Jackie Carden is our Jack (or Jill, rather) of all trades. After all, there’s quite a bit that fits under directing cruise and events operations. She’s done everything from designing menus and décor for the yachts to training new employees that come around for prime cruising season.
“My role is a collaboration on ideas with our executive chef, Chuck Sansone. I look at balancing out the offerings, identify the execution so that it will make sense from a service perspective, and most importantly making sure that the menu will appeal to our guests.”
With feedback from previous years, she’s able to write (and rewrite!) menus catered specifically to our guests tastes. Check out a sampling of our 8 different menus, not to mention our beverage services, compliments, enhancements, and “sweet endings” deserts.
Her background in design is in more than just menus, however. One of her favorite projects she’s worked on was actually building the Ovation. “We were a part of the entire process,” she says “It was such a unique experience that I’ll never forget.”
Not one detail was left without careful consideration: “the marble, wood grains, fabrics, furnishings, equipment, fixtures, carpet (definitely the most difficult one), you name it,” Jackie points out.
“The best part, however, was being able to design a venue to operate successfully based on everything we learned previously.” Before the Ovation was introduced, the team was cruising on her sister ship, the Infinity.
Part of the design process, and continuing decisions on décor is keeping all the different kinds of events we hold on the yachts. From weddings to the summer cruise series parties like Cinco de Mayo, to business functions, anniversaries, bat mitzvahs, and more, we’ve seen and done a lot. “Because events and taste vary so much, my objective,” Jackie says “is to make the yachts as well-appointed and versatile as possible. We designed it to be more monochromatic to allow for any event’s color scheme. At the same time, we wanted guests to also feel that if they didn’t want to decorate or spend additional money, that the yachts are truly beautiful as they are.”
But there’s another side to keeping the yachts in tip-top shape, and it has to do with the other side to her favorite part of the job:
“The staff… No question about it! They make my day!”
For employees that work the summer cruising season, we start recruiting around mid-April. “Though we retain many of our employees from one year to the next, we’ve had substantial growth,” Jackie explains, “so we always make sure we are prepared.”
So between training employees, design decisions, and more recently, coordinating the Diva’s in the D cruise’s support to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Center, Jackie has kept rather busy. Luckily, one of the perks of the job is getting a spot on the boat to cruise with everyone. If you’re planning on coming to the Good Vibrations, 80′s Rewind, or Carnival cruises this summer, make sure to stop and say hi!
Ovation for the Detroit Rock City Cruise.
The only thing we didn’t have was a ride – and I didn’t know where to look for one. (Yes, I’ll admit it; we ladies like to have a cocktail or two when we’re out and about!) So I thought, maybe a cruise director at Infinity and Ovation could point me in the right direction. Perhaps they could recommend a driver or a limo company? At least I hoped…
