Much to our pleasure, the event took off and became very popular. In fairness, I must admit that flowriding is more of a spectator sport than an active one. The majority of people come to the events to watch others fall and make themselves look silly. And we all take voyeuristic pleasure in watching others fall and look silly. But it seems to attract a large crowd and I enjoy doing it.

The rules are very simple. Each contestant does his or her best surfing in front of the group. The audience is given voting paddles with only two options (we don’t want any hanging chad challenges here). The paddles clearly show whether the guests is voting for (a) The Chairman Wins or (b) The Contestant Loses. Write-ins are allowed, but only if delivered to the ship during the period beginning at 11:58 pm and ending at Midnight on the day 3 months prior to the contest.

Each contestant does his or her best. We have a rule against ringers, but recently two slipped through. The first was Tom Lochtefeld, the inventor and owner of the Flowrider business. He was already an accomplished surfer even prior to inventing the Flowrider. The second ringer was the stunt coordinator for Jack & Jill, the movie being shot onboard during the first days in service. He loved the machine and trained on it for 14 hours during lulls in the movie filming.

Fortunately, I wasn’t worried. They may have more practice than I; they may be better athletes; and they may cut an impressive swath on the machine. However, I have done this at least a half dozen time over the years. I had age and experience on my side.

I personally set up the voting mechanism to ensure the best man or woman won. All guests voted on their choice using the paddles described. Then the Royal Caribbean Election Commission (the “RCEC”) tallied the vote. Since this tallying process is somewhat subjective, we strictly require the members of the RCEC to meet three stringent requirements. Firstly, the must be at least 18 years of age. Secondly, they must not have been certified by a court of competent jurisdiction with the prior 6 months. And, lastly, they must all be employed by Royal Caribbean and wish to remain thus.

Remarkably, against all the concerted opposition over the years, truth and justice have prevailed and I have been declared the winner each time. Attached is a link to a clip showing me starting on the short board then trying the standing surfing style. The clip has been edited by our video department who added some music and otherwise edited it well. Unfortunately, they also added some stuff at the beginning which is irrelevant and which you can just skip.

Now you know why they call me Chairman of the Board.

Me and my grandson.

For me, the two most interesting aspects of these inaugurals have been the atmosphere onboard and the novel entertainment on ALLURE. Regarding the former, it is hard to describe something as amorphous as an atmosphere, but every cruise has a clear mood and everyone onboard feels it even if we can’t articulate it.

On ALLURE, we are all feeling that we are part something special and the camaraderie that such a feeling generates is contagious.  For example, we have asked many of our best travel partners to join us over the Thanksgiving holidays and instead of feeling imposed upon, these travel partners are actually thanking us for inviting them during this important holiday.  The attitude seems to be one of wonder rather than mere research.  And the contagion spreads to the crew.  I am always in awe of the crew, but there is a tangible buzz here aboard ALLURE which lifts all our spirits.  There is also a quiet confidence which makes everything seem so smooth and effortless.  In the end, the ship helps create a special atmosphere and the atmosphere helps elevate a special ship.

And the entertainment compliments everything else.  In our press releases, it always seems to be a dry listing of individual items; a lot of items, but a dry list nevertheless.  I am not denigrating our press releases.  (And I should also congratulate both the PR department and our PR agency, Weber Shandwick for doing an amazing job attracting, organizing and facilitating 525 journalists from 56 countries.  It is truly impressive seeing what a complex task that is and how well they have orchestrated it.)  But a press release is necessarily dry and inevitably focuses on making as long a list as possible.  Long lists always seem to be the most interesting and they always seem to attract the greatest interest.  But the lists don’t do the reality justice. 

Each of these new entertainment features would be noteworthy in their own right.  If a new ship put on a Broadway performance of the caliber of our CHICAGO; if any new ship produced an aquatics show like our Oceanaria; if any ship (new or old) announced a partnership with Dreamworks; if ; if; if; then travel writers would be enthralled.  But ALLURE has introduced all that and more.  I watched Blue Planet last night.  After all the talk, all the rehearsals and all the technical issues, the show exceeded everyone’s expectations.  The costumes were amazing; the staging was inspired; the singing and dancing mesmerizing.  No one aspect stood out, but the cohesive whole was thrilling.  Like the ship, the sheer scale of the alternatives and their very diversity produced a wondrous effect. 

