CD Blogs ??

[CruisinNewbie2010]

Since we're going on our first cruise in a couple of months, I watched eagerly as the Carnival Splendor limped back into port in San Diego. I have also been reading CD John Heald's account of the events on his ship (he's a terrific writer!). Does anyone know if any of the Princess Cruise Directors have blogs? It would be interesting to read their thoughts about the numerous cruises they have been on.

[caribill]

None to my knowledge.

 

However, John Heald has some blogging on when he was on Princess ships while a Carnival CD.

[Pam in CA]

While it's not a blog, Richard Joseph has a website with lots of information. It's http://www.richardjoseph.com.

 

When working, CDs have an 18-hour day jam-packed with planning, meetings, attending events, etc., from early morning until late at night. They barely have time to stop and chat with passengers much less write a daily or weekly blog.

 

HAL has someone in their corporate offices who writes a blog and posts updates and information on Facebook and Twitter. It's very well-done, called "Dutch by Association."

 

Princess has started a blog that's updated weekly that highlights someone from the cruiseline and their experiences.

[Colo Cruiser]

And RJ does not hesitate to post here on CC.

[Colo Cruiser]

A Day In The Life Of Your Cruise Director

There seems to be so many posts in regards to Cruise Directors, which I have enjoyed reading over the years. I guess it is normal to want to discuss people in such a high profile position, and I am just thankful that the vast majority of critiques are usually very nice, and the one or two odd ones that are just plain nasty are always self policed by fellow cruise critic members pointing out different opinions and sometimes reminding the poster that perhaps they are being a bit too harsh.

 

While you may see posters trash a particular CD and then the inevitable question as to why the cruise line employs such a person when there are negative comments on the board, it should be kept in mind that the cruise lines look at the Cruise Director’s rating by ALL the passengers each and every cruise. For a CD to keep their job they must maintain a satisfactory rating from the passengers. My point being - because a CD is not well liked by a few people posting on a web site – there are thousands of other passengers each cruise who have given the CD a positive rating in their comment cards. These ratings are the true indicator of the Cruise Director’s performance and actual popularity among the passengers.

 

Cruise Directors, like any other position vary greatly in style. Some passengers like the over the top “A personality” omnipresent CD, while others despise this type of approach and greatly prefer a softer, classier sort. I, after 31 years at sea and 25 years as a CD have experienced many changes as I have matured as a Cruise Director. The younger newly promoted CD may tend to be the omnipresent sort that after a few years of experience will certainly mellow, and become more of a Manager and less of a game show host type. In the last ten years or so I have taken great pleasure in mentoring my teams and training, helping and watching the less experienced team members flourish, and getting them promoted through the ranks. At this stage of my career that is the most satisfying aspect of leading the team. I don’t feel the need to always be the one on the microphone. While I greatly enjoy hosting the major events & shows, I feel the other activities afford excellent training opportunities for the less seasoned team members, after all how will they ever get the experience if the CD never gives them the opportunity. If you don’t see me on stage, have a look you will usually see me or my Deputy in the lounge monitoring how the events are being hosted, with a post activity debrief for training purposes.

 

Over the years as the ships have grown, so have the teams that the CD manages. In the mid-80’s the ships were in the 30,000 ton range, had one show lounge with 800 or so passengers and a Entertainment team of under 30. On today’s 80,000 plus ton ships there is an entertainment team of usually over 130 and over 2000 passengers, with at least 5 or more entertainment venues. So the Cruise Director’s role has become much more administrative. Having said that I do have five managers assisting me in the task of running the entertainment and activity programs and managing the team. They are the Deputy Cruise Director who is my 2nd in charge, the Line Captain who is in charge of the Production Shows, choreography, costume maintenance, and Dancers, a Senior Production Manager, who is responsible for the lighting and sound in the various entertainment venues, the Band Master who manages all the Musicians, and the Youth Activities Coordinator responsible for the kid’s program. These 5 Managers follow the programming as set forth and are directly supervised by the Cruise Director.

 

I have mapped out a sea day for me this season here aboard Island Princess.

 

7:30-7:55am Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the day and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

8:00-8:45am Captain’s Executive Committee Meeting

9:00-9:30am Passenger Services Director’s Hotel Meeting

9:45am Morning Rundown announcement

10:00-10:45am Port Talk or Disembarkation Briefing

10:45am Office Session work my way through 30 emails, while meeting with various team members discussing the issues of the day.

11:15am Try and get to Bingo to call the first couple of games and have some fun with the passengers.

11:45am 45 minutes of socializing with the passengers in the high traffic areas just to say hello to as many people as possible and be seen.

12:30pm Entertainment Department Manager’s meeting

1:00-2:30pm Lunch and Afternoon Break.

