Inaugural Cruisers
By most standards, this was a very short cruise — just three days and three nights — but for many of those aboard it was their introduction to cruising, and the fact that Oprah was actually on board too, with her own best friend Gayle King, made it a chance not to be missed.
The power of Oprah as a lifestyle and brand permeated the entire cruise, from the food on the Lido (featuring Oprah’s favorite salad) to onboard activities like O’s Reading Room book discussions, to a fashion show with O, The Oprah Magazine’s creative director Adam Glassman, who after the show led the audience in a parade to the retail shop where he personally helped women style themselves with the clothes featured in the show. Like virtually everyone else on the cruise, Glassman was the perfect host, sticking around until everyone got individual attention and help.
Having just celebrated her 65th birthday, Oprah’s “Conversation with Oprah,” in the main theater every day was personal and inspirational. “I don’t do anything I don’t want to do anymore,” she explained. “This [cruise] is a gift back to yourself … Nobody can find us!” she said to laughter from the audience. It was classic Oprah, and most of the audience knew the story already: how she grew up poor and got her first big break in the movie The Color Purple. But she interspersed that story with lessons learned along the way. “You become what you believe,” she urged the rapt audience. “Pay attention to what you actually want.”
Each talk ended with a Q& A with best friend Gayle asking questions submitted in advance from audience members, whom she called to stand up or even join them onstage. You couldn’t help but be moved by the stories of women who shared personal struggles and how Oprah had inspired them.
The association between Holland America and O, The Oprah
Magazine started in 2017 when Oprah let it be known that she had never been to Alaska. Oprah’s July 2017 Alaska cruise on Holland America’s
MS Eurodam was an enormous success and was featured in the January 2018 issue of the magazine. In 2018, several Adventure of Your Life cruises included members of the editorial team and special guest speakers. But a cruise just for girlfriends, and to a warm destination like the Bahamas, was a new idea, one that even Oprah needed to be convinced about. Like most of us, though, after only three days, she was anxious to come back.
“When are we going to do it again Orlando? Where are we going next?” Oprah shouted to the President of Holland America Line, Orlando Ashford, at the conclusion of her speech before she officially became the new ship’s godmother.
There are no details yet, but the cruise executives aboard, including those from other Carnival Corporation brands, talked openly about how to replicate the experience and especially some of the unique activities.