Unsinkable Sastre.

MARIA SASTRE SPENT A QUARTER CENtury in aviation, moving through the ranks at Continental, Eastern and United airlines. She was United's vice president of customer satisfaction worldwide when she jumped ship a year ago to become vice president of total guest satisfaction at Royal Caribbean International, operator of 13 ships including the world's two largest cruise vessels, Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas. The Havana-born, Miami-bred Sastre, 45, talks to LATIN TRADE correspondent Anne Kalosh about her company's quest to grab more Latin American customers and strategies for keeping cruisers happy.

Had you cruised before taking this job?

I've been on a number of cruise lines. I honeymooned on Royal Caribbean, on the Sun Viking, in 1987. My husband and I really enjoyed cruising because it allowed us to disengage from the airline side of the business. Pack once, unpack once, which is great.

Is there anything about the cruise industry that would surprise outsiders?

The diversity in our workforce. We have employees from over 100 countries.

What about Latin American hires?

Royal Caribbean is sourcing employees from Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua. We find employees from Latin America have a very strong work ethic and a very strong service ethic.

Explain your strategy for luring more passengers from Latin America?

We have a very strong international representative network that continues to market and advertise Royal Caribbean's brand in the region. This year, for the first time, we've placed a ship in South America that's totally being sourced from Latin America. Our guests are primarily from Brazil and Argentina.

And once the Latin Americans are on board?

We've got the Gipsy Kings performing. We added a terrific wine selection from Chile, in the whites, and reds from Argentina. We improved our Chiantis and our Grigios because Argentines have a strong Italian palate and a strong Italian wine preference. We changed some of our menus to reflect the cooking trends in Brazil and Argentina for meats. We have also introduced drinks: the caipirinha, pisco sours, We extended meal times much later into the evening and we are running entertainment much later and music into the wee hours of the morning.

What kind of accommodations do Latin Americans want?

More multiple cabins, more outside cabins with windows or balconies, higher categories. They are family-oriented. The children or grandchildren are often a part of it. We have also created an interesting specialty: the quinceanera groups.

Tell me more about that.

I've seen groups on the ship of 150 quinceaneras. We customize programs for them. They do private receptions. They do wonderful photo shoots in our dining rooms on the beautiful staircases.

Is the Latin market segment lucrative?

We believe it is. [The passengers] tend to be affluent ... and they're younger than the typical U.S. cruiser.

A few years ago, one of your competitors launched a brand for the Latin market on an older ship. It failed.

We use new ships. The Latin client ... likes the latest and the greatest.

Do you get teased about your total guest satisfaction title?

Not very often. There's so much focus today on satisfying consumers. It really is a title of the new millennium.