By V. Sivaji

The vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific for Royal Caribbean International (RCL) Ms Angie Stephen was at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) recently to host VIP guests, dignitaries and media members.

The lucky guests had a chance to tour the “Spectrum of the Seas” mega cruise ship and were even hosted to a fine lunch.

Penang Hyperlocal managed to catch up with Stephen for a quick interview session in between her busy schedule hosting dignitaries and stakeholders.

As always, she was obliging and patiently answered our questions at the interview.

She also shared the latest developments on the RCL plans moving forward after the reopening of the cruise ship industry.

Among the quick fire questions are :- 

Q – What is your favourite local food

A – It must surely be Char Kway Teow – it is a guilty pleasure for me, and I understand the best to be had is in Penang! 

Q – What are your hobbies if any

A-  My hobby is cooking, I like the challenge of figuring out how to make healthy food taste good

Q – What is your favourite holiday destination

A – Europe on a cruise to visit 3 countries, 5 destinations in 7 days, all while transiting in the grand style of a Royal Caribbean ship.

Meanwhile, RCL will be deploying its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ship next year – the “Utopia of the Seas”.

Presently, with all of their 26-strong cruise ships in service, they are currently building a ship every year. The biggest of them all, is the Wonder of the Seas which was taken delivery last year.

“We actually took delivery of two ships during the pandemic, the Wonder of the Seas is the world’s biggest cruise ship. We have also turned the corner and look forward to exciting times now. 

“The Asian Region has big potential as only one per cent of the population have experienced cruise holidays,” said Stephen during the press conference.

She has been with the RCL for over 24 years and has been based in Singapore since 2018.

Her forte is in developing sales distribution sales channels, brand marketing and partnerships.

In her current post, she oversees all marketing, commercial and operational activities for the company’s brands in this region.

For the reopening of the cruise ship industry, she led Singapore to be the first market to return for Royal Caribbean globally.

She worked with the Singapore Tourism Board and regional governments to flawlessly implement conscientious health and safety procedures, while still delivering a world class holiday experience for guests.

Previously, she had also served in Shanghai, Miami in the United States of America on her tour of duty.