Sailing Ahead with Celebrity Cruises: A Modern Take on Travel and Sustainability with Katina Athanasiou

Set sail with us on a voyage through the modern landscape of travel as we host Katina Athanasiou, the Senior VP of Sales and Services for the Americas at Celebrity Cruise Lines. Who better to steer us through the currents of innovation, service, and sustainability in cruising? We kick off with a rapid-fire session, unpacking Katina's personal travel gems—from her top hotel brands to that nerve-wracking shark and ray feeding adventure.

In this episode, we get down to the brass tacks of what's shaking up the cruise industry, like how Celebrity Cruises has redrawn the line between cruising and chic, boutique experiences. Ever wondered why cruising isn't just for retirees anymore? Listen in as Katina demystifies the evolving demographics of cruise goers and unveils the breathtaking destinations Celebrity Cruises has in its arsenal, including their plans for the game-changing Celebrity Ascent ship. But we don't just keep it afloat on the surface. We also tackle the hot button issue of environmental sustainability in cruising.

Lastly, to feed your wanderlust further, we offer a smorgasbord of personal travel insights and tools that keep us ahead of the curve. From New Orleans' culinary delights to the seismic shifts in airline ticket pricing, this episode is your compass to all things travel. Don't just be a tourist, be a well-informed traveler.

Virgin Voyages Cruise Giveaway

Mike Putman: Hey adventurers, welcome back to another episode of No Tourists Allowed. Before we dive into today's tales, we've got a quick pit stop in our Virgin Voyages cruise giveaway journey. Every week we've been unveiling new ways to win. We want to know your favorite airline, if you have one. Maybe it's the one that's giving you the best in-flight experience, or perhaps the airline that takes you to your dream destination. Whatever the reason, we want to hear it. By sharing your top airline pick through the poll on our website, you'll earn five raffle points. Remember, like all our entry options, to ensure your points are locked in, you must cast your vote via the raffle form on our website. You can visit the link in the description. Of course, that's notouristsallowed.com. Your next journey might just begin with you stepping aboard a luxurious Virgin Voyages ship. Make sure you're casting your votes and racking up those points.

Introduction and Guest Welcome

Now, with the skies mapped and your airline choice in mind, let's jet off into today's episode. Welcome to No Tourists Allowed, a podcast where two recognized travel industry executives with a combined seventy-one years on the inside of travel and technology give up their secrets to the thing everyone wants to do: travel better, pay less, and see more of the world. Here are your hosts, Mike Putman and James Ferrara.

Mike Putman: Hello everyone, I am Mike Putman.

James Ferrara: And I am James Ferrara. Welcome to No Tourists Allowed.

Mike Putman: We're glad you joined us today. We have a very special guest, someone we've been trying to get on the pod for several months now. Without any delay, I'll go ahead and introduce her. We have the senior vice president of sales and services for the Americas for one of the top-rated cruise lines in the world, Celebrity Cruises. I'd like to welcome Katina Athanasiou. Welcome to No Tourists Allowed.

Katina Athanasiou: Thank you, Mike and James. It's great to see you both. I'm thrilled to be here. I love the mission: travel better, pay less, see more.

James Ferrara: Thanks, Katina. We've known each other for a while now. It's been wonderful working with you. You are a true leader in the industry and important for a lot of women as someone to look up to. I'm really thrilled that you could join us and we could spend a little bit of time helping our audience get to know you.

Rapid-Fire Travel Questions

Mike Putman: We very much appreciate your time. Katina, one of the first things that we do with our guests is take them through what we call rapid-fire questions. These are just questions about your personal travel, not necessarily in your corporate role, although it could include your business travel. Just come back with the first thing that comes to your mind. What is your favorite hotel brand or individual property?

Katina Athanasiou: Favorite hotel brand is a toss-up between Four Seasons and Montage. For favorite property, I would probably go Montage Palmetto Bluff, which is just gorgeous in Bluffton, South Carolina. It has this really great mix of elegance but understated outdoor activities and lots of good southern hospitality.

James Ferrara: So you would say that's better than any property in New York? This is a North-South thing that we're drawing you into now.

Katina Athanasiou: I do love New York, but my favorite property that comes to mind has this gorgeous dog that stays in the lobby and you get to go and pet the dog. I would say Palmetto Bluff wins.

Mike Putman: In the great state of South Carolina, I might add. Katina, what is your favorite destination, perhaps coupled with a food experience? James and I are lovers of food. Is there a destination with a really authentic restaurant you like?

