Hello Bloggers. As I mentioned a few days ago Carnival Cruise Lines has added a new member to its impressive lineup of senior management. Ruben graciously agreed to give his first-ever interview to our blog so on the day we reached 750,000 readers it gives me great pleasure and honour (spelt correctly) to welcome him aboard.
Before we talk about the future let’s chat about your past. Do I understand correctly that you have lived in the UK on several job assignments? Might we assume then that you are well-acquainted with the joys of Spotted Dick? And also please tell us ………….who is Ruben Rodriguez.
Yes! I have fond memories of English puddings, including Spotted Dick. But I must admit that my favourite (yes, I can spell your way…) is Sticky Toffee Pudding, closely followed by Bread & Butter Pudding. Yum!
As to who is Ruben Rodriguez… many things, I suppose. Happy husband and father of two. Lover of the sea and all things nautical, including Carnival’s fabulous “Fun Ships.” A bit of a world traveler (albeit probably less so than you). Consumer marketing executive eager to get started at Carnival!
2. You must be so excited to join the World’s Most Popular Cruise Line. How did this come about?
I got to know Carnival and the executive team last year when they retained my firm, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), to advise them on business strategy. It was an exciting assignment and I quickly realized that it’s a great company, led by a fantastic management team. As you may know, Carnival has had a Chief Marketing Officer search in place for some time. When Bob Dickinson retired and Gerry Cahill took over as CEO, Gerry decided to go in a slightly different direction, seeking an executive to focus not only on marketing but also on guest experience. Gerry and I have known each other for about a year now, given Carnival’s relationship with BCG. He approached me about the opportunity a couple of months ago, I decided to explore it with him, and here I am… very excited to be joining the Carnival team!
3. So, you are arrive on the first day at the office. You sit down at your desk…….have a drink of tea or coffee (which) and then…………what? How will you spend your first few days in your new position?
Espresso or Cuban coffee, I’m afraid. Not tea. I suppose that aspect of my London days did not stick!
Most of my time in the first few days will go to meeting with Carnival colleagues, both shipboard and shoreside. Those conversations will focus on learning more about our business and on exploring any and all opportunities to further build on the great vacation experiences we offer to our guests. Another focus will be our marketing efforts – how to most effectively communicate with our guests, travel agents and other key partners.
4. When you think of today’s Carnival words that come to mind.
Fun, family, friends, adventures but also relaxing, leisure, great times!
5. What words would you use to describe your vision for tomorrow’s Carnival?
The same words, except perhaps even more fun, different kinds of fun, fun the way our guests define it for themselves, whether it is music and dancing in our lounges, great dining at The Supper Club, relaxing by our new Serenity areas, exploring exotic new ports…. Different guests have different definitions of fun and we want to exceed all those expectations.
6. Will you be able to come and sail on some of the ships so you can see what we do and view the demographics of our guests?
Absolutely – in fact, we already have a few cruises scheduled. I sailed on Carnival Imagination last year – can’t wait to see other ships, experience new itineraries, meet more guests and crew.
Now, as is tradition in this blog thingy it is time for some “get to know you questions”…………..here we go.
7. What three ports of call that our ships go to that you have not visited would you most like to sail to.
Well, I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and I am an avid boater living in Miami, so I know the Caribbean pretty well and I love it! So I’ll highlight three new destinations, outside the Caribbean, that I am keen to visit with Carnival: Glacier Bay (Alaska), Istanbul (Turkey) and Recife (Brazil).
8. How does Ruben Rodriguez relax
Cooking – I love to cook! In fact, I’m intrigued by Pier Foschi’s recipe for Penne alla Vodka. I’ll have to give him a call… hopefully it’s not a family secret!
9. Tell us your favorites please
FOOD…………………………..is it a sandwich……….maybe a Rueben………..I know, you have never heard that one before.
Italian, of course. Neapolitan pizza is probably my favorite. As far as sandwiches, I’m afraid I don’t like Reuben sandwiches – the corned beef is fine and I love toasted rye bread, but I’m not a fan of sauerkraut. I do love pressed sandwiches, like Italian paninis or Cubano sandwiches.
MUSIC
All kinds – classic rock, alternative, reggae, jazz, classical, bossa nova… I must admit my iPod has changed my life. Lately my kids have introduced me to hip hop and (to my surprise) I really like it, particularly The Black Eyed Peas.
TELEVISION SHOW
24 . Best show on TV. Full stop.
MOVIE
Wow, there are so many… I love going to the movies. I suppose the James Bond series are among my favorites, especially the old ones with Sean Connery.
FICTIONAL SUPERHERO
James Bond! As a Brit, I figured you’d appreciate that : )
FUNNY MAN/WOMAN
Jim Carrey. Did you see Bruce Almighty? He was hilarious in that film. He reminds me of Jerry Lewis, another master of physical comedy.