So, I am going back to my grandchildren (and incidentally their parents) and celebrating with them this great holiday.  I have much to be grateful for and this inaugural is just one of them. 

ALLURE OF THE SEAS has arrived. Lisa Bauer and Captain Hernan Zini have chronicled the crossing in their blog and webisodes respectively. It has been an unusually smooth crossing in many ways. The first is literal. The seas were very calm and — while they had to deviate twice to skirt around some Atlantic storms — the seas were smooth and easy. In addition, the calm waters made it easier for the crew to complete all their prep work. Operating equipment needed to be checked out, rehearsals organized, and generally the ship prepared for the public. The smooth crossing helped but so did the fact that the ship was so complete at delivery. One indicator of how smooth the crossing was is the fact that the ship used 700 tons (185,000 gal) less fuel than OASIS did on her crossing (and I don’t think that had anything to do with Hernan’s claim that ALLURE is lighter and longer than OASIS).
But safety first and the crossing was filled with safety drills, drills and more drills. In fact, they calculated that more than 20,000 man-hours was devoted to safety training and that it meant the crew had to walk 7,000 kilometers as part of the drills.

The smooth crossing also gave the ship time to stop in Freeport and undertake testing and calibration of the Dynamic Positioning System (“DPS”). The DPS allows the ship to navigate easily in areas where smaller but less maneuverable ships can’t go. It also allows the ship to remain in one place without an anchor. This capability is very powerful. It avoids the danger to coral reefs that anchoring can present and allows the ship to “station-keep” in one spot better and more accurately than normal anchoring. For thousands of years, ships have weather-vaned around a long anchor chain, moving with the wind. With DP, we can remain fixed within a few feet without any physical link to the ocean floor.

I strongly considered going to Freeport and joining the ship for the last night of it’s crossing but decided against it. Instead, I went up to John L. Lloyd State Park in Ft Lauderdale to greet her when she arrived. It was a beautiful morning. I arrived during darkness and watched a magnificent sunrise silhouette the ALLURE waiting on the horizon. Someone told me that it had been cold and damp last year for the OASIS arrival but I said that my only memory was how wonderful it had been.

Nova Southeastern University had graciously invited a number of our people and other interested parties to watch the arrival from their facility on the harbor. The location was also the site of Nova Southeastern’s new Oceanographic Lab which has been designed to especially study Coral Reefs. My only jealousy is the fact that their construction period is so much shorter than ours.

Finally, I got to board the ship. I went by the warehouse storing all the plants for Central Park. It was impressive to see just how many plants there were, how varied they were and how well organized they were. It was also impressive to see the veritable army of people in uniform waiting to board. Police, CBP, USCG, and an alphabet soup of other agencies making sure that everything was up to snuff. I also met Harri Kulovaara and together we went to the ship. After US Customs and Border Patrol cleared the ship, we went up the gangway where Raymond Gschaider, the Hotel Director, and Julie Sherrington, the Guest Relations Manager were there to greet us with warm and happy smiles. I went through security and then down I-95 (our name for the main “street” for the crew that runs the entire length of the ship and gives access to all points along the way). It was buzzing with the excitement of finally arriving in South Florida and preparations for the onslaught of interested parties. I was humbled by how excited they all were and how warmly they greeted me as I made my way down the long thoroughfare. Everyone seemed to be rushing somewhere, but I was slow because there were just too many people to greet and celebrate with.

Finally we made it to the conference room where we did the debriefing. This is usually a long process of reviewing the outstanding issues and review the plans for dealing with them. Here, it was a breeze. The whole meeting lasted only a short time and consisted mostly of positive reports from all.