Katina Athanasiou: Sicily comes to mind first because there is such an authenticity and uniqueness to Sicilian food that I haven't been able to duplicate many other places. I love the opportunity to find unique places that I can't get elsewhere in the world. Sicily is the one that comes to mind first.

James Ferrara: It's interesting that you say that. I just got back last night from New Orleans and I found a beautiful antique and art store there called SUD, which is the Italian word for south. Everything in the store is from Sicily. The proprietor corrected me several times when I said Italian. He said, "No, not Italian. Sicilian." It's part of my heritage, so I'm very proud of it. The store was filled with incredible food items, artwork, and antiques from Sicily. It’s a beautiful place.

Katina Athanasiou: To me, there is a nuance. I'm of Greek descent and I have family members from Crete. It's similar when you talk to someone from Greece and you reference Crete; they say, "No, we're not Greek, we're Cretan." The way in which Sicilians and Cretans prepare and serve their food has similarities, but there are differences in the herbs and the fare. There are nuances that I've found really tough to duplicate elsewhere.

Mike Putman: Moving along, what is the best shore excursion you've ever been on?

Katina Athanasiou: Definitely glacier hiking in Juneau. You get on your helicopter, you're all suited up, and it takes you up to the glacier. You walk out to tents set up on the glacier, put on your crampons, and you're harnessed up to a small group. You literally begin to glacier hike tethered to your guide. You're going through crevasses and climbing for a good hour and a half to two hours. You drink glacial water and have some hot chocolate. It was the most magical, quiet, beautiful experience. Alaska was really something special.

Mike Putman: And what was one that should have been the best, but wasn't?

Katina Athanasiou: That was our honeymoon in French Polynesia. We were really lucky and did a combination of Bora Bora and Moorea, and we also did a cruise throughout all the islands. What should have been the best was the shark and ray feeding. You're in the water swimming with them, and I panicked. I got in the water and within seven seconds, I was flailing my arms and had to get back. I have swam with rays before, but the sharks did not appeal to me once I got in that water.

Mike Putman: When you travel, are you an aisle person or a window person?

Katina Athanasiou: Aisle. A hundred percent of the time.

Mike Putman: Carry-on or check your luggage?

Katina Athanasiou: Carry-on. It takes practice and a lot of trial and error. My dad was thirty-five years in the airline industry and he taught us young: carry on, and if you can't lift it, don't carry it. That's one of the rules I live by. Even though I'm vertically challenged at five-three, I have to make sure my carry-on is light enough that I can lift it into the overhead.

James Ferrara: This is one of the constant debates here on No Tourists Allowed. I'm a big guy and I'm traveling with suits and sport jackets and shoes. I need a bag just for my shoes.

Mike Putman: I'm getting ready to leave this week for about 19 days and I've got one carry-on. James, I've traveled with him when he's been gone for three days and he has two family-sized Rollaboards. He has to have someone go with him to help him get his bags.

James Ferrara: I used to say that my father traveled like a pasha and had sherpas with trunks. That's me. But nineteen days with a carry-on is impressive. I would have shipped clothes to where I was going before I would have checked luggage.

The Celebrity Cruises Brand

Mike Putman: I did twenty-one days in Scotland this summer and did the same thing. There are some tricks to it. There's a science to planning ahead and having your clothes laundered. Everything gets worn a couple of times, typically. Katina, let's talk about your company. I'm sure most of our listeners have heard of Celebrity, but can you talk about the brand and how it falls into the premium cruising category?

Katina Athanasiou: I have what I consider to be the best job in the entire world. Every day we focus on the core value of how we can be the best premium cruise line. I like to compare it to hotels because travelers are used to that portfolio. If you look at Marriott as a corporation, you've got your Marriott brands, your JW Marriott, and then your Ritz-Carlton. We fall into that middle segment. In cruising, the premium segment is much closer to luxury level in service, cuisine, and quality, but you have the size of vessels that offer the activities and entertainment of the contemporary space. It's the best of both worlds. We look at premium experiences in terms of how we show up in an elevated way. That means elevated service, food, drink, and activities for guests looking for an elevated product.

James Ferrara: Celebrity ships are stunning. They aren't designed in that old style of "bling" and entertainment architecture. They look like boutique hotels or high-style clubs in New York. They have that feel to them.

