Padgett Out at Princess Cruises, Gus Antorcha to Take His Place

Current Holland America Line president Gus Antorcha has been named as president of Princess Cruises, effective Dec. 2, 2024, replacing John Padgett who is leaving Princess in mid-Feb. 2025.

Beth Bodensteiner, who currently serves at senior vice president and CCO at Holland America will replace Antorcha as head of the cruise line, while Carnival Corp. welcomes Mark Tamis back at president of Seabourn.

Both Antorcha and Bodensteiner will report to Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

Padgett has served as Princess president since Oct. 2021. Prior to that, he led the team that created the technology behind Princess’ MedallionClass.

“I would also like to thank John for more than a decade of service and innovation, including developing and launching Princess MedallionClass, which revamped the Princess guest experience and set a new standard for service and personalization in the cruise industry and for travel and hospitality overall, as well as returning the Princess brand to its rightful iconic status within the cruise industry. John’s dedication and impact have been significant. We wish him all the best.”

In addition to heading up Holland America, Bodensteiner will also have executive responsibility for Seabourn, with Mark Tamis serving as president of the line and reporting to Bodensteiner. Tamis replaces Natalya Leahy.

“Gus and Beth are proven leaders who reflect the talent and capabilities of our organization and who have a deep knowledge of our industry, our business, and what drives our success,” said Weinstein. “Under their leadership, I have no doubt that Princess, Holland America and Seabourn will remain well-positioned for a bright future, and we look forward to the next chapter for these two world-class brands and their ongoing success.”

Antorcha had led at Holland America Line since 2020. He was in charge of guiding the company back to full operations post-industry pause, and led the cruise line to achieve a number of significant milestones, including amassing the largest single booking day in Holland America history and delivering the strongest financial results in 16 years. Prior to joining HAL, Antorcha held various leadership positions with Carnival Cruise Line, including most recently serving as the cruise line’s chief operating officer.

Bodensteiner is a 20-year veteran of Holland America Line. Among her many accomplishments, she spearheaded the deployment and rollout of an advanced corporate-wide revenue management system, and helped drive Holland America’s strategy targeting high-value, high-affinity guests, enabling the cruise line to generate incremental customer demand through a variety of high-profile collaborations with organizations such as Top Chef, Audible, and Wheel of Fortune.

Tamis brings more than three decades of ultra-luxury cruising and expedition travel experience to his new role as president of Seabourn. Previously he led hotel and onboard operations for Royal Caribbean International and served as senior vice president of guest operations for Carnival Cruise Line. He also worked for more than 20 years in the luxury and boutique hotel space with brands such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Ian Schrager Hotels.