2:30pm Afternoon Rundown announcement

2:35pm 40 Minutes of socializing

4:00pm Various Administrative Tasks –(These can include safety committee meetings, health and welfare conferences, crew recreation meetings, disciplinary hearings, etc.)

4:30-5:30pm Office Session again trying to wade through the emails which have now grown to 50, and office hours with an open door policy for any team member.

5:30pm Record the Morning TV Show for the next morning

6:00-6:45pm Dinner and change into Evening attire

6:45pm Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the evening and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

7:00pm Captain’s Welcome Party or Captain’s Circle Party or Most Traveled Passengers Party, or Private Group Cocktail Party, or Cruise Critic Party, etc.

8:00pm Host first show in Theatre

9:00pm One more attempt at clearing the day’s accumulated emails

9:30 Socializing & another check all venues are operating as directed, lights are set for proper ambience, any game shows are being presented to prescribed standards, etc.

10:00pm Host second show in Theatre

11:00pm A walk around the Lounges for socializing before heading back to the office to conclude any unfinished administrative work

 

A very busy day and I absolutely love most of it!

 

Keep in mind that the above schedule is only on sea days. The port days are significantly less busy and give us the chance to catch up on administration and get some time ashore.

 

I hope this has provided an insight into what your Cruise Director may be doing during the course of the day. What makes the days so special are meeting many wonderful people as we make our way around the ship. We also get to enjoy the same wonderful sights and scenery that our passengers do. And of course the inevitable interaction with someone who may not be so wonderful, which is a good chance to exercise our public relations skills and do our best to put a smile on their faces, or assist them with a problem or issue they may be having.

 

So a huge thanks to all the great friends I have made over the years that have said so many great things here on Cruise Critic. You are the folks who can see the big picture – that the CD is responsible for the presentation of each and every aspect of the entertainment and activity programs – even if not physically hosting the event. I am so proud of the teams that I lead, and I realize without them I could never do it all on my own.

 

Next stop for me - Star Princess currently and Golden Princess Alaska first half season 09.

 

All the best!

Richard Joseph

Cruise Director

[CruisinNewbie2010]

While it's not a blog, Richard Joseph has a website with lots of information. It's www.richardjoseph.com.

 

When working, CDs have an 18-hour day jam-packed with planning, meetings, attending events, etc., from early morning until late at night. They barely have time to stop and chat with passengers much less write a daily or weekly blog.

 

HAL has someone in their corporate offices who writes a blog and posts updates and information on Facebook and Twitter. It's very well-done, called "Dutch by Association."

 

Princess has started a blog that's updated weekly that highlights someone from the cruiseline and their experiences.

 

 

Thank you Pam. I will definitely check Mr. Joseph's website. I have enjoyed reading the experiences of the Princess crew on Facebook also.

 

While I'm at it, although I haven't posted much, I have appreciated all your input on the various threads here on CC. They've answered so many questions I haven't asked or even thought of yet! Thank you for sharing your experiences and suggestions. It has made our first cruise a little less daunting.:)

[CruisinNewbie2010]

A Day In The Life Of Your Cruise Director

There seems to be so many posts in regards to Cruise Directors, which I have enjoyed reading over the years. I guess it is normal to want to discuss people in such a high profile position, and I am just thankful that the vast majority of critiques are usually very nice, and the one or two odd ones that are just plain nasty are always self policed by fellow cruise critic members pointing out different opinions and sometimes reminding the poster that perhaps they are being a bit too harsh.

 

While you may see posters trash a particular CD and then the inevitable question as to why the cruise line employs such a person when there are negative comments on the board, it should be kept in mind that the cruise lines look at the Cruise Director’s rating by ALL the passengers each and every cruise. For a CD to keep their job they must maintain a satisfactory rating from the passengers. My point being - because a CD is not well liked by a few people posting on a web site – there are thousands of other passengers each cruise who have given the CD a positive rating in their comment cards. These ratings are the true indicator of the Cruise Director’s performance and actual popularity among the passengers.

 

Cruise Directors, like any other position vary greatly in style. Some passengers like the over the top “A personality” omnipresent CD, while others despise this type of approach and greatly prefer a softer, classier sort. I, after 31 years at sea and 25 years as a CD have experienced many changes as I have matured as a Cruise Director. The younger newly promoted CD may tend to be the omnipresent sort that after a few years of experience will certainly mellow, and become more of a Manager and less of a game show host type. In the last ten years or so I have taken great pleasure in mentoring my teams and training, helping and watching the less experienced team members flourish, and getting them promoted through the ranks. At this stage of my career that is the most satisfying aspect of leading the team. I don’t feel the need to always be the one on the microphone. While I greatly enjoy hosting the major events & shows, I feel the other activities afford excellent training opportunities for the less seasoned team members, after all how will they ever get the experience if the CD never gives them the opportunity. If you don’t see me on stage, have a look you will usually see me or my Deputy in the lounge monitoring how the events are being hosted, with a post activity debrief for training purposes.

