Latest news with #JenniferGoswami
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Royal Caribbean details how the Icon Class cruise is evolving
Royal Caribbean details how the Icon Class cruise is evolving originally appeared on TravelHost. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which launched in January 2024 from Miami, isn't just the world's largest cruise ship. It's the product of more than 50 years of cruise ship innovation. The first-of-its-kind ship offers unmatched ways to enjoy a cruise vacation, no matter what your vacation style or mood. Icon of the Seas makes it easy to make your cruise a high-energy, theme park-style experience or a relaxing resort getaway, or a mix of both. And families love that about Caribbean welcomed nearly 200,000 families on board during Icon of the Seas' first year, and from those families, the cruise line gathered a lot of feedback about what they loved and about what would make the vacation experience even better. Although Icon has been a massive success, passenger feedback revealed that there were opportunities to improve upon it. And that's what innovation-focused Royal Caribbean set out to do as it built its next Icon, Star of the Seas, which launches from Port Canaveral, Florida in August. What exactly did the cruise line learn from Icon and how is the Icon Class evolving based on those insights? That's what Royal Caribbean executives detailed in a new Making an Icon Class video that the cruise line shared as it prepares to launch its next 'Icon of Vacations,' Star of the Seas. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Royal Caribbean explains how it's building on Icon of the Seas' success Transcript: Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean President: Icon has been the most successful new ship we've ever launched. We see many Icon coming in the future. Jennifer Goswami, Sr. Director, Product Development: We've delivered on the ability for guests to feel connected with water. We've revolutionized the open decks, the hideaway for our adults, Thrill Island — the first water park at sea, Chill Island with so many different pools, the Aqua Dome with revolutionary entertainment. Michael Bayley: We are delighted with the success of the class of the ship, so we're excited to welcome Star of the Seas in the summer of this year. Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer: In Star of the Seas, you're going to see a continued evolution of the Icon class. Jennifer Goswami: We've had a year of learnings from Icon. We've learned a lot. We've made some changes. We've built on the foundation of 50 years of innovation. We've worked with futurist firms. We've worked with guest trends. We've talked to our guests. We did different focus groups. We really took the culmination of what every different aspect of the research told of the Seas will deliver what families love about Icon, and more Emily Rodriguez, Manager, Thrills & Attractions: Star of the Seas is going to deliver exactly what our guests have loved about Icon of the Seas. All of the thrills and the chills. It will feature the largest water park at sea. Category 6 has the two big family raft slides, the drop box slide, two body slides, and our two mat racers as well. We keep learning and we keep adding more. Jennifer Goswami: Now we're just really kind of dialing into those details to make it even better. So, we will continue to be the world's best family vacation, but we will make sure that we've looked after every part of the Schneider: We had the opportunity to rethink the experience of the Icon class. We're leaning into kind of a next level of programming across the ship. You'll see the evolution of Empire Supper Club, our fine, opulent entertainment experience on Icon that is just an amazing home run. Jennifer Goswami: Star will debut with Lincoln Park Supper Club, which is a Chicago-themed supper club experience where we will have a completely new menu, completely new music, delivering the same notion of entertainment, but in a whole new way. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Royal Caribbean shares how feedback shaped Icon Class updates Jennifer Goswami: We've really taken the time to double down on our understanding of all of our family spaces. We've learned that Surfside skewed to kids about 10 years old. We've made some changes to Surfside. We've redesigned our playscape to allow for a little bit more challenge. We've added in some new toys into Splashaway Bay. We've made some adjustments to Adventure Ocean after speaking to families and kids. And teens gave us a lot of feedback. They're looking for a more natural way to connect. They want things that they can do that allows them to socialize with one another that's actually not completely tech-based. So, we've really taken a lot of this feedback and integrated it into Schneider: There's so much that's being brought to life. We're amplifying the Pearl, and so we're bringing more color and vibrancy into that arrival moment as you board the ship. And so, all of those areas have been areas that we've been focused on. Jennifer Goswami: The Icon Class delivered the world's best family vacation, but we want to do that tomorrow. We want to do that next week. We want to make sure that we keep delivering, and we make sure that we are collectively building the right product. Jay Schneider: It's all designed off of guest research with opportunities for us to continue to adjust and continue to make better so that what people see on day one is nothing but an amazing home run. