out in all the NCL/Prestige reorganization is Andy Stuart. I've always liked him and always felt he has been an asset to NCL, its growth and success. He is probably the longest standing senior executive at the company. I wish he would have been made President over the guy from Darden, who I have very little confidence in but hope I'm proven wrong.

 

I guess all we can do now is wait and see. I've been cruising NCL since 1980 and I've seen it go through so many changes, mostly bad until Sheehan came along. As I mentioned before I sure don't want to see the positive momentum that Sheehan started get derailed. I would also love to know what really happened with his sudden departure.

[Travelcat2]

Does this mean the end of last minute discounts and ugprades? I really haven't seen any since Mr. Sheehan left. Are they just going to leave the last minute supply in non-peak seasons out there or are they going to adjust prices like in the past?

 

In terms of 7 day cruises that is standard because of people's work schedules and availability. Now, perhaps they could test in the summer a 4 night breakaway followed by a 10 night breakaway.

 

RCCL as an Anthem sailing for 10 nights that starts on a Friday. Something like that would require 7 vacation days for people, perhaps 8.

 

If I don't find a last minute deal in the fall for the Breakaway, I simply won't go and might try something else. Others might feel the same way or not. If I am going to pay more for something extra thats fine,but not everyone is interested in the promos.

 

Because I ended up with a decent deal, I was more inclined to lose at Bingo and be happy about it lol.

 

Maybe I should price the next cruise based on the last cruise + bingo losses :)

 

Just some comments about discounts, upgrades, etc. While I have no idea how FDR will handle this on NCL, I am familiar with what they do on Regent and Oceania. One way they fill the ships on itineraries that are not selling well is to offer discounts to current passengers to extend their cruise to the one prior or after theirs. For instance, if cruise "B" is not selling well, discounts would be offered to passengers on cruise "A" and "C" (before and after the cruise that is not selling well). Obviously, not everyone can extend their vacation but some people are able to take advantage of these offers.

 

Next they have "upsells". Perhaps some of the larger cabins/suites are available but there is little availability in the less expensive cabins. They may offer an "upsell" (asking passengers if they would like to upgrade to larger cabin for a very good discount). Then they have "down-sells" (not sure if that is the correct term). Passengers on Oceania in particular are asked if they would be willing to stay in a cabin a couple of levels down from where they are for a substantial financial incentive.

 

While I do not know the reasoning for these practices, it makes sense to offer the best discounts to existing passengers first.

 

I am sorry to hear that FDR comes across less than positive when he refers to "his" company or "his" ships. He and his family built Oceania. It was a family company (and still is to the extent it can be). He now looks at Regent and NCL the same way. As part of his family, he is going to do everything in his power to make it the best it can be. I have met FDR on a couple of occasions and have not met a person more dedicated, honest and caring than he is. He is very down to earth. Talking to him is like talking to a friend or relative. He does have strong feelings as to how a company should be run and to people that do not know him, it can come across as arrogant.

 

When Prestige Cruise Holdings (under Apollo) purchased Regent and FDR became CEO, the passengers had a lot of concerns. Some passengers left Regent (many came back) - many passengers thought that Regent was going to merge with Oceania (FDR said it would never happen and it hasn't). IMO, Regent is a better company now than before FDR became CEO.

 

Hope some of this insight helps. Granted, this is just my opinion based on what I have seen during the 7 years that Mr. Del Rio has been CEO of Regent.

 

P.S. FDR had nothing to do with the TA debacle with Renaissance. He is extremely supportive of TA's and always has been.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Travelcat2

[backsbanny]

Travelcat2 sorry for disturbing but as i saw you have never sailed ncl so by saying this i mean you dont know what ncl is what freestyle is and what is the reason we ncl fans love it so much...maybe regent became better with del rio the thing is that we dont want ncl to change we want it to maintain its status its core passengers and its ambiance.somi believe that talking on a forum about ncl without even having sailed on ncl yet is not so right.

[hypercafe]

Having sailed on both lines the two things he could bring over from Oceania that would be a big improvement would be the buffet and the pool grill waves with surf and tuff burgers and other great stuff. NCL could give Oceania some tips on entertainment as they have very very little, and maybe how to bring a little life to the ship.

 

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Edited February 26, 2015 by hypercafe

[keeponcruising]

If FDR is responsible for the current promotion, then I am for him. Also, I like the idea of shaking itineraries up. How about Bermuda from Miami? I am tired of St Thomas, St Martin and Nassau. I am going in Nov because of the ship, but I am not happy with the ports.