Team,
Congratulations to everyone for an extraordinary Freedom of the Seas, celebrating 250 years of our Surface Navy!
Freedom of the Seas is truly a team effort — planning begins early each year with the Awards Committee selecting recipients and the Events Planning Committee assembling the program. From deck plate to board, every part of our team plays a role in planning and executing this event. The final weeks can take a toll, but I want to especially recognize Marguerite Mohney, Marann Fengler, Glenys Rich, Kyle Aube, Mike Shatynski, and Tanya Acker for keeping the team focused and ensuring a successful event.
This past week, attendance, tour revenue, and Vicky’s sales all exceeded 2024 levels. While it’s always difficult to pinpoint a single reason, credit goes to Hall and the marketing team for their ongoing work in micro-targeting advertising initiatives—much like our evolving direct mail strategies.
The management team also reviewed Q3 KPI results this week. We continue to see consistent weaknesses in admissions, overnights, school groups, events, and volunteer engagement. However, there are bright spots in development, add-on tour conversion, Vicky’s, and the store.
Looking ahead, projections show a rebound in tourism in 2026, with modest but steady growth expected. We are targeting stronger performance across all program areas through sharper accountability, multi-purpose initiatives, the opening of the new experience, and several program improvements.
In preparation for 2026, I recently shared our new Playbook with the leadership team. The Playbook is our commitment to how we lead, decide, and work together as One Ship, One Crew, One Mission. It defines who we are, how we lead, the tools we use, and where we’re headed. It will guide management teams as they set objectives for 2026, work collaboratively, and lead their teams forward.
As we continue our path as the Nation’s Museum of the Future, thank you for your dedication, resilience, and teamwork in service to our shared mission.
In service to One Ship, One Crew, One Mission,
