Carnival CorporationIn order to carry those 2.9 million passengers, Carnival will have 18 ships deployed in the Caribbean this season. Fourteen of them remain in the Caribbean year

Third Quarter 2007 o Caribbean Cruising 1

FCCA Member LinesFCCA Member Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines • Celebrity Cruises • Costa Cruise Lines • Cunard Line • Disney Cruise LineHolland America Line • MSC Cruises (USA) Inc. • Norwegian Cruise Line • Princess Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises • Royal Caribbean International

Micky Micky ArisonArisonFCCA Chairman,Chairman & CEOCarnival Corporation

Thomas M. McAlpinThomas M. McAlpinPresidentDisney Cruise Line

RicharRichard E. Sassod E. SassoPresident & CEOMSC Cruises (USA) Inc.

Colin VColin VeitcheitchPresident & CEONorwegian Cruise Line

Stephen Stephen A. NielsenA. NielsenVice President,Caribbean & Atlantic Shore OperationsPrincess Cruises/Cunard Line

Adam GoldsteinAdam GoldsteinPresident Royal Caribbean International

Omari BrOmari BreakenridgeeakenridgeGraphics Coordinator

TTerri Cannicierri CanniciDirector, Special Events

Adam CeseranoAdam CeseranoVice President

Jessica LalamaJessica LalamaExecutive Assistant

VVictoria S. Laltaictoria S. LaltaDirector, Public Relations & Membership Programs

Laura MoriLaura MoriResearch Analyst

Michele M. PaigeMichele M. PaigePresident

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Caribbean CruisingTHE FLORIDTHE FLORIDA-CARIBBEAN CRA-CARIBBEAN CRUISE UISE ASSOCIAASSOCIATION MATION MAGAZINEGAZINE

FFLORIDLORIDA-A-CCARIBBEANARIBBEANCCRRUISEUISEAASSOCIASSOCIATIONTION T h i r d Q u a r t e r 2 0 0 7

Caribbean Cruising

HappeningsHappenings DeDeppararttmenmenttss

Florida-CaribFlorida-Caribbean Cruise bean Cruise Association (FCCA)Association (FCCA)

11200 Pines Blvd., Suite 201, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

Phone: (954) 441-8881 • Fax: (954) 441-3171

Website: www.f-cca.com • E-mail: [email protected] Cruising © 2007 ~ All Rights Reserved.

FCCA FCCA SSTAffTAff

FEATURESFEATURES

99 The 2007 FCCAThe 2007 FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference and TCaribbean Cruise Conference and Trade Showrade Show..Join us in Cozumel, Mexico to foster new rJoin us in Cozumel, Mexico to foster new relationships.elationships.

1212 AA Look Inside Playa Mia Grand Beach Park.Look Inside Playa Mia Grand Beach Park.

1818 What Destinations Can Learn From Disney Cruise Line.What Destinations Can Learn From Disney Cruise Line.By TBy Tom McAlpin, Prom McAlpin, President - esident - Disney CrDisney Cruise Line.uise Line.

2424 Port Everglades Expands for the Future.Port Everglades Expands for the Future.

2828 TTours - Thinking Outside the Box.ours - Thinking Outside the Box.By Darius Mehta, DirBy Darius Mehta, Director Land Prector Land Programs - Regent Seven ograms - Regent Seven Seas CrSeas Cruises.uises.

3030 Cozumel - An Island of Cultural TCozumel - An Island of Cultural Treasures.reasures.

3434 RCCLRCCL’’s Patrick Schneiders Patrick Schneider, Director of Shore Excursions Shares , Director of Shore Excursions Shares His Goals WHis Goals With Us.ith Us.

3636 Cruise Control - Managing the Cruise IndustryCruise Control - Managing the Cruise Industry..By VBy Vincent Vincent Vanderpool-Wanderpool-Wallace, Secrallace, Secretary General & CEO, etary General & CEO, Caribbean TCaribbean Tourism Orourism Organization.ganization.

4040 NCLNCL WWelcomes New Billion Dollar Shareholder to Freestyle elcomes New Billion Dollar Shareholder to Freestyle Cruising and the Industry’Cruising and the Industry’s Ys Youngest Fleet. oungest Fleet. Star CrStar Cruises and uises and Apollo TApollo Team Up to Boost NCLeam Up to Boost NCL’s Gr’s Growth.owth.

55 Cruise Industry News

& Platinum Highlights

President’s Letter 33Faces in the Industry 5656

New Ship Profiles 5858

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

As we look ahead to the fall months, we also look forward to a time of theyear when people feel more energized and more motivated to tackle tasks.It’s just human nature to feel fall is a time to sprint ahead.

In this respect, the timing of the 14th Annual FCCA Caribbean CruiseConference & Trade Show couldn’t be better. We’re looking forward toseeing more than 1,200 industry professionals in Cozumel, Mexico, fromOct. 8 - 12.

And one of the keys to success in the coming months, as well as a recurringtheme at the Conference, will be teamwork. Success comes through cooperation, and while competition is healthy and often fuels success aswell, solo thinking – me-ism – can undermine the best of intentions.

Instead, we will explore cooperative teamwork in which individual skillsets, when combined, open the door for achievements far beyond that ofwhat one person, or one group, can achieve.

We can learn from each other’s successes. And there are successes galore occurring throughout the Caribbean andLatin America, as you will see in this convention issue:

• Patrick Schneider, the newly appointed Global Director of Shore Excursions for Royal Caribbean and CelebrityCruises, discusses his company’s intense analysis of why passengers sail and what they want from their cruise – and how their cultural backgrounds often determine their cruise expectations;

• Cozumel offers an endless array of historic and renovated venues for visitors and Conference attendees. A few hints are offered toward possible sites to see – from the historic Public Clock to the Two Cultures Encounter that honors the ethnic roots of these native Mexicans;

• When Disney Cruise Line launched in 1998, as you might expect, there was lots of innovative planning in the process. Tom McAlpin writes about how destinations can learn from Disney’s approach to the cruise industry – and its focus on children and adults simultaneously;

• “Think unique, think different” is the watchword from a Regent Seven Seas Cruises article. Take note of what makes your destination or venue or business unique and expand on that. Think out of the box. Look for creativeways to combine what your guests like best about you.

So take a few minutes and read what the experts have to offer in this issue. Then enjoy yourselves while looking forways to take that idea of teamwork and make it work for you and your destination.

See you in Cozumel!

Respectfully yours,

Michele M. Paige

PPrreessiiddeenntt’’ss LLeetttteerr


www.f-cca.com

Michele M. Paige with Dalila Negrón de Ortega,President - DIF Cozumel

www.gotopuertorico.com

It’s smooth sailing for cruise passen-gers arriving at Puerto Rico, one of theonly destinations in the Caribbeanwhere no passport is required. The Portof San Juan, one of the busiest oceanterminals in the Caribbean, welcomesmore than 700 cruise ships and nearlyone million passengers to Puerto Ricoeach year.

As ships arrive at the port, visitors arewelcomed with Puerto Rico’s warm hos-pitality, and an introduction to the livelymusic, Latin culture and rich history ofthe Old San Juan, the capital of PuertoRico. Passengers choosing to spend theday in Old San Juan can explore the cobblestone streets and visit ancientchurches, plazas, historic sites, trendyrestaurants, hip boutiques and galleries.

If time permits, passengers may want toexplore beyond the shore and visit thediverse regions of the island. Surf thewaves in Rincon, explore the rich culture of Ponce, take a scenic drivethrough the mountainous central regionor hike through Puerto Rico’s magnifi-cent El Yunque Rain Forest.

Because Puerto Rico is a territory of theUS, US citizens do not need a passportto enter the country, the dollar is theofficial currency and English is widelyspoken on the island. For more infor-mation about cruise travel to PuertoRico, contact your preferred travel professional or explore the islandonline at www.gotopuertorico.com.

Colombia’s Reawakening

Since 2001, Colombia has not seen aflow of cruises calling into its ports(Cartagena, Santa Marta & San Andres)as is the case today. Colombia isexpected to receive approximately 90cruises in 2007 or 125 cruises by season(Aug – Apr; 07-08), up from just 50cruises back in 2005. This outstandingresult reflects both the hard work andresolve from Colombia’s people andthe belief and support from the Cruises’executives and the FCCA, who evenscheduled its platinum meeting inCartagena Colombia in 2006.

The success is not limited to an increasein cruise flow into Colombian ports.Colombia’s figures in the tourism sectorare now beginning to reflect growingoptimism. In year 2006, Colombia greeted1.5 million foreign visitors, a substantialincrease of 50% from the previous year.That figure is now expected to grow 5%in 2007 and to generate close to USD$12,822 million in revenue, about 6.3%of Colombia’s G.D.P. Furthermore,advances for investment are also beingrecognized by the key firms such asStandard & Poor´s, which upgraded theColombian risk grade to BB+ from BB,and revised the outlook for Colombiafrom stable to POSITIVE.

Biggest Year in the Caribbean

Who says people are tired of theCaribbean? Certainly not Carnival'scustomers.

During the 2007 Caribbean cruise season, the line says they will carry arecord 2.9 million passengers to theCaribbean, more than any other year intheir history.

There has been a lot of talk in the financialcommunity about weakness in theCaribbean market, but Carnival sees itstrictly as a result of outside economicfactors in the US causing the weaknessthe industry has seen the last year or soin the region, not disinterest in theCaribbean itself.