ACTOR
Jack Nicholson – it’s impressive how he can be both very funny, and very scary.
ACTRESS
Dianne Keaton – I can’t think of any Dianne Keaton film that I did not love… Annie Hall, The Godfather I/II/III, Baby Boom, Reds, Something’s Gotta Give… so many great films!
10. Finally, do you have a welcome message to the thousands of Carnival shoreside and shipboard employees?
I am thrilled to join Carnival and can’t wait to meet and hopefully get to know many of you…. and I look forward to hearing all your ideas on how we can continue to deliver outstanding vacations to our guests!
Thanks, Ruben, for taking the time to answer my questions. We are all excited that you are joining us and we all wish you much success and happiness for the future………………..Did you know that it is customary for all new Executive Vice Presidents to buy all the Senior cruise Directors an Aston Martin? ………………….black please………..the Vanquish S.
Filed under: Catherine Zeta Jones, Tales from the Ship | Tagged: Splendor Godmother, Tales from the Ship
John, your so crule. This poor man just got this jog and your already lying to him. I would think your trying to get him fired so you can have his job. You know I get the Aston Martin and you get the Bently. So don’t get Ruben confused. And you had to do the sandwich thing. You the one with the crappy cell phone.
“BIG” ED
Dear John,
We have had the best holiday ever thanks to you and the team on Freedom, we disembarked on 4th October after 12 days of heaven.
We have the DVD of the Welcome Party, which was a “classic”
You should never put yourself down for “John” is far far more than a W.C.!!
Incidentally Livorno has one of the best markets, it is atmospheric with plenty of local flavour you will ever see and the enclosed section is being refurbished – well worth a visit.
Wishing you much happiness and success in all your endevours.
Adrian
(Manchester UK)
He is from Puerto Rico!!!! YUPIII!!
He sounds very nice.
Buena suerte en tu nuevo trabajo Ruben!! (Good luck in your new job).
Ruben,
Welcome to the family, we’ve been waiting for you. Now please buy john a Aston Martin Vanquish S Black please and make sure the stereo system is good and have the interior scotch guarded so he can really enjoy his vacation. Great interview John you never fail to dig up the dirt. And once again welcome to the family Ruben, oh can i work for carnival also people tell me I’m a really great chef (well the Chaine des Rotisseurs does at least) and my penne alla vodka recipe has won awards,( Best pasta on Long Island News 12) but I’m not sharing yet. Best to everyone
Kevin
Hi John and Heidi,
Thank you for your kind invitation.We can’t wait to meet you both.Our cabin number is 7330.
Wrexham beat Accrington Stanley 2-0 away Friday evening soI’m feeling slightly better on the football front.
See you soon
Harry and Philippa
P.S. Sorry Southend got beat by Tranmere Rovers
on Saturday.
Funny old game hey John.
Great interview, John.
Ruben passes the “beer” test. That’s the one interviewers use when they have more than one qualified candidate and ask themselves: “But is he a guy you’d like to sit down and have a beer with?” It looks like he not only has the qualifications on paper to succeed in his new position, but the personality to carry it off with distinction. Way to go, Ruben!
John and Heidi – We’ll see you in 22 days. I’ve got you and Alan in my prayers.
Sue and the girls
OH MY THE MENTION OF ——STICKY TOFFEE PUDDING!!!!!
A pub near us makes it and it is straight from heaven.
I hope you, Ruben, can make things so great that when you tell people you are taking a Carnival Cruise they don’t make a face.We know it’s great fun but not everyone does. Thanks
Sincerely,
Marilyn
Mr. Ruben Rodriguez,
Welcome to our little family here. I like to hand out challenges to new management. The challenge I have for you is this. Larger tuxes available when pre -ordered by phone ahead of time. At this time they don’t have “BIG MAN” sizes. This would be just for ships out of major ports in the USA. With all the major chain tuxedo shops lets say in Miami I’m sure you could set up some sort of cooperation. There is a form online that you download and take to your local tux shop to have the measurements taken and filled in. Then you call the GIFTS AND SERVICES department give them the measurements and your tux will be waiting for you on the ship. I sure would like to see this service improved before the BLOGGERS CRUISE.
I hope you have a long and enjoyable career here at CARNIVAL.
“BIG” ED Konefe
Welcome aboard Mr. Rodriguez. I’m very proud of the fact that you really enjoy Italian food. So do I since I’m an Italian but I enjoy all types of food. I also enjoy cooking. Any new cooking ideas that you could give to me? I hope that you will enjoy your new job and as a new cruiser, I can only tell you that Carnival seems to be the most exciting company because of their personel. Thank you John for introducing Mr. Rodriguez. to us.
