Congratulations, Frank del Rio!

[cruznut1111]

As a voyager on Renaissance (who remembers all too well the sadness of 9/25/01), Oceania and Regent I must say "Congratulations" to Mr. del Rio on his new position. I've long felt you were one of the great, passionate visionaries of cruising. I hope you have the opportunity to develop your ideas on a wide scale. Best Wishes, Bon Voyage, Kalo Taxidi!:D

[cruznut1111]

Boy am I surprised! Originally I came on to add my thoughts to an existing thread, but when I didn't see one, I decided to start this, thinking there would be many who would want to add their own comments. Really? No one else thinks this is a good thing for Mr. del Rio and cruising?

[LHT28]

Yes Congratulations to FDR in his new position.

 

I hope he still has time to post here as I always enjoy his posts & problem solving.

[digby]

What new position?

[hondorner]

What new position?

 

Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, the new company set up by Apollo to manage Oceania and Regent Seven Seas.

[LHT28]

What new position?

 

He will be the chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

quoted from the press release

 

Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will be placed under the ownership of Prestige Cruise Holdings, Inc. (PCH), a corporation controlled by Apollo which will manage certain cruise portfolio assets of Apollo.

 

http://www.oceaniacruises.com/T_MainContentPage.aspx?PageUID=ff31de0e-912e-46fb-bf54-9dfc4f87b228&PRUID=56f4d91c-f9f3-4347-9fe1-a75205f9ed1d

[cborzill]

I too want to congratulate Mr. Del Rio on the well deserved position. Considering what he has done inr the cruise industry, this one person's contribution are simply remarkable. Coming from the disappointment of Renaissance, he provided a true "rebirth" through Oceania. He has set the standard for premium/luxury cruising, first with the "tranquility bed" which all other lines were forced to copy, then by providing a cruise experience that is unparalleled, for which people are willing to pay a premium to experience, rather than fall prey to the temptation to reduce pricing to be more competitive as other cruise lines have done, resulting in reduced cruise quality/service for other former "premium" lines. I for one am willing to pay a bit more to receive better quality food and service on the cruise. What Mr. Del Rio has done is let the demand, i.e., the product drive the price, instead of price driving the product. Very impressive. Even with the direct competition from Azamara, they are finding that there simply is no competion. While the Oceania sailings are practically all booked months in advance, Azamara just announced shipboard credit and bonuses to the agents for new bookings, even though their fares are lower to begin with. Azamara will have to quickly find their groove, or we may see them selling their ships to Oceania in the near future I predict. Having sailed on the R4 of Renaissance, I am truly looking forward to my next Oceania cruise in February from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro. What is even more impressive with Mr. Del Rio is that, like me, he comes with immigrant roots to this country. He has made a permanent imprint on the cruise industry and he has many more years to go yet. I am looking forward to the Oceania newbuilds and his management of the Prestige Cruise Group that includes Regent. Congratulations Mr. Del Rio.

[digby]

"What is even more impressive with Mr. Del Rio is that, like me, he comes with immigrant roots to this country. "

 

Who in the US does NOT come with immigrant roots?

[cborzill]

Mr. Del Rio is an immigrant from Cuba. To achieve this type of success by a first generation immigrant is truly remarkable. True, most Americans have immigrant roots. Mr. Del Rio is a first generation immigrant.

[surfklutz]

With all due respect - I just don't get the idolization of Mr. Del Rio. There are many people who do not find him faultless in the whole Renaissance mess - and most people (except on this board) wouldn't consider him a victim of Renaissance.

 

There are many other pioneers in the cruise industry that I would put ahead of Mr. Del Rio - but that is just my opinion.

[BeBeReader]

I like the way Oceania is run - for the most part. Nobody and no company is perfect. And if I knew FDR personally and if I thought he cared about my congratulations, I would congratulate him if this is in order for his new position. But, not to be left out, Congratulations, FDR and Happy Holidays to you and to all posters.

 

Now, if you care, FDR, you will give me a nice response.

 

 

I don't get it either. If I bow and gesticulate, will I get special good treatment on my up-coming cruise? Somehow, I think that's what all the kissing up by the sycophants is about. And I frankly don't believe that it will make a difference for those who think pandering helps.

 

 

Now that's true, FDR, isn't it? ;)

 

BeBe

[hondorner]

...And I frankly don't believe that it will make a difference for those who think pandering helps..

Probably not. On the other hand, I can guess at a few folks who will NOT benefit if cynicism has any effect... ;)

[BeBeReader]

My prediction. It won't make any difference.

 

By the way, my prediction that FDR wouldn't answer came true.

[LHT28]

 

I don't get it either. If I bow and gesticulate, will I get special good treatment on my up-coming cruise? Somehow, I think that's what all the kissing up by the sycophants is about. And I frankly don't believe that it will make a difference for those who think pandering helps.

BeBe

 

I am sure FDR has better things to do than try and find out who people really are so he can give them special treatment.

Most people on CC have anonymous I.D.'s .

 

If you posted you got a better position or a large raise I am sure people would congratulate you ...would they be expecting special treatment?? I think not!!