Katina Athanasiou: Thank you for that call-out. There is a contemporary, light, bright, and airy element to the aesthetic. When people go on vacation, they like creature comforts and traveling in the style in which they live, while still trying new things. We try to bring the best of both worlds together. Just this year, we were the first in the entire cruise industry to be recognized and receive four-star ratings from Forbes Travel Guide. It's been amazing because it allows us to talk to a non-cruiser in a way that validates the level of product before they sail.

James Ferrara: I think that's been important for younger generations. I had a friend who was a model in New York and he had a real snobbery about cruising. Then I got him on a Celebrity ship and he was blown away by the look and the innovation. It was on Edge, which has that traveling platform on the outside and an incredible three-story entertainment space on the back. It felt like a club in New York. Celebrity has really done something special attracting that profile.

Top Destinations and the Galapagos Experience

Mike Putman: Katina, talk to us about the depth of product, number of ships, and regions you visit.

Katina Athanasiou: We are about to welcome ship number sixteen into the fleet. We follow the sun, bringing our guests to marquee destinations at the right time of year. Our top destinations are Alaska, which is a bucket list best seen on a cruise; Europe, for the opportunity to see multiple countries in one trip; and the Caribbean for quick getaways. The fourth is the Galapagos, because it is a unique, sustainable destination with total immersion.

Mike Putman: For our listeners, the Galapagos is such a special place. Can you talk about the experience there?

Katina Athanasiou: We have seven-night voyages on three ships. We have two small, yacht-like experiences—a 16-passenger vessel and a 48-passenger vessel—and then a 100-passenger vessel. We travel in very small numbers intentionally. Our entire Galapagos product is in partnership with the government of Ecuador. Everything from crew to procurement is sustainable within its own ecosystem. It's a beautiful blend of enrichment, flora, fauna, and wildlife. You come out so much better and enriched as a result of seeing the ecosystem untouched.

James Ferrara: Only certain cruise lines are licensed to operate in the Galapagos. It’s a big deal that Celebrity is such an important player in that part of the world. It’s a lifetime memory.

Katina Athanasiou: It's a magical experience. It serves a broad range of both demographics and psychographics because of the enrichment opportunities. There is hiking and landings every day, so it can be as active or as enriching as you want it to be.

The New Celebrity Ascent

Mike Putman: Katina, I know you're excited about the launch of a new product. Can you share more detail about that?

Katina Athanasiou: Celebrity Ascent. Ships in the maritime industry are feminine in nature, so we refer to them as "she." We take delivery on November 7th, and she’ll arrive in the US on November 20th. This is the fourth in our Edge class series with a lot of new innovation in public spaces. She’ll be making her debut with Caribbean sailings this winter, seven-night sailings out of Fort Lauderdale.

Mike Putman: When will she be available for sailors to join?

Katina Athanasiou: She's available right now. Her first maiden voyage is December 1st. We have some pre-maiden voyage festivities leading up to that, but she is available to book right now. We're booking into 2025 currently, and we have new deployment coming up in December that will open up the rest of the 2025 season into 2026.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

James Ferrara: I want to address something that's in the minds of our listeners. There's been a lot of criticism about the cruise industry and its effect on the planet. People see news stories about Venice limiting ships. Most people don't understand how much cruise lines do to protect the oceans. What do you want our listeners to know about Celebrity in this regard?

Katina Athanasiou: It's an important question. Consumers today want to make sure they aren't negatively impacting the world. For us, bringing guests to these amazing destinations means we have to do it with a smaller footprint. We care about making a positive impact on the lives of the people we visit, on our crew who are from more than 300 countries, and on the destinations themselves. We have a Grow program and a Go Green program to minimize waste and reduce printing. The difference with Cruise versus Hotel is that we have very strict global regulations that we follow. Sometimes the cruise industry gets a bad rap, but the regulation we follow can be even stricter than that in different countries. It is an overarching pillar for us to leave the world a better place.

Expert Travel Hacks and Favorites

James Ferrara: Knowing about innovation like lower emission fuels, special hull paints, and wastewater treatment makes us all feel more comfortable about our choices when we travel. Let's take this back to the "No Tourists Allowed" theme. Is there a personal hack you use when you're traveling that makes things easier or more enjoyable for you?

