This Week in Cruise: Carnival Corporation and SeaDream Yacht Club Announce Reorganizations

Carnival Corporation announced a series of personnel reorganizations last week, which all go into effect Dec. 1, 2014. Howard Frank, Carnival Corporation's vice chairman and COO, is stepping down from his position to become a special advisor to Arnold Donald, Carnival Corporation's CEO, and to Micky Arison, chairman of the board. Frank will continue to man his post as chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Alan Buckelew, currently president and CEO, Princess Cruises, is being elevated to the newly-created role of COO for Carnival Corp, reporting directly to Donald. Stein Kruse, currently president and CEO, Holland America Line,  being appointed CEO of the Holland America Group, adding Princess Cruises and Holland America/Princess Tours (which handles land operations in Alaska) to his current responsibilities, which include Holland America Line and Seabourn. Kruse will report to Donald, and will replace Micky Arison as chairman of the board of MANCO, the UK-based entity which oversees operations of Carnival Australia including P&O Cruises.

Lasty, Jan Swartz, currently EVP, sales, marketing and customer service, Princess Cruises, has been appointed as president of Princess Cruises. She will report to Kruse.

SeaDream Yacht Club also announced a change of positions, with Pamela Conover resigning as the company's CEO, effective Dec. 4. Chairman and owner Atle Brynestad will once again assume the role of CEO.

SeaDream said Conover, a veteran industry leader and former president and CEO of Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line, will spend the next month working with Brynestad on the transition of her duties.

In a $13-million renovations move, Costa Voyager, Costa neoRiviera and Costa Classica are entering dry dock at San Giorgio del Porto shipyard in Genoa for planned maintenance and refurbishments totaling more than $13.5 million. 

The first Costa ship to enter the yard was the 48,200-ton Costa neoRiviera, from Nov. 5 through Nov. 12; then the 24,400-ton Costa Voyager enters the yard today for approximately two weeks, followed by the 53,000-ton Costa Classica, from Nov. 12 through Dec. 21.

Scheduled operations are to include the deck and engine section on Costa Voyager, while work on Costa Classica is routine maintenance, performed about every 2.5 years, on the hull, engine section and hotel department.