Cruise director assignments

[angelsfort]

Here's something I was thinking about when reading a thread on another platform about Adam, who is the current cruise director on the Liberty.  It got me thinking because the Liberty isn't exactly a large ship (not the smallest, by any means but not that big either) - how do the CD's feel about being assigned to the smaller ships with shorter cruises? 

 

I would think that the more popular CD's would be assigned to the larger ships, to try to pull the crowds to those larger pricier ships... 

 

who determines what CD goes where?  is it "the luck of the draw"?  or is there some sort of algorithm used to decide who goes where? 

 

LOL anyone have any insight? 

[mz-s]

I talked to one CD (I forget which one) and he said that he enjoyed the older/smaller ships that do the same itinerary every week. He was able to get into a rhythm. The fun ashore talk was the same every week, the activities were the same, etc.

[pe4all]

15 minutes ago, mz-s said:

I talked to one CD (I forget which one) and he said that he enjoyed the older/smaller ships that do the same itinerary every week. He was able to get into a rhythm. The fun ashore talk was the same every week, the activities were the same, etc.

Same here.  Many of the CD's I spoke with are very content with the "smaller" ships - Conquest class, Spirit class, Fantasy Class.   Personally I do not ever take a cruise based on who the CD is, though I am sure people do that - especially if Mr. Heald is on the ship.  Many times I do not even know who the CD is until I  walk on the ship - and even then I do not know until they begin making announcement.

[ninjacat123]

Interesting question @angelsfort! I have not chatted with the CD when on a cruise but this would also make me curious about the selection of staff (Alchemy Bar, entertainment, etc.) for the smaller, older ships as opposed to the Excel-type ships. Thanks for bringing this topic up!👍

[jsglow]

Certainly their most 'senior' CDs get assigned to the new ships. No one here knows about any pay differential but it seems likely. That's not to say that certain cruise directors aren't better suited for smaller ships or more seasoned cruisers in Europe, for example. Frankie routinely works aboard Pride, a perfect fit for him.

Edited April 15 by jsglow

[bmraar]

One cruise director I had talked about it some in a Q&A.  He said personality is part of the decision.  This particular CD had a lot of energy, he said he would likely never be assigned to an Alaskan cruise or Europe, he likely would stay in the Caribbean because his personality was not a fit for the typical population of a cruise for that itinerary.

[ninjacat123]

8 minutes ago, bmraar said:

One cruise director I had talked about it some in a Q&A.  He said personality is part of the decision.  This particular CD had a lot of energy, he said he would likely never be assigned to an Alaskan cruise or Europe, he likely would stay in the Caribbean because his personality was not a fit for the typical population of a cruise for that itinerary.

I could see this!  Our Europe cruise last October on Pride was fun in a more quiet, less "party, party, party" way.  When we cruise the Caribbean I expect more volume, energy and "party"!

[Butterbean1000]

The only CDs I really remember were Matt Mitchum snf Dr E.

[starstruck05]

I haven't talked to a CD recently but I did make friends with a Fun Squad member on the Mardi Gras who said she preferred smaller ships because it allows them to interact with the guests and each other more. Having such a big ship doesn't allow them to see the same people that often. We happened to see her alot but mainly because we were looking out for her. 

[Noledad77]

I don't remember the CD from our first cruise, but I do remember the one from our second (Paulie). He was very energetic, always got the crowd going, and was a great host at things like the "80's music trivia" in the atrium bar. He also took some time out of his afternoon to come and see a little bit of the performance my girls did while on board, so that really stuck with me. 

[Saint Greg]

You generally see them start out on Conquest class ships or older. But they can move up fast these days with new ships high CD turnover. 
 

There are some exceptions. Keegan  is taking over on Breeze this weekend and Paully Horizon next month. But the other new ones are like…Elizabeth - Freedom, Gabby - Glory, Gary - Liberty, Lia - Miracle, Amber - Paradise, Michael - Radiance.

 

Then there are some experienced ones that I guess choose to stay on older ships. Like Simon London on Splendor. I’m assuming he wants to be in Australia.

 

I have heard in a Q&A…i think it was Kyndall’s …that the shorter cruises can be more challenging because embarkation/debarkation days are crazy and you have 2-3 of those a week.

[Saint Greg]

4 hours ago, jsglow said:

 Frankie routinely works aboard Pride, a perfect fit for him.

I noticed that so I was surprised when his 2024 schedule came out that he’s bouncing around. Magic, Dream, Legend.

 

[Joanne G.]

4 hours ago, jsglow said:

. . . .  Frankie routinely works aboard Pride, a perfect fit for him.

Just got off the Magic yesterday.  Sailed with Frankie.  Reminisced with him about the eventful July 9 and July 21 Pride cruises last summer.  I booked the Magic with the FCC credit that I got for that memorable experience!  😄

 

He said he is fond of the smaller Spirit class ships and has been on all of them except the Spirit. But he diplomatically said that he loves the Magic, too!  He spent the prior cruise onboard but not as the CD, just getting a feel for the operations.  The April 4 cruise that I was on was his first on that ship.   

 

He also said they can put in requests for their preferences for ships and/or home ports, and Carnival tries to accommodate them as much as possible.  

 

 

 

[MayorDrafty]

I asked Alex on Spirit back in February at his CD talk how the schedule was done.  He said they can make requests for specific ships, and sometimes that is honored and sometimes not.  He didn't specify whether longer tenured CDs were more likely to get what they asked for.

[SDPadreFan]

3 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

Just got off the Magic yesterday.  Sailed with Frankie.  Reminisced with him about the eventful July 9 and July 21 Pride cruises last summer.  I booked the Magic with the FCC credit that I got for that memorable experience!  😄

 

He said he is fond of the smaller Spirit class ships and has been on all of them except the Spirit. But he diplomatically said that he loves the Magic, too!  He spent the prior cruise onboard but not as the CD, just getting a feel for the operations.  The April 4 cruise that I was on was his first on that ship.   

 

He also said they can put in requests for their preferences for ships and/or home ports, and Carnival tries to accommodate them as much as possible.  

 

 

 

We were also on that "eventful" July 09 cruise last year on Pride. We also had Frankie on our Alaska 10 day June 2022 cruise on the Miracle. "Boop!"

Edited April 15 by SDPadreFan

[AllgoodOnTheRoad]

I thought the same thing when we were on the Liberty last month. Adam is an amazing cruise director. As good as any in my opinion and I wondered if Carnival appreciated him as much as they should and if he had any input in his posting. 

 

 

 

[angelsfort]

I'm glad to hear that they will take into account the CD's preference (when they can) - I wonder if seniority has anything to do with whether or not they actually GET their preference?