The immediate priority was preparing for the US Coast Guard inspection and the US Public Health inspection. Both had had earlier inspections in Finland, but this was the ultimate test. And Hernan knew they were coming prepared to be especially thorough. The ship has attracted a great deal of attention and he knew that the authorities were not going to take any shortcuts. In the end, the training paid off. By Friday night, we knew that the Coast Guard not only passed the ship, but gave it not a single comment; remarkable for a space of over 1.25 million square feet and a crew of 2,200 people.

Then Friday night, we had the great honor of hosting the Chairman’s Gala celebrating the commissioning of the guided missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham on Saturday. Jason Dunham was a United States Marine who sacrificed his own life in Iraq by jumping onto a live grenade to save his comrades. His sacrifice was instantaneous (not a lot of decision time when a grenade is on the ground at your friends’ feet) and heroic. Very much in the finest traditions of the U.S. Marine Corps. And very much deserving of the Congressional Medal of Honor which his parents accepted posthumously on his behalf. The reception was a wonderful way to honor his valor and the commissioning of the vessel named in his honor. In attendance were his parents, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Commander of the Second Fleet and the Captain of the destroyer. I have never felt so protected.

That evening, I also had a chance to walk through Central Park. It was a pleasant evening and the bulk of the plantings were already installed. It went much smoother than last time because (a) it’s always easier the second time, (b) the boxes were better configured so they needed fewer adjustments and (c) the plants had been better organized and prepped so they were lusher and moister.

Finally, the ALLURE OF THE SEAS and the OASIS OF THE SEAS crossed paths as OASIS left port and ALLURE returned to her berth at the port. Since they are normally in on Saturday and Sunday respectively, this is the first and may be the last time they do so.  See photo attached.

Juha Heikinheimo, President, STX Finland and Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. celebrate the delivery of Allure of the Seas

For the record, there were 230 comments left outstanding at the delivery of the ship. 230 comments for a vessel of this scale (the comparable figure for OASIS was 6,000) is an amazing accomplishment for which we need to be grateful.

Later that afternoon we welcomed all the VIP visitors onboard for the celebration and flag changing ceremony. Again a very emotional time. Unlike the morning formalities, this was much more ceremonial starting with bagpipes (of course), speeches and commendations. All proper pomp and ceremony. Even Shrek made his entrance. When Captain Hernan Zini gave the order to raise the ship’s flags, that really signified that the ship was ours and ready to be taken into service. After the ceremony and the dinner, the ship presented snippets of some of its entertainment which were extremely well received by all assembled.

It ended up being a long day for me and just before it ended Captain Zini had more news. The weather report showed some strong winds building in the morning and he decided that he wanted an early start which meant that I had to be off the vessel and waving its departure at 5:00am. Since my day didn’t end until after 12:30, I decided not to risk another oversleep. I spent the rest of the night returning calls and emails which I had not been able to get to during the previous two days and left the ship at five o’clock. Watching the ship pull away from the pier was awesome. Surrounded by total silence and a cold, dark morning, the slow progression of the ship away from the pier was majestic. It was hard not to be emotional to watch such a stately movement. Remarkably, I still wasn’t tired but I can tell you I slept well on the flight home.

Allure of the Seas departs the shipyard.

The most striking feature is just how complete the vessel is.  At delivery, OASIS was largely complete, but there were significant areas where workers were scurrying about frantically trying to finish.  This was especially apparent in the entertainment areas such as the main theatre, the AquaTheatre and the upper decks.  In addition, although the hardware was ready, the crew was rushing to get all the soft codes in place:  plates, silverware, towels, retails supplies, casino chips, etc.  As a result, it still looked very much like a construction site with the same kind of frenetic activity and the same kind of cacophony of noises coming from all directions.

By contrast, ALLURE is calm and the ship pristine.  Here, the crew was able to get access to their areas much earlier and have already gotten most of that stuff put away.  As a result, there is a calmness onboard that one rarely sees at a ship delivery.  At the same time, there is a strong undercurrent of not allowing ourselves to become complacent.  Everything needs to be perfect and while it is almost so, it is not yet so.  The net result is that our inspection felt like no other inspection I have done.  Where normally, we would be discussing what details needed completing and what our plan for completing them would be, here we were simply observing how polished everything was and what operating activities would take it to a new level.

