Gift for cruise director?

We have been on one ship a number of times and have really gotten to know the cruise director. I have her personal email address and we email each other every once in a while.

She has given me and us presents.

1st was a great Halloween hat that came in a Del Sol canvas bag. Then she gave us a strange, singing, dancing pink creature for my birthday and our anniversery.

I'd like to give her something but have no idea what. She is from the US and the ship's home port is in the state she is from.

She has my sense of humor, fun, but I have no ideas what to get her. Do You??? I'd like ideas. We're not going on her ship this month but will probably go in Aprl or May.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Best gift, money.

Being that you are from North Carolina, bring her something that is unique to your home.

Remember that even though she has her own quarters, she still does not have a lot of space.

Invite her to dinner with you in the alternative restaurant. On some ships/some cruise lines some crew/staff are permitted to dine with guests upon their invitation.

Invite her to dinner with you in the alternative restaurant. On some ships/some cruise lines some crew/staff are permitted to dine with guests upon their invitation.

Since you have already gotten to know her, you probably have a good idea of what activities she would enjoy and can try pick something that she ordinarily would not get to do otherwise.

Just a couple of examples from conversations with ship staff members we have met:

On Alaska and Hawaii cruises, some talked about how much they enjoyed the whale watching excursion they took on their day off.

On a Caribbean cruise, one was raving about the trip to visit the Tulum Ruins from Cozumel and another about taking the sugar train ride on St. Kitts.

But some of the ship's staff members get to go along on ship excursions free, so a ship excursion may not be anything special for them and they may appreciate being taken somewhere else that the ship's excursions don't go.

The cruise director is not just a crew member, their cabin is right next to the captain's on the deck the bridge is on, not in the bowels of the ship as crew member's cabins are. They have a LOT of responsibility on the ship which includes firing their cruise staff the day the ship returns to port (you can't fire someone before then as then they will stop doing the job they're supposed to do!) They plan everything the cruise staff does, leading games, the sail away party, directing the entertainment of their staff for their shows and leading games in the threater, introducing entertainers every night in the theater, sometimes performing on stage, and working 7 days a week for at least 6 months doing more than I've said and dosn't really get time off. She couldn't eat with us because she is on stage indroducing things in the theater every night. They NEVER have a day off or time for an excursion off the ship. They also have paper work to do.

They don't work for tips and don't expect or get tips. They are cruise directors because the love their job. This cruise director's home, where she grew up and went to school and still has family is about a 5 hour drive from us, in the adjoining state.

Maybe I'll see if I can find some stupid, silly thing to give her. Thanks for the imput though

The cruise director is not just a crew member, their cabin is right next to the captain's on the deck the bridge is on, not in the bowels of the ship as crew member's cabins are. They have a LOT of responsibility on the ship which includes firing their cruise staff the day the ship returns to port (you can't fire someone before then as then they will stop doing the job they're supposed to do!) They plan everything the cruise staff does, leading games, the sail away party, directing the entertainment of their staff for their shows and leading games in the threater, introducing entertainers every night in the theater, sometimes performing on stage, and working 7 days a week for at least 6 months doing more than I've said and dosn't really get time off. She couldn't eat with us because she is on stage indroducing things in the theater every night. They NEVER have a day off or time for an excursion off the ship. They also have paper work to do.

They don't work for tips and don't expect or get tips. They are cruise directors because the love their job. This cruise director's home, where she grew up and went to school and still has family is about a 5 hour drive from us, in the adjoining state.

Maybe I'll see if I can find some stupid, silly thing to give her. Thanks for the imput though

Bonnie,

I'm sorry to say not all of this is accurate. It varies tremendously, cruise line to cruise line and ship to ship.

What you state about cabin location for CD is definitely not the case on some of the ships we sail. We have been to Hotel Manager and Captains' cabins and CD is not next door to them. Same for Chief Engineer. It so hard to generalize on subjects such as this. Huge variance.

As to firing, that normally falls to the Captain but again each cruise line could have their own policy regarding entertainment department. And crew/staff can be fired at any point during the cruise. Depending upon the offense and reason for firing, they can be told to leave the ship prior to the official end of the cruise.

CD falls into Entertainment.

We have been on one ship a number of times and have really gotten to know the cruise director. I have her personal email address and we email each other every once in a while.

She has given me and us presents.

1st was a great Halloween hat that came in a Del Sol canvas bag. Then she gave us a strange, singing, dancing pink creature for my birthday and our anniversery.

I'd like to give her something but have no idea what. She is from the US and the ship's home port is in the state she is from.

She has my sense of humor, fun, but I have no ideas what to get her. Do You??? I'd like ideas. We're not going on her ship this month but will probably go in Aprl or May.

Thanks for your suggestions!

How about some monogrammed stationary or an engraved pen that she can use daily.....

If she is super busy and does not get a day off, why don't you email her and ask her if there is anything you can pick up for her ~ maybe there is something at the mall, or Target or someplace or even favorite snack foods that she can't easily get to when in port. I think that would be very much appreciated.

........ They NEVER have a day off or time for an excursion off the ship. They also have paper work to do.

They don't work for tips and don't expect or get tips. They are cruise directors because the love their job.

Of course that would be an easy excuse to use if a cruise director, or any other staff member, did not want to spend time with you.

We have seen cruise directors out in ports and on excursions on their time off.

Some even announced what they were planning to do in the next port, or recommended things they had done there previously, as part of the spiel in their stage routine.

I recall one cruise director saying that he was looking forward to spending the day with his sister, who lived at the next port, during his free time there.

Offering to pick something up for someone in port is always a nice gesture. Staff and crew routinely pick things up for one another when they are in port. You can see them in stores, such as Walmart, carrying a list of things they are picking up for their shipboard friends.

If the cruise director, or other staff member, likes you and wants to spend time with you, then having the chance to share an activity or meal with you would be more meaningful to them than some trinket.

But no matter what you give them, they will always thank you profusely and act very appreciative, regardless of whether or not it is anything they really want.

Normally I'd say don't get her anything but b/c you have developed a personal relationship with her, you can get her something if you want. But my answer pre-supposed that you know what to get her based on your personal relationship with her. B/c you are on here asking, perhaps you don't know her as well as you think, in which case while it's a nice gesture, skip it. If you haven't already written her boss at the home a office a nice snail mail letter singing her praises, do that.

A while back we became friendly with a comedian on board. DH & him had a running gag going they they kept alive via e-mail so when we had friends sailing on cruises where he'd be performing, we'd send along a small gag gift with that theme.