What Makes a HAL Cruise Director Excellent?

[Hlitner]

To me, the best CD is the one who is not heard or seen :). The CDs we do not remember go to the top of my list. And here is a question for my fellow HAL cruisers. Why do we need any annoying announcements on a ship. The daily schedule is sent to every cabin and one can always grab an extra copy at Guest Relations. The funny thing about cruise lines is that as you move up in class to ultra-luxury you get fewer and fewer annoying announcements.

 

Hank

[edgee]

To me, the best CD is the one who is not heard or seen :). The CDs we do not remember go to the top of my list. And here is a question for my fellow HAL cruisers. Why do we need any annoying announcements on a ship. The daily schedule is sent to every cabin and one can always grab an extra copy at Guest Relations. The funny thing about cruise lines is that as you move up in class to ultra-luxury you get fewer and fewer annoying announcements.

 

Hank

 

Completely agree. Unfortunately one of the higher end cruise lines (Oceania) is trending toward more announcements rather than fewer. I have moved away from them partially for that reason.

[ksmaxey]

I am pretty sure that the duties and responsibilities of the cruise director has diminished in the last 2 years. They are now the public face of the entertainment and enrichment but there is a back office manager that is running things. On some of the larger ships, they have added an assistant cruise director to help run activities. Several have been former culinary center hosts and they tend to run the sip and savor. I have heard that the cruise directors have not been thrilled with the change.

[sail7seas]

I give nod and vote to those CD's who make all loud speaker announcements as briefly as possble, gets to the point and turns off the mike. Some fall in love with he sound of their voice and drone on and on. :eek: I have been known to get in the show r when they keep rattling on.

[sail7seas]

Completely agree. Unfortunately one of the higher end cruise lines (Oceania) is trending toward more announcements rather than fewer. I have moved away from them partially for that reason.

 

 

This is one announcement I am happy to hear when we are docked in port. .

 

" Local Authorities have cleared the ship and all who wish, may now go ashore Gang way , is located on deck -----..."

Edited October 7, 2018 by sail7seas

[Sea girl 23]

This is one announcement I am happy to hear when we are docked in port. .

 

" Local Authorities have cleared the ship and all who wish, may now go ashore Gang way , is located on deck -----..."

 

This:cool: Though usually I’m booked on a excursion of some sort..the exception being Half Moon Cay.

[Copper10-8]

Out of the "newer" and "more recent" HAL group, Erin Duffy is an excellent CD. She did the last part (starting in Piraeus, Greece) of the 2017 World Cruise on Amsterdam

[SetAnOpenCourse]

We had a only one cruise on which we felt the CD enhanced the vacation. He was often humorous, led dance lessons in the atrium, and organized an evening of star gazing (astronomy was one of his hobbies). That was on the Crown Princess. His self-deprecating manner really works well in a job that requires making frequent PA addresses.