We are down to only about 1,200 remarks and there is a confidence that it will be down to fewer than 500 by the flag changing ceremony tomorrow.  Not quite zero but extraordinarily low and a testament to the strong efforts by everyone involved from the Yard, from the inspection team and from our operating groups.  Only 500 remarks at closing would simply be amazing and in a league of its own.

There is one exception to the unhurried and unharried pace.  We decided to replace the donut shop with a fancy hot dog station called the Boardwalk Dog House.  (Don’t worry, the donuts will still be available from a wagon nearby.)  However, since it wasn’t part of the contract, we are building the Dog House ourselves and this work couldn’t start until the yard released the area to us.  Finally we have something about which I am an expert and I will weigh in on this important epicurean delight.

Actually the most frenetic activity is taking place in the yard’s executive boardroom about 300 yards from the ship.  It has been taken over by the lawyers and bankers preparing for tomorrow’s close.  The ship may be nearly perfect, but the lawyers know that the paperwork must be perfect without a qualifier. 

For me personally, I’m feeling very good.  The ship is in good shape.  The new areas are all that we hoped them to be.  What really makes it special for me though is seeing so many of my friends.  I’m amazed at how many of the officers and crew I know from other ships and how warmly they have welcomed me.  Usually when I inspect a ship it’s a slow process because I like to see every nook and cranny.  This time it is a slow process because I can’t go two feet without stopping to talk and commune with people from the Yard or from our crew.

Tomorrow is the big day.  It is hard not to be nervous about such a major milestone.  Fortunately, others have laid the groundwork so I can proceed with confidence.

Obviously, our objective is to do all we can to ensure that everything is a positive surprise (and I think we do more than most) but of course there are always surprises in both directions. I recall on Voyager that we built a rotating roulette wheel that was so large it turned not only the wheel but a group of slot machines and their players as well.  If the ball landed on your spot, you won an extra prize.  Brilliant and an amazing engineering feat.  Unfortunately, our guests didn’t agree and we had to admit defeat.  We took out the wheel and replaced it with a perfumerie.  Apparently, our guests preferred pleasant odors to good engineering and the perfumerie has been a hit.

On Oasis the imaginative use of technology was not simply something that enhanced the experience – it was such an integral part of the experience that it raised the whole cruise to a different level. The feedback we got from our guests was truly overwhelming.  One of those new technologies was our interactive information board which provides a cornucopia of information about all the activities happening onboard and where to find them. Those boards provided a good example of a guest response that far exceeded our hopes. We put a lot of effort into creating them, but even we were surprised by the acclaim they received. We were even recognized by InformationWeek for “our innovative use of technology.” Who knew that we would get recognized by a geek magazine for developing such a consumer-facing concept? In addition, they also listed our digital signage as “one of the magazine’s ‘20 Great Ideas to Steal.’

I’m not sure how I feel about that title, but it reflects a truism – in today’s world, you don’t get ahead by staying still. So, for Allure of the Seas, the team decided to take this idea one step further. It turns out that the single most common reason our guests go to the Guest Relations Desk is to check their onboard account. What a waste! This is a poor use of our representatives’ time and an inconvenient way for our guests to get their requested information.

Lisa Bauer and her team decided to automate the process and put in a better system. Enter the new Royal Express Kiosk. It allows our guests to easily access their account at any time – but it does more. It also allows them to look up the status of their flights and even to print their airline boarding pass.  It’s really cool and here is a picture of Lisa showing the prototype off. 

Lisa Bauer demonstrates the Royal Express Kiosk

A couple of other points about this stuff.  Firstly, success breeds success.  Having such a good base to work from makes it easier and better to go to the next level.  Because we have such a good base technology platform, we don’t have to “reinvent the wheel” each time.  Thus, the Royal Express Kiosk was easier for us to envision, simpler for us to design and cheaper for us to program than it would have been if we weren’t building off an existing, successful base.  We also enjoy one other advantage.  Once we develop something successful like this, it is relatively inexpensive to extend it to other ships in the fleet.  Thus, we can spread the cost of such a project over a much bigger base.

