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After more than 30 years in the cruise industry, Julie Benson, vice president in charge of public relations at Princess Cruises, is setting sail for a new horizon at the end of May.
After more than 30 years in the cruise industry, Julie Benson, vice president in charge of public relations at Princess Cruises, is setting sail for a new horizon at the end of May.

Princess Cruises PR Vice President Sets Sails For Retirement

After more than 30 years in the cruise industry, Julie Benson, vice president of public relations at Princess Cruises, is setting sail for a new horizon at the end of May.


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The PR expert and longtime Santa Clarita Valley resident is retiring as the brand manager for the SCV’s largest employer, Princess Cruises, at the end of May.

“I could probably be here forever,” Benson said Thursday. “I’m so passionate about the company.”

However, after 32 years, the former journalism student who cut her teeth in PR at an entry-level Los Angeles marketing firm said it was “time to pass the mantle.”

“Through the creation of billions of media impressions and by serving as the external representative of Princess, Julie has played a critical role in building our culture and the powerful global brand Princess is today,” according to a statement from Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “We are grateful for her contributions. She is truly a Princess person.”

Benson fondly remembers her beginnings in the industry, in the days of stuffing and stamping envelopes and reaching people by phone, and her progression to some of her more ambitious projects, such as coordinating the launch of a new ship for Princess Cruises — which she’s accomplished 23 times over her years with Sitmar, and then Princess.

One of her most memorable voyages for Princess involved the naming of Regal Princess for the company’s 50th anniversary, she said. After about a year of planning, her team managed to re-unite the cast of “The Love Boat,” the famous late 70s-80s show that was set on a Princess Cruises ship for about a decade.

She’s also coordinated the introduction of the Princess brand to new markets around the world, most recently in Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore, according to company officials.

“It’s been an amazing experience, and look, I come to work every day, as we all do, and I get to talk about dream vacations,” Benson said. “What could be better than that? I think that helping to have great down time and great vacation experiences… those are the things we‘re going to remember for the rest of our lives.”

Benson herself has been on more cruises than she can count, she recalls with a laugh, some for work, such as when she’s going on a maiden voyage for one of the line’s new ships, and some for pleasure.

Benson said her job not only entails creating positive media coverage and conversations around Princess, it’s also about being able to protect the company’s reputation in case something goes wrong, she said.

“It’s my job to make the recommendation (for how to address a potential concern),” she said. “My philosophy is just being open, extremely honest and authentic and making sure people understand our goal is to do the right thing — and making sure our passengers know our goal is to do the right thing and to take care of them.”

As busy as working for Princess Cruises and family life with her husband and two sons can be, Benson also remains very active in the Santa Clarita Valley nonprofit community. Something she said she plans to continue in retirement.

She’s been on the governing or advisory boards for the Michael Hoefflin Foundation, which fights children’s cancer; the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club; Single Mother’s Outreach; and the Repertory East Playhouse.

She’s also helped Princess Cruises become a practically ubiquitous presence at nonprofit events through the donation of cruises and sponsorships that raise tens of thousands of dollars every year.

“We try to spread our support around,” Benson said, referring to Princess’ penchant for giving. “Clearly there are key events, but we also want to give support to smaller organizations, too.”

While Benson’s work and leisure travel has taken her to 60 countries — she still has an African safari and a trip to New Zealand on her bucket list — she’ll likely miss her co-workers most when she leaves at the end of May, she said.

“I think one of the hardest things about leaving Princess will be leaving my colleagues, both in our ships and in the office, and indeed, around the world,” she said. “But I will be here in the community and I look forward to continuing to play a part in a ‘civilian’ capacity.”

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KHTS AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio

Princess Cruises PR Vice President Sets Sails For Retirement

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.