Can someone explain why it's such a big deal?

[gannk]

I've run across a few Carnival fangirls and fanboys who care deeply about who their CD is. For them, they are high level cruisers and have maybe met or heard of them before and are genuinely excited to sail with them.

 

For me, it makes the difference between having entertainment or not. My first cruise (7 nights) had a lively CD, and there was always something exciting happening. My next one was a longer sailing with an older demographic on board, and the CD wasn't as active. Perhaps a large part of his activity level was because he fed off of the mood of the passengers. I suppose that doesn't even make him a bad CD, just one who didn't meet my personal expectations.

 

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

What qualities make for a really good CD? I have been on 25 cruises and can't recall any CD by name or being a really good CD. Maybe it is because that I really don't attend many activities hosted by a CD except for the intros to the shows...

 

Brad remembered so many cruisers names it was unbelievable. He involved people in activities and was more than welcoming. He was open and would engage in conversations.

 

Dr. E annoyed me but he did a great Motown show.

 

John Heald made the Love and Marriage show funnier than I'd ever seen it. He didn't join in conversations.

Edited December 19, 2016 by crusinpsychRN

[Kathy Loves Cats]

Brad remembered so many cruisers names it was unbelievable. He involved people in activities and was more than welcoming. He was open and would engage in conversations.

 

Dr. E annoyed me but he did a great Motown show.

 

John Heald made the Love and Marriage show funnier than I'd ever seen it. He didn't join in conversations.

 

John is very funny. His old style way of cruise directing is something I miss. Just cruised with Mike Pack. It a funny man but he was everywhere and his energy was unending

[Big_G]

I don't follow CDs either but do all of you naysayers realize the CD is in charge of the entire entertainment budget on a ship?

 

 

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[tcwoah]

We have ever had 1 cruise director we even noticed. And we loved him. Mikey Gibson was filling in for the head CD and was wonderful. He ended up getting a full time cruise director position shortly after. It was well deserved too.

[Micahs Grandad]

I don't follow CDs either but do all of you naysayers realize the CD is in charge of the entire entertainment budget on a ship?

 

 

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These days the entertainment director is in charge but mostly he gets what Miami wants to send him

[Big_G]

These days the entertainment director is in charge but mostly he gets what Miami wants to send him

 

 

 

I understand people may not find a CD likeable and you may find a need to downplay their value to the cruise but they run the show and therefore could have a significant impact.

 

 

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[katiel53]

I've had a few CD's that I thought were really great. Jamie Dee, and Butch were a lot of fun and energy. The last two cruises were on Dream with Hennie and he was awful as far as I am concerned. His using different voices/accents during the muster drill drove me crazy.

 

All others didn't make a bit of difference to me. I am more concerned with the comedians in the Comedy Club. Trivia and Karaoke are not my thing, but to each his own.

[IPlayWithString]

Like so many have said..a good CD can make all the difference. A bad CD won't make it a horrible trip for us, but it will make for a week where we're just going "Oh god..how soon can we get off?"

 

There is one CD, Malcolm "Woohoo C'mere!" Burns, that if I EVER have to sail with that man again I'm going to throw myself overboard.;):D Out of all the CDs we've ever sailed with, he is the most annoying man on the planet. He tries to be funny, but he's not actually funny (IMO. YMMV) and his constant poop jokes and high pitched "C'mere!" that he would repeat all the time kinda got on my nerves. Especially after my son (who is autistic and has echolalia) started repeating it ad nauseum.

 

Our favorites so far have been Jen Baxter and Matey. Jen is wonderfully funny and very caring, as is Matey (who is so freaking adorable I wanted to stick him in my suitcase and take him home with me LOL).

[richstowe]

Like so many have said..a good CD can make all the difference. A bad CD won't make it a horrible trip for us, but it will make for a week where we're just going "Oh god..how soon can we get off?"

 

There is one CD, Malcolm "Woohoo C'mere!" Burns, that if I EVER have to sail with that man again I'm going to throw myself overboard.;):D Out of all the CDs we've ever sailed with, he is the most annoying man on the planet. He tries to be funny, but he's not actually funny (IMO. YMMV) and his constant poop jokes and high pitched "C'mere!" that he would repeat all the time kinda got on my nerves. Especially after my son (who is autistic and has echolalia) started repeating it ad nauseum.

 

Our favorites so far have been Jen Baxter and Matey. Jen is wonderfully funny and very caring, as is Matey (who is so freaking adorable I wanted to stick him in my suitcase and take him home with me LOL).

Boy talk about different strokes . She was to be our CD . Prior to the cruise I read here how horrible she was . She was OK . Not great ,not horrible . Certainly not that bad .

[momof3cruisers]

No , I don't think it was Matt.

It was a heavyset guy , maybe English but definitely not John Heald.

He danced with us and generally interacted and didn't just stand on a stage with a microphone.

 

Could have been Wee Jimmy. He is a great guy. Very funny and engaging. We have also really like Jaime Dee. She made our then 10 yo feel like the star of the ship. He volunteered for some family game and she remembered his name and talked to him every time she saw him the rest of the cruise. Other than those two, I haven't noticed our CDs much.

