Industry publication Cruise Week has profiled the leaders of six major cruise lines, each of whom is a key force in shaping the industry. The profiles were created based on the observations of veteran reporters. This is the 3rd in the series.
Celebrity Cruises President & CEO Dan Hanrahan is seen by reporters as the cruise leader with the strongest marketing skills. He's credited with the highly praised "Get Out There" campaign at Royal Caribbean.
Hanrahan's background is out there, too. His resume includes key roles at Reebok and Polaroid, giving him a healthy 'outside' perspective in an industry where many key executives have spent their entire careers.
He now has the assignment of making Celebrity the premium line that attracts premium rates. On his side are the line's Solstice-class ships, which he truly believes can be genuine stars for 10-15 years or more. He's more at home with big ships than small ships and truly believes that more people simply prefer the myriad of options that big ships can provide.
Hanrahan is open with the press, and agents big and small remark on his responsiveness and personal approach.
"Dan Hanrahan is the hippest of the cruise executives," notes one journalist. "And he makes hipness accessible to cruisers. While Celebrity has always been a more sophisticated premium line -- especially with its onboard cuisine and unconventional art collections -- Hanrahan takes it to the next level with hip specialty restaurants and partnerships, such as the recently announced iLounge that will be stocked with Apple products. The Solstice-class ships have solar panels, a real grass lawn for putting or croquet, and a martini bar with an iced bar top -- you can't get much hipper than that!"