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally reported by TravelHost on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Royal Caribbean designer reveals big changes coming with new ship
The sequel to Royal Caribbean's next-generation Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, is nearly ready to welcome its first passengers. As the summer launch of Star of Seas approaches, the cruise line is sharing more details on how this second Icon-Class ship will differ from its sister to deliver next-level family vacations in its own unique Star of the Seas, which sets sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, beginning in August, Royal Caribbean is positioning its Icon-Class cruise vacation experience as a super-sized alternative to Orlando theme park vacations. Because of that, the cruise line doubled down on youth and family, elevating the ship's family-focused areas and features — like enhancing the popular Surfside neighborhood that debuted on Icon of the Seas. In a recent 'Star Insider' video, Royal Caribbean's Senior Director of Product Development Jennifer Goswami shared the inside scoop on just how the cruise line is improving upon the family areas of Icon of the Seas with its upcoming sister Star Insider: Tell me how Star of the Seas is doing. Jennifer Goswami: Star of the Seas is coming along great. As of this morning, she's 96% ready. Star Insider: How is this ship different? Jennifer Goswami: Star will have quite a few new things. We really wanted to focus on youth and family, so we redesigned our entire playscape. We added some fun to Splashaway Bay. We redesigned Adventure Ocean and gave teens a full refresh. Star Insider: How many ships have you worked on?Jennifer Goswami: Personally, between refits and new builds, I've worked on about 15 ships. Star Insider: Wow. What is one of the most difficult parts about making a cruise ship? Jennifer Goswami: Well, there's not that much that's easy about making a cruise ship. But one of the things that is very challenging, but part of the best job, is that we start over a lot. We are very ambitious. We're very innovative. So, we go through certain processes. And we're like, no, we could do better. And then we start over. Star Insider: How do you explain Icon Class to someone who knows nothing about it?Jennifer Goswami: Icon really is the world's best family vacation. We have a water park. We have a pool for every day of the week. Broadway shows. We have specialty dining. And the one thing that you can't get on any other vacation is that Star, Icon, any of our ships, can bring you anywhere in the world. Star Insider: What's the easiest part of planning a venue or neighborhood? Jennifer Goswami: Easiest part is dreaming up what we want with it and how much fun we can have with it. Star Insider: What's the hardest part? Jennifer Goswami: Actually doing it. Star Insider: I'm sure we've talked to some of our guests. What did guests say about Icon? Jennifer Goswami: Guests are loving Icon. We've done a lot of different focus groups. We're really collecting a lot of different data through different means. And we're really excited to hear how much guests love the product. Star Insider: What did we take from those focus groups to make different on Star of the Seas? Jennifer Goswami: So, some of our big changes are really in Surfside. So, knowing that we're sailing out of Port Canaveral, we really wanted to double down on youth and family, so we are making our Splashaway Bay even bigger. We reimagined our playscape completely. We redesigned our teen space because teens told us they didn't necessarily think it was cool on Icon. So, we really did a lot in the family space. Star Insider: Can you possibly give a sneak peek of the new updates you did for Star of the Seas? Jennifer Goswami: Yeah, absolutely. Follow me. I'll bring you to someone who's working on it. Star Insider: Amazing. Jennifer Goswami: Let me introduce you to Daniel, who leads our special projects How are you? Jennifer Goswami: Great. We would love to know more about some of the special projects and some of the fun stuff that's going in Surfside. Daniel: We're reimagining the playscape to double down on family. It's going to be a super fun