Those economic factors have affectedthe less affluent Americans, and sincethe Caribbean is overall the least expensive destination, that's the part ofthe market that's been most sensitive toprice. Carnival said today that they areseeing much more strength in theirbookings (read that as more bookings athigher prices) for the second half of2007 and early 2008.

CLIA's statistics still show that theCaribbean is the most sought-after cruisedestination by far in consumers' minds.

"The Caribbean offers everything thatconsumers want in a vacation - pictureperfect weather, gracious hospitality,unique sightseeing experiences, greatshopping and, of course, gorgeousbeaches," said Vicki Freed, Carnival'sSVP of sales and marketing. "Butthere's more to the Caribbean than greatbeaches - this is one of the most cultur-ally diverse regions in the world, with arich history dating back centuries, magnificent architecture, and historicalattractions and landmarks," she added.

In order to carry those 2.9 million passengers, Carnival will have 18 shipsdeployed in the Caribbean this season.Fourteen of them remain in theCaribbean year round, and they sailfrom 12 homeports in the US. (VickiFreed would remind you that there's


www.f-cca.comCruise Industry News & Platinum Highlights

6 Caribbean Cruising o Third Quarter 2007

in the cruise industry, not just in theBritish Virgin Islands but throughoutthe region. “The people of theCaribbean have lost a great man whowas devoted to tourism, his country, hisfamily and his friends,” offered Mr.Matthew Sams of Holland AmericaCruise Line. “He will be missed”

Virgin Islands Port AuthorityCrown Bay Center And CruiseShip Port

The 57,000 square foot mixed-useCrown Bay Center is owned and operated by the Virgin Islands PortAuthority. Opened in the fall of 2006,the Center is the newest Cruise Port inthe U.S. Virgin Islands. Located on thesouthwest side of St. Thomas, theCrown Bay Center is only one milefrom the Cyril E. King Airport and twomiles from downtown CharlotteAmalie. There are three cruise shipberths extending immediately from theCenter.

The Crown Bay Center is primed to bea first class shopping and entertain-ment destination offering both familiarshopping opportunities and some newones…hassle-free and within steps ofthe dock. Upon departing the ship, visitors are just minutes away from an exquisite selection of jewelry, elec-tronics, watches, cameras, spirits, andmuch more. The Center also has severalcolorful kiosk vendors offering anarray of local arts and crafts, t-shirtsand other souvenirs.

one sailing from a port near you.) Thoseships combined will sail approximately1,150 cruises. And when the ships arein port, Carnival offers almost 900landside tour choices in the region.

With that many choices, who could betired of the Caribbean?

Holland America Line to Call atthe Port of Guaymas

Holland America Line has booked afirst call at Guaymas on the Sea ofCortez, joining The World ofResidenSea on the 2009 roster. HAL’schief deployment planner touredGuaymas last week to assess the desti-nation and study plans for the port’snew cruise terminal.

Capt. Simon Douwes, HAL’s director ofdeployment and itinerary planning,inspected the area and reviewed the portblueprint with officials including CesarPatricio Reyes Roel, coordinator of portsand merchant marine for Mexico’sSecretariat of Communications andTransport. The port aims to have its newcruise facility operational for the2008/09 season and would like to see aHAL ship in late 2008.

“So far, the line has firmed only onecall in late 2009. The city and port holda lot of potential especially now thatthey are investing many millions ofdollars to improve the port facilitiesand the city,” Douwes said. As for otherHAL calls, Douwes added, “We arestill assessing the new developmentsto see how those might fit in ourfuture plans.”

The Port of Guaymas, local tourism offi-cials and authorities from the state ofSonora and at the federal level have beenworking to attract more cruise business.Port director Jose Luis Castro Ibarra,who earlier helped put Puerto Chiapason the map, is leading the charge.

A Florida-Caribbean Cruise Associationdelegation visited Guaymas lastFebruary, and the destination will takepart in the upcoming FCCA conferencein Cozumel.

Cyril Romney, Former BVI ChiefMinister, Dies at 76

Mr. Cyril B. Romneywas a man whoworked his wholelife so that his legacyfor his grandchildrenwould be that touristwould come to enjoy

and love his homeland – just as he did.

Mr. Romney wanted his legacy to bethat his family and his friends and allBritish Virgin Islanders would live in acountry revitalized and vibrant, wherepeople from all over the world woulddiscover the beauty and unique cultureof his wonderful Islands.

He was a man who worked tirelessly,to the very end, to achieve recognitionnot for himself but for his belovedIslands.

In the words of Chief MinisterHonourable Dr. D. Orlando Smith, Mr.Romney was “a leader, an icon, afriend.”

Mr. Romney died Thursday, July 19,after a long illness. He was 76. His survivors include his wife, Lillian;daughters Debbie, Joanne, Linda,Marnie and Patty, and their families.

Mr. Romney – known as “CB” by hisfriends – was the British Virgin IslandsTerritory’s third Chief Minister, whoserved from 1983 to 1986, and he wasalso a member of the LegislativeCouncil from 1979 to 1995.

The impact of Mr. Romney’s career isfelt throughout BVI tourism, especially

www.f-cca.com www.f-cca.comCruise Industry News & Platinum Highlights Cruise Industry News & Platinum HighlightsDates for your diary…Marintec China

27 – 30 November 2007 Shanghai New International Expo Center, Pudong,Shanghai, ChinaThe All China Maritime Conference & Exhibition

For further information visit: www.marintecchina.comE-mail: [email protected]

Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention10 – 13 March 2008 Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida, USAThe International Exhibition and Conference Serving the Cruise Industry

For further information visit: www.cruiseshipping.net E-mail: [email protected]

International Superyacht Symposium12 – 13 March 2008 Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida, USAThe Business of Superyachting

For further information visit: www.superyachtmiami.comE-mail: [email protected]

Seatrade MedOctober 2008 The Med's Only Cruise and Ferry Convention

For further information visit: www.seatrade-med.comE-mail: [email protected]

We have packaged the opportunity to come face-to-face withindustry leaders and influencers in one neat little package –it’s all wrapped up into the 14th Annual 2007 FCCACaribbean Cruise Conference and Trade Show. It is the oneplace where all the big players will be in attendance with thesame motivation at heart – growth. It represents the learningand sharing of information, the analysis of trends and thedirection that the industry, the discussion and debate of currentissues, and most of all, the creation and building of both pro-fessional relationships and friendships.

The event takes place October 8th to October 12th, 2007 somark your calendar and consider the prospect of facilitatinginteraction among cruise industry partners and developingadditional ways to work together. Over 100 CruiseExecutives from the 11 FCCA Member Lines will be present in this open forum of growth and understanding.This unique forum permits the development of businessand social relationships with Cruise Executives from theFCCA Member Lines. This is the opportunity to exposeyour product and ideas to the industry that can become justas passionate about your business as you are.

The FCCA Conference and Trade Show will offer five stimulating and instructive roundtable discussions led by amultitude of industry experts and guest speakers—specialistsin marketing, shore excursions, purchasing and operations toshed insight on the topics. These workshops represent thespirit of mutual understanding, joint problem solving, and

collaborative efforts. This year we will be presenting the following topics:

New Tour Operator Orientation Shore Excursion Executives from the Member Lines willpresent an overview of the expectation of new TourOperators. Guidelines set in place will outline the requirements such as tour content, value for the money, pric-ing, insurance requirements, etc.

Tour QualityRepresentatives from the Member Lines will discuss the


The 2007 FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference and Trade ShowJoin us in Cozumel, Mexico to foster new relationships

(Left to Right) Lic. Gustavo Ortega Joaquin, Mayor ofCozumel, Richard Sasso, MSC Cruises, Dalila Negrón de

Ortega, Dif Cozumel, Michele M. Paige, and Octavio Molina,Operadora Aviomar, show off the conference bags.

importance of maintaining the quality of your tour includingthe following topics:

• Vehicles – proper maintenance and appearance• Boats – proper maintenance and safety equipments such

as life preservers, etc.• Tour Safety• Guides • Tour Content

Tour Guides – Your Best Kept Secret for a Successful TourGuest speaker, Bill Fletcher from Jewell Gardens, Alaska,will discuss and provide an audio-visual presentation of theimportance of proper training of your tour guides. Your guidecan make or break a tour – bring your experience to nextlevel from an ordinary tour to an exceptional experience yourguests will not soon forget!

How can the cruise lines and destinations work together toachieve the mutual goal of improving overall consumerdemand for the Caribbean, focusing on the following areas:• Strategies for converting cruise passengers to return

destination visitors• Sharing of best practices - Consumer marketing,

Website/E - marketing, Travel Agent support• Cooperative sales and marketing initiatives

Sharing of ideas for improving the destination experiencefor both cruise passengers and hotel visitors. Areas of dis-cussion will include:• Developing / enhancing the destination “brand”• Current consumer trends for vacation interests and expectations• Service and hospitality• Getting the basics right: Cleanliness, safety and security• Excursion innovation and new opportunities

Not only will this ambitiously jam-packed occasion havedeep significance for the development of the cruise industry and Destination Tourism, we are also fortunateenough that it will be held in Cozumel, Mexico with somuch splendor, excitement, and culture to enjoy. With ascheduled itinerary chock-full of events ranging from theFCCA Golf Tournament to evening parties and events,you will surely find an atmosphere that stimulates con-versation, albeit business or pleasure (or both).Perpetuating the laid-back ambiance even further,Informal Breakout Sessions are also available. These pre-reserved one-on-one meetings enable delegates toprivately assemble with some of the industry’s top cruiseexecutives on a personal level. It’s an opportunity to discuss your product, service, destination or anything atall. The executives serve as a sounding board to concernsand issues and as experts on how to break into the industry,further establish your status in the industry, and orincrease your share of cruise business.

