“Effective leadership is not about making
speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”
ANOTHER YEAR HAS GONE BY,
2018 TURNED OUT TO BE OUR BEST
YEAR YET AT CMIL
Most of our KPI’s were on or above target including the overall guest satisfaction scores. The ships guest occupancies have also been on the high side and the niche and expedition cruise segments are thriving. I would like to take this opportunity again to thank you; our clients, suppliers, onboard crew, hiring partners everyone in the corporate office and our friends for all of your support on a job well done.
On December 6th we hosted our annual Holiday Party at our corporate office in Miami; it was a huge success. A special thank you to all the organizers for a wonderful evening.
During the summer we had Sea Spirit, Ocean Diamond, Ocean Endeavour, Sea Endurance, Ocean Adventurer, Victory I and Victory II in operation. We started with our new client Institute of Shipboard Education and the World Odyssey early September in Hamburg, Germany for the first semester cruise which ended in San Diego in December. This is an exciting new opportunity for us, working with the fine team and crew of Semester at Sea and the M/V World Odyssey.
Our Antarctica season for 2018/2019 has already taken off. We have three dedicated ships for this winter season out of Ushuaia. The Sea Spirit, Ocean Adventurer and the Ocean Atlantic. The Ocean Atlantic is also going to operate for 2019 during the summer season under Albatros Expeditions. We are very happy to have her with us on a full year basis.
This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to China and visit one of our crew hiring partners in Xiamen. It was a very productive and eye-opening experience for me. China is developing more and more. I met with Mr. Zhang at the Sea-Land Maritime Service office. They invited me to give a speech and a presentation followed by a question and answer session with some of their future potential crew members. I was impressed with the genuine interest all the candidates showed; their excitement and enthusiasm were clearly reflected in their questions.
Looking forward, we have a strong, positive outlook about the future market in China.
Every New Year many of us start with some New Year’s resolutions. Though in theory it is a positive thought process, the real challenge is always the implementation of the resolution. Most resolutions vanish in a few months and the goals are forgotten. One of our programs, which we started two years ago, is our ISO 9001 certification. This helps us to systematically stay on track with our New Year’s initiatives and resolutions as a company. Like every year, we have an internal and external audit ensuring that we are on target.
Our crew questionnaires have been sent out again this year to all our operated ships. Our crew continues to display satisfaction with living conditions and onboard food quality. In fact, 98 % of hotel crew strongly agree/ agree that CMI Leisure is a good company to work for. As we all know, what sets apart working on a cruise ship from working in a land-based resort or hotel is the completely different lifestyle experience. You are living and working with the same people for a longer time period. Spending more time with the same group of people allows for stronger onboard connections and relationships. With this kind of environment, different issues may sometimes arise, and we make a concerted effort to create a positive working culture onboard all our ships. A happy crew translates into happy guests.
Please continue to provide us with your comments and feedback on our surveys, they are much appreciated.
We also operated the first “Taste of Place” cruise onboard the Ocean Endeavour with Adventure Canada in Northern Canada. It was a real “GLOCAL” regional food and wine experience. Adventure Canada has put a lot of time and effort into the cruise and we had members of the American “Slow Food” organization participating, supporting
the overall cruise experience. Thanks to everyone for making this a success and pioneering the way for a new series of special sailings. We are very excited to be planning another cruise for 2019.
“Learning through food, culture, music, arts, and science have long been at the core of Adventure Canada expeditions. The company routinely travels with leading experts and visionaries in their respective fields. Taste of Place represents Adventure Canada’s latest extension of this ethos. The program aims to heighten travelers’ culinary experience with onshore and onboard events, presentations, meals, and celebrations that showcase unique flavors and the people that create them.
2019 will be an historical year for us, starting with the inauguration of our group’s first New Build, the M/V Greg Mortimer, later in the year. She will operate the Antarctica 2019/2020 season for our Australian client, Aurora Expedition and replace the M/V Polar Pioneer. It will also be the first cruise ship build in China. We are all very excited about this special occasion as it is a major milestone for all of us; it’s a dream come true.
I will keep you posted on the development of our next addition.
Wishing you a joyful and prosperous 2019 from Miami.