This is supposed to be a blog about ALLURE OF THE SEAS and I get great satisfaction from being involved in such a complicated and successful project.  But I also get a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment from the small project of developing a school for Haiti’s children and their parents.  And since this is my blog, I get to share some of my joy.

In the early days of the project, preparations were moving along but too slowly for my taste. Then, almost exactly a year ago today, it got a boost when President Clinton visited Labadee with us as part of his efforts to help Haiti’s moribund economy. President Clinton and his Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) not only applauded the economic contribution our facility provided Haiti, but also encouraged our plan for the school.  The pace picked up until disaster struck in the form of a horrific earthquake.  Our efforts shifted to immediate relief including delivering over 3,000 pallets of relief supplies.

But the future beckoned and over the long term, Haiti’s future belongs to its children. The construction had to get started.  We assigned the construction task to John Weis who heads our private destinations and shore programs; and the education program to Maryse Kedar who heads up our relations with Haiti.  Maryse’s ProDev foundation has been devoted to education in Haiti since 1996 and established 21 tent schools in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake.

Which brings us to Thursday. Thursday, we dedicated the school. Thursday, we fulfilled a dream and a promise.  Thursday, we cried and we laughed.

Thursday, about 100 representatives from the community, the government, and the people involved with the project gathered with the children on the school grounds.  The setting is magnificent; simply breathtaking.  The school is located on a mountain ridge overlooking the deep, blue waters of Haiti’s rugged coastline.  The image is like a picture postcard of a beautiful Caribbean resort.  And the campus itself complements the view.  The campus is divided into six buildings that include 12 classrooms, a computer lab, administrative offices, etc.

The buildings are designed to be sympathetic to the local architecture while providing natural cross ventilation and efficient classroom spaces. The buildings fan out from the center courtyard to provide a sense of intimacy while preserving the privacy each class needs.  It also had to meet the needs of small children during the day and adults later on. Providing food and water to the students also needed to be factored in.

Certainly, Haiti needs more such private investment. Only  9% of the Haitian budget goes to education, which is a small percentage of a very small budget.  As a result, only 12% of non-public elementary schools and 5% of secondary schools get any government subsidies, and only 8% of students who start first grade complete schooling without interruption.

But the stars of Thursday’s event were the children.  We had speeches, of course, and everyone listened politely while the dignitaries expressed the important sentiments and thanked those who had worked so hard to make this happen.  But the kids absolutely stole the show.  With little opportunity to prepare, they sang their own welcome.  Two hundred and thirty young voices really brought home to all of us why this was so important.  There wasn’t a dry eye in the house (actually courtyard).

Making this happen took a lot of effort by a lot of people.  John Weis and Maryse Kedar took the lead throughout and my appreciation of all they did is immeasurable.  The buildings themselves were built by InnoVida who prefabricated the panels in Miami then transported them to Haiti onboard our ships. Fifty Haitian workers erected the structures in only 5 weeks.  I must also express our appreciation to President Clinton and his CGI who encouraged us from the beginning and whose support was an important element in our success.  His personal commitment to Haiti is noteworthy and laudable

I have attached some pictures of the event and the campus.  It is worth noting that all the parents are asked to pay tuition.  We wanted them to have a tangible part of the project and while the amount is small — $5 per month — it is important.

Some days are special.

John Weis, me and our new students

An aerial view of the campus.

L'Ecole Nouvelle Royal Caribbean

Smiling Faces

The students

It was preformed at our studios in Hollywood, Florida in front of our senior executives as well as performers and others involved in the different shows which are being prepared at any given time at the studios. 

It was WOW-some. 

