I was recently reminded of the TV advert Carnival Corporation created a few years ago, which featured John F. Kennedy’s speech which he made at the Dinner for the America’s Cup Crews on September 14, 1962 in which he talked about the importance of the sea and said: “It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat and in our tears. We are tied to the ocean.”
As I prepare to board Iona for the important two night preview cruise – or “shakedown” as we all now call them – this seemed so very fitting. The past 18 months have seen a great deal of sweat and many tears – both as we have worked to protect and preserve this company and because of the very real impact the pandemic has had on all aspects of our lives. But we are all tied together by our love of the sea and our ships.
Today is yet another key milestone and is a very real representation of the sweat put in by you all. Never underestimate the impact your individual contribution has on this business and on this magnificent ship – whether through its build, its design, sales, marketing, dealing with our guests, the ongoing operational readiness (such a vast task encompassing so many complexities), supplies, procurement, technical excellence, all aspects of crewing and the on board guest experience and so much more – every single one of you should feel that this is your ship – the reality of your unstinting hard work and you should feel very, very proud.
Today over 3,000 guests will step on board and admire the décor, the art, the shows, the food and the cabins and yet they will have absolutely no concept of the hours and hours, months and months of preparedness which have gone into what they are seeing. But you will know – and that feeling should forever be in your heart and keep you going through tough times.
And as everything is tested, tried out, watched and eaten on this test cruise, on the maiden voyage and throughout the summer then I am certain we will see the results of everyone’s labour on social media and through positive word of mouth and future bookings.
As Iona begins sailing we start to look at the other ships in the fleet and how we will phase them into service. Following the welcome news from the Government last week we are now confidently looking towards the re-start of international cruising as we move into the autumn. As we return to the office, further building the camaraderie amongst colleagues, a sense of normality will return, alongside exciting new opportunities.
This build up and our return, whilst it has taken longer than any of us thought, is now very real.
John F. Kennedy concluded his speech by saying “I want to toast tonight the crew, the sailors…”
And so tonight – on your ship – I will raise a glass to you all – each and every one of you – you are the crew and the sailors and you have made this happen.
I thank you.
Take care and best wishes.
Paul