ONBOARD THE STAR OF THE SEAS -- Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty turned to Richard Fain and asked, "How am I doing?"
With impeccable timing, Fain replied, "You're asking that about four years too late."
And so it went for the next hour at the Royal Theater on the Star of the Seas, where Liberty and Fain -- the longtime chief of Royal Caribbean and the man who hired Liberty some 20 years ago -- held an onstage chat dubbed "Legacy and Leadership" during the preview sailing of the Star, Royal's second Icon-class ship.
Like a seasoned comedy duo, the pair traded good-natured gibes and one-liners as they reflected on the company's past, present and future.
The importance of people and culture at Royal Caribbean
Liberty credited the company's success to the internal culture that Fain built at Royal. "The amount of pride to see his flowers bloom must be exceptional," he said of Fain.
Fain, who led Royal Caribbean Group for 33 years before retiring in 2022 (he is still the company chairman), emphasized that the company's success has always been rooted in its culture and people. "The greatest source of inspiration and pride for me [is] the people. It's the people, it's the people, it's the people," he said.
"Royal Caribbean has always attracted, promoted and dealt with the best," he added, "and I think that is still the dominant importance in our success."
The union of the best people and the right culture is an idea Fain returned to later, in response to an audience question about leadership tips.
"It is the people, and it is the culture that those people drive and that drives those people, and it's that culture that makes it successful," he said. "You can't lead if you don't have a culture that will accept leadership and that will work with you toward a common goal."
Fain also noted the importance of taking a long view and getting a team to pull in the same direction, saying Royal has always been "clear about who we are and where we're going."
Speaking of the industry overall, he said, "Nothing we do today will make a difference today ... but five years from now. You have to be constantly thinking about that, rather than the short-term consequence."
Building innovation
Innovation was a recurring theme throughout the discussion, and Fain emphasized that success has never hinged on single "wow" factors.
"It wasn't that there was a rock-climbing wall," he said. "It was that it all fit together as a cohesive whole."
Fain recounted, to laughter and with Liberty's prodding, the company's attempts to put a blimp on the Oasis of the Seas. That idea ended when the Swedish Air Force asked if it could shoot it down when it broke free of the ship.
But Fain said that that "great idea" led to the balloon at Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Looking to the future
Liberty asked Fain what he saw as the future of vacations and cruising. Fain flipped the script on him: "That's the question you have to answer, and that's the question you have to make real."
Liberty said the company's future depended on evolving the guest experience beyond traditional tours and toward immersive, shareable moments -- whether on the world's largest cruise ships, new smaller vessels or the company's upcoming entry into river cruising.
"The time of city tours, I think, is of the past," he said. "The time of experience building with your friends and family is where we are today -- and I think where we're going to be tomorrow."
And how is Liberty doing in his role? Citing the share price, employee satisfaction and the popularity of the product, a deadpan Fain said, "Yes, apparently you're doing a good job."
In closing, Liberty asked if Fain, with so many great stories to tell, had ever thought of writing a book.
"Well, what an interesting idea," Fain quipped.
That's when the screen behind the two changed to show the cover of Fain's upcoming book: "Delivering the Wow: Culture as Catalyst for Lasting Success."
"I'll give it some thought."