Make your mark on the industry by leveraging this opportu-nity. Don’t wait to make a decision that could increase yourbusiness to the next level. The Member Lines of the FCCAare committed to maximizing the success of the companies,people and destinations willing to commit to the needs of thisdynamic industry. Join us in Cozumel to evolve the industryinto the future.

The Conference at a Glance:Location: Cozumel, MexicoAnticipated Attendees: 1,200Dates: October 8th, 2007 – October 12th, 2007Hotel: Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa,

Occidental Grand CozumelFor more information: (954) 441-8881 and www.f-cca.com


www.f-cca.com

Micky Arison and Michele M. Paige meet with the Trinidadand Tobago Delegation at their booth last year.

Rick Strunck, Norwegian Cruise Line, meets with conferenceattendees for one-on-one meetings.

construction of mega hotel developments, the developmentof the “Riviera Maya” as a new destination, but above all,the undeniable business capability and vision of Don JoséTrinidad Molina Castellanos, Founder and Chairman of theBoard of our group of companies, was the key factor thatmotivated the development and construction of a new loca-tion in the year 1999.

New facilities that would not only provide the servicesoffered until that date, but rather revolutionize and redefinethe beach destinations concept by creating the first “GrandBeach Park”. A unique place, were all age groups couldfind activities and services that would satisfy their individ-ual needs.

Thirteen months later on March 29th, 2000 the new locationwas inaugurated with the largest “Palapa” in the Yucatánpeninsula. It was the first themed artificial reef concept, the“Underwater Mayan City”, a redesigned zoo area caring forfauna endemic to the island, the largest and most popular privately owned beach front on the island, the first kids clubwith family traveling satisfaction in mind, and, services andactivities that would complement and satisfy the everdemanding and now global market.

The new location would be renamed PLAYA MIA GRANDBEACH PARK. As a result of this concept redefinition, themap for all Caribbean beach destinations has changed. Theintegration of services sought by cruise ship passengers, andthe investment in infrastructure expressly built for such,makes this concept a trend setter for most of the destinationsin the region.

In the year 2005, nature once again put, not only Cozumel, but

the Western Caribbean, to the test with hurricane Wilma, amost devastating hurricane. Our region was again affected.PLAYA MIA GRAND BEACH PARK was severely damaged.

PLAYA MIA GRAND BEACH PARK has taken this FCCAConference as reference to introduce the newest concept fora Beach Park.

Our facilities have been completely redesigned with contem-porary architecture. A record investment has been made for abeach destination of this type and, furthermore, market innovation is actualized, by installing the first removableroof structure which covers the 1500 sq. meters of our main dinning room. We also have the first successful cuisine tourin the Caribbean with state of the art facilities.

Also, in prevention of future natural disasters, anti-cyclonicconcrete has been used for the construction of all structuressurrounding the Park.

It is our purpose, to permanently contribute to the develop-ment of the Cruise Line industry in the region and to furtherposition the island of Cozumel as a prime destination in theCaribbean. It has been 23 years of hard work, relentlesseffort, continued investments, of compiling experience.

Today a work force of 190 persons, more than 27 activitiesand services, an affluence of nearly 300,000 yearly visitorsand the endorsement of all major Cruise Lines andTourism Wholesale Agencies makes us the most visiteddestination in the island of Cozumel, “PLAYA MIAGRAND BEACH PARK”.

We sincerely hope you feel at home.


Empresas Turisticas Nacionales S.A. de C.V. was created in1984 with the primary objective of supporting the differentservices that it sister company, Turismo Aviomar S.A. deC.V., was providing to the growing cruise ship market callingto the Island of Cozumel. This concept was named Playasol.

In its early stages, Playasol’s services were limited to abeach front with a small restaurant and a few sun loungers.Our initial Staff was composed by a total of 35 persons.

Although our efforts were aimed solely to complementAviomar’s cruise ship customers, other tourism market segments soon began to demand our services. Playasol andits few services were in high demand. Establishments withthe same type of options and services in Cozumel were quitelimited at the time we must add.

As the years went by the cruise ship industry began to firmlyconsolidate in the Caribbean. Newer and better services werein high demand. Playasol expanded its restaurant services,implemented new services and attractions like the first zoo inCozumel, on sight commercial area, motorized water toyssuch as wave runners and banana boat rides. Snorkel tours to“Palancar” and “Colombia” reefs, the top dive sites of theworld’s second largest coral reef barrier system werelaunched. Our first boat the “Trotamundos” was acquired.

Countless stories, anecdotes and events took place during thefirst years of operations, but at the end of such period, wegladly found that Playasol had satisfied the objectives forwhich it had been created.

We overcame natural phenomenons, like hurricanes,launched new concepts to the Island of Cozumel, and, mostimportantly, we created a unique establishment that offer’snot only a beautiful beach, but delicious food, innovativeservices and a cordial group of people able to provide qual-ity services with International standards.

Worthy of remembrance, as a representative fact of the previously said, is the attitude demonstrated by our Staff inthe year 1988, when the most powerful hurricane in history,“Gilbert”, struck the Island of Cozumel with winds of wellover 200 mph. Playasol was virtually devastated.

Remarkably, and with unparalleled effort, our Staff hadPlayasol back in operation in a record time, including servingcruise ships, in just one week after the hurricane had passed.Determined, quality people with a positive attitude made itpossible. Their achievement set a standard which we followto this date.

Diverse factors like the cruise industry growing market, the


PLAYA MIA GRAND BEACH PARK®PLAYA MIA GRAND BEACH PARK®

The Original Canopy Tour® (OCT), the pioneer and world leader in Canopy-based experiences for people of all ages, has opened3 new cruise ship oriented attractions in the Caribbean during this past year.

OCT LIMON™ opened in October 2006 at VERAGUA RAINFOREST, located less than an hour from the port. With 9 traverses covering almost 1 kilometer of the most pristine tropical rainforest imaginable, this has already proven to be one of the highlights to cruisepassengers arriving to this popular Costa Rican port.

The LA MARQUESA ORIGINAL CANOPY TOUR PARK™ opened in PUERTO RICO in August, 2007. This spectacular new touris located less than 30 minutes from the Port of San Juan. With 8 traverses inside the remarkable La Marquesa Forestry Reserve (ownedby the Municipality of Guaynabo) and a spectacular view of the city and port, this brings an amazing new adventure tour to the cruiseship visitors of this island. Include it as a shore excursion from the ships or in a pre or post tour package.

This month, OCT opens in Antigua, Guatemala at the Finca Filadelfia Coffee Plantation, already a beautiful attraction in itself. Thisunique tour offers 2 amazing adventures; one, a typical Original Canopy Tour through the cloud forest and the other, a more adventurousjourney across a valley of the coffee plantation, with traverses over 500 meters (1,500 ft) long and 300 meters (900 ft) high.

So what makes The Original Canopy Tour® unique? First of all, it is NOT a zip line; in fact OCT’s systems make “zip lines” obsolete,as they have much higher safety standards in design, materials and operation, putting them miles ahead of anything else available in themarketplace.

Not all “canopy tours” are created or operated equal.

Consider this: OCT’s 15 years of experience in this activity will provide you with the security that the tour program you provide to yourclients is safe, exciting and educational and will be an attractive tour option for your shore excursion program.

• The Original Canopy Tour® starts with safety in the design; a unique design for each location is made with the safety of your clients in mind. Although OCT’s tours may ‘feel’ scary, they are actually safer than walking on the ground.

• OCT is the first in the marketplace with a patent-pending Dual Line System of traversing from tree to tree, which guarantees your clients the safest possible excursion, from start to finish.

• OCT does not use dangerous steel wire cables, as they corrode, conduct electricity, experience metal fatigue and are limited in the way you can operate a tour. The use of OCT’s patent-pending Hrope™ technology gives your clients a quiet ride with no annoying “zip” noise. Your clients will feel like they are actually flying through the rainforest canopy. The Hrope™ lines are adjusted to achieve minimal rider effort and little need for braking.

• OCT does not cut trees during the design or installation process. All routes are planned with the ecosystem in mind. OCT’s unique platform systems allow for the platforms to be literally suspended from the trees. There is no need for nails or screws into the trees, leading to a healthier ecosystem and all platforms have emergency escapes built in.

• OCT’s expert System Operators receive over 200 hours of training BEFORE they can work with clients. With OCT’s copyrighted training program and operations system it means your clients will be guaranteed a safe and educational journey. All system operators are trained in safety practices and in the unlikely event of an emergency, in high angle rescue.

• OCT’s maintenance program is second to none. Daily, weekly and monthly inspections are performed and reports are maintained on site. • OCT is covered by Royal Marine Insurance and has over 14 years of accident free operations.

Because you provide your clients with the best service and safety on the ship – why not give them the best service and safety on shore too?

