Queen of the Fun Ships

A Day in the Life of Christine Duffy

- Cele and Lynn Seldon

WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE when you’re Christine Duffy and you sit at the helm of the world’s largest cruise line? “One of the things I like best about my job is that there is no typical day,” says Duffy, who began serving as president of Carnival Cruise Line in February 2015 after spending four years as president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the trade association representing the $35 billion global cruise industry.

Duffy’s day is certainly packed with Fun Ship duties near and far. She oversees nearly 40,000 employees and a fleet of 24 cruise ships that carry 4.5 million passengers annually from home ports throughout North America, Europe, and Australia.

On Shore and On Board

When she’s in South Florida (Carnival’s headquarters is in Miami), Duffy’s days start early. “I try to work out in the morning and beat rush hour,” she says. “I like to have some time before I start my day to get through emails.”

Then the meetings begin. “I am usually in back-to-back meetings throughout the day,” she says. “My management style is very collaborative.” Duffy believes day-to-day cooperation and consensus is the way to get things done. “Things work best when you bring the right team together and have people with different skills and talents working collaboratively.”