Who's your favorite Holland America cruise director?

[Teresa Price]

Oh have travelled 12 nights last year and 24 this with Jason and am ready to strangle him! Sickly and repeats jokes year on year

Teresa

[Krazy Kruizers]

Jason Venner -- he was our CD on a couple of cruises -- Westerdam -- great guy!!

Really missed him this year when we were on the Westerdam.

On all of our recent cruises we have had new CD's.

[Brunswick Coach]

Any information on Eurodam Director?

[arlenez]

I agree with Susan Wood, Drew Murdoch and Jason.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[RedmondCruiser]

KK - Jason Venner was also one of our favorites. He had some great banter with the captain on the PA.

[spcl4cs_gal]

Any information on Eurodam Director?

 

The current Eurodam CD is Linda Minnikins.

[serendipity1499]

He's still kicking Ma'am!;)

 

Oh Goodness...So sorry, didn't mean that... :D:D

[innlady1]

We liked Jason Venner, too. He's the only one I remember memorably. He and Captain Scott had a great banter going back and forth.

[jwitt2]

We were with Mike Connaghan and his lovely lady for 30 days several years ago. He was a lot of fun. Made a special effort for the Red Hatters to meet. We were also with Savannah Rye last year for 35 days. Don't know what problem the others had, she was very nice to us and we enjoyed her, especially when she sang in the Ocean Bar one evening.

[DizzyDallasDi]

I've only had the pleasure of going on 2 HAL cruises (Nov. '08 Eurodam and May '09 Zuiderdam) and, oddly enough, Shane was the CD on both of those cruises. I like him but it would be nice to get to know some of the others mentioned here.

 

Diane

[bepsf]

He was horrid!!!!!!!! Thankfully, he rarely appeared. He did like to talk on the ship microphone and on stage repeat the same jokes or attempted jokes. Snide and rude best describe him.

 

I quite agree - Jason ranks among the worst.

 

My favorite was Steve Gayda....

...then of course, there's my first cruise director:

[Momma_Warden]

:) I'm new to cruising but very first and best to date was Eric Dowis - CD through the Panama Canal to Vancouver in 2006. It was 21 days of pure delight. Had us all in stitches laughing when he did his Impersonations!! Very professional when he needed to be.

 

 

HAL - ms Zuiderdam Panama Canal April 2006

HAL - ms Zuiderdam Alaska July 2006

HAL - ms Veendam Alaska May 2008

 

Looking forward to -

HAL - ms Volendam New Zealand/Australia Feb 28/10

Edited August 16, 2009 by Momma_Warden
Wish to remove title

[tamsocal]

Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with Michelle Worthley? It will be my first time traveling with her as the cruise director.

 

We just arrived home today from the Amsterdam and to be honest, I have never really paid much attention to the CD before and sometimes have found them to be obnoxious.

Michelle was wonderful. I actually watched her disembarkation presentation on the TV twice while packing and getting ready for bed-- didn't occur to me until the 2nd time thru last night that I had turned on the TV to just find a show to watch while packing, that I was actually watching/listening to the disembarkation info-- she even had my husband laughing & coming into the room to listen.

She has a great voice, energetic, a pleasure to talk to, and funny. She could be the star of the comedy show too. I think she was actually listed w/ the comedian on one of the daily logs- but I didn't attend so have no idea.

[Love Cruises]

We never cruised with Mike Connaghan as our cruise director but cruised with him when he was in the cruise staff assisting the CD. He was so much fun and we have heard great things about what a fantastic Cruise Director he has become.

 

We have also cruised a couple of times with his lovely wife Leah who, I believe, is now a future cruise consultant. They are a lovely couple and hopefully we will get to cruise with them again some day on another "DAM" ship!!!

[ajmsta]

Anyone know who is on the Westerdam?

[luvtwotrvl]

Matt Allen

[suse]

I think there is something wrong with me. I have never paid attention to who the cruise director is. No shopping tips for me, no siree, and what else do they do?

I have no idea what it is that they do. The same could be said about me.:)

[Soundsgreat6]

Copper10-8 can you tell me who the CD is for Zaandam On the October 4th 2009 Cruise will be?

[Copper10-8]

Copper10-8 can you tell me who the CD is for Zaandam On the October 4th 2009 Cruise will be?

 

Sorry, not known yet since Zaandam's current CD is scheduled to go home during the latter part of SEP. Ask me again around that time!;)

[Copper10-8]

Copper10-8 can you tell me who the CD is for Zaandam On the October 4th 2009 Cruise will be?