By Tom McAlpin, President - Disney Cruise Line& FCCA Executive Committee Member

Disney Cruise Line set sail in1998 as the first cruise experience with new ships

designed specifically for the family. Inorder to set ourselves apart, we knewthat we had to do things differently.We specifically designed areas andactivities for every member of the fam-ily allowing for both quality timetogether and wonderful individualexperiences. Today as the market forfamily cruising grows, we continue toprovide guests with an immersiveDisney vacation experience not foundanywhere else.

Our attention to the family started at thevery beginning as we laid plans for thebusiness and the ships were being built. Designers created areas throughout the ship to cater to specific agegroups. For example, nearly an entire deck is devotedto activities just for children. Teens also have their owndedicated space and most importantly, adults have areasand activities that are just for them. We knew that if wetook care of the children it would give the parents peaceof mind and the opportunity to have fun as adults.

However, it has also been important for us to provideguests with areas and activities they can experiencetogether as a family, giving them the opportunity to cre-ate vacation memories that will last a lifetime.

Guests want unparalleled entertainment that capturestheir imaginations. As a company known for entertain-ment, this became a logical area of focus for DisneyCruise Line. The live spectacular stage shows withDisney characters and amazing talent provide entertain-ment the entire family can enjoy together. Guests alsohave the opportunity to not only see our beloved Disneycharacters, but to interact with them.

Dining aboard Disney Cruise Line is also unique, andhas been carefully structured to take care of the family,both together and separately. The innovative rotationdining concept gives guests the opportunity to try different restaurants each day, while keeping their sametablemates and servers. And reserved exclusively for

adults is Palo, the intimate restaurant with panoramicviews and northern Italian cuisine.

Similar to our ships, Disney’s idyllic private island,Castaway Cay, was designed with specific beaches forthe family, teens and adults. Convenience was also animportant factor for Castaway Cay. We were the firstcruise line to build a dock at our private island. Thatmakes it easy for guests to leave and re-board the shipwithout relying on a tender boat.

While all these things contribute to the overall familyexperience of Disney Cruise Line, there is one differen-tiator that stands out above all the rest and that is ourcrew. Crew members make the magic happen onboardfor our guests. They create the immersive experiencesthat our guests talk about and remember and are actuallythe number one reason our guests tell us they want tosail with us again.

This doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a strategy that wehave worked hard to develop and fine tune. To start, wehave a commitment to hiring and developing great leaders. We recruit from around the world and search outthe best talent possible…but our efforts don’t stop there.We’re committed to investing in our crew with continuoustraining. Our goal is to provide unparalleled guest servicewith genuine enthusiasm that not only meets the expecta-tions of our guests, but exceeds those expectations.

20 Caribbean Cruising o Third Quarter 2007 Third Quarter 2007 o Caribbean Cruising 21

While there are many keys to our success in becom-ing the leader in family cruising, many times it’s notwhat you do, but rather what you don’t do to differentiate yourself. For Disney Cruise Line, the decision not to have casinos onboard proved to be asmart business decision. We regularly get feedbackfrom families that they like the fact that the Disneyships don’t have casinos.

So what can your destination do to better accommodatefamilies?

The first step is to adopt the vision and core values ofyour partners. At Disney our core values are safety,courtesy, show and efficiency. We weave these idealsinto every aspect of the cruise experience. Our guestsexpect them to be upheld whether they are on a Disneycruise vessel or off visiting a port of call. These expec-tations are high and in turn, we look for these similarvalues in the port and tour operators that we work with.

For instance, the safety in the port of call is obviouslyour number one concern. Appropriate surroundingfacilities for guest and crew in addition to the trans-portation infrastructure are important assets that goalong with ensuring the safety of our guests. It is impor-tant for tour operators to extend the Disney courtesy our

guests find onboard our ships and inte-grate this into their operation. They alsomust have an operation that is efficient,organized and timely. There is also theoverall look and feel of the experience,the quality of it and the expectationsguests have of it. This means evaluatingeverything from the eyes of the guest.

Secondly, it is extremely important toknow your audience. Know if you willbe dealing with families, adults, kids orall the above and tailor the experiencefor each audience, because they are allcompletely different. It’s a given, differ-ent audiences will want different things,have different needs and have differentperceptions of the experience itself. Tobe successful, you must cater to the

audience and anticipate what guests want.

Third, be flexible and offer variety. Offer the experi-ence that is unique, different and compelling. This iswhat gets people talking about your business.

Fourth, work together with the cruise lines to create newexperiences. This could mean completely new activities,or it could also mean adding new elements for existingexcursions.

Finally, ensure you have friendly and knowledgeablestaff that represent your destination and provide guestswith outstanding experiences. Like I mentioned before,it is people who make the difference.

For all of us at Disney Cruise Line, finding consistencybetween our onboard operation and those experiences inour ports of call is vitally important. In fact, it’s a hugepart of our success. From the moment our guests stepaboard the ship, until the moment they debark at the endof their cruise, they expect excellence. The productsand services provided by destinations and tour operatorsare an integral part of making the experience great. Thisis why we must work together to provide consistent service and excellent experiences for the continued suc-cess of our industry.


Broward County’s Port Everglades will welcome six cruiseships to its fleet this winter, three of which are making theirUnited States debuts. In total, Port Everglades, which is locat-ed in Greater Fort Lauderdale, expects to host 3.2 million pas-sengers (embarking and disembarking) sailing aboard 40 cruiseships from 15 cruise lines this coming winter cruise season.

“Cruise lines customarily send their newest and most grandships to Port Everglades to replace their older, smaller ships,”says Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen. “We look for-ward to introducing these new ships and their guests to oursunny South Florida hospitality.”

New ships sailing from Port Everglades this year include:Costa Cruises’ Costa Fortuna, Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria,Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Bremen, Princess Cruises EmeraldPrincess and Royal Princess, and Royal CaribbeanInternational’s Navigator of the Seas.

Inspired by Italian design, the 2,720-passenger, 102,500-tonCosta Fortuna will make her U.S. debut at Port Everglades onNovember 17, 2007. Costa Fortuna will sail its inauguralCaribbean season while the Costa Mediterranea offers newSaturday departures. In addition, Costa will continue as theonly cruise line offering direct routes to Bermuda from PortEverglades. Given the popularity, the itineraries will feature anadditional day in the island destination’s port of King’s Wharf.

Cunard Line’s newest luxury cruise ship Queen Victoria, will gracePort Everglades on January 16, 2008, just one month after makingher maiden voyage in Europe. This will be the 1,980-guest,90,000-ton luxury ship’s only visit to Port Everglades this season.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ intimate 164-passenger Bremen willstop at Port Everglades on May 19, 2008, before embarkingon a 15-night journey to Halifax.

Princess Cruises is sending its two newest cruise ships,Emerald Princess and Royal Princess, to homeport at Port

Everglades this winter on sailings to the eastern and southernCaribbean. The 2,600-passenger, 113,000-ton EmeraldPrincess will begin sailing from Port Everglades on October27, 2007, include the many innovations featured aboard sis-ter ship Crown Princess, including a dramatic piazza-styleatrium with an International Café and wine and seafood bar;an adults-only Sanctuary retreat and the Crown Grill steakand seafood restaurant with an open, theater-style kitchen.

The intimately sized 710-passenger Royal Princess takes thename of a much-beloved former Princess ship, and debuts atPort Everglades on December 22, 2007. The 30,000-ton shiporiginally entered service in 2001 as a Renaissance vessel(named R8) and later as Swan Hellenic’s Minerva II.

Royal Caribbean International’s Navigator of the Seas willsail on four- and five-night itineraries from Port Evergladesto the eastern and western Caribbean beginning November18, 2007 through April 2008. The 3,114-passenger, 138,000-ton Navigator of the Seas contains some of the cruise indus-try’s most innovative guest features — a rock-climbing wall,a basketball court, an ice-skating rink, an in-line skatingtrack, a five-story theatre, a casino, miniature golf and aspectacular three-story dining room.

Fifteen cruise lines sail from the South Florida seaportincluding: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, CostaCruise Lines, Cunard Line, Discovery Cruises, Hapag-LloydCruises, Holland America Line, Imperial Majesty CruiseLine, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven SeasCruises, Royal Caribbean International, The Yachts ofSeabourn, SeaEscape Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.

The Port’s ever-expanding fleet of cruise ships providesguests with an array of cruise vacation choices from thesunny Greater Fort Lauderdale area including everythingfrom sampler-size day cruises to around-the-world cruises.Details on the latest cruise offerings are available on theInternet at www.broward.org/port.


