Looking to aggressively pursue strong trade partnerships and enhance pre- and post-cruise service and communications with cruise guests is James Rodriguez, officially named this weekend as president and CEO of Atlas Ocean Voyages. That small-ship, luxe-adventure line is headquartered in downtown Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Until about a year ago, Rodriguez served as executive vice president of sales and marketing for Oceania Cruises. He spent 19 years at the upscale line and was part of the 19-person start-up team that founded Oceania in the early 2000s. He also was a former sales director at Crystal Cruises.
Rodriguez succeeds Alberto Aliberti who had served as president and CEO since the line was founded in 2019. Mystic Invest Holdings, which owns Atlas, indicated earlier this summer that Aliberti would be leaving the line by August 1.
While Saturday was Rodriguez’s official first day on the job, he will be in Porto, Portugal this week to meet with Mystic’s team. Among the topics being discussed are Atlas' deployment, itineraries and the line’s new ships.
The line's first ship, World Navigator launched in 2021. Sister ship World Traveller is expected to join the fleet in a few month. Three more 196-passenger sisters—all Polar Category C and Ice Class 1B—are on the horizon. World Seeker will set sail in 2023, and both World Adventurer and World Discoverer in 2024.
Late last week, Travel Agent interviewed Rodriguez for this story today. Here are highlights.
Rodriguez’s Background
While Rodriguez has a strong sales and marketing background, particularly in digital and data base marketing, his cruise industry background is multifaceted. First and foremost, “I’m an entrepreneur at heart and I come from a family of entrepreneurs,” he explains.
Early in his career, he worked at a travel agency, calling that the “fastest way for me to get into the cruise business.” In 2003, he also was an integral part of the founding team that launched Oceania Cruises. “For the last 19 years I’ve been able to diversity my experience through the organic growth of a small company, where people wear many different hats,” he says.
That allowed him to expand his breath of corporate experience—working on projects that touched revenue management, operations, human resources, corporate communications, loyalty programs, guest services, new product development, ship design and over the past year, environmental and social governance programs.
This year he also received two Harvard Business School certifications, one in sustainable business strategy and the other in sustainable investing.
“James’ entrepreneurial experience in helping build and market successful brands will be a key advantage as we continue to introduce our new brand to the North American market,” says Mário Ferreira, chairman of Mystic Invest Holdings, Atlas’ parent company. “James has an unwavering passion for the cruise industry and a reputation for being a champion of travel advisors.”
Building a Small, Passionate Team
Working at Atlas, with what he calls “a small passionate team” of about 40 employees, he “sees a lot of parallels” with the Oceania start-up. It’s all about people wearing many different hats and all working toward a common purpose, Rodriguez believes.
So, over the next few months, he’ll focus on assessing the organizational structure and building a strong team. Most important is “making sure everyone is in the right position,” he notes. Rodriguez says some team members clearly thrive on the entrepreneurial approach, while others may not.
Shaping the Full Guest Experience
Atlas, while fielding snazzy new ship hardware (see photo of World Navigator's welcoming Atlas Lounge in the photo above) and friendly onboard service, as Travel Agent has personally experienced in a voyage in fall 2021, hopes to enhance other areas of the guest experience, too.
From Rodriguez's perspective, “it’s not only the onboard experience or the hardware of the ship that matters.” For example, "the pre-cruise experience is just as important from the time they make the booking to the time they board the ship," he emphasizes. "We’ve got to get that right," is his philosophy. Also important, he adds, is the post-cruise experience and building cruise loyalty among guests who’ve had a wonderful experience.
Travel Agent asked Rodriguez if he would be doing what many new executives coming to new executive roles do—bringing in their own team. Or, will he instead work with the talent already at Atlas. Certainly, “there are going to be opportunities that open as we figure out the organizational structure.” But he stresses that Atlas’ team is “very seasoned, they wear many hats and what they need is a little help” which he believes will come from the brand’s evolution with “a different organizational structure.”
A Strong Focus on Travel Advisor Partnerships
Look for Rodriguez to focus strongly on trade partnerships. For example, “with our focus on Antarctica, we need partners who know how to sell,” he says. Atlas must reach out and build those partnerships which can help the brand "develop a strong customer base.”
“In tandem, the number-one thing is bookings, bookings, bookings,” Rodriguez says emphatically.
He believes that advisors who are part of those strong trade partnerships can sizably help Atlas seek out those guests looking for looking for a small luxury ship experience, extra culinary options and exceptional experiences in Antarctica, the Arctic and other remote spots. For example, Certares Management, a Mystic Invest shareholder, owns Internova Travel Group, which is the parent company of Travel Leaders Group. So, possibly look for Rodriguez to work to more fully leverage that and other trade relationship.
Luxe-Adventure Focus
Will Rodriguez continue the brand's “luxe-adventure” moniker and sales approach. “Absolutely,” Rodriguez says. “Luxe-adventure epitomizes what the product is all about. You’re going to have a luxury experience. You’re going to have an adventure.” In addition, he says that Atlas’ product is “built for North American travelers who like to go and relax without the pretenses" of many luxury products. In other words, guests won't find formal nights or the need for tuxes, sports coats or fancy gowns aboard.
Moving forward, Rodriguez says to look for new options on how guests can indulge themselves in the destination experience: “We’re going to come up with great shore events and excursions."
As for the inclusivity factor, advisors know that Atlas shifted earlier this year from an all-inclusive product to a highly inclusive one. For example, airline tickets and shore excursions that were once included in the cruise fare are no longer included. At the time, Aliberti cited the fact that many luxury travelers wished to book their own air, use frequent flyer awards, or fly in early to a destination. Some didn't want to do shore excursions in every port and desired instead to visit with friends ashore or to hire a private car
We asked Rodriguez if the current, slightly-less inclusive fare model will “hold.” After, all he’s come from two cruise lines where all-inclusive or highly inclusive was the norm. “We’re really going to drill down into the value proposition,” he acknowledges, and look at the entire inclusivity facet of the product. But he believes the elements that are important to guests are included. Still, the brand will take another look.
Back in South Florida
While Rodriguez previously lived in Florida, he moved to Colorado with his family within the past year. “I love Colorado and wanted to experience the lifestyle,” he tells Travel Agent.
While he’ll commute back and forth between the two states over the next few months, yes, he will return to the "Sunshine State" for the new gig: “My heart is in the travel and cruise business, and the heart of the cruise business is in South Florida."
As he moves into the new job, Rodriguez takes pride that he started in the cruise industry as part of the travel advisor community. He had worked, coincidentally, at an agency called Atlas Travel, no relation to the cruise brand.
But ultimately, "that helped me be better on the supplier side," he believes adding that for a line to grow and prosper, it needs to “keep guests in the bookings." He sees advisors as invaluable in that regard.
For more information about Atlas Ocean Voyages, visit www.atlasoceanvoyages.com.
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