#MikeyOnMariner – Day 6 – Sardinia & An Interview with Mirko Taraba

Good evening everyone! It has been a great day here on board the beautiful Mariner of the Seas. We are currently sailing away from Sardinia into a day at sea. Today was another great day. I visited one of Sardinia’s beautiful beaches today, but instead of telling you about a boring beach, I would like you to meet someone very important here on board the Mariner of the Seas.

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Earlier today I had the chance to sit down and talk with Mirko Taraba, who is the Marketing and Revenue Manager on board the Mariner of the Seas. We were able to sit in the Diamond Lounge high atop the ship in the Viking Crown Lounge and watch the port of Sardinia come into view as we talked about the cruise industry.

Mirko started with Royal Caribbean in 1995 as a fitness director shore excursions (where he became manager)and finally marketing and revenue on board Mariner of the Seas. Mirko has served on board many of Royal Caribbean’s ships such as the Brilliance of the Seas, Legend of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas (Mirko’s personal favorite,) Oasis of the Seas, and currently on the Mariner of the Seas.

Mirko Taraba is the Marketing and Revenue Manager on board the Mariner of the Seas. He is in charge of overseeing the revenues for the casino, spa, photography sales, on board art sales, excursions, port lectures, and the diving program. The other side of his job goes in hand with revenues. Mirko is in charge of marketing all of the events that take place on board such as the production shows, parades, art sales, wine tastings, jewelry sales, etc. If it’s an activity that’s offered on board, Mirko is the one marketing it.

Obviously, we are currently sailing in the Mediterranean, so I asked Mirko about what kind of changes are made to the onboard product for the change in clientele from a Caribbean cruise to a Mediterranean cruise. Mirko explained that preparations for the cross over begin about two months before the actual crossing. The ship’s crew will begin to prepare specialized menus that are tailored to the region the ship will be sailing in. Recipes will be changed, buffets will be reorganized with food corresponding to the region, such as pasta for the Mediterranean or barbeque-esque food for the Caribbean. Shops will begin to order apparel and other items that will appeal more to the region. For example, when a ship expects a large number of Italians to be on board during a season, the shops will order more Puma and Lacoste apparel, as these brands are well liked by most Italians. New activities or games may be introduced that appeal to the crowd that a ship is expecting. Even new crew can be brought on. If the ship is expecting a large amount of French guests, then the ship will make sure that there is a proper amount of translators who can speak French for the convenience of the guests.

Finally, I asked Mirko why someone should take a cruise on Mariner of the Seas to the Mediterranean. He responded saying, “The Mariner of the Seas is the best ship to cruise in the Mediterranean. We offer the best itinerary, with the best ports, and some of the longest port visits. In one week, you can see Italy, south France, and Spain. The ship is stunning and beautiful. She has a great crew who provides very friendly service.” Mirko goes on to explain that Mariner of the Seas offers many activities and amenities such as a rock climbing wall, ice-skating rink, mini golf, the Royal Promenade, and many more not found on other cruise lines. These amenities have kept me occupied during our sea time on board the ship, but as Mirko explains, these amenities are nice to have on board, but you are really taking this cruise to visit the amazing ports of the Mediterranean.

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I want to thank Mirko again for sitting down with me today to talk a little bit about the cruise industry and for sharing his knowledge of the inner workings of the Mariner of the Seas. I really enjoyed my talk with him and I can tell you that I have learned a lot and I hope you have too! I hope you all have a great Thursday and I will see you back here tomorrow as we cruise around the Mediterranean as a day at sea.

-Mikey

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