SIX CRUISE SHIPS JOIN PORT EVERGLADES FLEETFOR 2007-2008 CARIBBEAN CRUISE SEASON


www.f-cca.com

Potential passenger throughputs, 2007Rank Change Port or Sector Embarking Disembarking Transit Total

From 2006 Destination1 nc Miami Florida base 1,739,980 1,737,868 1,363 3,479,2112 nc Port Everglades Florida base 1,593,680 1,595,550 2,598 3,191,8283 nc Cozumel Western 2,345,651 2,345,6514 nc Port Canaveral Florida base 1,166,000 1,166,000 6,244 2,338,2445 +3 Nassau Bahamas 105 105 1,886,647 1,886,8576 -1 Grand Cayman Western 1,863,212 1,863,2127 -1 San Juan Eastern 530,484 530,200 786,381 1,847,0658 -1 St. Thomas Eastern 5,559 5,555 1,725,607 1,736,7219 nc St. Maarten Eastern 13,094 13,090 1,300,144 1,326,32810 nc Galveston Gulf base 500,024 500,457 1,000,481

Galveston Port est. 528,000 528,000 1,056,00011 +6 Costa Maya Western 918,083 918,08312 +1 Bridgetown Southern 130,213 130,653 622,863 883,72913 +17 New Orleans Gulf base 396,495 396,495 462 793,56214 nc Tampa Florida base 372,900 373,183 746,08615 -4 Ocho Rios Western 727,587 727,58716 +4 Tortola Eastern 1,560 1,560 706,479 709,59917 +2 Antigua Eastern 2,653 2,653 690,754 696,06018 +4 St. Lucia Southern 1,263 1,263 658,375 660,90119 -4 Belize Western 317 317 560,446 561,08020 -4 Aruba Southern 30,991 31,020 468,526 530,53721 -3 Montego Bay Western 37,474 37,400 403,284 478,15822 -10 Key West Western 443,951 443,95123 -2 Dominica Eastern 357,757 357,75724 nc Curacao Southern 75 75 327,111 327,26125 nc Grand Turk Eastern 46 46 323,917 324,00926 nc Roatan Western 271,275 271,27527 +2 Grenada Southern 2,948 2,970 262,800 268,71828 -1 Jacksonville Florida base 122,595 122,595 245,19029 +5 Mobile Gulf base 119,790 119,790 239,58030 +3 St. Kitts Eastern 228,375 228,37531 +1 Puerto Limon Western 75 75 213,672 213,82232 New Calica Western 208,230 208,230

Dominican Republic- 1La Romana Eastern 34,225 34,100 100,494 168,819- 2Other ports Eastern 21,010 19,030 209,053 249,093

Dominican Republic total 55,235 53,130 309,547 417,912

1In 31st place in 2006.2Principally Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata.

Sources GP Wild (International) Ltd. from various sources and participating ports

LEADING CARIBBEAN CRUISE PORTS AND DESTINATIONS2007 FORECAST

Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as theNo. 1 luxury cruise line, has reallyput a focus on how we present theport to our guests who yearly arebecoming more learned and morediscerning. Looking for thatunique experience is the goal of

most luxury cruise guests these days. We have striven hard tore-educate the ground operators to think out of the box, andin some cases, we have made changes from a cruise-specificoperator to incentive and FIT operations.

The most important thing, though, is not to just copy whatsomeone else is doing. Think unique, think different.

The starting point should be: What is unique about your destination? Brainstorm this idea and however bizarre or outlandish some of the ideas may be, filter these down tothree or four workable excursions.

Everyone is doing cooking classes now, for example.Everyone is doing visits with a local family. What we do is acooking class and a family with a difference. The family isnot your everyday household. It is the family of a govern-ment minister in Peru, and he has knowledge of local politicsand the economic trends of his country that our intelligent,well-educated guests want to hear. The cuisine is local and

guided by the chef of one of the best restaurants in town. Oursommelier accompanies the group and provides suitablewines of the region.

Would you expect to go Formula One racing in the MiddleEast? Well, you can in Bahrain, a tiny island principality wherewe offer the opportunity to learn about the sport and participatein a race. Everyone has heard about flying Mig jets in Russia,but who goes behind the scenes at the famous Hermitage andsees work in the restoration rooms where ancient wall frescoesare being pieced together by experts who share their passionfor saving great masterpieces.

Another example of a common excursion going unique is avisit to the famous Terracotta Warriors in Xian, China. Everycruise line offers the regular tour. What we do is actually takea select group into the trenches, face to face with theseancient masterpieces.

More and more, with some application and determinationfrom ground operators, local museums and attractions can beencouraged to open their doors for behind-the-scenes access.All these unique experiences can be sold at a premium andalmost guarantee guest satisfaction, and though they may befor a select few, these unique experiences cast a glow overthe whole program, enhancing everyone’s perception of theprograms offered.


Tours - Thinking Outside The BoxTours - Thinking Outside The BoxBy Darius Mehta, Director Land Programs - Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Cozumel shows a new face to all visitors this year. TheRafael Melgar Avenue by the shore (known as Malecon)is more splendid than ever with beautiful gardens and afresh coat of paint. In the main plaza you will see a kioskwith lush and colorful gardens to welcome arrivingtourists.

To make the promenade along the Malecon even more attractive, a collection of monuments have been restored andbuilt for the enjoyment and benefit of both our visitors andour inhabitants.

Cozumel is an island of cultural treasures; although a pirate’srefuge in the past, today lives as a modern treasure full of natural jewels, but above all of cultural riches. We invite youto come and discover them!

The traditional and picturesque downtown of San Miguel deCozumel has an icon that is almost two centuries old, thePublic Clock. It was built in 1910 and inaugurated onSeptember 15th same year, as part of the celebration of ourNational Independence. On week days, there are folkloricdance performances as well as pre-Hispanic ballet performances by the main square.

There is an ambitious project currently in development thatplans to renovate this traditional area. An investment of 3.5us million dollars is planned. The first phase will conclude bythe end of this year and beginning of 2008.

The investment is composed of contributions from theNational Tourism Fund, the State government, and theMunicipal government. Plaza del Sol, the most popular andcharacteristic building in the main square that includes theflea market and public offices, will be remodeled with theinspiration of an old Cozumel downtown.

The project include wider sidewalks to make tourist walkareas safer and more comfortable, street lighting, benches,trash cans, and short-term parking. The most important workwill be to restore and reintroduce public and private buildingswithin the look of the area’s traditional architecture. Theowners of businesses around the plaza will be motivated toimprove the images of their shops as well.

The church of San Miguel, another traditional icon of theisland, was confirmed as a catholic church in 1946 and dedi-cated to the saint patron of the island. It was built by USMariknoll Missionaries to replace the old church destroyed

by the Carranza troops during the Mexican Revolution in1915. Catholic services are available daily.

Leaving the plaza and taking the Malecon Avenue, the mainpier in town is located where the first original wooden dockwas built back in 1936. It was a fishermen pier. Destroyedthrough the years by hurricane attacks, the structure we seetoday has been updated to meet the present needs of vessels.This pier is the connecting point for the ferry boats crossingto the mainland (at Playa del Carmen) daily and for the glassbottom boats that make daily snorkel trips.

Heading north, the first stop must be the Diver’s FountainMonument comprised of bronze arch simulating a reef with adiver in the bottom of the sea emerges. Multicolor lights atnight can be appreciated as the spouts of water escape fromthe bottom. This monument was remodeled and inauguratedlast April.

To continue on the promenade, you will pass by the Museumof the Island. The building hosting the museum was the luxury hotel in 1938. It has four exhibit rooms, a library, aMayan house and a restaurant upstairs with an incrediblebay view.

The next monument, El Mestizaje, is dedicated to GonzaloGuerrero. It pays tribute to our rich heritage. It showsSpanish Gonzalo Guerrero assimilating the Mayan world, hisnative wife and children. It was remodeled and inauguratedlast April. It is a nice place where tourist and locals gather toenjoy the beautiful sunsets and to feel the sea breeze. It hasbecome an must-see stop for a magical picture.

The last monument in this tour is the Two Culture Encounter.This magnificent monument symbolize the moment when thefirst catholic mass was celebrated in Mexican lands, upon thearrival of Spanish Captain Juan de Grijalva in Cozumel.


Cozumel - An Island of Cultural Treasures Cozumel - An Island of Cultural Treasures

Three bronze sculptures symbolize the encounter of twoworlds: the Spanish and the Mayan. One sculpture represents a Spanish priest, the other an ancientMayan man, and the third a native woman anda child. The main landmark of the park is theIxchel sculpture in the middle of a fountain.Ixchel was a sacred Mayan goddess of fer-tility, moon and water. Around the fountainthere are extracts of narration from thebook of Bernal Diaz, describing the discov-ering of Cozumel.

An investment of $300 thousand was made with contri-butions from Federal, State and Municipal govern-ments. This work represents the remembranceand historical identity of San Miguel.

A few steps north, there is an old combatairplane at the entrance of the MilitaryAir Base, as a memorial to the AirSquadron 201 and its heroic members.Since the 1950’s, Cozumel was base ofthe famous Mexican Air Force AirSquadron 201. The Air Squadron 201 hasbeen the only armed contingent from Mexicowho fought abroad, during Second World War inthe Pacific Ocean.

The tour ends there, but not the various attractions thatCozumel offers to visitors. Tours are a very important part of

what Cozumel has to offer its guests.

There are tours for different ages and interests,offered by professional and reliable tour opera-

tors. If you want to explore the jungle,famous ATV’s, jeeps and buggies are avail-able. If your choice is the beach, tour theisland by bus, stop in a shopping mall for afolkloric show in a nice air conditioned the-

atre and then go shopping. If your passion isdiving or snorkeling, options are numerous –

explore famous reefs along our MesoamericanReef Barrier where you can see the splendid toad fish.

If you only want to see the beautiful bottom of thesea from the surface, very the brand-new sea

spi will soon be available! It is a uniquemotorized machine with underwater viewglasses. If you are an adrenaline addict,dare yourself behind the wheel of aspeedboat gliding through the waves ofthe island’s turquoise sea. If you want tolearn about Mexico and the most famous

and historic monuments and archeologi-cal sites then visit Discover Mexico, a cul-

tural theme Park.

As you can see options are endless. Come toCozumel! Be part of the magic in the Mexican Caribbean.See you in Cozumel for the FCCA Conference and TradeShow 2007!


