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Adventure of the Seas Profile Page
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INSIDE VIEW:
SOMETHING SPECIAL A Conversation with Clunis Daley Hotel Director of Adventure of the Seas by Richard H. Wagner |
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Clunis Daley is the Hotel Director aboard Adventure of the Seas. In this position, he is in charge of most things that directly affect the guests such as the dining, the accommodations, the entertainment, and the shore excursions. Thus, he plays a large part in shaping th cruise experience on Adventure.
Career In performing this task, Mr. Daley has a great deal of experience to draw upon. He has been with Royal Caribbean for 33 years. “Cruising has changed to a large degree. When I first joined, cruising was not for everybody. Today, cruising is more affordable than 33 years ago. I remember people used to get dressed-up very nicely. The ladies in their gowns, the gentlemen in their tuxedos and formal evenings were a big deal. People don't like to get dressed up anymore. People ate differently back then - - lobster and steak every night. Today, we have much more diverse guests.” Mr. Daley began his career as a waiter. He worked his way up through the dining operation department to become a restaurant manager. But then he decided to switch departments and became an executive housekeeper. “I switched departments because I had my eyes on this position [hotel director]. I knew if I stayed focused and worked hard, I would get there.” Royal Caribbean then asked Mr. Daley to work in its corporate office in Miami. While there, he went back to school to further his studies. The company then sent him to hotel management school in Austria. After six years away from the sea, Mr. Daley returned to the Royal Caribbean fleet as a Food and Beverage Director. This eventually led to his promotion to hotel director. Throughout this process, Mr. Daley found support from Royal Caribbean. “ That is the reason I am loyal to Royal. It is a great company.” “I am not the only one. As we grow - - and we are growing so fast - - we need people. We need good people. So one of the things that we are tasked with as hotel directors is to identify potential, the next leader. Who aboard the Adventure is the next leader in the restaurant, in the bar, at the guest services desk, as a cruise director working in entertainment? Who onboard has that potential? We need to identify them and we need to get them trained.” “Many years ago I was this crew member in the dining room and someone identified this talent and got me on the path to the next level. So this is what I am doing with some of these boys and girls. There is a lot of joy in that for me personally.” |
Why chose Adventure of the Seas?
“Adventure is a great ship with a good itinerary. We deliver a very consistent service onboard and we try to create a very comfortable ambiance aboard the ship for all. For me, I want to make the experience very comfortable.” Accordingly, the crew is trained that: “It is the customer first. We try to be very customer-centric, just focus on the guest, it is all about the guest.” “We train our people every single day take ownership of any issue that is brought to your attention and get it resolved. Our guests will understand that things do break, things happen but it is how we respond to it. So we really spend a lot of time ensuring that the operation is customr-centric. It is all about the guest in everything that we do.” “I think that is what makes us special. Currently, this ship is one of the top performing ships in the [Royal Caribbean] fleet and it is a direct result of the people. The people provide the service to the guests. What makes the ship is the people.“ This approach to cruising enables Adventure to remain a viable vacation choice. To illustrate, in the summer, Adventure is based in Bayonne, New Jersey, which is also the home of another Royal Caribbean ship, the newer and larger Anthem of the Seas. Yet, both ships are successful. “If you look at just the ship itself, one would tend to go with the Anthem. It is a newer ship, it offers more variety as it relates to dining, entertainment and activities. It is a much bigger ship. However, ther is something special about the Adventure. The Adventure has been in serice now for about 20 years and I think all the kinks we had onboard have been worked out. If you want a more relaxed, easy-going experience, come here.” 
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Cruise ship inside interviews - Royal Caribbean International - Adventure of the Seas - Hotel Director Clunis Daley