Favorite Princess Cruise Director

[duchess6219]

Richard Joseph was the CD on the Island last spring. He was fabulous. As a previous poster indicated, he seemed to be everywhere. Also, we really enjoyed his talk on the history of cruise ships. We would gladly sit through that again.

Kelvin Joy was also very energetic and enthusiastic when we sailed on the Crown a number of years ago.

We agree that the cruise director is a very important part of the experience!!

Happy cruising all.

J&J

[Loggerhead]

We loved Ron Goodman too. Hey to neighbor from Jensen Beach!

[cruisenovice]

We've only had 17 Princess sailings (#18 in March), but Billy Hygate is the best. We've enjoyed him on multiple cruises

[srpilo]

Neil Chandler was very good. I actually sailed with him on the Sapphire when he was Asst Cruise Director and then sailed on his first voyage as Cruise Director. He was definitely a character! I think I read he married and started working at a hotel in England somewhere so as not to be away from his new wife as much. Not sure if that's true but I seem to remember something along those lines.

 

I agree, I thought Neil was great, and seem to recall also that I heard from one the other CD's that he was married and back in the UK at a hotel of somekind too (working/own ???)

 

 

 

Would be interesting to hear something current about him

Srpilo

[bvm49]

Dan Styne - maybe I'm biased because he's an Aussie or is it just that I understand his humour! Anyone know where he is now?

[rugbypopsie]

Adam Gooder was great I confess I never paid any attention to the CD until I came across him...now i know just how much a good CD enhances a cruise....

[Aussie Gal]

We also enjoyed Dan Stynes when he was on the Pacific Princess back in 2007. We also loved his sense of humour. I too would like to know where he is now.

 

Jennie

[KruzPrincess]

Richard Joseph. I just got off the Island Princess recently and really liked Rich. I would have said Ron Goodman before my Island cruise. Richard is very genuine and it really seems that he loves what he does. A CD doesn't make a cruise for me, but it can add to the enjoyment if you like the CD.

[ILVTX]

We also enjoyed Dan Styne on the CB November of 2010. He was entertaining, always busy, and did a wonderful job.

[TwinAnchors]

Dan Styne - maybe I'm biased because he's an Aussie or is it just that I understand his humour! Anyone know where he is now?

 

Dan Styne was the CD on the 'Diamond' from Sydney to Beijing last February

this was the second time we had him on a cruise.Really enjoyed him!

Also we liked Sammy Baker on the 'Star' repositioning to the Baltic!

[mrbucky]

johnmik........I've got kids!? Deb's favorite CD was on Carnival Jubilee, 2004. Picture is CD, DW, DD, and Captain on stage. She came back to the cabin with finger prints all over her.

[goldens4ever]

I got to sail with Sammi Baker on the Star Primcess a number of years ago, thought she was pretty good. I was also quite impressed with Kelvin Joy on the recent Sapphire Princess cruise I was on.

 

 

We love Kelvin....he really matured (not sure if that is truly the right word) into a fun and exciting CD.....we hope we will find him on a cruise in the near future!!!

[goldens4ever]

My vote is for Ron Goodman.

 

 

Hey Carolyn....we need to cruise together again!!!!:D

 

Let's find a good CD and book it!

[jlf1]

Dan Styne - maybe I'm biased because he's an Aussie or is it just that I understand his humour! Anyone know where he is now?

 

We also enjoyed Dan Stynes when he was on the Pacific Princess back in 2007. We also loved his sense of humour. I too would like to know where he is now.

 

Jennie

 

 

 

 

He is on the Caribbean Princess.

[bugspost]

We had Billy Hygate and Boogie on our Alaskan cruise a couple of years ago, they were great and we also loved the morning show. So.... maybe it's Boogie that is the great common denominator!

 

we had them on our panama cruise but the first half was billy & Neil

Boogie got on halfway because Neil actually became a CD on another ship!!

[kruisey]

Was Dan Gibbons he seemed to disappear but I have seen that same name as a manager for an area with Princess and I am wondering if it is the same guy?

