1st Quarter Comes to End After Much Success   

As the first quarter comes rolling to a close we would like to thank everyone who has made this a very busy 3 months.   We have handled thousands of passengers over these past months without any hick-ups, thanks in part to our cruise line partners.  We produced our first major land concert in San Juan!  As I am writing this we have clients in town this weekend to go on a ship inspection and next week brings Seatrade which is the big show for the cruise industry in Miami and is our time to catch up with many friends that are behind the scenes globally. So it never really stops!  Thank you for all your support during the years.  If you are in Frankfurt for IMEX please stop by our booth.
-Steve and Diana    
 

In any event, in looking over the list and operators there are over 20 ships in our opinion that qualify as “Luxury Ships” coming into the market.  Needless to say the ship owners are betting on a grow market for this segment.  We agree there is a growing demand for these ships worldwide and can’t wait to see what the future holds.   

By now most people have heard the ill reported rumor that you will need a travel visa to visit Europe starting in 2021. The fact of the matter is that yes there will be one small step you will need to take prior to travel but it is in no way as arduous as obtaining an actual travel visa. The application process will be online, take approximately 10 minutes and cost about $8 for each applicant between the ages of 18-70. Authorization will last for 3 years and will include unlimited number of entries. This will only apply to people traveling in Europe’s Schengen Zone which constitutes 26 countries including France, Italy, and Spain. 

Sometime ago we had a chance to tour the Royal Caribbean Production Studio on the Florida International University North Campus in Miami.  It was very impressive seeing the facility but a recent article and interview in the Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinel really put it all in perspective.
The man in charge of the facility is Nick Weir SVP of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International.   He oversees 134 stage productions for Royals 26 current ships and the Celebrity Fleet.  The facility includes a 300 seat theater, a 20,000 sq. ft. custom ship, 14 dance studios, 15 vocal rehearsal rooms, an audio recording studio, 2 aerial training areas, a finishing studio gym and housing for the performers.  This is all in a, what is now a cramped, 135,000 sq. ft. custom built facility.
On any given day there can be up to 1,500 performers in the facility.  Keep in mind he is also dealing with ice skaters and aquatic theaters as well as hiring Olympic performers and high divers from Mexico and the Red Bull circuit.  All of this talent is on varying contracts and coming from all over the world and represents multiple different professional backgrounds and cultures, including Broadway and London.
These shows are designed and developed in Miami on stages and settings similar to ships they will be on.  When the performers get to the ship they are ready to go.  This is the biggest entertainment operation of this nature in the world, surpassing Andrew Lloyd Webbers operation supporting all his tour shows.
Here is why you need this facility and support: they are entertaining 100,000 people every night 365 days of the year.  As Weir points out “We don’t have dark theaters.  There’s no break time.”
From personal experience this is one very impressive operation.