addition to Surfside. Jennifer Goswami: One of the things that we really learned here, right, was that kids are a little bit older than we thought they were going to be. So, what we wanted to do is incorporate even more physical play into the playscape to kind of really make sure we're hitting on that older-kid demographic. Thank you so much, Daniel. Star Insider: Nice meeting you. Daniel: Nice meeting you. Jennifer Goswami: Great. Do you want to come see the model for Icon? Star Insider: I would love to. How does it feel to see you and your team's ideas come to life? Jennifer Goswami: It truly is incredible. To see products that we've dreamed about for years physically make it on board is a feeling I never thought I'd be able to have. Star Insider: Do you have a model or type of approach for designing new ships and venues? Jennifer Goswami: We do. As we look through how we're wanting to evolve our brand, we always think about three things: making sure that we strike the right balance between familiar, evolutionary, and revolutionary. Star Insider: How long does it take to make a cruise ship? Jennifer Goswami: Years. So, as we think about kind of our first in class or first of series, it can take anywhere between five, seven, or up to 10 years to really dream up what the right product will Insider: How do you know what's going to work without seeing it in real life? Jennifer Goswami: Well, we do have several tools here within Royal Caribbean International. So, we have a virtual lab where we're able to actually walk on board the ship and see everything down to kind of the kinetic tiles in The Pearl or signage placements or galley designs, as well as we actually physically build out a lot of different products and different things as well. Do you want to see any of them? Star Insider: I would love to. This is so cool. So, what happens down here? Jennifer Goswami: So, we're right now in our warehouse space. This is where we really get to build things out, test them, bring different focus groups through them. So, this is where we really build and make sure that we're getting things right. Star Insider: Do we have anything from Icon or Star here? Jennifer Goswami: Absolutely. Every ship we love to innovate; we love to make changes. So, actually on the carousel for Star, we're going to be introducing a new character. And fun fact about this: we actually brought a lot of different kids through and we built out quite a few. And this is the one the kids told us would be the most fun. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Royal Caribbean designer reveals big changes coming with new ship
The sequel to Royal Caribbean's next-generation Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, is nearly ready to welcome its first passengers. As the summer launch of Star of Seas approaches, the cruise line is sharing more details on how this second Icon-Class ship will differ from its sister to deliver next-level family vacations in its own unique way. Related: Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise take on key cruise dining problem With Star of the Seas, which sets sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, beginning in August, Royal Caribbean is positioning its Icon-Class cruise vacation experience as a super-sized alternative to Orlando theme park vacations. Because of that, the cruise line doubled down on youth and family, elevating the ship's family-focused areas and features - like enhancing the popular Surfside neighborhood that debuted on Icon of the Seas. In a recent "Star Insider" video, Royal Caribbean's Senior Director of Product Development Jennifer Goswami shared the inside scoop on just how the cruise line is improving upon the family areas of Icon of the Seas with its upcoming sister ship. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Transcript: Star Insider: Tell me how Star of the Seas is doing. Jennifer Goswami: Star of the Seas is coming along great. As of this morning, she's 96% ready. Star Insider: How is this ship different? Jennifer Goswami: Star will have quite a few new things. We really wanted to focus on youth and family, so we redesigned our entire playscape. We added some fun to Splashaway Bay. We redesigned Adventure Ocean and gave teens a full refresh. Star Insider: How many ships have you worked on? Related: Royal Caribbean has high-octane plans for new ship entertainment Jennifer Goswami: Personally, between refits and new builds, I've worked on about 15 ships. Star Insider: Wow. What is one of the most difficult parts about making a cruise ship? Jennifer Goswami: Well, there's not that much that's easy about making a cruise ship. But one of the things that is very challenging, but part of the best job, is that we start over a lot. We are very ambitious. We're very innovative. So, we go through certain processes. And we're like, no, we could do better. And