[scrufgrove]

Hi there, yes, I made the leap to land, my wife Bev and I are full time land lubbers now !! For the last 2 years I have been working for Holland America/Princess Alaska Yukon. I am the Division Manager for the Holland America land tours that go up through the Yukon (or down) via motorcoach. So we live in Whitehorse for 6 months and our home in Ontario for 6 months, we love it. It is an awesome company to work for and if any of you find yourself in Whitehorse this summer (2012) please stop in the office - it is located in the downtown Westmark hotel, just ask for Dan, they know who I am. I am lucky as well, I get to visit Skagway when I have a chance and still get my "ship fix" when I visit my friends in port. The best thing about it is I get to go home at the end of the visit and have a spectacular 2 hour drive from Skagway to Whitehorse. If you are doing an Alaskan cruise and have been to Skagway before, rent a car and do the drive, it is awesome. Anyway, take care and happy cruising. Dan and Bev (sadly for those that know us well, we lost Barkley last June to a brain tumor - we miss him tons)

[highheel girl]

Posted a couple of years ago by our fav CD Richard Joseph.....

 

A Day In The Life Of Your Cruise Director

There seems to be so many posts in regards to Cruise Directors, which I have enjoyed reading over the years. I guess it is normal to want to discuss people in such a high profile position, and I am just thankful that the vast majority of critiques are usually very nice, and the one or two odd ones that are just plain nasty are always self policed by fellow cruise critic members pointing out different opinions and sometimes reminding the poster that perhaps they are being a bit too harsh.

 

While you may see posters trash a particular CD and then the inevitable question as to why the cruise line employs such a person when there are negative comments on the board, it should be kept in mind that the cruise lines look at the Cruise Director’s rating by ALL the passengers each and every cruise. For a CD to keep their job they must maintain a satisfactory rating from the passengers. My point being - because a CD is not well liked by a few people posting on a web site – there are thousands of other passengers each cruise who have given the CD a positive rating in their comment cards. These ratings are the true indicator of the Cruise Director’s performance and actual popularity among the passengers.

 

Cruise Directors, like any other position vary greatly in style. Some passengers like the over the top “A personality” omnipresent CD, while others despise this type of approach and greatly prefer a softer, classier sort. I, after 31 years at sea and 25 years as a CD have experienced many changes as I have matured as a Cruise Director. The younger newly promoted CD may tend to be the omnipresent sort that after a few years of experience will certainly mellow, and become more of a Manager and less of a game show host type. In the last ten years or so I have taken great pleasure in mentoring my teams and training, helping and watching the less experienced team members flourish, and getting them promoted through the ranks. At this stage of my career that is the most satisfying aspect of leading the team. I don’t feel the need to always be the one on the microphone. While I greatly enjoy hosting the major events & shows, I feel the other activities afford excellent training opportunities for the less seasoned team members, after all how will they ever get the experience if the CD never gives them the opportunity. If you don’t see me on stage, have a look you will usually see me or my Deputy in the lounge monitoring how the events are being hosted, with a post activity debrief for training purposes.

 

Over the years as the ships have grown, so have the teams that the CD manages. In the mid-80’s the ships were in the 30,000 ton range, had one show lounge with 800 or so passengers and a Entertainment team of under 30. On today’s 80,000 plus ton ships there is an entertainment team of usually over 130 and over 2000 passengers, with at least 5 or more entertainment venues. So the Cruise Director’s role has become much more administrative. Having said that I do have five managers assisting me in the task of running the entertainment and activity programs and managing the team. They are the Deputy Cruise Director who is my 2nd in charge, the Line Captain who is in charge of the Production Shows, choreography, costume maintenance, and Dancers, a Senior Production Manager, who is responsible for the lighting and sound in the various entertainment venues, the Band Master who manages all the Musicians, and the Youth Activities Coordinator responsible for the kid’s program. These 5 Managers follow the programming as set forth and are directly supervised by the Cruise Director.

 

I have mapped out a sea day for me this season here aboard Island Princess.

 

7:30-7:55am Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the day and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

8:00-8:45am Captain’s Executive Committee Meeting

9:00-9:30am Passenger Services Director’s Hotel Meeting

9:45am Morning Rundown announcement

10:00-10:45am Port Talk or Disembarkation Briefing

10:45am Office Session work my way through 30 emails, while meeting with various team members discussing the issues of the day.

11:15am Try and get to Bingo to call the first couple of games and have some fun with the passengers.

11:45am 45 minutes of socializing with the passengers in the high traffic areas just to say hello to as many people as possible and be seen.

12:30pm Entertainment Department Manager’s meeting

1:00-2:30pm Lunch and Afternoon Break.

