Windstar Cruises’ year-round Mediterranean itinerary, which celebrates all the seasons, wasn’t actually meant to be. For Janet Bava, who joined Windstar as chief commercial officer in 2023, the rather sudden cancellation of its long-planned voyages in the region of the Middle East, due to geopolitical affairs, gave her an idea: Instead of redeploying Star Legend in a more traditional winter season locale, like the Caribbean, why not try something different? And winter-in-the-Mediterranean, which has evolved into a year-round concept, was born.
That’s Bava in a nutshell. Having collaborated on cruise-focused missions with her over at least a decade of her career that currently spans 20 years, I see her as much more than a whirling dervish of energy and an innovative spirit. She’s focused, creative, ingenuous and candid. She’s got a tremendous foundation of experience in the cruise industry, learning and growing at cruise lines that range from big ship companies to those operating smaller ship lines in the sector’s river and luxury spaces.
And yet, for those of us who’ve been privileged to work with her — or have met her onboard a Windstar cruise — what you’ll notice first, and what stays with you, is her huge heart. She’s a champion of diversity, of opportunity. She’s a visionary who considers people first. I love this quote from an interview in Success Magazine: “The organization’s vision is to innovate and grow and do things ‘180 Degrees from Ordinary,’” she tells writer Sara Kuta, quoting Windstar’s tagline. “I feel as if I am beyond ordinary as a human being and I want to work for a company that values people who are different.”
In our latest blog in Windstar’s Getting to Know You series, Bava reveals how her Cuban heritage has impacted her passion for travel, why her 15th birthday put her on her career path, and what her favorite moment is on any cruise.
What role has your Cuban heritage played in shaping your character and personality?
Everything! I was just 2 years old when my parents moved to Miami in search of a better life for their children, and I absorbed a heritage of a family that was very proud of its culture. Forty years ago, Miami was a central place where a lot of Cubans exiled, so we were surrounded by other families who all shared a lot of the same customs, including music, food and dancing the salsa and merengue — often celebrated simultaneously. In our family, there’s always a reason to celebrate something!
Our culture has always been centered around the matriarch and patriarch, and in my family my mother and father have always inspired me.
From my father came my motivation to succeed. He instilled in my sister and me that we had the opportunity to achieve anything we desired, as long as we understood we have to work hard for it, as he did. My mom is my structure, my rock. Sweet, supportive and always there for me. I inherited her passion and style.
Your 15th birthday had a powerful impact on your life. How so?
In our culture we celebrate a girl’s 15th birthday with a quinceañera, a tradition in Latin American countries that honors the stage of life in which girlhood is moving toward adulthood. The typical festivities include a fabulous party with lots of music, dancing and eating. But I wanted to experience my quinceañera a little bit differently. We ended up booking a seven-night cruise, for family and friends, to the Caribbean. It was my first taste of international travel, and I remember visiting the Dominican Republic, and it felt so similar to the Cuban island to which we could not return.
My “aha” moment on that trip, and on so many others that have followed, is remembering, as a young girl, there was a certain amount of freedom to explore beyond our usual boundaries. How awesome is it to have the freedom to travel beyond your own neighborhood?
It was also the experience of exploring new places, meeting people and discovering cultures. And the realization that for all of our differences we share so many similarities. It transformed me and led me to the path my career — and travels — have followed.
If travel led you down your career path, it sounds like your trips also changed your life from a personal perspective
Yes! While traveling to Italy during college, I met my husband, Luigi. We’ve now been married 20 years and have two teenage sons. And even though we were raised in two different parts of the world, we had so much in common and that is: However life makes you land, home is always where your family is. Staying connected no matter where you are, my husband and I are super aligned on that, for both sides of our families.
I remember meeting Luigi’s family, the first time; he was raised in the south of Italy. And then he traveled to Miami and met mine. And we both had the same reaction: “I fell in love with you with your family.” How funny that two people who grew up in two different parts of the world had such similar values.
From a career perspective, what would you like your legacy to be?
My legacy is to inspire other people who, like me, didn’t have the access to Ivy League-level schools. The message being that you can work really hard and achieve your dreams. I want to make that possible for others.
Expanding opportunity through diversity is also motivating. Through our efforts at Windstar we definitely are on a track to grow as a company that values inclusivity, to encourage women to tackle leadership jobs in the cruise industry, from onboard positions to those in corporate headquarters. And diversity goes beyond the female perspective; we are embracing people from so many different cultures, languages and backgrounds. As one example, Windstar Cruises recently was the first-time presenting sponsor of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Awards 2024 event, hosted by Gloria Estefan, for the 25th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards® Week.
As you have evolved your travel style, what advice would you give to travelers who may be new to cruising?
I still have such a great passion for traveling, especially by ship. A cruise is like a tapas menu. You can pick and choose so many different experiences, so many tastes of different cultures. And at the end of the day, being out on the ocean — whether it’s a catamaran, my husband’s fishing boat or a cruise ship — is my comfort zone.
On my to-travel list? I have been all over the Caribbean but haven’t yet experienced Central America, particularly Panama’s islands and Colombia, which is very up-and-coming. The good news? Windstar has a cruise for that.
