It was just announced that Natalya Leahy is leaving Seabourn for a job outside of Carnival Corp. after a decade with the corporation. While I can’t say I know it is another abandonment of Seabourn and Carnival Corp, it sure seems like it.
Why do I say that? Because there is yet another shake-up as to who is running what within Seabourn and its parent companies with two presidents departing Carnival Corp.
First, Seabourn’s new president is Mark Tamis. His history includes a decade ago being Carnival Cruise Lines SVP of Guest Operations then SVP of Royal Caribbean’s Hotel Operations until May 2022. From he was president of Aimbridge Hospitality before being ousted in May 2024.
For me, the good news is that Tamis comes from Hotel Operations and not Finance…and Royal Caribbean has a history of getting hotel operations right both for the guest and the company. (The bad news is, obviously, the lack of stability within Seabourn…and that isn’t good for the moral of its staff or its guests.)
Meanwhile, John Padgett, the president of Princess Cruises is also leaving Carnival Corp. after a decade of service.
Beth Bodensteiner, who is ultra-focused on the bottom line, currently the SVP and CCO of Holland America is HAL’s new president, while Gus Antorcha, HAL’s current president is the new president of Princess Cruises…which oversees HAL and, thus, Seabourn.
For me it is disturbing that two of the presidents (Seabourn and Princess) are leaving…and that they are both leaving Carnival Corp after over a decade with it. This continual turnover, especially two presidents at the same time, just is not normal.
Ultimately, what will it mean for Seabourn, its future or its guest experience? I don’t have a clue. But the lack of stability and changes in approaches and philosophies cannot be considered good for any company.
It is noted that Josh Weinstein is focused on righting Carnival Corp’s balance sheet and sees the best way to do that is by focusing on the Carnival and Princess brands. So far it appears to be working.
However, with less focus on Seabourn, and no new Seabourn ships on the horizon, I remain less than optimistic. However, as I stated, it would appear to be a good thing that Seabourn’s new president has a history in hotel operations and guest services rather than merely number crunching.
Stay tuned!
