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If I were overseeing Global Cruise Sales, I would be very intentional about what I measure, and just as intentional about what I don’t. Performance Management - What I Would Choose to Measure In complex sales environments like cruise sales, metrics don’t just report performance. They shape behavior. Measure the wrong KPIs and you don’t just get distorted results, you may create unintended consequences that affect guests, the global sales force, and long-term value.

In cruise sales, training often happens in bursts. A new hire onboarding, a new ship or product launch, a new campaign. Then the business moves on. Is this effective & sustainable or just follows the industry standard? Cruise sales operates in one of the most dynamic commercial environments. Markets shift, booking curves evolve, itineraries change, onboard teams rotate, shoreside teams get stuck on daily routines and guest expectations continue to rise. In that reality, e

A couple of weeks ago, during a call, someone asked me: “How did you increase sales by 790% in just ten months for ONE’s flagship product?” I paused. Honestly, I had done it so naturally that I’d never really stopped to unpack it. It came down to building the right structure, support, empowerment, training, incentives, and one crucial element, building a recruitment and retention platform from scratch. From the very first interview to training and onboarding, every step ha

When I look at budgeting and forecasting in cruise sales, I often see the same patterns repeated. Targets set in isolation, spreadsheets disconnected from reality, and assumptions carried over from previous years. 

Once Global Cruise Sales is clearly defined, the next step is structuring it to deliver predictable, scalable results. Without clarity in roles, responsibilities, and governance, even the best strategies fail to translate into revenue.

Why Global Cruise Sales must be defined before it’s scaled. Before scaling Global Cruise Sales, it needs to be clearly defined. Not in broad terms, but in practical ones:

If I were overseeing a Global Cruise Sales organization, I wouldn’t start with targets, markets, or headcount. I would start by building the sales architecture that makes performance predictable, ethical, and scalable, Shoreside and Onboard.

The luxury cruise industry is evolving rapidly, and if you’re involved in this space, you already know how dynamic the market can be. From innovative ship designs to personalized guest experiences, the trends shaping luxury cruises today are setting the stage for the future. But what exactly are these trends, and how can you leverage them to stay ahead? Let’s dive into the latest insights and practical strategies that can help you navigate this exciting market. Trends in Luxu

Why This Newsletter Matters | 2025 onboard sales hit record highs, yet gaps remain. Onboard Sales 2.0 combines behavior, leadership, and AI to unlock incremental revenue. This newsletter outlines key triggers, team practices, and your 5-step 2026 playbook. By focusing on guest psychology and crew culture, leaders can reclaim lost revenue and set their ships up for a profitable year.

1970 → Today (Hotels, Cruises & the Evolution of Luxury Travel) How the Wealthy Travel: Luxury Travel Luxury travel hasn’t just evolved, it has layered, segmented, and diversified over time. While multiple luxury models now coexist and no traveler fits a single profile, the dominant growth and innovation trends over the past five decades point clearly in this direction. 1970s – Exclusivity & Classic Elegance  Luxury travel was reserved for the few.  • Grand European hotels an

As 2025 comes to an end, this year reminded me that life is not only about achievements, but about growth. Happy New Year Growth as a father, as a husband, as a friend, as a professional. Happy New Year Every January we set ambitious goals, and by February or March many of them fade as life takes us in new directions, and I am no different. In 2026, instead of chasing goals we quickly forget, let’s focus on what truly matters: living as if we already are who we want to become

River cruising is no longer a niche side story in our industry. Recent market reports project the global river cruise segment to grow at around 11–12% CAGR through 2030, with market size more than doubling from roughly USD 6.2 billion in 2025 to over USD 10–10.6 billion by 2030.

Do you still see river cruising as “only for retirees”? The data says otherwise.

Cruise demographics are changing faster than most commercial strategies.

When I think about the future of luxury cruising, one word keeps coming to mind: transformation. And not just any transformation, but one powered by artificial intelligence. The cruise industry is evolving rapidly, and AI is at the heart of this revolution. From enhancing guest experiences to optimizing operations, AI applications in cruises are reshaping how we think about sea travel. If you’re curious about how this technology is making waves, you’re in the right place. How

Today marks 23 years of a journey I never could have imagined. Celebration 23 years Cruise Industry I never thought that joining the Sovereign of the Seas on December 2, 2002, would make me fall in love with this industry. Celebration 23 years Cruise Industry On my first day onboard, a Portuguese Head Waiter gave me advice I still carry with me: 'If you stay longer than 5 years working onboard, this is no longer a job, it becomes your life.' At the time, I didn’t take it to h

Too often, success is painted as the flashy life: expensive cars, multi-million dollar houses, or public fame. Success Business Consultant Leadership But that narrow vision leaves out the majority of hardworking professionals, the middle-class worker, the managers behind the scenes, the everyday people showing up with dedication and heart. In my experience working across luxury cruise lines and consulting, I’ve learned success is so much more personal and profound.  Success B

Global cruise sales often underperform because two revenue centers, shoreside and onboard, are optimized separately, inside a single sales ecosystem. Onboard and shoreside both contribute materially to brand Net Ticket Revenue, but they are frequently:  – Governed by different success metrics  – Incentivized independently  – Optimized on different time horizons The result isn’t poor performance in either center. It’s system inefficiency. Global Cruise Sales Optimization Most

The Cruise Industry in 2025: Growth, Transformation, and Strategic Insights by NFC - Nuno Fonseca Consulting Cruise Industry Year in Review The global cruise industry continues its post-pandemic recovery with strong growth in passenger volumes, fleet expansion, and new commercial innovations. In 2025, the industry carried  ~37.7 million passengers , up from 34.6 million in 2024. Fleet capacity expanded with  310+ ships in operation , 13 new deliveries this year, and 56 ships

This is quietly hurting global NTR results. Most guests are never approached with a structured, personalized future-cruise conversation. Most onboard future cruise sales teams operate without segmentation, structure, KPIs, or leadership cadence. Most cruise lines treat Onboard Future Cruise Sales as a desk — not a strategic extension of the GLOBAL Sales Pipeline. This gap is one of the biggest hidden leaks in the commercial guest journey. Want to know how to fix thise? Visit