Cruise Control
A Day in the Life of Christine Duffy
A day in the life of Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE when you’re Christine Duffy and you sit at the helm of the world’s largest cruise line? “One of the things I like best about my job is that there is no typical day,” says Duffy, who began serving as president of Carnival Cruise Line in February 2015 after spending four years as president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the trade association representing the $35 billion global cruise industry.
Duffy’s day is certainly packed with Fun Ship duties near and far. She oversees nearly 40,000 employees and a fleet of 24 cruise ships that carry 4.5 million passengers annually from homeports throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.
On Shore and On Board
When she’s in South Florida ( Carnival’s headquarters is in Miami), Duffy’s days start early. “I try to work out in the morning and beat rush hour,” she says. “I like to have some time before I start my day to get through emails.”
Then the meetings begin. “I am usually in back-to-back meetings throughout the day,” she says. “My management style is very collaborative.” Duffy believes day-to- day cooperation and consensus is the way to get things done. “Things work best when you bring the right team together and have people with different skills and talents working collaboratively.”
Duffy also likes to host frequent town hall meetings with various employees in Miami, as well as on and off ships. “There is a tremendous amount of communication and collaboration across teams at Carnival,” she says. “Every week there is a meeting with Arnold Donald [president and CEO of Carnival Corporation] and the multi-brand leadership team to look more broadly across the organization and share information.” Carnival Corporation’s 10 cruise brands currently account for nearly 50 percent of the world’s cruise passengers.
When not in the office, many of Duffy’s days are spent aboard the fun ships. “My first year at Carnival, I made a commitment to visit every ship in the fleet,” she proudly claims. “I completed the mission on Valentine’s Day in San Juan, visiting Carnival Liberty. It was a lot of traveling, including a trip to Australia to see two of our ships, as well as visiting the new
Carnival Vista under construction in Italy. But I felt it was important to get out onto every ship and meet the officers and crew.”
For 2016, Duffy says she’ll visit at least six ships, if not more. “I will be personally going to every ship in our fleet that receives an award or recognition based on our guest and crewmember satisfaction scores,” she says.
“The job does entail a lot of travel,” Duffy admits. “I am part of the larger Carnival Corporation leadership team, so I’m in different global regions. We also have town hall meetings with the employee bases around the world.”
“Things work best when you bring the right team together and have people with different skills and talents working collaboratively.”
Extracurricular Activities
Duffy is also still a member of the CLIA board and participates in events such as the Congressional Cruise Caucus in the nation’s capital. She also serves on the board of the U.S. Travel Association and recently joined the advisory board of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for which Carnival has raised more than $5 million for its “Care to Play” initiative and is committed to raising $10 million more by 2020. Of these additions to her daily schedule, Duffy says, “I feel that being involved with organizations beyond your own provides great professional benefit and value.”
When asked what she would want to do if she was working on a Carnival ship, Duffy quickly responds: “I think I would be either a guest services manager or a shore excursions manager. I started my career as a travel agent and have always gravitated toward opportunities that allow me to be front-facing and engage with customers. I really enjoy helping people with their questions and concerns.” She laughingly adds, “Of course, being captain would be good, too! Unfortunately, I don't have the nautical skills.”
Of her time away from all things cruise, Duffy says, “My job is pretty all-consuming and doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for hobbies. However, I do love to practice yoga, cook, and go out with friends. I also love the beach. We have a home in Cape May, New Jersey, and I absolutely treasure the opportunity to spend time there and relax.”
For Duffy, however, her day-to-day mission is focusing on cruise travel for Carnival’s guests and employees. “My first cruise was my honeymoon in 1981,” Duffy recalls. “It was a 7-day Caribbean voyage 35 years ago. I was a travel agent at the time.”
Duffy’s next cruise is definitely a perk of her day job. “I am extremely excited about an upcoming family cruise we have planned on
Carnival Vista,” she says with a sparkle in her eye and a smile on her face. “I'll be cruising with my husband, family, and friends and am really looking forward to it.”
Sure beats facing traffic and a packed day back in Miami.