John Delaney steps down as President, Chris Prelog elevated to COO of Windstar Cruises
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 01 March 2020 01 March 2020
Seattle-based Windstar Cruises announced on February 28 that John Delaney, President of Windstar Cruises since July 2016, will be stepping down on Wednesday, March 4th to focus on personal priorities. Andrew Todd, President and CEO of Xanterra Leisure Holding, LLC, the parent company of Windstar Cruises, will continue as CEO of the small-ship cruise line. Delaney will provide advice to the brand during the transition through March.
Christopher Prelog, Vice President of Fleet Operations at Windstar Cruises and former VP at Seabourn Cruise Line, will assume the role as Chief Operating Officer of Windstar Cruises. Prelog's entire professional career has been in hospitality and the cruise industry and he actually began his career on ships and now has risen to the rank of COO with Windstar.
In addition, another highly respected name in the world of travel, cruising and hospitality will help with the transition. Betsy O'Rourke, Chief Marketing Officer for Xanterra and the former SVP of Marketing at Royal Caribbean, will lend her expertise to the Windstar brand during this exciting time of growth and expansion highlighted by the $250 Million Star Plus Initiative, where all three of Windstar's yacht-like ships (half of Windstar's entire fleet) are being lengthened to feature new suites, dining venues and public spaces. The first of the "new" stretched ships, Star Breeze, returns to service May 2020.
American Cruise Lines to accelerate expansion
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- Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 28 February 2020 28 February 2020
American Cruise Lines has announced that it will launch two additional modern riverboats for the 2021 season. Construction is already underway on the new riverboats and will ramp up as American Jazz, the Line’s 3rd modern riverboat, is readied for its 2020 debut in New Orleans.
The two riverboats coming next year will be sister ships to the American Harmony and American Jazz, but will feature new design elements that appeal to today’s discerning travelers. Further design enhancements will be unveiled later this year.
“These new ships show our continued commitment to leading the Mississippi River cruise market,” said Charles B. Robertson, President & CEO of American Cruise Lines. “The American fleet is already unrivaled and the new riverboats will allow us to continue to roll out innovative amenities that enhance guest experiences.” All three new ships are being built at Chesapeake Shipbuilding in Salisbury, MD, an affiliate of American Cruise Lines.
“Chesapeake Shipbuilding is well-suited to increase production output,” said Steve McGee, President of Chesapeake Shipbuilding. “We have five hull fabrication buildings and more than 1,000 feet of deep water bulkhead to build and outfit multiple ships at the same time.”
American’s series of modern riverboats ushered in a new era of river cruising in the U.S. The Line introduced the country’s 1st modern riverboat in 2018, with the historic debut of the series flagship, American Song. The 2nd modern riverboat, American Harmony, was introduced in 2019 and the 3rd, American Jazz, begins cruising the Mississippi in 2020.
American Cruise Lines has introduced five new ships since 2017, including new coastal ships, and will have 14 ships cruising in 2021. By expanding both its river and coastal fleet, American is able to offer an unprecedented number of itineraries across the country.
Andy Stuart joins Global Ports Holding board
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- Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen
- Category: Top Headlines Top Headlines
- Published: 27 February 2020 27 February 2020
Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH), the world's largest independent cruise port operator, said that Andy Stuart has been appointed as an independent non-executive director of the company with immediate effect.
GPH has its headquarters in Istanbul and it is listed in London.
Stuart was until recently President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line, the largest cruise line of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd group.
“Board members Thierry Edmond Déau and Thomas Josef Maier will step down as independent non-executive directors of the company, effective from the meeting of the board on 24 February 2020,’ GPH continued.
Both having decided not to stand for re-election at the next AGM, agreed to step down early to allow new board members to join as soon as practically possible.
“The process of appointing an additional Non-Executive Director, with experience in a UK Plc context is underway,” GPH stated. Plc is short for Public Limited company
Stuart worked for Norwegian Cruise Line for more than 30 years and prior to becoming President and Chief Executive Officer, he fulfilled a number of senior executive roles including Chief Operator Officer and Executive Vice President, a role in which he oversaw global sales and passenger services.
Mehmet Kutman, Chairman and Co-Founder of Global Ports Holding, said: "I am delighted to welcome Andy Stuart to the Board. His vast experience of the cruise industry over a period of more than 30 years, makes him a valuable addition to the team. We look forward to benefiting from his insights as we continue the expansion of our cruise port business.
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