As usual, there were no sets, no costumes, no lighting, etc. Just raw talent performing in what was essentially a black box.  Even without the accoutrements, the skill of the singers and dancers; the flair of the choreography; and the passion and energy of all involved were inspiring.  Doing it in such an informal setting gave the performance an intimacy one rarely experiences and I loved every minute of it.  Up close, you could really appreciate the energy and determination each performer put into his or her performance.  The strain, the exertion, and the pain were clear up close in a way that’s hard to appreciate from a distance. 

The crispness of the coordination amongst the dancers was amazing. The choreography of Chicago calls for a fluidity amongst the performers and a synchronization that is hard to achieve, but the cast moved as one even in some of the most demanding positions.  I loved it and I can’t wait to see the final version.  And remember, these performers are also simultaneously preparing themselves for the Blue Planet show.  We are truly blessed to have such a skilled and dedicated group of producers, director, choreographers, set designers and technical experts and, of course, singers and dancers. 

WOW-some.

The crew has started to arrive and there are now approximately 600 crew members onboard.  One of the big differences compared to OASIS is that the main entertainment venues are FAR more complete on Allure now than they were on Oasis at delivery.  For example, in the main theatre on Oasis, we had a problem with the installation of the rigging.  The rigging had to be completely removed and rebuilt and we were way behind the curve as a result.  On Allure, the more robust rigging was installed from the beginning and the installation has been a pleasure.  Similarly, the installation of the AquaTheatre on Allure has gone much more easily than on Oasis.  This is a very sophisticated area requiring intricate mechanical and electronic interfaces.  In addition, the safety requirements for such a complicated operation are extensive.  Naturally, it’s easier to do this for the second time and the installation of Allure has proceeded swimmingly. 

 “Remarks”

On Allure, the number of open remarks have peaked (we hope) at 7,000 and are now down to about 5,900.  A remark is defined essentially as anything that we want fixed and can range from something as small as a scratch on a table to something as major as the malfunction of a significant machinery component.  The yard set itself a target of zero comments at delivery which would be unheard of, but a wonderful accomplishment if achieved. 

As we approach delivery, we are encountering one of the more interesting ironies of a good reporting system.  Intuitively, one imagines that a good reporting system gives you better track of the issues and means that there will be fewer reports in the long run.  In my experience, this is a valid assumption but the key phrase is “in the long run.” In fact, one of the common features of a good reporting system is that the number of reports actually grows in the beginning, not declines.  This is because a good reporting system increases everyone’s consciousness of whatever is being reported and people become more diligent about reporting.  As a result, I usually view a ramp-up in reports as a sign that the system is getting better, not worse.  Perverse, but normal.

In this case, the ship is so well prepared and everyone’s attention is so concentrated that we are getting “comments” on things we normally we wouldn’t have thought about.  For example, on a normal ship, we might have a comment that says, “No tables in the dining room.”  On Allure where all the tables are in, we might have five comments that certain tables have small scratches.

5,900 comments to be cleared in 16 days.  Can they do it?  I don’t know but this is a nice issue to ponder.

They also invited Kelly Gonzalez who heads the design team since the experience is supposed to be a treat for the eye as well as the palate.  For the record, here is the primary menu we tested:

 Tuna (or Tomato) Tartare Nicoise

Artichoke Mustard, Black Olive Panisse Crouton, Soft Boiled Quail Egg

 Duck Two Ways

Savoy Cabbage Wrapped Confit, & Seared Duck Breast,

Caramelized Onion Puree, Wild Mushrooms, Brussel Sprouts, Turnips, Pedro Ximenez Duck Jus

 Creme Fraiche Cake

Lemon Curd, Blueberry Compote, Vanilla Bean Chantilly, Carbonated Blueberries

I argued that we should test every possible combination of menus between now and delivery (we have to eat every day anyway), but Adam and Lisa felt there was point of which even due diligence gets excessive. 

For those of you who don’t already know, Molly Brandt was chosen as the Chef de Cuisine for 150 Central Park after an eight-week contest which pitted her against other skilled chefs from the Culinary Institute of America.  Here entry into the competition was a favorite of the public voters and her menu in the final challenge bested everyone else as judged by the Culinary Institute and Royal Caribbean’s own experts.