Katina Athanasiou: I am a list maker. For me, travel insurance is number one. You just never know what is going to happen. I have a default packing list. I have my staples, and I always have two of everything. I have toiletries and hair products that are just for travel and ones I have at home, so I never have to pack and repack. I would never go anywhere without TSA Global Entry or Clear because they are such time savers. When I get to a destination, I use the Guide Michelin app. It’s not just for starred restaurants; they have recommendations as well. Because I love to try new food, I use that app frequently to find the best spots.

James Ferrara: I think you and Mike are brother and sister.

Mike Putman: Two things you said are bizarre. One is that you've got a duplicate of everything for travel; I do as well. And if you could see my phone home screen, the Michelin Guide is the second app.

James Ferrara: When Mike and I travel together, Mike is always telling me, "We're going here, it's a Michelin-starred restaurant."

Katina Athanasiou: It doesn't even have to be fancy. They have some really great casual places that I would have never found on my own or by talking to a hotel concierge. Also, earplugs. I cannot travel without earplugs.

Mike Putman: I really want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your personal travel habits and the story of your amazing company.

Katina Athanasiou: Thank you, guys. Travel is a critical component to all of our lives. I’m a mom of two and I feel it’s my obligation to travel with them so they can be open to different people, cultures, and ways of thinking. Travel just makes us better humans. It’s our obligation to travel.

James Ferrara: Amen to that. Thank you so much, Katina.

Reflecting on New Orleans

Mike Putman: That was Katina from Celebrity Cruises. James, you're freshly back from a trip down south.

James Ferrara: I was in New Orleans again. Every time I go, I eat at incredible restaurants. It's such a vibrant mix of food, architecture, shopping, and parades. One of the nights I was there, we came across the Krewe of Boo, which is the Halloween parade. I had to get out of the Uber and snake my way through the dancers to get to dinner. I ate at a couple of new restaurants. Emeril Lagasse has a new restaurant there called Meril, which was excellent. I also ate at a very fine restaurant called August. It's in the warehouse district and the food was spectacular. We ate one night in the famous Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel, which is very old New Orleans. GW Fins is another perennial favorite. One night we ate uptown in a small Victorian cottage called Brigtsen's. The chef worked for Paul Prudhomme as second-in-command at Commander's Palace and then later at K-Paul's. One activity I did was a bit touristy but worth it: Mardi Gras World. They make the floats and props for parades in New Orleans, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and even characters for Disney. You tour the facility and see artists carving things out of styrofoam and fiberglass. It gives you a real sense of the culture.

Mike Putman: What was the best thing you ate there?

James Ferrara: The duck breast at August. It was duck three ways: seared duck breast, duck confit, and a foie gras mousse.

Mike Putman: I thought you were only gone for three nights. It sounded like you had six dinners.

James Ferrara: It was supposed to be parents' weekend at Tulane, but it wound up being Wednesday to Monday.

The Shift to New Distribution Capability (NDC)

Mike Putman: One other topic I wanted to share with our listeners is a seismic change in the airline business called NDC, or New Distribution Capability. Historically, airline pricing and availability flowed through Global Distribution Systems (GDSs). Travel agents subscribed to these systems to book flights. The GDSs charged the airlines a fee for every ticket sold. Airlines felt constrained by these fees, so they created NDC. This allows the airline to connect directly to a travel distributor. Now that we have large online travel agencies and more sophistication, airlines are moving this way. How this impacts you as a traveler is that, in the past, you would find the same price for a flight regardless of where you looked. Now, with NDC content, a price for the same flight on one source might be different than on another. It is always good to do comparisons and check a couple of sources to ensure you are getting the best rate.

Conclusion and Final Raffle Details

James Ferrara: Doesn't it also allow websites to sell things previously only available through the airline, like priority seating or extra luggage?

Mike Putman: Absolutely. Upgraded meals and bundles are becoming part of an open marketplace. That is one of the benefits. Just a reminder, we have a raffle going on at notouristsallowed.com. We're giving away a fabulous seven-night cruise for two on Virgin Voyages. This is a fabulous cabin on a fabulous cruise. You can pick your own sailing between now and June 2024. Pick your friend, your date, and your ship.

James Ferrara: Maybe you can increase your chances by telling your friends and family and making a side deal that if they win, you get to go.

Mike Putman: Thanks for listening. We'll be back next week. Please share our podcast and provide any feedback or questions on notouristsallowed.com.

James Ferrara: Ciao for now.

Mike Putman: Thank you everybody. We'll see you next week. No Tourists Allowed is produced by Podcast Studio X.