Dondra Ritzenthaler
TORONTO — Just a few days into her new role as CEO of Azamara, Dondra Ritzenthaler told Travelweek she already has ambitious plans for Canada.
She is fully aware that Azamara isn’t exactly a household name in our country. “I don’t love the fact that we’re a secret, we want to change that,” Ritzenthaler said.
So, what are her plans as Azamara’s new leader?
Her first and most important mandate is to ensure the Canadian travel advisor community is fully supported by the Azamara team.
“Eight-five percent of our product is sold by travel advisors. They’re the heartbeat of what we do,” Ritzenthaler said. “The more we can communicate and make them comfortable about who we are and how to sell to their customers, the better.”
Between her and the Azamara sales team, the goal will be to create a clear and concise brand positioning message, and to make sure Canadian travel advisors are fully versed with the brand.
To that end, Azamara has announced the ‘Triple L Tour’ (Listen, Learn and Link Together), where the sales team will host learning events for travel advisors and consumers. The tour will visit 12 North American cities, with Montreal confirmed for Sept. 3, and additional Canadian cities to be announced soon.
Secondly, Ritzenthaler will be leveraging the love that Azamara’s past guests have for the brand: “Our loyal guests are our bread and butter. Some of them have been on 50 cruises with us. They see themselves as extensions of our family. So we plan on staying very close to them.”
Clearly, a lot of work will need to be done, as less than 10% of Azamara guests are Canadian – with most hailing from B.C., Alberta, and Ontario.
Ritzenthaler also plans to work diligently with her marketing team to grow awareness in the Canadian market.
Admittedly, being a smaller brand means they have to work with a smaller budget, but she is committed to creating clever and creative solutions that will complement social media and press interviews.
Ritzenthaler acknowledged that this will require work: “We’re a humble brand. We want to listen, and we want to learn. But one thing is clear. We need Canada, we really do.”
Azamara’s fleet consists of four ships, and each vessel has gone through extensive refurbishment to the tune of US$85 million. Are there new ships in Azamara’s future? Ritzenthaler is hopeful: “My goal as a leader of this team now is that we get to announce newbuilds. We’re having conversations with Sycamore (Azamara’s private equity owner), but our mandate is to first become more profitable, make people love the brand, and make our distribution channel understand who we are, and I’m committed to making that happen.”
Azamara’s strength has always been its itineraries, with late stays, overnight calls, and country-intensive voyages that delve deep into the destination. Its 2025/26 deployment includes a 79-day grand voyage to South America, newly created 7-night Caribbean itineraries that can be booked back-to-back, and maiden calls at eight new ports.
Azamara is returning to Canada for the first time in nearly ten years, with Canada/New England sailings in fall 2024 and 2025. Highlights include a ten-day Quebec-intensive itinerary sailing roundtrip from Montreal that also includes St. Pierre and Miquelon and the seldom-visited Magdalen Islands, and there are also two-week cruises between Montreal, Greenland, and Iceland through July and August 2025. These voyages, according to Ritzenthaler, will appeal to Canadians due to their length and domestic port departure.
In addition, 2025 and 2026 world cruises have just been announced, both sailing for 155 nights and travelling to more than 35 countries.
In her 20 year tenure at Celebrity Cruises, most recently as Senior Vice-President of Sales, Ritzenthaler established a solid relationship with the trade community, a commendable asset that she brings to Azamara. “The reason I was given the opportunity to be the CEO [at Azamara] is that my relationship with the trade is real. I’m real about managing and leading a team with my heart and my head and making sure we have a winning culture that people want to work with and work for,” Ritzenthaler is proud to say.
With her leadership and strong trade support and following, the industry no doubt looks forward to seeing Azamara’s growth in the Canadian market.
ADVISOR RESOURCES
Advisors can log onto the Azamara Connect portal for sales and marketing resources, and Azamara will also be relaunching its World Academy online agent training tool this fall.
For further information and business opportunities, advisors can reach out to their Canadian Strategic Business Development Managers …
- Colin Price, Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, and MB) cprice@azamara.com
- Margarita Peloso, Eastern Canada (ON, QC, NB, NS, PE, NL) mpeloso@azamara.com