Paul F. Pietrangelo
John,
How many bloggers, at say $1.00 U.S. each, would it take to buy you that Astin Martin? Maybe you could auction yourself (perhaps an hour at tea alone with you and Heidi on the bloggers cruise for the winner), then use all the money collected to buy your car. Probably not legal, huh?
Oh well…just trying to be helpful.
Myra
John, I got a nice view of the Carnival Freedom from the new Costa Serena’s webcam this morning. Your docked right behind her in Venice.
I use this link to see webcams and portcams;
http://www.kroooz-cams.com . There is also a link on my blog under “LINKS/BLOGROOL” called “All ship and port cams”
“BIG” ED
T minus 104 days till Launch
Hello John and Heidi,
We are so disapointed that you are not on the Transatlantic cruise with us on the 28th. But that’s life and we respect your disicion. We still hope that we can meet you on the 28th. And if possible a picture with the five of us will be the best. We are in Cabins 8368 and 8356.
Regards,
Vincent, Ted and Ellen Schuijt from Vinkeveen, The Netherlands.
Myra, you’re not the only one with that idea. Won’t be on the blogger’s cruise. The only problem is how many people blog regularly? You’d have to employ the people who read from the shadows too. How much is that car anyway? Maybe a gentlly used one.
Marilyn
Hello John and Heidi,
Haven’t been able to read the blog for a few days so I had a lot of catching up to do.
First, we’re thinking about Alan and praying that everything goes well. Thanks for being such a good friend to him and his family.
It’s about time you two took a vacation. You really deserve it. Will you get to stay home until January when you go to Miami? Will you be in Florida a few days before and/or after the two cruises? We’d like to be able to see you for a while when you’re there. We should be in Lake Wales, Florida in January.
I have to make a few comments about Disney’s “Mouse House”. As was mentioned in a previous post, Disney’s Epcot has their Food and Wine Festival going on now. After four years of retirement, George and I decided to work for Disney at the festival for a couple of days per week. We’re in the Oklahoma exhibit since it’s their 100th year of statehood. We are in a tipi where they have kids coloring. It’s interesting working for Disney especially since we love it there so much. I have to agree that summer, Christmas and spring break are really crowded with kids and it’s probably better to avoid those times.
I want to add that we’re very, very, very disappointed that the July 13 sailing of the Splendor is not the real inaugural sailing. We’ve always wanted to be the first ones on the ship but now that won’t happen either. I wish Carnival would make these changes at least 11 months before sailing so we could book the airfare. Now it’s too late since we already have ours. We will be in Dover July 11 and July 12 so as to be able to participate in any inaugural ceremonies but I guess it will be a little late and in the wrong place. Oh well, I know we’ll still enjoy the cruise even if it isn’t the first on that ship.
It’s less than two months until our Glory cruise so that will have to tide us over until next year.
Hope the next couple of sailings go by quickly for you and you can enjoy your time at home.
Keep up the good work with the blog because so many people seem to like it so well – like we do.
Be Happy!
George and Linda
Hi John,
I have quietly been reading your blog ever since Carnival Freedom hit the water. Only 9 days til my cruise and the excitement is unbearable. I feel like I know you and Heidi already and all the other faithful bloggers who have kept me so entertained for the last 212 days or so. It was my mother’s 75th birthday this year and this is her trip. What started out as just a mother-daughter trip for her and I has now snowballed to 9 people, all mothers and daughters. We are so looking forward to having a great time on this cruise, we are in cabin # 6437 and hope that you can stop by and say hello to our little group when we have dinner in the Supper Club on 10/20 at 8 pm (the night we depart Venice, as recommended in one of your blogs). Heidi has an open invitation to join us at any time. Mom keeps saying the ship will never be the same. (She’s got big dancing plans!!) Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how helpful and fun your blog is to read and I will continue to read it even after our cruise. I have learned a lot and gained much information that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else. I am so looking forward to meeting both you and Heidi and having the trip of a lifetime with my Mom.
Thank you for being you,
Lynn
We are back from the Victory and there are not enough words in the English lanuage to express this once in a lifetime event.
There were only 6 kids (15-17) and the other 5 did not elect to participate…so it was the DJ and Ria (Club O2 Director) show!! And she did not disappoint. I have never seen someone so full of energy, compassion and dedication to creating a memory that DJ will have for the rest of his life.
Club O2 meeting space was being torn down in preparation for their upcoming drydock and there were several groups onboard using the usual secondary spots… so Ria had to find spaces every day to set up their games, move equipment, set up the hardware to play WI, XBOX etc and break it back down every afternoon and every night. And she did not just “watch DJ play”. She was right there with him and instantly became his best friend.
There are no words to express our gratitude for her attention and dedication to DJ this week. It was nothing short of heroic to DJ.
I have explained that this was a once in a lifetime event. That it won’t be this way every time. He said ” I know Mom. You don’t always get a pearl when you open an oyster. But I sure did this time!”
