Who is the cruise director on Quantum

[Drill2dk]

I heard its Ken Rush. was he on the allure?

[catcruzer]

Yes, it's Ken Rush and yes he was on Allure.

[Cruiser Nonna]

Do you know if Ken Rush has been on since the Quantum came over in November? How long he is staying on? Had him on the Allure and thought he did a great job with that ship.

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer and enjoy your cruise

[jsmail1]

I think it is still jimmy Rhodes

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[mikemartin774]

I was on the Jan 3rd sailing and it was Jimmy Rhodes

[tccb]

Jimmy Rhodes disembarked in St Thomas today(per his FB post) and Ken Rush is CD during his vacation.

[nelblu]

Yes, it's Ken Rush and yes he was on Allure.

 

I can't remember the CD's name on Allure--the CD on Allure wore very tight jacket and pants and very pointed shoes. If that is him, I wasn't impressed. As a matter of fact there's a thread on RCL that identifies him as a "used car salesman."

[Treacher1]

So how long will Ken Rush be on Quantum and when will Jimmy return? Just curious - just planning on a great cruise no matter who it is

[SnappyNappi]

So how long will Ken Rush be on Quantum and when will Jimmy return? Just curious - just planning on a great cruise no matter who it is

It was posted on another thread that Jimmy's vacation started January 23rd and he is taking a 2 month break. I have not seen anyone confirm his return date, but you can try looking at the Current CD thread that lists all of the CD's on all of the ships and their comings and goings...

[ISABELLA]

Are these 2 the best that the Royal Caribbean has?

[Gazza64]

Are these 2 the best that the Royal Caribbean has?

 

Just out of curiosity, what is the purpose of a cruise director, what do they do and why does it matter who it is?

As somebody who has only cruised once I have no idea what they are there for.

[DonnaK]

Just out of curiosity, what is the purpose of a cruise director, what do they do and why does it matter who it is?

As somebody who has only cruised once I have no idea what they are there for.

 

They are responsible for all the onboard activities and events, not just in the main theaters, but also in the smaller venues and lounges. They can set the tone and atmosphere onboard. Some are talented musicians or comedians themselves, which adds to their role.

 

If a port day turns into a sea day, or if the cruise is a "bad weather" cruise, then the CDs role becomes clearer because there are more people than expected turned indoors looking for things to do. We were on a cruise during hurricane Irene. The itinerary was changed, and people were worried/anxious about their home that were in the hurricane's path and their post-cruise flights that were cancelled. The CD (Allan Brooks) did a fabulous job adding activities and helping to keep people calm despite their concerns and to get their minds off of their worries.

 

When we were on Quantum with Jimmy as CD, there was nothing going on during the day except trivia. Since the weather was freezing outside, there were people looking for indoor things to do. In the evening, lounges were empty, there were pianos all over with no one playing them, bands/singers were only scheduled for one hour each night instead of several shifts throughout the day, etc. Boring. Jimmy was also the CD on our New Year's cruise on Explorer, and it was more of the same. We were on Explorer a few months later with Richard Spacey as CD, and there was a huge difference in the quality and quantity of activities.

 

We are people who really appreciate a dynamic CD, and great activities staff.

 

Ken may have a personality that turns people off, however he is a master at organizing entertainment and activities, and under his cruise directorship they run smoothly and are of very high quality.

Edited January 29, 2015 by DonnaK

[Meggsieboo]

I agree with what you're saying about Jimmy. We were extremely disappointed in the activities onboard the Quantum. Other than trivia and a few lame game shows, there was very little to do. I had much higher hopes for the activities. At night, there were a few places with music, but not many. And not all the musicians were good. The guy in the Schooner Bar was talented, but he was dull. He never engaged the audience and often turned down our song requests even after we tipped him. We quit going there after the third night.

 

Jimmy seemed like a very enthusiastic and nice guy, but his activity planning was very disappointing.

[Gazza64]

Thanks for the replies, all makes sense now. A bit like an entertainments manager at a resort.

Sounds like they just need to fire him and get somebody who is up to the job - must be plenty of young and dynamic people looking for an opportunity.

 

I will keep an eye out for the CD when onboard:)

[sdpete]

Wish Quantum would get Graham Seymour. He's the best.

[JMG]

Ken Rush was working in the background on the TA. He got off the ship shortly after arriving in Bayonne. We were on the 11/23 cruise and Jimmy Rhodes was the CD. It was by far the least active cruise I have ever been on board. From what I have been reading it sounds like Jimmy got better with each passing cruise but I did not understand why there was nothing offered on that cruise to celebrate not only the new ship but also a new ship in the NE.

[Pennstateman]

I was hoping they would get the 70's version of Julie from the Love Boat......virtually, of course;)

[njkruzer]

Currently on board and Ken Rush is cd. Very good as usual.