then we start over. Star Insider: How do you explain Icon Class to someone who knows nothing about it? Related: Royal Caribbean makes generous offer to fix overbooking issue Jennifer Goswami: Icon really is the world's best family vacation. We have a water park. We have a pool for every day of the week. Broadway shows. We have specialty dining. And the one thing that you can't get on any other vacation is that Star, Icon, any of our ships, can bring you anywhere in the world. Star Insider: What's the easiest part of planning a venue or neighborhood? Jennifer Goswami: Easiest part is dreaming up what we want with it and how much fun we can have with it. Star Insider: What's the hardest part? Jennifer Goswami: Actually doing it. Star Insider: I'm sure we've talked to some of our guests. What did guests say about Icon? Jennifer Goswami: Guests are loving Icon. We've done a lot of different focus groups. We're really collecting a lot of different data through different means. And we're really excited to hear how much guests love the product. Star Insider: What did we take from those focus groups to make different on Star of the Seas? Jennifer Goswami: So, some of our big changes are really in Surfside. So, knowing that we're sailing out of Port Canaveral, we really wanted to double down on youth and family, so we are making our Splashaway Bay even bigger. We reimagined our playscape completely. We redesigned our teen space because teens told us they didn't necessarily think it was cool on Icon. So, we really did a lot in the family space. Star Insider: Can you possibly give a sneak peek of the new updates you did for Star of the Seas? Jennifer Goswami: Yeah, absolutely. Follow me. I'll bring you to someone who's working on it. Star Insider: Amazing. Jennifer Goswami: Let me introduce you to Daniel, who leads our special projects department. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Daniel: How are you? Jennifer Goswami: Great. We would love to know more about some of the special projects and some of the fun stuff that's going in Surfside. Daniel: We're reimagining the playscape to double down on family. It's going to be a super fun addition to Surfside. Jennifer Goswami: One of the things that we really learned here, right, was that kids are a little bit older than we thought they were going to be. So, what we wanted to do is incorporate even more physical play into the playscape to kind of really make sure we're hitting on that older-kid demographic. Thank you so much, Daniel. Star Insider: Nice meeting you. Daniel: Nice meeting you. Jennifer Goswami: Great. Do you want to come see the model for Icon? Star Insider: I would love to. How does it feel to see you and your team's ideas come to life? Jennifer Goswami: It truly is incredible. To see products that we've dreamed about for years physically make it on board is a feeling I never thought I'd be able to have. Star Insider: Do you have a model or type of approach for designing new ships and venues? Jennifer Goswami: We do. As we look through how we're wanting to evolve our brand, we always think about three things: making sure that we strike the right balance between familiar, evolutionary, and revolutionary. Star Insider: How long does it take to make a cruise ship? Jennifer Goswami: Years. So, as we think about kind of our first in class or first of series, it can take anywhere between five, seven, or up to 10 years to really dream up what the right product will be. Related: Royal Caribbean offers guests a new 'all-inclusive' package Star Insider: How do you know what's going to work without seeing it in real life? Jennifer Goswami: Well, we do have several tools here within Royal Caribbean International. So, we have a virtual lab where we're able to actually walk on board the ship and see everything down to kind of the kinetic tiles in The Pearl or signage placements or galley designs, as well as we actually physically build out a lot of different products and different things as well. Do you want to see any of them? Star Insider: I would love to. This is so cool. So, what happens down here? Jennifer Goswami: So, we're right now in our warehouse space. This is where we really get to build things out, test them, bring different focus groups through them. So, this is where we really build and make sure that we're getting things right. Star Insider: Do we have anything from Icon or Star here? Jennifer Goswami: Absolutely. Every ship we love to innovate; we love to make changes. So, actually on the carousel for Star, we're going to be introducing a new character. And fun fact about this: we actually brought a lot of different kids through and we built out quite a few. And this is the one the kids told us would be the most fun. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@ or call or text her at 386-383-2472. 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