 

Over the years as the ships have grown, so have the teams that the CD manages. In the mid-80’s the ships were in the 30,000 ton range, had one show lounge with 800 or so passengers and a Entertainment team of under 30. On today’s 80,000 plus ton ships there is an entertainment team of usually over 130 and over 2000 passengers, with at least 5 or more entertainment venues. So the Cruise Director’s role has become much more administrative. Having said that I do have five managers assisting me in the task of running the entertainment and activity programs and managing the team. They are the Deputy Cruise Director who is my 2nd in charge, the Line Captain who is in charge of the Production Shows, choreography, costume maintenance, and Dancers, a Senior Production Manager, who is responsible for the lighting and sound in the various entertainment venues, the Band Master who manages all the Musicians, and the Youth Activities Coordinator responsible for the kid’s program. These 5 Managers follow the programming as set forth and are directly supervised by the Cruise Director.

 

I have mapped out a sea day for me this season here aboard Island Princess.

 

7:30-7:55am Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the day and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

8:00-8:45am Captain’s Executive Committee Meeting

9:00-9:30am Passenger Services Director’s Hotel Meeting

9:45am Morning Rundown announcement

10:00-10:45am Port Talk or Disembarkation Briefing

10:45am Office Session work my way through 30 emails, while meeting with various team members discussing the issues of the day.

11:15am Try and get to Bingo to call the first couple of games and have some fun with the passengers.

11:45am 45 minutes of socializing with the passengers in the high traffic areas just to say hello to as many people as possible and be seen.

12:30pm Entertainment Department Manager’s meeting

1:00-2:30pm Lunch and Afternoon Break.

2:30pm Afternoon Rundown announcement

2:35pm 40 Minutes of socializing

4:00pm Various Administrative Tasks –(These can include safety committee meetings, health and welfare conferences, crew recreation meetings, disciplinary hearings, etc.)

4:30-5:30pm Office Session again trying to wade through the emails which have now grown to 50, and office hours with an open door policy for any team member.

5:30pm Record the Morning TV Show for the next morning

6:00-6:45pm Dinner and change into Evening attire

6:45pm Public Area Walk-through to be certain that all is prepared for the evening and that music levels and lighting are at the proper levels

7:00pm Captain’s Welcome Party or Captain’s Circle Party or Most Traveled Passengers Party, or Private Group Cocktail Party, or Cruise Critic Party, etc.

8:00pm Host first show in Theatre

9:00pm One more attempt at clearing the day’s accumulated emails

9:30 Socializing & another check all venues are operating as directed, lights are set for proper ambience, any game shows are being presented to prescribed standards, etc.

10:00pm Host second show in Theatre

11:00pm A walk around the Lounges for socializing before heading back to the office to conclude any unfinished administrative work

 

A very busy day and I absolutely love most of it!

 

Keep in mind that the above schedule is only on sea days. The port days are significantly less busy and give us the chance to catch up on administration and get some time ashore.

 

I hope this has provided an insight into what your Cruise Director may be doing during the course of the day. What makes the days so special are meeting many wonderful people as we make our way around the ship. We also get to enjoy the same wonderful sights and scenery that our passengers do. And of course the inevitable interaction with someone who may not be so wonderful, which is a good chance to exercise our public relations skills and do our best to put a smile on their faces, or assist them with a problem or issue they may be having.

 

So a huge thanks to all the great friends I have made over the years that have said so many great things here on Cruise Critic. You are the folks who can see the big picture – that the CD is responsible for the presentation of each and every aspect of the entertainment and activity programs – even if not physically hosting the event. I am so proud of the teams that I lead, and I realize without them I could never do it all on my own.

 

Next stop for me - Star Princess currently and Golden Princess Alaska first half season 09.

 

All the best!

Richard Joseph

Cruise Director

 

Colocruiser - thank you for posting this!

and to Mr.Joseph - thank you so very much for giving us a "behind the scene" glimpse of what is involved in being a Cruise Director. It should be required reading for all First-Time cruisers!! If you believe in reincarnation, you should return as a juggler...You certainly have the skills for it!

[wilfros]

A Day In The Life Of Your Cruise Director

 

Next stop for me - Star Princess currently and Golden Princess Alaska first half season 09.

 

All the best!

Richard Joseph

Cruise Director

 

Thanks for the writeup Richard. I never stopped to think about all this. I guess this makes you a "true professional".

 

IMHO a true professional is one that makes their job look so easy and so natural that others never take the time to assess all that goes on behind the scene.

 

Add to all this your absolute need (every one of you team members) to present a pleasant face even when you may be having a difficult or bad day, as we all have from time to time. You are the "face" of Princess and you are all deserving of special recognition!

 

Congratulations.