Patrick Schneider isn’t a new face tothe cruise industry. He’s been in thebusiness with Royal Caribbean andCelebrity for 15 years and counting.He began his career onboardCelebrity vessels as ShoreExcursion Manager, with voyagesthrough Alaska, South America,Baltic, Mediterranean, Bermuda,

and with four of those years in the Caribbean. Within theRCCL/Celebrity family, he found himself and his respon-sibilities increasing and expanding– off of the ships and onland in their corporate offices. As Manager of Caribbeanand Central American shore excursion programs,Schneider grew to become an expert in his field.

His most recent promotion in April, 2007 to the Directorof Shore Excursions, Royal Caribbean and CelebrityCruises, opens the door for Schneider to jump head firstinto global cruise itinerary and tour planning, develop-ment, and expansion. Replacing him as manager, andworking along with him, is Paul Loughrin. As he looksahead, the Caribbean, Schneider says, “is a prime focus”.

Eyes on the CaribbeanWith ships as large as they are today, only limited ports ofcall can accommodate them leaving many cruiseitineraries similar season to season and year after year.“There is a challenge in accommodating large groups.They (passengers) are cruising now for our ships, not nec-

essarily our destinations. We need to give them reasons toget off the ships in the ports-of-call. They need to under-stand that it isn’t just a ship,” he explains. “Only certainports are large enough to accommodate the large ships inour fleet. Part of the challenge is making the destinationsnew, different and exciting even to repeat guests. Itbecomes more and more challenging each season becausepeople have already been to the destinations. We have togive them reasons to want to get off the ship even if it’s areturn visit.”

Schneider cites that the tours that are adventurous in natureare the most popular trend helping to arouse their clientele.He notes that shore excursions such as the canopy tour,ATV and Jeep tours, and tubing are what passengers aregoing for. He also credits the “innovation and cutting edge”creativity of the tours to the collaboration with the privatetour operators themselves. “They constantly bring forwardnew ideas to try and test out. We provide feedback and theyrespond. It’s all very collaborative,” he says.

Another answer to the challenge of diversifying destina-tions is the new cruise line launching this September,Azamara. The high-end luxury line will host up to 700passengers, unlike the heavy-weights of its RCCL sisterthat holds 4,375 passengers. The smaller ships will fit intosmaller, exotic ports of call that their other ships cannot –including fifteen ports in the Caribbean. Destinations onthe itinerary include Santa Marta, Bocas del Torro, and St John, V.I.


A Quick Look into the Goals of Patrick SchneiderDirector of Shore Excursions, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises

Honourable Ministers, Ladiesand Gentlemen, thank you forinviting me to be a part ofyour Inaugural Summit.Before I get too far along, Iwould like to welcome espe-cially the students from theUniversity of Belize who arehere today. I understand thatas a part of your course work,they have had to sufferthrough the last presentationthat I made here. Pleaseaccept my apologies eventhough I had nothing to dowith it.

I am sure that you will have seen a noticeable increase in posi-tive word of mouth since my last visit to Belize. I assure you thata significant proportion of that increase over the last year isowed entirely to my incessant bragging about Belize.

After listening to the luncheon presentation of myChairman, Allen Chastanet, I need to make an addition tomy contract at CTO. It now says that I will not be requiredto speak after animal acts and young children because thoseacts are normally impossible to follow. I now need to addthe name of my Chairman to that list. At the same time,Minister Chastanet commented to me after Minister Smith'spresentation at the beginning of the conference that hisobvious grasp of the issues was astonishing. It is a delightto be in the presence of two Ministers who clearly knowwhat they are talking about, and because they do, they areprepared to have full and frank discussions on all of themost important issues.

Please allow me two minutes tell you a little bit about where weare at CTO. As I mentioned last time I was here, we are nowfocusing on eight important issues. These are:

1. Data collection, information management and knowledgebuilding

2. Training and development

3. The development of a consumer web site

4. The development of a membership site for the exchange of information and best practices

5. A focus on publicity and public relations

6. Promotion of our web addresses

7. Development of our relationship with our Diaspora

8. Focus on sustainability and private/public sector coordination and cooperation in all that we do

We believe that CTO is very much on the right track and is veryfocused on the execution of these eight items, and we are confi-dent that they will lead to significant improvements in the ben-efits to our member states and to our Caribbean people.

Now to the subject at hand: "Cruise Control – Managing theCruise Industry."

There is always a great danger in speaking after my Chairmanbecause of the risk of my delivering a different opinion fromthat which he just expressed. I am therefore always tempted tobegin my presentations with the disclaimer that the opinionsabout to be expressed are entirely my own and do not necessar-ily represent the views of the Chairman or the Board ofDirectors of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. I do notbelieve that I have to insert that disclaimer today, but there wasclearly a time when I should have done so.

About fifteen years ago at a CTO function at a hotel property forwhich I was the general manager on Paradise Island in TheBahamas, CTO had the temerity to ask me to speak about thisvery same subject. Here is how I began: "Good afternoon,Ladies and Gentlemen. From this day forward, we will begin tosee the Bahamas and the Caribbean as the OPEC of the cruiseindustry and the Bahamas is Saudi Arabia."

At that time we had a very large casino and a four hundred seatCabaret theatre that depended quite heavily on the patronageof cruise passengers. When I returned to my office feelingquite good about myself, my telecopier, as the fax was knownin those days, was overflowing with the continuous feed ofpaper with the identical letters from all of the cruise compa-nies canceling their bookings to my theatre show. My boss,who was enthusiastically supportive of the presentation that Iran by him before I spoke, had a sudden attack of amnesia and

disavowed any knowledge of, or association with, my "scur-rilous" remarks.

On reflection, I realized then, and I realize now, that the cruiseindustry has been the whipping boy of our tourism industry. Atthe risk of offending most of you, including the students in theaudience, recall that a "whipping boy" is the boy who is pun-ished whenever we cannot punish the real object of our wrath.

You see, the fact is that land-based tourism businesses are oftenupset with the cruise industry because cruise companies man-aged to get what the land-based entities have failed to get. Weenvy the cruise companies' labour agreements, we envy theirorganization, we envy their purchasing power, we envy their taxstructure and more than anything else, we really, really envytheir profitability. We whip them because we envy the signifi-cant business advantages that they have managed to wrangle forthemselves when we really want to whip our governments tosecure the lowest possible operating costs. Tourism is an export,and I know of few countries that knowingly reduce the compet-itiveness of their exports by increasing prices through heavy tax-ation. That is why I was most pleasantly surprised and, frankly,it was most refreshing, to hear Minister Smith mention duringhis opening presentation that perhaps the government of Belizeneeds to look more closely at the taxes on land-based tourismentities to make them more competitive in what is now theworld's most competitive business: tourism. Let me make it veryclear, I am convinced that the economic benefits that will flowto our countries from tourism will increase substantially if, asthe cruise companies have done, we find a way to make thisexport more competitive in price on the world stage.

The latest FCCA study conducted by Business Research &Economic Advisors, released late last year about the cruiseindustry in the Caribbean, shows that the Caribbean is still dom-inant with 41% of the global share of the cruise business. The pri-mary reason for this is simple. God blessed us with the ideal vari-ety of destinations located in the greatest area of the world witha climate that is conducive to cruising year round. Eighty-twopercent of this business comes from the US, 11% from Canada,5% from the UK. What that study does not tell you is that theestimated profitability to the cruise lines of the Caribbean partof the cruise industry exceeds the total expenditure of all cruisepassengers visiting the Caribbean. So let's face if. Much of theheat producing discussions about the cruise industry has to dowith profit envy. Hoteliers and other land-based operators wishthey had access to the same labour agreements, access to thesame purchasing power and access to the same tax structure, etc.of the cruise companies. All of these advantages lead to whatland-based tourism entities envy most: profitability.

Unfortunately, in the Caribbean, most of the passionate discus-sion about the cruise business is precipitated by hoteliersbecause many believe that all cruise passengers are potential

hotel visitors and if the cruise passengers disappeared, theirhotels will be full.

That is a crock.

On the other hand, the cruise industry counters by telling hote-liers and governments that cruise passengers, once they have awonderful experience at a port, are all potential land-based vis-itors at some point in the future.

That is also a crock.

The truth is somewhere in the middle, and the truth varies fromdestination to destination. Today, I would like to remove theemotion from this discussion and address it as dispassionately aspossible. Emotion tends to produce more heat than light, andlight is really what we need to get at the facts in examining theseissues. I am always reminded about the statement: "It ain't somuch the things you don't know that hurt you; it's the things youknow that just ain't so."

Let us first look at the numbers. That 41% of the global cruisebusiness represents approximately 5 million people in total, notthe 18-20 million that is often reported. This higher figure is theresult of counting the same passenger at each destination on amulti-destination cruise. The fact is that we have 18-20 millionopportunities to impress these 5 million people. Remember thatthis number compares to our more than 20 million truestopover visitors.

From our observations, there are at least six categories of pas-sengers on most Caribbean cruise ships:

The first category covers people who cannot afford theCaribbean except if they came on a cruise ship: those peoplecannot afford to be converted.

The second category covers people who could not afford theland-based equivalent of the kind of multiple destination vaca-tion offer provided by cruise ships: those people have no inter-est in being converted. We do not like to admit it, but what manypeople buy on a Caribbean cruise is a multi-destination vaca-tion. Has anyone tried to price such a land-based multi-destina-tion vacation, even if the air connections work?

