How important is the Cruise Director to you?

[JolleyRoger]

What is it... 98% of those who have replied say the CD means little if nothing to them?

 

I figured there'd be more who said differently.

 

I've read quite a few other posts from various boards here which have mentioned a good, or poor... or even names of thier CD's.

 

Maybe it's like flynrph mentioned... the CD means more on other lines?

[KAYEF]

Wow!

I'm surprised at the responses. Maybe some of you have never had an irritating CD.

On our first cruise we had a fairly young woman who must have loved the sound of her own voice..................she was "on the horn" constantly. Passengers just couldn't escape her. Her voice was loud (she screamed into the mike, it seemed).............no matter where we went or when, she was yelling something. Believe me, THAT affected our cruise.

I believe a CD can have a big effect on enjoyment.............they "run" many people who we aren't aware of.............and get them motivated for many things...............one of our best, was always at every activity.......and I mean every activity. No matter if it was entertainment, contests, whatever.............and he seemed to be able to inspire the other employees to be "up" all the time.............it all seemed like fun. When HE made announcements, he just said them once, in a normal voice; it was a pleasant experience.

Another time, we felt the CD had a lot of charisma, but, believe me, if people took a concern to him.............absolutely nothing happened. He chose to believe everything was perfect because he was. He DID say he would "look into it" but .......................?

On only one of our cruises can I pull up a "blank"..........can't even remember if the CD was male or female!

Of course, most use the same (stale) jokes, especially at the disembarkation talk :cool: ...........but, if you watch, you can tell if his/her staff is peppy, engrosed, happy to be there and caring if you are having a good time or not.

That being said, I'd never choose a cruise because of a CD..........how can you even know who the CD is? That's beyond me.........:confused: .

And, finally, I'm hoping to enjoy a positive and fun CD on our Nov. 1 - Nov. 18 cruise on the GRAND! Anybody know who it will be......?;)

[Sandytoes]

Does it really matter?

 

It baffles my mind on why so many need to know who the CD is on the ship their sailing....:rolleyes:

 

Do you think people book their cruise on CD perferences? I hope not.

[sonomaphil]

I thought all ships had a cruise director named Julie McCoy. :D

[flynrph]

I thought all ships had a cruise director named Julie McCoy. :D

At least on Princess ships!:D

[MikeKool]

Add me to the "who cares" list. Many cruises....many lines and couldn't tell you on a bet anyone's name. I could easily do without their announcements and I'm fully able to read a cruiseline newsletter.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We go to some of the shows, but to see the shows. The CD can add to the enjoyment if he's decent...just does his intros and gets off the stage to start the show quickly. But he can detract more than add. Especially if he or she doesn't know the "overdoing" line and crosses it.

[Times Prince]

I almost hate to ask this....but what DOES the CD do?

The Cruise Director (CD) is in charge of ALL the entertainment staff, the scheduling, and the quality of the entertainment on board ship. She/He reports to the Captain.

 

We had a long lunch ashore with the CD of the Pacific Princess (at that time) and found that besides what we see, she was responsible for the morale of the entertainment staff behind the scenes, she was responsible for selection of the entertainers on shore in Australia before bringing the Princess crew aboard when the Pacific Princess returned from P&O service.

This is a huge job, and she was on duty from before 6 am (preparing a morning telecast) to well after midnight every day. Personally I don't know how she did it, but she did it well and never showed how tired she must have been at times. We found that this particular CD was herself an accomplished singer.

 

On other ships we have had excellent Cruise Directors who encouraged activity and some not so good CD's whose brand of humor grated on our nerves (but were considered really funny by other passengers). They didn't break our cruise (our attititude is to roll with the variances), nor will we not take a cruise if we find one of the few to be on our next ship.

 

They are there to increase our knowledge and encourage participation in activities, and to provide an atmosphere of excitement. Most of them do this quite well.

[T&J]

Personally I couldn't give a rats a** who is the CD is or his staff....give me a Casino and some great food and I am happier than a pig in sh*t!Tony

[dobie]

We don't care either....we just like to sit back and relax...and we don't need a cruise director to tell us how to do that....once in a great while we go to a show..

[kryos]

Regardless of ship, how important is the CD to you & why?

Personally, I think a CD is only important when the cruise involves a lot of sea days ... such as a circle Hawaii cruise. Then, you need a CD with some creativity to keep lots going on around the ship ... lots of variety so that there is something fun for everyone who wishes to partake. You also want someone with a good personality, who won't start grating on your nerves after a couple of days.

 

But on your average cruise ... say a seven-dayer with mostly port days ... the CD really doesn't matter. You're gonna get the same standard activities regardless of the ship or cruise line ... BINGO, movies, pool games, etc. The CD who administers them really doesn't matter.