[sparks1093]

After reading some of the remarks I will add that while a good CD can enhance the experience I would not let the CD schedule influence my cruise choice (especially since when we book there is no way to know who that is going to be).

[disneylover89]

Once you cruise with a really good CD you'll recognize the difference they can make.

 

I agree!!! Out of all my cruises I remember 2. One was George who is no longer there and the other was Matt Seguin from the Sensation. He was awesome! He made the whole cruise. Loved his interaction at the music trivia's, Love and Marriage Show and the Adult Show!

[rjrpar]

Why is it so important to know who the CD is? My cruise has never been made better or worse because of who this person was. Most the time I find then to be extremely obnoxious and annoying. Also while were at it, same question about the Matre D. Does it really make that big a difference?

 

 

Much of what is discussed on cruise critic is not relevant to most cruisers. Some keep track of hotel directors, room attendants, bartenders, etc. Everyone is different with various amounts of time to spend over analyzing everything about cruising

 

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

Steve Cassell (sp?) was on Paradise. He is a fabulous fiddler. Played in a few shows including Charles Daniels' Devil Went Down to Georgia.

[Micahs Grandad]

Much of what is discussed on cruise critic is not relevant to most cruisers. Some keep track of hotel directors, room attendants, bartenders, etc. Everyone is different with various amounts of time to spend over analyzing everything about cruising

 

 

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Always wondered why anyone would care who the HD or MD was.

[Moz]

Always wondered why anyone would care who the HD or MD was.

 

;I agree some people do nothing but follow the CD around like little sheep so sad. It makes no difference to us who the CD is.

[serene56]

Why is it so important to know who the CD is? My cruise has never been made better or worse because of who this person was. Most the time I find then to be extremely obnoxious and annoying. Also while were at it, same question about the Matre D. Does it really make that big a difference?

 

The Cd is the person who makes it all fun with deciding what to do and when to do it. If you had not sailed with a CD that made for a boring cruise that is great. I try to avoid the sailings with a CD that will be away on vacation-= its just not the same

 

Matre d-- he is the one that trains his dining staff so if the dining room is behind-- its on him

[IPlayWithString]

Boy talk about different strokes . She was to be our CD . Prior to the cruise I read here how horrible she was . She was OK . Not great ,not horrible . Certainly not that bad .

 

The first time we sailed with her, we had an issue on board and we honestly DID NOT know who to turn to (it was only I think our second cruise ever) so we brought it up to Jen. She listened and immediately had it taken care of. Another time that we sailed with her( about 18 mos later) she genuinely seemed glad to see us again and sent chocolate dipped strawberries to our room, which we thought was nice of her. :)

 

Seeing certain crewmembers again is always a bonus, like running into old friends you haven't seen for awhile. :)

[IPlayWithString]

I agree!!! Out of all my cruises I remember 2. One was George who is no longer there and the other was Matt Seguin from the Sensation. He was awesome! He made the whole cruise. Loved his interaction at the music trivia's, Love and Marriage Show and the Adult Show!

 

Wait..George with the mile-high frosted hair and the leopard print pants right? A friend of ours (she's a member of the entertainment staff on a ship that's in Europe right now..I forget which one) posted on her FB page not long ago that he got married to his long time partner. :) He was the CD on the first ever cruise we took (Fascination out of Jacksonville) and memorable because of his outrageous wardrobe choices and that sky high frosted hairdo of his. <3

[disneylover89]

Wait..George with the mile-high frosted hair and the leopard print pants right? A friend of ours (she's a member of the entertainment staff on a ship that's in Europe right now..I forget which one) posted on her FB page not long ago that he got married to his long time partner. :) He was the CD on the first ever cruise we took (Fascination out of Jacksonville) and memorable because of his outrageous wardrobe choices and that sky high frosted hairdo of his. <3

 

No, I don't think so. He was a little too heavy for leopard print. lol His catch phrase was George by day, Jorge by night. He reminded me of George Lopez. He was really, really funny.

Edited December 21, 2016 by disneylover89

[golfb4cruzing]

From what we hear, they are important behind the scenes. Scheduling staff and sending fruit baskets. If neither was seen, no one would know about them. Now the folks with overly inflated self opinions believe they are planets orbiting their worlds.

[Doggielover68]

Whether or not it makes a difference depends on what you like to do on a cruise. If you're into hanging out by the pool, socializing with friends and family, lounging in the sun, etc it won't make a difference. If you like ship planned activities, shows, etc it does make a difference. The cruise director, along with the activities director are in charge of planning the activities each day. In the event of a missed port, it's up to them to throw together a new plan for the day. Some of them are just fun and silly and it just makes it feel more like vacation when everyone doesn't have to be so serious.

 

 

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[Cr2zCr8zy]

I agree with those who say that it won't make or break a cruise. However, it is more enjoyable to have an outgoing, energetic and most importantly funny CD.

 

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[evandbob]

On the Vista NYC to MIA repo cruise, a special Diamond recognition brunch was held for the 140 Diamond members on board.

 

Met the Captain and Officers, had a great lunch of Wagyu beef short ribs, the Pellegrino and wine was free flowing, then JH got a microphone in his hand and blathered his pompous butt off for 15 minutes.

 

So yeah, a CD can impact your cruise experience. In my case, negatively.