[BeBeReader]

Did FDR post about his raise/promotion on this Board? When?

[cruznut1111]

I just don't get the idolization of Mr. Del Rio.

 

if I knew FDR personally and if I thought he cared about my congratulations, I would congratulate him if this is in order for his new position. If I bow and gesticulate, will I get special good treatment.....what all the kissing up by the sycophants is about.

 

WOW! I couldn't decide which of you deserved the title of "Grinch of the Year" so decided to call it a tie.

 

NOW HEAR THIS - Life is short. There aren't that many times we can be happy and think only happy thoughts for others with no need for a payback. Mr. Del Rio doesn't have a clue who I am or any of the other kind posters. The best I was hoping for when I started this thread was that 40-50 happy Oceanic/ past Renaissance cruisers might have had enough happy memories to want to say "Congrats" to the man who struggled so hard to bring back his dream. The second part of my hope was that an assistant somewhere along the way might say "Hey, a bunch of folks on Cruise Critic wished you well in your new position."

 

Would Renaissance have failed to have a happy ending at it's 9/25/2001 finance meeting even if there hadn't been a 9/11/2001 tragedy? Perhaps. But the timing was devastating. FDR didn't need to try again, but he did and did it well. It took me months to recover from the failure of my 10/2001 cruise, but I don't hold it against FDR. (My 9/10/2001 stock account still hasn't recovered, but I'm still kind to my broker.)

 

We live in a world of cynics, quitters and crooks. But we also live in a world of those who dream, struggle and hope for the best. We choose which group on which we spend our time and intention. At this point in our year, when we hope for the best in all, it's nice to see any story where one who has struggled and dreamed has been shown success.

 

May you all have happy holidays and happy thoughts for those you know well and those you know only in passing or by their words. Joy!:)

[raffeer]

Thank you Cruznut. Your post said it all.

Raffeer

[dwelsh]

Ditto!!!!

 

Well said.

[BeBeReader]

And thanks again. As expected.

[fjdelrio]

I'd like to thank CRUZNUT1111, CBORZILL and all the other happy cruise critic and Oceania Cruiser posters for all your kind words and support, and hope that the New Year brings some cheer in the lives of folks like SURFKLUTZ AND BEBEREADER who seem hell bent on promoting cynicism, distrust and just about everything else that just seems to smell like sour grapes.

 

Pandering (if that's what you want to call it) will not get you any extra treatment onboard our ships. That's just not what we are about. If there are REAL problems that come up from time to time, then yes, we will do all we can to not only fix them immediately, but also to try to make it up to whomever has been affected.

 

For those who are not happy with Oceania cruises, or with me in particular, life is too short live in a miserable state of mind and you should simply cruise on another line (and please don't cruise on Regent either).

 

Organizations big and small, win or loose (succeed or fail) not buy the deeds of one individual, but by the collective efforts of the team. I've been blessed and fortunate to have a terrific, talented, dedicated and passionate team of associates that have helped me build Oceania Cruises into a truly world class cruise line. They are the real stars of the show.

 

Again, I'd like to sincerely thank all our guests and proud supporters. I truly appreciate your thoughts and hope you continue to be as passionate about Oceania Cruises as I am.

 

I wish you ALL, Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year.

 

FDR

[LHT28]

Well said FDR!!

 

I can hardly wait for my upcoming cruises!! (no pandering here):D

 

Lyn

[Saga Ruby]

My prediction. It won't make any difference. By the way, my prediction that FDR wouldn't answer came true.

 

As a person who worked in (and retired from) law after 24 years, it is my observation that some law schools award J.D.s or LL.Bs while also handing out Ph.Ds in cynicism and sour grapes. Some of those graduates take the Ph.D and consistently persist in spreading its negative effects along the paths of their lives, involving those around them in their misanthropic world.

 

In this season of traditional cheer, I wish you all safe journeys and peaceful days for 2008.

 

Ruby

[dwelsh]

I have said many times and I reiterate it when I tell my friends about "O" that the participation in these pages by the CEO is one of the reasons that it is such a great cruise experience. FDR by his acknowledgment of this threads' contents once again shows how "on the ball" he is about his business. His thanks to his great team I am sure is appreciated by all those members who serve us, their customers.

[Hambagahle]

Mr Del Rio -

Nice to read your post. I am a dedicated RSSC cruiser, interested in learnng about Oceania, hence my reading of this board and your post!

I would just like to say that RSSC has superb executives, and wonderful staff and crew. The way they have run their company is exemplarly. My husband and I were on Mariner when she hit a growler in Alaska in 04. The whole incident was managed with total professionalism. I always say that most people can do things well under good circumstances. It takes exceptional people to do things well in adversity. The RSSC staff - from the lowest to the highest - are these kind of people. Treat them with respect and look after them for us, the RSSC passengers!

I look forward to learning more about Oceania as time goes on.

best wishes in your new position!

Geraldine Thompson

[Rat]

What a thread! :eek: Congratulations Mr FDR to your new position and many thanks for replying. Keep up the good work and Happy Holidays to you and your family.

 

Ray