The third category covers people who prefer to cruise. They toohave no interest in being converted. If cruise ships did not existin the Caribbean, they might go elsewhere entirely.

The fourth category covers people who can afford a land-basedvacation and can even afford a multi-island vacation, but theyfar prefer to experience it on a cruise because of the conve-nience. They also have no interest in being converted. Theyhave no interest in the packing and unpacking and the multiple


www.f-cca.com www.f-cca.com

Vincent Vanderpool-WallaceSecretary General & CEO

Caribbean Tourism Organization

NOTES FROM A PRESENTATION MADE AT THE INAUGURAL BELIZE SUMMIT ON TOURISM

“Cruise Control – Managing the Cruise Industry”

airport experience required by a land-based multi-destinationexperience. This contrast has only been exacerbated by therecent security rules at airports.

The fifth category covers people who have never been to theCaribbean before but who, with sufficient evidence and experi-ence, can be converted to take their next Caribbean vacation onland at a single destination instead of a cruise ship.

The sixth category covers people who are neither land-inclinednor cruise- inclined. They are vacation-inclined, and they switchback and forth between cruises depending on their whims.These include meetings, incentive groups, honeymooners, wed-dings and other niche groups.

Let me make it clear that even though it appears that four out ofthese six categories are difficult to convert, we do not know thesize of each category, so we do not know if the numbers that canbe converted are greater or smaller than the numbers notinclined to be converted.

But here are several conclusions that I know for sure. The firstconclusion is that at some level, cruise expenditure is incremen-tal expenditure for the destination; it is not dilution of expendi-ture by people who might have stayed in a hotel. The secondconclusion is that of those who can be converted to a land-basedvacation, they might be a relatively very, very small proportionwhen compared to the total number of stopover visitors to theCaribbean, so the dilution effects might be minimal.

The third conclusion is most important. Frederick Reichheldpublished the results of a study in the December 2003 edition ofthe Harvard Business Review in which he concluded that thereis one number that any company or country needs to grow. Thatnumber is the number of people who will recommend yourproduct or service to their friends and relatives. So, to a verylarge degree, recommendation is much more important thanconversion. So the cruise passengers experiences are importantto the extent that it leads to a recommendation of your destina-tion to their friends and relatives. If you don't believe me, askthe cruise companies how many of their own passengers returnto their ships every year. They, too, rely very heavily on recom-mendations instead of returns.

The fourth conclusion is also important. Forget the averageexpenditure of cruise passengers compared to the average expen-diture of stopover visitors. Remember that the total expenditure ofcruise passengers at a particular destination is very, very concen-trated and therefore very, very important to some small but impor-tant sectors of our economies. You know which ones they are.

I am a long-time admirer of FCCA because they understand farmore than we do today the power of networking. They under-stand the power of people with common interests working for

common causes and working toward common goals. I haveasked before why there is no FCAA, Florida Caribbean AirlineAssociation. Few people know that in the recent lobbying on theWestern Hemisphere Travel Initiative regarding the implemen-tation of new rules for US travelers to the Caribbean, the airlineindustry was not only opposed to postponing the implementa-tion date for air travelers; they actively lobbied against the pos-sibility of an extension. Are we then surprised that cruise pas-sengers to the Caribbean are not required to have a US passportuntil June 2009 and the requirement for air passengers went intoeffect on January 23rd of this year?

I am similarly surprised that there are not regular meetings of thedestinations on a particular cruise itinerary. The FCCA studyshows where you stand on a particular itinerary among the pas-sengers. The passenger understanding of our world is not the entireCaribbean. They only understand the Caribbean that they visitedand they rank the ports. You don't want to be last. But I will bet youthat few destinations know where they rank compared to the portsvisited on a particular cruise. You should also not forget to ensurethat the ship's crew members have the best possible impression ofyour destination. If you were on a cruise ship, whose opinionwould you value most about a particular destination? Clearly, thepersons who have been there several times. The crew.

Finally, I have asked many hotel executives the following ques-tion: Why is it that if the vice president of marketing for a hoteltells his president that the hotel will run 70% occupancy, he isapplauded, but if the vice president of marketing for a cruise linetells her president that they will run 70% occupancy, she getsfired? Imagine what our economic conditions would be like ifwe filled the vacant room nights in our destinations and grewour business closer to 100% utilization of our inventories. Thereis clearly a different mindset operating in the cruise industrycompared to the land-based industry, and there is much to belearnt from the cruise side of the equation.

Only you can decide two things. Only you can decide how muchrent you wish to charge for your cruise-attracting asset, bearing inmind that the cruise ship has choices. Only you can determine thecarrying capacity for cruise ships at your ports and cruise passengersin your cities. That is why I will not dare to comment on those areas.

Today, the Caribbean cruise is the low-cost, high-quality vaca-tion provider that also offers the best pre-packaged multi-desti-nation vacation. So the most effective way to control the cruiseindustry is to present much more competitive land-based prod-ucts in terms of both cost and quality for those two categories ofpersons on cruises who can be converted to land-based vaca-tions. The objective should not be to raise the cost of cruises.The objective should be to lower the cost of land-based vaca-tions in all of our destinations so that we are much more com-petitive globally with cruises and, more importantly, with otherland-based options. We agree with Minister Smith, government

taxes on the land-based industry need to be reviewed. It isentirely possible that by lowering some taxes, products becomemore competitive, volume increases and the total taxes collect-ed by the government also increases.

We need to remember that the cost to get to our destinations isvery much a part of the cost of the total vacation for our visitors,so we have to work relentlessly to become a low-cost, high-quality provider of air transportation to become much morecompetitive overall. In many cases, the cost to get to the entirecruise is much, much lower than the cost to fly to our destina-tions. Most vacationers would rather spend their money enjoy-ing their vacation, not getting to their vacation.

We need much better training and development programs acrossthe board to become more competitive. We have already heardabout the level of service that is now experienced on many ships.

We need to find ways to make multi-destination travel available,easier and less expensive. This is a significant advantage on theside of cruise lines, and cooperation between destinations is theonly way to become more competitive in this area.

Most importantly, we need to measure performance relentlessly.Every cruise ship uses its customer evaluation surveys to identifyproblems and trends and address them as rapidly as possible. Fartoo many of our destinations are flying by the seat of their pants in

an age when flying with facts is becoming less costly by the day.We need to emulate the cruise lines in this area so that we identifyand fix immediately those items that irritate our customers. That isa most important tool on the road to increased competitiveness.

I know that many people came here today to hear how we cancontrol these cruise ships that are taking our business away.Contrary to what many people believe, the total number ofcruise passengers plying the seas of the Caribbean annually is ofthe order of 5 million, not the 20 million that is often reported.Contrary to what many people believe, cruises are not only nottaking our business away; they, in fact, deliver incrementalbusiness to our destinations. Contrary to what many peoplesuggest, I do not believe that all cruise passengers are convert-ible to stopover visitors. Contrary to what many people believe,instead of conversion, we should focus on getting cruise passengers and the crew, by reason of their experiences, to recommend our destinations far and wide to their friendsand relatives. Contrary to what many people believe, the cruisecompanies employ many practices that we should emulate onthe land-based side. When we remove the emotion and look atthe facts and act on the facts, then and only then will we becomemore competitive not only against cruise lines in the Caribbeanbut against the rest of the world.

“It ain't so much the things you don't know that hurt you; it's thethings you know that just ain't so.”


www.f-cca.com www.f-cca.com

NCL Corporation Ltd ("NCL"), parent company ofNorwegian Cruise Line and NCL America, recentlyannounced that private equity group, Apollo Management,LP ("Apollo"), has agreed to make a $1 billion cash equityinvestment in NCL.

The new investment, in the form of common stock along-side NCL's existing sole shareholder, Star Cruises ("Star"),is designed to strengthen NCL's balance sheet and its abil-ity to continue to expand what is fast-becoming theyoungest fleet in the industry, and to evolve further thecompany's successful Freestyle Cruising concept firstintroduced in 2000.

"To have an investment on this scale by one of the very topnames in the private equity world is a huge vote of confi-dence in the new NCL we have created since Star Cruisesbecame the owner in 2000," said NCL Corporation'sPresident and CEO Colin Veitch.

Steve Martinez, Partner at Apollo Management, added,"We are very excited to be forming this partnership withStar Cruises and the existing management team of NCL.Our investment will help NCL complete its transition into

the youngest fleet in the cruise industry, with a truly orig-inal next generation product with its F3 concept ships. Webelieve the NCL brand has significant growth potentialover many years to come."

Under the terms of the proposed investment, whichincludes an agreement for additional future distributions tobe made directly by NCL to Star, Apollo will become 50percent owner of NCL and will name a majority of theNCL board with certain consent rights retained by Star.Star will retain all of its existing stock in NCL and will, likeApollo, be 50 percent owner of the recapitalized company.

