Vicky Rey

Vicky Rey was appointed to the role of Carnival Corporation’s Vice President, Government Affairs for Latin America in December 2022, following an accomplished 41-year career at Carnival Cruise Line. Vicky, who speaks fluent Spanish and represents the organization’s eight global brands, is responsible for building strong relationships and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders, including government officials at federal, state, and municipal levels, as well as business and community leaders to advance Carnival Corporation’s business priorities in the region and find ways to bring shared value to the communities visited by the Carnival brands. Given Carnival Corporation’s lead position in the Mexican cruise market, Vicky also serves as Chairperson of the Mexico Committee for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, a trade organization comprised of 23-member cruise lines operating in Floridian, Caribbean and Latin America waters. To strengthen ties with local port communities, in the last two years, Vicky launched a stakeholder education and appreciation program in seven ports which welcomed over three thousand visitors from various constituencies. As part of the sustainability tour, visitors had the opportunity to visit the ships’ recycling center, engine control room and navigational bridge so they could learn about wastewater treatment systems, food waste reduction practices, exhaust gas cleaning systems and other environmental best practices employed on board. Vicky is now working with three different countries in Latin America to expand Carnival Corporation’s food donation program, already in progress in Europe and certain Caribbean islands, where excess, unserved meals are donated to communities most in need. Due to her role in helping to advance the corporation’s food waste mitigation priorities, she represents Carnival on Champion 12.3, a coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, etc., dedicated to accelerating progress towards achieving SDG Target 12.3 by 2030. Previously, Vicky was Carnival Cruise Line’s vice president of guest care and communications as well as the line’s ADA Responsible Officer. She was also responsible for the line’s post-cruise contact center and all guest communications functions. This included all aspects of pre-cruise, in-voyage, and post-cruise notifications to the line’s over 5 million guests, providing them with important information regarding their vacations as well as working to resolve their post cruise guest issues. She also worked with the shoreside and shipboard teams to raise awareness, and create an accessible, inclusive environment for guests with disabilities who sail with Carnival. Given Vicky’s extensive experience, she served as the Guest Support Chief on the company’s incident management team. She established Carnival’s award-winning CareTeam in 1999, which serves as the model for the cruise industry. Comprised of more than 2,000 shoreside and shipboard volunteers, the CareTeam provides compassionate care and logistical support to guests and employees who experience an unexpected crisis while vacationing or working for the line. In 2020, as part of Carnival Cruise Line’s commitment to inclusion, Vicky led the company’s efforts to become the first cruise line to be certified sensory inclusive by KultureCity, a leading nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to increasing awareness, acceptance, and inclusion for individuals with sensory and cognitive disabilities. KultureCity honored Carnival with its 2022 Human Highlight Award for Making the Nevers Possible, which was accepted by Vicky at the organization’s annual gala. This award highlights those who have gone above and beyond advocating for sensory inclusion and acceptance for persons with disabilities. During her over four decades with Carnival Cruise Line, Vicky has been tasked with a variety of roles and responsibilities, including strategic leadership for guest port services, onboard guest services, shoreside guest services, revenue management and administrative functions of the line’s contact centers, including quality assurance and training. In addition to numerous presentations to cruise and hospitality organizations, Vicky has appeared on industry panels and has testified before U.S. Congress to highlight Carnival’s guest care practices. Vicky serves on Carnival Foundation’s Scholarship Committee, in partnership with the Miami HEAT and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, to evaluate candidates and determine award recipients to deserving high school seniors. Over the past 20 years, Carnival has purchased more than two hundred college scholarships valued at more than $2.5 million. Vicky was born in Havana, Cuba, and emigrated from Spain to the United States when she was 7 years old. She graduated cum laude from the University of Miami, earning a bachelor’s degree in communications and holds a Certified Travel Counselor designation. She is the proud mom to three adult children and currently lives in Miami, Florida.