2:30pm Afternoon Rundown announcement

2:35pm 40 Minutes of socializing

4:00pm Various Administrative Tasks –(These can include safety committee meetings, health and welfare conferences, crew recreation meetings, disciplinary hearings, etc.)

4:30-5:30pm Office Session again trying to wade through the emails which have now grown to 50, and office hours with an open door policy for any team member.

5:30pm Record the Morning TV Show for the next morning

6:00-6:45pm Dinner and change into Evening attire

6:45pm Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the evening and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

7:00pm Captain’s Welcome Party or Captain’s Circle Party or Most Traveled Passengers Party, or Private Group Cocktail Party, or Cruise Critic Party, etc.

8:00pm Host first show in Theatre

9:00pm One more attempt at clearing the day’s accumulated emails

9:30 Socializing & another check all venues are operating as directed, lights are set for proper ambience, any game shows are being presented to prescribed standards, etc.

10:00pm Host second show in Theatre

11:00pm A walk around the Lounges for socializing before heading back to the office to conclude any unfinished administrative work

 

A very busy day and I absolutely love most of it!

 

Keep in mind that the above schedule is only on sea days. The port days are significantly less busy and give us the chance to catch up on administration and get some time ashore.

 

I hope this has provided an insight into what your Cruise Director may be doing during the course of the day. What makes the days so special are meeting many wonderful people as we make our way around the ship. We also get to enjoy the same wonderful sights and scenery that our passengers do. And of course the inevitable interaction with someone who may not be so wonderful, which is a good chance to exercise our public relations skills and do our best to put a smile on their faces, or assist them with a problem or issue they may be having.

 

So a huge thanks to all the great friends I have made over the years that have said so many great things here on Cruise Critic. You are the folks who can see the big picture – that the CD is responsible for the presentation of each and every aspect of the entertainment and activity programs – even if not physically hosting the event. I am so proud of the teams that I lead, and I realize without them I could never do it all on my own.

 

Next stop for me - Star Princess currently and Golden Princess Alaska first half season 09.

 

All the best!

Richard Joseph

Cruise Director

[highheel girl]

Hi there, yes, I made the leap to land, my wife Bev and I are full time land lubbers now !! For the last 2 years I have been working for Holland America/Princess Alaska Yukon. I am the Division Manager for the Holland America land tours that go up through the Yukon (or down) via motorcoach. So we live in Whitehorse for 6 months and our home in Ontario for 6 months, we love it. It is an awesome company to work for and if any of you find yourself in Whitehorse this summer (2012) please stop in the office - it is located in the downtown Westmark hotel, just ask for Dan, they know who I am. I am lucky as well, I get to visit Skagway when I have a chance and still get my "ship fix" when I visit my friends in port. The best thing about it is I get to go home at the end of the visit and have a spectacular 2 hour drive from Skagway to Whitehorse. If you are doing an Alaskan cruise and have been to Skagway before, rent a car and do the drive, it is awesome. Anyway, take care and happy cruising. Dan and Bev (sadly for those that know us well, we lost Barkley last June to a brain tumor - we miss him tons)

 

 

Thanks for checking in Dan!!

So sorry to hear of Barkley's passing.

Hope you are having a blast in Whitehorse. :)

[kruisey]

Hi there, yes, I made the leap to land, my wife Bev and I are full time land lubbers now !! For the last 2 years I have been working for Holland America/Princess Alaska Yukon. I am the Division Manager for the Holland America land tours that go up through the Yukon (or down) via motorcoach. So we live in Whitehorse for 6 months and our home in Ontario for 6 months, we love it. It is an awesome company to work for and if any of you find yourself in Whitehorse this summer (2012) please stop in the office - it is located in the downtown Westmark hotel, just ask for Dan, they know who I am. I am lucky as well, I get to visit Skagway when I have a chance and still get my "ship fix" when I visit my friends in port. The best thing about it is I get to go home at the end of the visit and have a spectacular 2 hour drive from Skagway to Whitehorse. If you are doing an Alaskan cruise and have been to Skagway before, rent a car and do the drive, it is awesome. Anyway, take care and happy cruising. Dan and Bev (sadly for those that know us well, we lost Barkley last June to a brain tumor - we miss him tons)

What a shame for us. You were the best CD on all my 19 cruises with Princess

Pleased that you have I should imagine a more restful position because you were always on the go while with Princess .

Miss your early morning show it always started my mornings off with a great laugh. Your tour of the ship when you were found in the pantry face covered in chocolate by the chef......:D