ORLANDO, Fla. (March 20, 2025) – Margaritaville at Sea has hired six new sales executives and additional support staff, significantly strengthening its professional team to support a continued expansion within the travel trade industry. Led by Senior Vice President of Sales Ron Gulaskey, and Vice President of Sales Preston Caddell, this newly appointed team of talented cruise industry experts will provide dedicated coverage to key-producing accounts, online travel agents and partners, international agents, and group sales. Also joining the team is Ashley Chaney, Business Development Manager - Online Partners; Maria Whitehorn, Business Development Manager - International – Europe; Nadia Hasan, Trade Inside Sales and Nora Little, Trade Marketing Coordinator.
“Our relationships with trade partners are a growing priority, especially as we introduce new itineraries and ports of call,” said Christopher Ivy, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea. “As veteran cruise industry professionals, Ron, Preston and the rest of this team bring a wealth of contacts and industry knowledge which will help support and grow our trade business with existing partners and those who are new to Margaritaville at Sea.”
Senior Vice President of Sales Ron Gulaskey returns to cruise following a brief tenure as the US Vice President of Sales & Strategy at Club Med, where he oversaw trade leisure sales and corporate group business. His extensive career includes more than 20 years at Celebrity Cruises, where he served as AVP for National/Strategic Accounts & Trade Relations in North America, in addition to leading Global Corporate Group and Charter Sales. Before entering the travel industry, Gulaskey held various senior sales and marketing positions at Polaroid Corporation in both consumer and commercial sectors.
Vice President of Sales Preston Caddell was most recently Midwest Sales Director and Key Accounts Manager with Aurora Expeditions, where he was responsible for building and developing partnerships with travel advisors in the Midwest and South-Central states. Prior to this, he was the Central Sales Director for PONANT Explorations, where he created and nurtured relationships with travel advisors in the Midwest, and managed several consortiums and host agency partnerships. Caddell has also served as a trainer for new sales directors within the cruise space. Before joining the sales side of the cruise industry, Caddell worked on cruise ships as a Shore Excursions manager with Seabourn and Disney Cruise Lines.
Maria Whitehorn spent more than a decade with American Queen Voyages, most recently as Director of International Sales. She was instrumental in building American Queen’s business from zero to more than $10 million annually. Maria was also a Senior Consultant for Nautilus Commercial Development.
Prior to Margaritaville at Sea, Ashley Chaney served as Account Manager for Online Partner Sales at Universal Orlando Resort, where she managed a portfolio generating more than $100 million in annual sales. She has worked closely with major industry partners, including Expedia, Priceline, and JetBlue Vacations, building strong relationships and fostering strategic growth.
On a newly created Trade Inside Sales team, Nadia Hassan is joining from Marriott Vacations where she focused on marketing efforts after multiple years with Disney Vacation Club.
Nora Little will play a key role in supporting the sales team in the newly created position of Trade Marketing Coordinator, assisting with a range of trade-specific activations, including trade show management and marketing activations. Nora most recently served as an Event Coordinator for large-scale events at Rollins College.
For more information, contact the Margaritaville at Sea sales team at [email protected].