RCCI cuts jobs ashore

Royal Caribbean Cruises is cutting 400 shore-side jobs as part of a major cost reduction programme. One major surprise is that the company plants to close down The Scholar School, an educational partnership aimed at college students studying abroad on cruise ships – although this may simply be because it predicts that the current global spending slow-down will lead to many fewer young people being able to afford to study abroad. The job shedding is being blamed on profits being cut into by increased fuel prices and Chairman Richard Fain said, ‘This is a difficult period for virtually all businesses, but we are determined to improve our operating results through tight cost controls while preserving our guest experience and continue to strongly support our travel agent partners.’