 

As for the other key people on the ship ... the Captain, Hotel Manager, etc. ... personally I could care less who is in those positions ... as long as they are competent and do their jobs. Frankly, I shouldn't have to deal with any of them if they are running their departments well. Any problems I have should have long been resolved before I get to their level ... so, I really don't pay much attention to who specifically are in those jobs.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[jane02]

I cannot even recall the name or sex of the CD's that we have had.

IMHO the chef is the most important person on board.:D

Jane

[whale-watcher]

Makes no difference to us...we rarely go to shows or seek out activities. There are few things in life finer than a sea day with a good book and NOTHING to do!

[runner1909]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we could care less about the CD, too. Most cruises, we have rarely even seen the CD. Never even personally interacted with one.

[willysgrandma]

You can add the Captain to the list.

 

As long as he transports us from point A to point B safely---for that is his primary job--and mintains command of the ship, his presence otherwise is mere show.

 

Neither the CD nor the Captain (unless he really screws up) have any direct effect on our cruise.

 

It is only the cabin steward, the wait staff, and others with whom we have direct contact who affect our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

I totally agree!

[coiran]

FYI - the morning CD TV show is taped the night before - they don't get up that early. However, the CD does have a myriad of responsibilities and is an imprtant part of the cruise experience.

Ron

[T&J]

FYI - the morning CD TV show is taped the night before - they don't get up that early. However, the CD does have a myriad of responsibilities and is an imprtant part of the cruise experience.

 

Ron

Perhaps for you!...but for the 95% of us that responded on here the answer is NO!Tony

[coiran]

Perhaps for you!...but for the 95% of us that responded on here the answer is NO!Tony

 

If you read my post you will notice I didn't say it was an imprtant factor for me - I just made a statement of fact. Sorry if I offended you.

Ron

[Pam in CA]

I could care less. There are some CDs that I've liked, others I didn't have a clue about. I wouldn't book or cancel a cruise based on who the CD was.

 

Most people have the misconception that CD is an entertainer or responsible only for entertainment. In actuality, they're responsible for many other things as well, such as the number and variety of activities throughout the day; the set-up, printing and distribution of the Patter; etc. They work from very early in the morning until very late at night. I once had a cabin on the Regal right down the hall from the CD's office and he was there working when I went to breakfast and when I was going back to my cabin after the evening's entertainment.

 

To me, a good CD knows his passenger demographics. He listens to the passengers and makes changes during the cruise accordingly. Yes, I've seen that happen where a CD added activities based on suggestions from passengers.

 

While who the CD doesn't influence me, the best CDs I've had, possibly because they're more trained CDs than promoted entertainers, are Chris Nichols and Richard Joseph. Both are organized, creative and LISTEN to their passengers. They're not on ego trips and like the sound of their own voices.

[T&J]

If you read my post you will notice I didn't say it was an imprtant factor for me - I just made a statement of fact. Sorry if I offended you.

 

Ron

Coiran you didn't offend me at all?...It's just your post implied that it was an important part of your cruise experience...Tony

[corkpopr]

i have no idea who any cruise directors on any of the 19 cruises we have taken were. Do not care. We do not go to talks, shows, bingo, art auctions, poolside activities or anything associated with the staff. i do know who the bar managers are, best bartenders, casino manager, best craps dealers, maitre d', good wait staff. do not care about room steward as i have been on cruises and never seen them many times except the day we arrive and ask for two ice buckets filled twice a day!

[Host Caroline]

CD isn't important to us either.. John Lawrence and Janet Edwards are the only ones I remember from 17 Princess cruises as really being entertaining etc. Never book a cruise based on the CD, onboard entertainment etc. I only remember one (james lay?) that was IMHO only really lame. He truly bombed at every attempt to be funny... but maybe he was havin' a bad week, you never know.

[chrysalis]

CD isn't important to us either.. John Lawrence and Janet Edwards are the only ones I remember ......

 

...and I only remember Janet because she wrecked her leg while dancing by the pool on Island Night....and had to hobble around for days

[Mapu]

I tend to think of the CD as a facilitator rather than an entertainer. While some of them have been somewhat talented as singers, comedians, etc., I am more interested in how a CD motivates the entertainment staff who interact with passengers. An energetic, enthusiastic, personable CD will inspire the staff to exude similar characteristics when they are engaged in shipboard activities with passengers. jmo

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

I totally agree. While I would never not book a cruise because of the CD he or she definitely sets the tone for the other staff. On our Baltic cruise last year, John Lawrence also did the port lectures which were extremely informative. gail

[WeBeGone]

It doesn't matter to us either but a few years ago we had a CD named Trevor, from England, and he was an absolute riot! I loved watching that corny morning show while drinking my coffee. He actually made me laugh at 7 in the moning - not an easy thing to do! I entered the goofy trivia contest every day and won great coffee cups. He's the only one whose name I remember.