John Lennon in Bermuda; Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director of Crown Princess

I have posted two somewhat different items this week:  One is about a ship and the other is about a cruise destination.

            Continuing with our coverage of Princess Cruises’ Crown Princess, I have posted an interview with Captain Nick Nash and Hotel Director Richard Harry.

 One of the questions that I like to ask the seniors officers of each ship is why should a person who is thinking about going on a cruise select your ship for his or her vacation?  To my surprise, this question sometimes stumps the people that I am interviewing but not so with Captain Nash and Hotel Director Harry.

 They did not focus on Crown Princess’ physical plant.  Crown Princess is a very nice ship with excellent public areas, restaurants and accommodations.  However, as Captain Nash pointed out, having great features is not enough.  You also need consistency and quality in the delivery.  This requires a good crew.

How a crew is motivated to become in the words of Princess’ promotional slogan the “consummate hosts” is a family matter according to Captain Nash and Director Harry.  It is a matter of making the crew feel that they are part of the Princess family.  Our conversation is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/crown-princess-captain-hotel-director-interview.html

Bermuda is a unique cruise destination.  It is not in the Caribbean but rather in the Atlantic far from any other island.  As a result, it is a blend of British, American and African cultures that exists nowhere else.

The beauty and atmosphere of the island has inspired many writers and artists over the years.  But unknown to many, it played a significant role in the life of John Lennon.   After suffering from writer’s block for some five years, the former Beatle traveled to Bermuda in 1980.  What he experienced while he was there unleashed his creativity and he wrote numerous songs during his visit.  These appeared on his Double Fantasy album and on an album released after his death called Milk and Honey.  In my opinion, these include some of the best work of his post-Beatle solo career.

Like me, many cruise passengers are fans of John Lennon and the Beatles.  Moreover, quite a few cruise ships call regularly in Bermuda during the summer including Celebrity Summit, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn, Enchantment of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.  So I wondered whether it is possible to see some of the places that Lennon saw and to try and see what inspired him about this place.

So enlisting the aid of popular Bermuda entertainer Tony Brannon (stage name “Tony B”) who actually saw Lennon during his visit, we drove around the island to some of the places Lennon is known to have seen.   It has been more than 30 years so things have changed but there is enough left to get a feel for what it was like.

One place that still exists that Lennon particularly liked is the Bermuda Botanical Gardens.  It was there that he saw a flower called the “Double Fantasy”.  Thinking that this symbolized his relationship with his wife Yoko Ono, Lennon adopted the name for the first album of songs that came from his Bermuda visit.

Soon Lennon fans who visit the Botanical Gardens will be able to see a memorial commemorating Lennon’s visit to the island.  On June 21, a statue and a dedicated garden will be unveiled.  On that day, there will be a concert on the grounds which will include some of the performers who have recorded songs for a tribute CD.  There will also be an exhibit of Lennon’s lithographs at the Masterworks Museum, which is on the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

My experiences following Lennon’s footsteps in Bermuda are posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-article---following-john-lennons-footsteps-in-bermuda.html                             

Celebrity Silhouette - Talking with the Captain and Hotel Director

Continuing our coverage of Celebrity Silhouette, this we have interviews with two of the individuals who play a major role in creating the cruise experience on Silhouette - - her captain and the hotel director.




The captain of a cruise ship does not just drive the ship. In fact, only a relatively small portion of his time is spent with his hands on the controls - - usually just going in and out of port. Rather, the captain has ultimate responsibility for everything that goes on aboard the ship. He is the CEO, the big picture guy.



Captain Nicholas Pagonis is the captain of Celebrity Silhouette. A very open and friendly person, he is often seen out and about amongst the guests. This is in order to further his vision of what the atmosphere on Silhouette should be like. At the same time, the safety of the ship and the guests is his number one priority, which he takes quite seriously.



In our conversation, we spoke about Silhouette both from a nautical perspective as well as about the overall cruise experience it offers. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-captain-interview.html



Sue Richardson is Silhouette’s hotel director and as such is directly responsible for most of the things that the guests experience onboard - - the accommodations, the dining, the entertainment and the activities. I asked her to describe the cruise experience that Silhouette offers and who the Silhouette is seeking to attract as guests. That interview is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-silhouette-hotel-director-interview.html

Allure of the Seas: perspectives from the top

This time we continue our coverage of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. As discussed last time, I see the entry of Allure into service as being a turning point in cruising. The number, variety and quality of the options that she offers will raise people’s expectations as to what to expect on a cruise. Moreover, with Allure’s entry into service there is now a critical mass in that now there are three ships who are offering onboard experience comparable to a shoreside resort - - Allure, her sister Oasis of the Seas, and NCL’s Norwegian Epic. This week we look at Allure from the perspectives of three key insiders who have shaped Allure of the Seas.

First, there is Captain Herman Zini. Captain Zini is a dynamic individual who at the young age of 43 has already been in charge of bringing into service some of Royal Caribbean’s most important ships including Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas. His charge this time was to ensure that Allure of the Seas was not overshadowed by her older sister Oasis of the Seas - - a difficult task considering all of the publicity that Oasis received when she entered service in 2009. To assist him in this endeavor, Royal Caribbean added new features to Allure and used the ship to premiere its new relationships with Dreamworks Animation, Starbucks and Guess. However, it was up to Captain Zini to breath life into the ship. It was interesting to me how the spirit of Allure was shaped by Captain Zini’s enthusiasm and personality. In addition, considering his experience commanding ships, I asked Captain Zini to speak about Allure’s nautical qualities.. My interview with him is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-captain.html

Next, Raimund Gschaider was the first hotel director on Oasis of the Seas and the first hotel director on Allure of the Seas. I asked him to tell us about what is common to the cruise experience on both ships and what is new and distinct about the experience on Allure. That interview is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-HD.html

Finally, I spoke with Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President for Hotel Operations. Ms. Bauer has responsibility for the dining, entertainment and accommodations not only on Allure but across the Royal Caribbean fleet. She was able to give us insights into the importance of Allure to RCI as a whole as well as into what the coming of Oasis and Allure mean for the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet. My interview with her is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Bauer.html