Ria was his pearl!
John ,
Thanks for your great blog! My first Carnival cruise was way back in 1978 on the FESTIVALE. Your pal Gary Hunter was the CD and I remember him quite well. He had a fantastic ventriloquism act. Back then CD’s played more of an entertainer role as the lavish shows and speciality acts really didn’t exist like they do today.
Reading your blog about life onboard and all the great interviews is a terrific escape until the next cruise. BTW I’m sailing with friends on CARNIVAL SPLENDOR next July 25 and hope to see you onboard. You have an amazing reputation so expectations are high!
I especially enjoy the interviews as they put a face and personality behind the various executives and crew onboard. Very enjoyable reading! Maybe someday the big cheese himself would agree to an interview? I think all of us would love to hear about a typical day in the life of Micky Arison.
Good luck and all the best!
Ernie
I’m not apart of the internal cruise line family but,I still would like to exstend a warm welcome to you and hope to see some changes in the near future that will make us (the cruisers) happier than we already are on your cruise line…and again I say,”Welcome Aboard and Enjoy”.
Welcome Aboard and Enjoy the Ride….Your with Carnival Cruise Line…Fun is our way of life….
Dear Mr. Rodriguez,
Welcome to the famous John Heald’s blog. Thank you very much for taking the time to do the interview for us bloggers. I found it very intersting! The only thing is I have never heard of your favorite TV show.
John,
Waiting to hear good news about Alan! We are still keeping him in our prayers.
Isn’t time for a Hedi blog??Pleeeeeeease.
Susan
Hey John
So great to hear from you and know you and Roger Blum remembered me and in a nice way, not that x**%$$$@ guy who used to work for us.
Actually you know I had to get off the ship after you left because it was so great working for you and it was a tough act to follow.
I still talk to Charlene quite a bit who is doing great. We have a blast talking. After I got off Ecstasy I moved to New York City and it took a while to find what I really loved. I began studying voiceover and soon got an agent. I met my wife there while I was on a date with another woman from same college and we were at alumni event.
We eventually moved to Bay Area where I have had to work full time jobs while I try to make enough money making commercials. It is a tough business and I audition from my studio at home. It is a smart person’s game learning how to analyze scripts and making different choices.
I actually taught a class at NYU for a while on how to get a job on a cruise ship which was popular and some of my students went on to work for cruise lines. Now my book Permanent Passenger: My Life on a Cruise Ship is coming out and people will love the stories. There is a great story in there where I forgot Gene Merola’s name as I was introducing him and you were sitting at bar having a drink laughing!
Cheers
Micha
Welcome, Mr. Rodriguez. Thank you for a great interview. Hope you enjoy Carnival, John and this bloggy thing as much as we do!
Hi John/Heidi:
Excellent interview with Ruben. Very interesting.
I like his passion and dedication he is bringing to the table.
As someone who is closely familiar with BCG, I know that Ruben will be a value-added addition to the team.
And, i’m jealous that he is able to take these cruises to make his employee.
Although he has his work cut out for him, it does sound like a wonderful gig.
Good luck!
David
John,
I am making a comment based on Kiciaski’s entry on your blog concerning the inaugural sailing of the Carnival Splendor….
“I want to add that we’re very, very, very disappointed that the July 13 sailing of the Splendor is not the real inaugural sailing. We’ve always wanted to be the first ones on the ship but now that won’t happen either. I wish Carnival would make these changes at least 11 months before sailing so we could book the airfare. Now it’s too late since we already have ours. We will be in Dover July 11 and July 12 so as to be able to participate in any inaugural ceremonies but I guess it will be a little late and in the wrong place. Oh well, I know we’ll still enjoy the cruise even if it isn’t the first on that ship.”
Kiciaski,
I can definitely sympathize with you as the same thing happened with the inagural sailing of the Carnival Freedom. I had booked the 3/14 sailing with the understanding it was the Inagural and then they threw in an 8 or 9 day cruise to bring the ship to Civitavecchia. I had previously posted a comment as did others on this blog that it could indeed happen again.. To my understanding those on the shortened voyage (the actual Inagural) received a terrific price, but while we had an amazing voyage we were disappointed not to be the first sailing on the vessel after having booked the vacation so far in advance.
Linda
Yet another spotted dick fan! LOL! I”m going to have to trek over to World Market to get me some…
Saludos Ruben:
Que orgullosa me siento de leer que un compañero de escuela elemental sea el Vice Presidente de una compañia internacional. Se que desde niño eras un relacionista publico y que ibas a brillar con luz propia. No se si este mensaje te llegue… Pero si lo recibes, se que tus amigos de la Academia San Jose nos sentimos orgullosos de ti…Mucho Exito.
Cariños, Mariceli Franceschini