Lee Robinson, vice president of sales for Princess Cruises and Cunard Line, is retiring at the end of March after more than 27 years in the cruise industry. A well-known executive often seen at travel agent conferences, Robinson joined Princess Tours in Seattle in 1985 as a special projects manager.

Previously, Robinson worked for Hyatt Hotels Corporation in various management positions throughout the United States, and Holland America Line where he managed two of their hotels in Alaska. He holds degrees in Business Administration and Hotel and Restaurant Administration.

In 2000 he left Princess to serve as vice president-sales for American Classic Voyages and in 2002 moved to Cunard where he oversaw sales for that line and Seabourn. Robinson played a key role in the successful launch of Queen Mary 2 in 2004. His Cunard position brought him full circle as he returned to California later that year when the Cunard sales force was combined with the Princess sales team.

Jan Swartz, executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service for Princess and Cunard. “While we’re very sorry to see Lee leave, we’re tremendously happy that he can realize his retirement dream to spend more time with his family, and we wish him much luck in this next exciting chapter of his life.”

He and his wife, Catherine, are retiring to his native Washington, where he looks forward to fishing and gardening at his home in Port Ludlow on Puget Sound and spending time with his family.