 

Btw, noticed your first cruise ship in your sig:

RMS Empress of England (1957-1975) Built in 1957 as RMS Empress of England by Vickers-Armstrong Shipbuilders Ltd, at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England for Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd, a branch of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). She was launched by Lady Eden, wife of the British prime minister, on 9 May 1956. One of her distinguishing marks was the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific.

 

Her maiden voyage started on 18 April 1957, when she left Liverpool for Quebec City and Montreal, both in the province of Quebec. She operated on this trans-Atlantic passenger liner service, also calling at Saint John, New Brunswick, from both Liverpool and Greenock until 14 November 1969 but also made several cruises to the Caribbean from New York City.

 

 

She was then operated solely for cruising for four months until March 1970, when she was purchased by British-based Shaw Savill & Albion Line who renamed her Ocean Monarch. On 11 April 1970, she started a single round-trip voyage from Southampton, England to Australia. Shaw Savill had ambitious plans to increase their cruising market so intended to convert Ocean Monrach for full-time cruising. Unfortunately, the project was doomed almost from the start, as the conversion work at Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders, Ltd, Birkenhead, England stretched to over a year.

 

 

She did finally emerge as a cruise ship in October 1971 and on 5 November of that year. sailed to Auckland, New Zealand via Barbados, Curacao, the Panama Canal, Acapulco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Honolulu, Tokelau (a territory of New Zealand) and Fiji. She was based at Auckland until 1973 when she commenced Pacific cruising out of Sydney, Australia. Withdrawn and sold for scrap in June 1975, she sailed from Southampton for Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she was scrapped that same year.

 

 

[mclaire]

it seems eric dowis is back with Hal. any idea what his schedule is? thanks

[Copper10-8]

it seems eric dowis is back with Hal. any idea what his schedule is? thanks

 

Looks like he's on Veendam as we speak, no doubt admiring her new Retreat pool in Alaska;). He's about to get off - no indication where he'll be going next as of yet

[Soundsgreat6]

Btw, noticed your first cruise ship in your sig:

RMS Empress of England (1957-1975) Built in 1957 as RMS Empress of England by Vickers-Armstrong Shipbuilders Ltd, at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England for Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd, a branch of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). She was launched by Lady Eden, wife of the British prime minister, on 9 May 1956. One of her distinguishing marks was the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific.

 

Her maiden voyage started on 18 April 1957, when she left Liverpool for Quebec City and Montreal, both in the province of Quebec. She operated on this trans-Atlantic passenger liner service, also calling at Saint John, New Brunswick, from both Liverpool and Greenock until 14 November 1969 but also made several cruises to the Caribbean from New York City.

 

 

She was then operated solely for cruising for four months until March 1970, when she was purchased by British-based Shaw Savill & Albion Line who renamed her Ocean Monarch. On 11 April 1970, she started a single round-trip voyage from Southampton, England to Australia. Shaw Savill had ambitious plans to increase their cruising market so intended to convert Ocean Monrach for full-time cruising. Unfortunately, the project was doomed almost from the start, as the conversion work at Cammell Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders, Ltd, Birkenhead, England stretched to over a year.

 

 

She did finally emerge as a cruise ship in October 1971 and on 5 November of that year. sailed to Auckland, New Zealand via Barbados, Curacao, the Panama Canal, Acapulco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Honolulu, Tokelau (a territory of New Zealand) and Fiji. She was based at Auckland until 1973 when she commenced Pacific cruising out of Sydney, Australia. Withdrawn and sold for scrap in June 1975, she sailed from Southampton for Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she was scrapped that same year.

 

 

lol thanks John I did ask that a while back on your "Your First Cruise Ship Thread" I' looking for some old photos to send you but havn't been able to find yet. Think my brother had them. So will have to wait till I'm back from cruise. has he's away till I leave.

Thanks again I will check back in September. Cheers! M8

[LoveHAL]

Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with Michelle Worthley? It will be my first time traveling with her as the cruise director.[/quote

 

I thought Michelle Worthley was one of the very best CDs I have ever experienced. She was on a 19 day cruise and I never grew tired of her. Always a very positive attitude and fun to be around.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Copper:

 

You seem to be in the know about who is the CD on various cruises. Do you know who might be on the Maasdam on the Oct. 23rd cruise? I hope it is not Susannah if that tells you something about my least favorite.

 

Our favorite of all time was Doug Dunnell (Maasdam 2006), an opera trained musician who had the best show staff of all of our 7 cruises (so far and more to come). Russ Bralley (Zaandam 2007 15 day) was also very good but I think that cruise was his last with HAL. They gave him a very meager staff and he was great about showing up at everything often alone. I was surprised to see we have had some of those mentioned by others including Drew and Jason.......neither were memorable compared to others in our past.