She Chose a Cruise Over Her Quinceañera. Now She's a Cruise Line CCO
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
I chose a cruise instead of actually having a big party in celebration of my coming of age because I just thought, you know, how much fun would it be
The way that you do summer in Europe is on a yacht and you see all the millionaires and billionaires and all the lifestyle publications and their private yachts
It's definitely about the culture and the people. It took me many years to figure that out. And I was lucky to work with really amazing companies
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Port Highlights
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
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At 15, she chose a one-week cruise over a big quinceañera party. Two decades later, she's the Chief Commercial Officer of one of the most distinctive cruise brands on the water. Janet Bava leads Windstar Cruises — small yacht-style ships built on the philosophy that bigger isn't always better. In this episode, recorded live from Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Janet shares her journey as a Cuban immigrant raised in Miami, a rejection from NCL that almost derailed her path, and two decades that took her from Royal Caribbean to Silversea to AmaWaterways and now to Windstar. We get into what's new at Windstar — the inaugural Alaska season for Star Seeker, her upcoming journeys to Japan and Southeast Asia, the brand new Star Explorer arriving in Europe this year, and why Windstar's small ships can access rivers and coastlines larger cruise lines simply cannot reach. Plus, Janet answers the Hot Seat: if she could sail any Windstar yacht right now, which one would she choose, and the itinerary she reveals might be the most unique in the entire cruise industry this year. 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033cWean6LKfHP6ZABBn34?si=645d55eb240e4c9a 🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/traveling-with-denella-friends/id1896598348 Chapters: 0:00 — Welcome to Traveling with Denella & Friends 0:48 — Meet Janet Bava — Chief Commercial Officer of Windstar Cruises 1:54 — The Journey — Growing Up Cuban-American in Miami 2:34 — Choosing a Cruise Over a Quinceañera Party 3:06 — Studying International Business at FIU 3:38 — Inspiring FIU's Cruise Hospitality Program 4:39 — Trilingual — Meeting Her Husband in Rome 5:15 — Rejected by NCL, Then a Call From Royal Caribbean in 2006 6:18 — Balancing Career and Motherhood 7:00 — Royal Caribbean: "A Masters in Cruising" 7:49 — Moving to Silversea and Discovering Small-Ship Cruising 8:05 — CMO at AmaWaterways, Then CCO at Windstar 8:56 — Why Culture Matters More Than Money 10:04 — Windstar Is Hiring, Check LinkedIn 11:01 — What's New at Windstar, Making a Real Impact 11:52 — Star Seeker's Inaugural Alaska Season 12:23 — Heading to Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand 12:48 — Star Explorer — Windstar's New River-to-Ocean Ship 13:38 — 224 Guests, 12+ Rivers Across the Fleet 14:32 — Doing Summer in Europe Differently 15:41 — Tahiti — 40+ Years of Windstar History 16:02 — Wind Star's Sailboat Renovation Returns to Tahiti 16:32 — 🔥 The Hot Seat — Choosing a Windstar Yacht 17:17 — Wind Star's Unmatched Southern Italy Itinerary 19:10 — Closing Thoughts & Congratulations 20:12 — Until We Travel Again CONNECT WITH JANET BAVA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbava/ WINDSTAR CRUISES Website: https://www.windstarcruises.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/windstarcruises Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WindstarCruises/ CONNECT WITH DENELLA RI'CHARD Website: https://www.travelingwithdenella.com/ Follow Me: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/travelingwithdenellarichard Instagram https://www.instagram.com/travelingwithdenella/ Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/denella/ ABOUT TRAVELING WITH DENELLA & FRIENDS Have you ever wondered how you can get paid to travel the world? Meet the people who do; yes, they really exist. Traveling with Denella & Friends is your insider's look into the travel industry through real conversations with the leaders, innovators, and personalities who power it. Host Denella Ri'chard sits down with the people who built careers in travel, their journeys, their rise, and what's next. Because travel isn't a hobby, it's our career. #TravelingWithDenellaAndFriends #WindstarCruises #SmallShipCruising #YachtCruise #TravelPodcast #CruiseIndustry #TravelCareer #Tahiti #WinterMediterranean #TravelAdvisor #LuxuryTravel #CruiseTravel #Seatrade #TravelIndustry #WomenInTravel