[smoochie]

We were on the Jan 23rd sailing and Ken Rush was the CD. We also had him on our Oasis cruise a few years ago. He did a great job then and now on our Quantum cruise last week, as there were plenty of activities to do on board and during the evening. Although I did hear through the grapevine that he was heard telling his staff that there were venues being unused and for the staff to get some more activities going! Also the production shows, Mama Mia, Ron Luccas, and the rest of the entertainment was amazing! Kuddos to you Ken! A great job as usual! Had a great time on board the Quantum!

[ksg]

Yes, Ken Rush replaced Jimmy Rhodes on our 1/23 sailing. We had him on Allure and I usually don't pay much attention to the CD, but I thought that Ken was the second best CD we've every had (the first being Gordon Whatley on Radiance - first cruise - in 2002. Alan Brooks on Oasis last year was awful - awful schtick and awful staff and he seemed lazy to me. Ken had a top notch staff, with Katie Turner being a treasure. I was pleased that she had joined him from Allure.

 

It's true though that there needed to be a few more things to do during the day, but we kept ourselves occupied with roller skating, bumper cars, ping pong and fooz ball. Trivia too. I have a feeling we were missing a Tribute Band. Supposedly the Bon Jovi band was supposed to be on this sailing, but never saw them. Just Beatles tribute the first 4 nights and once was enough.

 

We went to the cooking demonstration in Two70, which was kind of a bust cause they had trouble getting electricity to the burners. Whatever. I think after all those days at sea in the cold, I would have welcomed napkin folding. LOL

[Kosi]

Ken Rush, and he is going to be on the Anthem. . Not in love with him at all! He was on the Allure once when we sailed that ship, and I thought there was little chance of having him again.. What I can not stand is after every show.. he wil lcome on and say oh come on now they deserve more applause than that.. or something like that.. If I was a performer it would be embarrassing.. He DOES look like a bad used car salesman. He has a side kick a British woman who is great .. wish they would promote her.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Kosi

[gaylemh]

I was also surprised that we only had one tribute band on the 1/23 cruise. I'm wondering if it could have had something to do with the weather in the northeast, and the other tribute band couldn't get to the ship. There were 2 tribute bands on the 3 night sampler. You would think on a 10 night there would be 2.

[Clancy14]

On the 1/11 to 1/23 cruise, there were NO tribute bands and we had Jimmy Rhodes. There was supposed to be one - a BON JOVI tribute band, but there was a misprint in the Cruise Compass and they (obviously) never appreared. There was a house band who played the music of KANSAS for 2 nights in the Music Hall (same songs, same set, same dialogue).

 

Katie Turner was terrible on our cruise. We kept wondering how she was made AD. Her British accent turned "cockney" as the day went on. Her clothing was unbelievable and she and Jimmy had absolutley no chemistry or connection with the guests. There was not enough to do for most people on sea days (I was fine - I played trivia) but I heard MANY others were very disappointed. After dinner and the show in the evening, there was also very little to do (during the 1/11 to 1/23). Glad that Ken has improved things! One of my BFF's is on the 3/13/ cruise and I was feeling bad for her.

 

- Miriam

[DEIx15x8]

I was also surprised that we only had one tribute band on the 1/23 cruise. I'm wondering if it could have had something to do with the weather in the northeast, and the other tribute band couldn't get to the ship. There were 2 tribute bands on the 3 night sampler. You would think on a 10 night there would be 2.

Both the 11/23 (8 night inaugural) and 12/1 (11 night southern caribbean) sailings only had one each, Bon Jovi on the first and the Beatles on the second. They only seem to be doing on tribute band per cruise and only during the first few nights.

[gaylemh]

On the 1/11 to 1/23 cruise, there were NO tribute bands and we had Jimmy Rhodes. There was supposed to be one - a BON JOVI tribute band, but there was a misprint in the Cruise Compass and they (obviously) never appreared. There was a house band who played the music of KANSAS for 2 nights in the Music Hall (same songs, same set, same dialogue).

 

Katie Turner was terrible on our cruise. We kept wondering how she was made AD. Her British accent turned "cockney" as the day went on. Her clothing was unbelievable and she and Jimmy had absolutley no chemistry or connection with the guests. There was not enough to do for most people on sea days (I was fine - I played trivia) but I heard MANY others were very disappointed. After dinner and the show in the evening, there was also very little to do (during the 1/11 to 1/23). Glad that Ken has improved things! One of my BFF's is on the 3/13/ cruise and I was feeling bad for her. - Miriam

 

I thought I read in a review of your cruise that there was a Journey tribute band in the music hall. Not crazy about Jimmy Rhodes either, but I thought Katie did a great job. I've been on two cruises on the Quantum, and I've never seen the house band Horizon do the same set twice or the music from the same group for the whole set, and I was there almost every night they played. I think what you saw for two nights was the tribute band show in the music hall. If you look at the Wanted (Bon Jovi) tour schedule, they were supposed to be on my cruise that left on the 23rd. For some reason I guess they didn't make it to the ship due to all the bad weather. http://www.wantedtribute.com/tour/

Edited February 6, 2015 by gaylemh