Ep 16 - Azamara Cruises -“The Global Leader in Small Ship Destination Immersion - the Difference is Night and Day!” with Dondra Ritzenthaler

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Luxury Travelers Podcast! In this episode, we are thrilled to feature Dondra Ritzenthaler, the newly appointed CEO of Azamara Cruises. Dondra shares her vision for Azamara's future as she discusses the impactful changes she has made in her first two months. She outlines her plans to visit 12 cities, engaging with travel advisors to gather insights and shape the company's direction based on feedback from their cruising clientele. Azamara, the leader in small ship destination immersion, continues innovating with fresh and unique itineraries, rarely repeating the same cruise itinerary. Join us as Dondra unveils the upcoming itineraries and the unique experiences that await travelers aboard Azamara Cruises. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [1:39] Dondra talks about what is in store for Azamara Cruises
• [4:48] Dondra explains a destination immersion cruise and gives examples of Sydney and Bordeaux, where you arrive late, spend the evening sightseeing, overnight at the port and leave late the next day
• [9:31] Discussion of how the staff knows the passenger's name by day two
• [12:33] Dondra mentions that the cruise price is inclusive, and she explains how itineraries change and the same ports are not repeated over and over 
• [17:28] Dondra reveals new destinations and itineraries for future cruises featuring a solar eclipse, South America, the Vanilla Islands, Japan and a world cruise
• [20:37] Azamara is owned by a private equity firm, and Dondra shared they do 2 or 3 cruises a year where they partner with Perry Golf

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

• Dondra will do a 12-city tour to listen to cruise advisors and learn what cruising clients want to see and experience while on the ship.
• Azamara Cruises specializes in small ships with only 700 passengers, of which 50% arrive in port in the evening, allowing guests to enjoy the port all evening and the next day.
• In 2026, Azamara will do a solar eclipse cruise, sending two ships to Europe, where the eclipse will take place.

RESOURCES:

Luxury Travelers - Podcast

Luxe Travel - Website

Luxe Travel - Facebook

Luxe Travel - Instagram

https://www.azamara.com/home

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dondra-ritzenthaler-71811a

GUEST BIOGRAPHY: 

A 40-year veteran of the travel industry executive, Dondra recently left her position as Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Services for 

The Americas for Celebrity Cruises. In this role, she oversaw nearly 700 employees, including the Marketing Sales Directors and Managers, Strategic Marketing Managers, Charter Sales, Inside Sales Representatives, National and Corporate Account Managers in the field, and the support staff at corporate headquarters in Miami. Dondra also led National Accounts, Trade Support and Service, 

including Reservations, Group Sales, and Customer Service, as well as the line's Consumer Outreach division, Onboard Cruise Sales and Internal Sales 

Support. In her 20 years with Royal Caribbean/Celebrity 

Cruises, Dondra is widely credited for raising awareness of the importance of travel advisors. She created multiple travel advisor-facing programs 

to help build their business, including “The Celebrity Commitment.” Under Dondra’s leadership, Celebrity was awarded “Best Premium Cruise Line” by leading industry trade publication Travel Weekly for 13 consecutive years. She also played a vital role on the executive team that launched what is today Azamara Cruises. Before Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, Dondra spent 20 years with American Airlines in various sales and marketing leadership roles.