113 | From Australian Bus Tours to Global Explorer Yachts with Glen Moroney
Glen Moroney is an entrepreneur and the owner, operator, and CEO of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours. At its inception in 1986, Scenic began offering tours to the Great Ocean Road in Warrnambool, Australia and expanded into providing extensive land journeys throughout Australia and New Zealand. Under Glen’s leadership, Scenic has grown into a global cruise line that offers hundreds of extended touring programs to exotic, domestic, and international destinations. Scenic has also built the Scenic Eclipse, the world’s first discovery yacht that allows guests to experience the magnificence of Antarctica like never before.
Today, you’ll hear about Glen’s journey from being a college dropout and bus tour operator to being the CEO of a shipbuilding company and owner of 22 luxury vessels. He explains how he turned around a small hotel in Warrnambool without a formal education in the tourism industry. He describes the beauty of Warrnambool and how the region brought out the traveler in him. He discusses the beginnings of Scenic and his forays into river cruising and shipbuilding. You’ll also hear about his forecast for the expedition cruising market and gain insight into the complexity and wonder of ships and shipbuilding.
“We climbed up a steep glacier that went up from sea level to over 2,000 meters with ice caps that went as far as the eye could see. There’s no way, unless you’re an explorer, that you’re going to see that in any cruise ship.”
- Glen Moroney
This week on Kathy Sullivan Explores:
● Glen Moroney’s youth and how he became a shipbuilder and the admiral of 22 river cruisers
● Why Glen disliked his time at university and eventually dropped out
● His first dive into business and entrepreneurship
● The first time Glen got bitten by the travel bug
● How Glen started selling tours without a formal education in the tourism industry
● The Free Independent Traveler Public Tours and the beginnings of Scenic
● How Glen became involved with river cruising
● Taking “no” for an answer and taking risks during uncertain times
● Glen’s baptism of fire into shipbuilding
● Listening to feedback and how Glen brings the vision of a ship to life
● Scenic’s audience model and expert expedition team
● Scenic’s submersibles and helicopter flights in Reykjavik
● The future of expedition cruising
● How the pandemic has changed people’s perception of cruising
● The complexity and wonder of ships and shipbuilding
Our Favorite Quotes:
● “When the ship sails the first time, it can get quite emotional. When you get a ship like this into service, you get a huge sense of relief. There’s some joy there, but the overwhelming feeling is relief.” - Glen Moroney
● “You look at an office building and you’d think it’s a complex build, but it’s nothing compared to a ship.” - Glen Moroney
Connect with Glen Moroney:
● Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
● Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours on LinkedIn
● Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours on Instagram
● Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours on Facebook
● Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours on Twitter
Spaceship Not Required
I’m Kathy Sullivan, the only person to have walked in space and gone to the deepest point in the ocean.
I’m an explorer, and that doesn’t always have to involve going to some remote or exotic place. It simply requires a commitment to put curiosity into action.
In this podcast, you can explore, reflecting on lessons learned from life so far and from my brilliant and ever-inquisitive guests. We explore together in this very moment from right where you are… spaceship not required.
Welcome to Kathy Sullivan Explores.