Star Cruises Chairman and CEO Tan Sri KT Lim, welcomedthe new partner and remarked on the opportunities that lieahead: "Apollo's significant financial commitment in NCL'scommon stock means we have an equal partner who believesin the business as much as we do. This is a powerful valida-tion of what we have achieved so far and of our vision for thefuture. It is also truly the start of the next - and most exciting- chapter for this great company."strong shareholders whobelieve in the business as much as we do. This is a powerfulvalidation of what we have achieved in the last seven and ahalf years and of our vision for the future


NCL Welcomes New Billion Dollar Shareholder to Freestyle Cruising and the Industry’s Youngest Fleet

Star Cruises and Apollo Team Up to Boost NCL’s Growth


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MahinaturMalibu Beach Club & Visitor Centre c/o West Indies Rum DistilleryManson Construction CompanyMarine and Services Ltd.Maritur Travel PlannersMartinique Tourism AuthorityMaryland Port AdministrationMase, Gassenheimer & Lara, P.A.Maxi Taxi AssociationMayaguez-Las Marias ConsortiumMesoamerica Travel S.A. - HondurasMetropolitan Stevedore CompanyMeyer Agencies Ltd.Micato - IndiaMicato - KenyaMicato - South AfricaMinistry of Tourism, Youths & SportsMisener Marine Construction, Inc. Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce andIndustryMount Gay Rum Tour and Gift ShopMyExcursions.comNature Island DiveNature Island Taxi Association (NITA)Nautilus Cayman LtdNavigator Travel & Tourist Services Ltd.Nevis Tourism AuthorityNew England Fast Ferry Company, LLCNicaragua Tourism InstituteOasis Divers and Water SportsOcean Adventures Inc.Ocean Fox Diving Co. Ltd.Ocho Rios Mini-Boat AdventuresOld BelizeOld Fort Craft MarketOld Town Trolley Tours of Key WestOlde Towne Tours Inc.Olive Branch ToursOn Deck Ocean RacingOperadora De Viajes Bahias Gemelas SA De CVOperadora Punta Venado SA De CVOrange Valley Holdings Ltd. Outameni ExperienceOregon ToursPage & Jones, Inc.Palaceda ToursPalangana S.A. de C.V. (Senior Frog’s)Pampered Ponies Ltd.Panama Marine Adventures, Inc.Papillon ToursParadise Island Water SportsPark ‘N FlyParques Y Museos De MexicoParsons

Pelican Adventures N.V.Peninsula de la Pasion SA de CVPine Island Brands, Inc.Pirate Ship Cruises of Cabo/MaritimeEnterprises SA de CVPirates of the CaymansPlatinum Port Agency Inc.Plissonneau ShippingPort Authority of the Cayman IslandsPort Authority of Trinidad & TobagoPort of Corpus Christi AuthorityPort of Houston AuthorityPort of Palm BeachPort of PensacolaPort of St. PetersburgProfessional Training National Institute (INAFORP)PronatoursPuerto ChiapasPuerto de GuaymasR. Smyth & Co. S.A.R.H. Curry & Co. Ltd.Radisson Resort at the PortRain Forest Aerial TramsRancho Buena VistaRancho Tierra Bonita Reef Tours Ltd.Regale International Travel Co., Ltd.Reid’s Premier Tours Ltd.Resort Adventure Centers, Inc.Rhino Safari ExcursionsRhodes Hall Plantation LimitedRios TropicalesRise Again Tours and Taxi, Inc.River Raft LimitedRoatan Island ToursRoger Albert VoyagesRomney AssociatesRovelli Organization (Novel Tours S.A.)Rozo & Co.S.E.L. Maduro & Sons (Aruba) Inc.S.E.L. Maduro & Sons (Curaçao)Safari Tours (Bahamas) LtdSaint John Port AuthoritySans Souci Ports (Port of Santo Domingo)Sarl Spring (Plantation Mont Vernon)Screaming ReelsSea Blaster ToursSea Bridge InternationalSea Island AdventuresSea MobileSea Song ToursSeahorse Sailing Adventures/Paradise Breezes Co.SeaScape Tours ABSecure Waters LLC

Segway Tours and Media of P.R, Inc.SEICOShell Seekers, Inc.ShoretripsShorex PanamaSingh’s TaxiSkylimit Travel ServicesSL Horsford & Co. Ltd.SMS Travel & ToursimSnorkel SafarisSnuba/Sea TrekSouth American ToursSouth Carolina State Ports AuthoritySpirit of the WestSports - Tourist Ltd.St. Ann Chamber of CommerceSt. Ann Development Company, Ltd.St. Croix Environmental AssociationSt. Kitts Scenic Railway, Ltd.St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla Trading & Dev. Co. Ltd.St. Lucia Heritage Tourism ProgrammeSt. Maarten Harbour Holding Co.St. Maarten ParkSt. Maarten Port Services N.V.St. Maarten Taxi ServicesSt. Thomas Swimming Assoc., Inc.St. Thomas Taxi AssociationStansfeld Scott Inc.Steiner SportsSulivan Shipping Services LimitedSun Beach Resort LimitedSunbury Great HouseSuncoast Investments / Y.S. FallsSunsation ToursSunshine Cruises (1990) Ltd.Sunshine Holidays Ltd. d/b/a/ Travel UnlimitedSunshine Tours, S.A. de C.V.Suntrek Tours Inc.Surfside AquaSports Ltd.Swex Company Bahamas Ltd. Swiss Travel ServiceSysco Food CorporationTaber Tours Inc.Tabyana BeachTahitian Noni InternationalTAM Travel CorporationTeach Tours, Taxi Service/Auto RentalsTeam Port Services, Inc.The Calypso Train Tours Ltd.The Caymanian Land and Sea CooperativeSociety LimitedThe Port Authority of JamaicaThe Rio Grande ExperienceThe Sun Pillow, LLC

The Tour Company Cayman Ltd.Thomas Gregor AssociatesThomas Smith & Co Ltd.Total Guest Satisfaction Tours (Total Gusto)Tour Adventures (Watapana Tours)Tour Operator Guatemala Mayan TripTourism Corp BonaireTours for Nature Ltd.Transmares S.A.Transoceanicas, S.A.Transportation Services, of St. John Inc.Travel ExecutivesTri-SportTrinidad & Tobago Sightseeing ToursTrinity Air Ambulance InternationalTropical ToursTropical Tours, S.A.Tui Ag (All4Ships)Tura Turizm - Sea Mer ToursTurinter S.A.Turismo Caleta, S.A. de C.V.Turismo CochaTurismo MarinaTurks & Caicos Tourist BoardULTRAMARUltramar Express Dominicana Union De TronquistasUnited Shipping Company (Nassau) LimitedUnited Tour Guides Co-op of Puerto RicoUnited ToursUniversity of Central Florida/Rosen College ofHospitality ManagementV.I. EquicareV.I. Taxi and Tours and Travel Inc.Vacation Master Jamaica Ltd.Vacationer Paradise Tours Inc.Vallarta AdventureVallarta Shore ExcursionsViajes AmericaViajes Duran S.A.Virgin Islands EcotoursViva Wyndham ResortsWalkerswood Jerk CountryWhite Camel ToursWild Tours SA de CVWind and Sea Ltd.World Tours & Cruises Ltd.Wrave Ltd.Xotic Adventures LimitedYellow Tourism Solutions N.V.



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I was born in Port Limon in Costa Rica, currently I reside in Trinidad & Tobago. I joinedthe Carnival Cruise Lines family in 1991 in the capacity of Wiper in the EngineDepartment, after 4 months I joined the Hotel Department and worked my way up thedifferent levels in management and became housekeeping Manager in 1996. As a house-keeping Manager I am responsible for the laundry operation, cleanliness of the entire shipand the guest & crew accommodations.

Working on the ships is a joy for me and every day I strive to become a better Managerand person. Carnival has provided me with the proper training and courses to assist me inachieving my goals.

I am proud to have the opportunity to be one of the original team members of six FunShip’s inaugural cruises that involved us going to Italy and Finland and setting up theships from scratch. We proudly achieved the success of providing the best service to ourGuest. This is an experience that I will never forget.Costa Rica

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PPrriinncceessss CCrruuiisseess

Elliott Moncrieff is from Montego Bay, Jamaica and has been working for PrincessCruises for the past three years. He began his career as a Bartender, and after attendingnumerous seminars and leadership training courses, was promoted to the position ofAssistant Food & Beverage Manager-Bars, which he now holds.

Elliot credits his success to having previous experience in F&B at a managerial levelwith other cruise lines. Coming to Princess Cruises was an “eye opener” for him as hequickly saw how the Princess name exemplified service excellence through theirC.R.U.I.S.E. program, allowing each and every passenger to “Escape Completely.”

Elliot says that it is important to note that once promoted, one’s learning experiencedoes not stop. He believes that your success in your future endeavors depends on yourtraining, wealth of experience, support team and your drive and commitment to get thejob done.

In the future, Elliott aspires to move into an F&B position as Staff First Purser. Jamaica

www.f-cca.com Faces in the Industry

Inaugural Cruise: March 5, 2007Shipyard: Fincantieri - MonfalconeShipyard Location: ItalyCountry of Registry: PanamaCruising Speed: 21 knots

AccommodationsSuites with Balcony: 52Cabins with Balcony: 503Ocean view cabins: 355Inside cabins: 577

FacilitiesDecks: 13Pools: 4

Nationality of CrewInternational

DeploymentMediterranean

Size & CapacitiesTons: 110,000Length: 952 feetPassengers: 2,974Crew: 1,150

Carnival FreedomCarnival Freedom

www.f-cca.com Ship Profiles

Documents

Carnival CorporationIn order to carry those 2.9 million passengers, Carnival will have 18 ships deployed in the Caribbean this season. Fourteen of them remain in the Caribbean year