Marella Cruises has introduced a cruise industry first with the appointment of a head of nautical smiles, following research that shows people smile three times more at sea than on land.

Nic Spanoudis, who is general manager of Marella Explorer 2, will take on the role. He has 18 years’ service at sea and has worked with psychologist Emma Kenny to share his expertise and create a new smile induction video that will become part of the line’s staff training programme.

Spanoudis said: “I’m thrilled to have been selected as the new head of nautical smiles. Undoubtedly, the most satisfying part of my job is seeing happy guests and happy crew. Emma’s research shows just how happy people are on our ships and that’s because they really become part of our on-board community. I am looking forward to our smile induction video rolling out so we can all deliver more smiles per nautical mile.”

Kenny, who is the resident psychologist on ITV’s This Morning, spent time on board Marella Explorer 2 and found that 83 per cent of guests smile 60+ times a day – that’s more than three times the average on land, of 20 times. In addition, 95 per cent agreed that their family members and friends smiled more at sea.

Kenny said: “The interaction of strangers was high and passengers appeared to engage with new people consistently. From a psychologically observant position, it is inescapable to note the optimism level on board appeared higher than in the general population. There was an altruistic climate, resulting in a really positive atmosphere. I can see why Marella has a reputation for being the friendliest fleet on the sea.”

Marella Cruises MD Chris Hackney added: “We pride ourselves on the friendly atmosphere on our ships and our staff are key to that. It’s incredibly pleasing to be able to prove people smile significantly more on a Marella cruise and with Nic at the helm of our smile giving training we can look forward to an even friendlier crew delivering more smiles per nautical mile.

“He is the perfect person for the job with an exuberant personality, passion for people and a beaming grin that simply cannot fail to make others smile. I wish him all the very best in his new role.”