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The cruise industry, one of the fastest-growing sectors within the tourism industry, has been sailing through turbulent waters. From reputation management during crises to incorporating sustainable practices, the industry is constantly evolving and adapting to new...

There are steps that companies can take to survive and thrive in an environment where the big, interacting in a virtuous cycle with the big, dominates the market.

In the dynamic world of business, identifying the strategies that work effectively for your competitors can provide valuable insights for your own company’s growth. To do so, one should meticulously observe and analyze the key business metrics of primary competitors and industry leaders relevant to their context…

Do you want to find out how to cruise from and save THOUSANDS on airfare? River cruising may be the answer for you! Bringing you the latest in cruise news and best in travel trends around the globe. Porthole Cruise and Travel has been inspiring traveler for over 25 years!

When the seas are choppy and the storm brews around you, how do you best navigate to safety? Do you follow a beacon of hope or find that guiding light within? Truthfully, we all have the ability to be that bright beam of relief in times of chaos— for ourselves and others…

RJ Singh is a corporate and ultra-endurance athlete, family man and is dedicated to the pursuit of self-mastery. His mission is to lead by example and share the ultrahabits needed to achieve ultra-performance in all areas of your life .

David A. Giersdorf is an innovative entrepreneur with extensive C-suite experience as a former senior executive in the global cruise, travel, and marketing services industry, including directing a $1B+ Brand Portfolio and serving as CEO of several iconic cruise lines, travel, and marketing services companies.

I recently went one on one with David Giersdorf. David is a longtime executive and entrepreneur in the cruise, travel, and tourism industry, where he has held senior executive leadership positions at Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, American West Steamboat Company, and Exploration Cruise Lines. David is also the author of Hard Ships.

On this episode of the Strategy & Leadership Podcast, David joins us to discuss how he helped solve the big challenges of iconic cruise ship brands, #LeadingThroughDisruption, his book Hard Ships, and more.

Is there any industry that’s been disrupted more at a global level over the past twenty years than the cruise lines? In this episode, David Giersdorf, a former senior executive in the global cruise, travel, and marketing services industry, gives the roadmap for leading through disruption.

In Part 2 of this two-part podcast, Managing Editor Brian Gorman and David dive more deeply into some of his protocols as they apply to today’s workplace disruptions.

David Giersdorf knows how to navigate disruption. His decades of C-suite experience in the travel industry have helped him identify six protocols for “navigating your company, career, and life through the fog of disruption.”

David Giersdorf is a business consultant and author with decades of experience as a leading figure in the cruise and travel industry. David grew up in Alaska and worked in his father’s…

Industry expert and business professional, David Giersdorf, shares a wealth of knowledge from his extensive career in the cruise, travel and tourism industries. A thick fog of disruption has rolled into your life.

No doubt. We’re going through the deepest, most severe disruption in the history of our industry. But also, no doubt we will recover better. And more resilient than ever before.
Actually, a better version of ourselves. We’ve done it time and again, disruption after disruption.

Disruption is not just how it starts, how long it lasts, or how bad it is; it’s how it ends. Watch for the “snap of the tail”, when the stored energy of the disruption event makes its final concentrated burst.

In this podcast, Bertrand Petyt, Managing Partner of Vitruvius Partners Group, welcomes David Giersdorf, CEO of Global Voyages Group and a leading C-Level Executive in the cruise industry. David and Bertrand discuss the disruption the cruise industry faced in the past year…

His new book, ‘Hard Ships: Navigating Your Company, Career and Life Through the Fog of Disruption’ (2021, Giersdorf Group LLC), channels his personal and professional experiences into a compelling and motivational read. And, considering the topic, the timing couldn’t be better as…

It’s the first book by David Giersdorf, founder and president of Global Voyages Group and a former senior executive at Holland America Line, Windstar Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises, American West Steamboat Co. and Exploration Cruise Lines.

Sometimes you just wait. The disruption is prolonged and deep. You do everything you can in your power and in collaboration with others and then…you wait. Don’t give up, never give up.

Individuals struggling in a disruption can still play the long game to win—even if all seems lost in the short term. If the good jobs aren’t open, your living situation changes abruptly, or some other type of crisis threatens everything you hold dear, think through your first step, what I call your “First First”.

With today’s ready access to Big Data, AI, Online Hyper-Targeting, and Fragmentation/Specialization of Media Channels, it would seem that a Marketer’s job has become less complicated. But is that the case?

Sharing this thought today from my upcoming book – Hard Ships: Navigating Your Company, Career and Life through the Fog of Disruption.

Executives, founders, and entrepreneurs who’ve built or run multi-billion-dollar companies use this four-step framework to plan a strategy following a disruption. These instructions offer guidance to let you plan specific to your needs.

Sharing this thought today from my upcoming book – Hard Ships: Navigating Your Company, Career and Life through the Fog of Disruption.

In 1849, French novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” You may recognize the more common English translation. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Most people follow this advice when…

Nobody gets into the cruise industry for quick and easy profits. A major cruise ship can cost over $1 Billion and take two years to build. The return on investment is a long-term proposition, with many risks involved. In the worldwide cruise business, operating 24/7 on the world’s Oceans and Rivers…

I laid out six imperatives for the cruise industry recovery. These imperatives were specific to cruise companies. But the more I discussed them with clients, friends, and even family, I realized that these imperatives have a much broader application—even beyond the coronavirus.