Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe exhibitor Vistona is a team of specialists based in Dublin and Verona that provide natural stone solutions, with an ability to scale up quickly for larger or fast turnaround projects. The following two case studies, bookending the pandemic’s cruise industry shutdown, prove Vistona’s ability to scale up both production, and more challenging still, the deployment of their skilled workforce at short notice – read more about their work on Celebrity Beyond and Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas below.
February 2019 – Celebrity Apex/Beyond
Having completed a job for Celebrity on their Edge project within the timeframe of 10 weeks, Vistona was called back to replicate the work for Celebrity Apex – this time with a turnaround of 20 days. The scope was a main feature piece for the RAW on 5 sushi bar, that needed to look like it was dragged out of the side of a mountain. It was imperative that the 7m-by-900mm counter had the appearance of being a single piece of marble, with consistent vein flow throughout, and no visible joints. To do this, Vistona brought in a member of the Features Division to devise a method of concealing the joints to the naked eye.
To ensure the project was completed on time, Vistona called upon the skilled hands of their 3rd generation Grezzana-based stonemasons, pulling some out of retirement to see the job was completed within the 20-day timeframe. Due to the pandemic, it was decided the counter would be used for Celebrity Beyond instead. As well as the short timeframe, Vistona needed to navigate the start of the pandemic, ensuring safe movement of product and people while keeping to the timeframe of the project:
“This was an interesting project from the point of view of having to scale up operations and our skilled workforce in a very short timeframe. We had to buy the block from Carrara in Italy, get it approved by architects in Miami, start the process, and have to update progress reports every two-to-three hours.
On top of that, having to navigate around the pandemic – getting the product to Saint-Nazaire, organizing drivers and spraying crates with virus-killing solution. In the face of these challenges, the job was completed within the 20 day timeframe, and we were very pleased with the finished product and team spirit.”
June 2021 – Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas
Vistona installed worktops on nine food preparation and server areas on board Anthem of the Seas, replacing Corian worktops with Bianco Sardo Granite, while the ship was sailing from Athens, Greece to Southampton, UK.
“The Anthem project was scheduled to start in 2020, but was put on hold due to the pandemic. We were called in June 2021, with the project aim of getting everything fabricated and installed in three weeks.”
The biggest challenges for the Anthem project were pandemic-related. Covid regulations added time constraints to an already quick turnaround, so smart solutions were needed to ensure completion of the project on time – as such, all fabrication was completed using waterjet machines to increase output.
“This project is a prime example of how Vistona can quickly scale up fabrication to meet with tight deadlines. Moreover, leveraging client relationships onboard the vessel, enabled us to meet our common goal in a collaborative way, pooling our resources behind delivering this project on time. The unsung heroes of this project are the onboard fitout team. Subject to rigorous safety protocols of PCR testing, isolation, and quarantine on both sides of the project. With only two weeks to install a large and complex fitout, the deadline, as always, was met.”
Meet Vistona at stand 428 at Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe 2021
Find out more about the show here.