Cruise Director??

[boomerone]

It has never occurred to me to care who the cruise director is. But, maybe I'm missing something. So, this is a real question. What does a cruise director do, or not do, that shapes your cruising experience?

 

I'm asking this question on other boards as well.

J.J. King was an absolute gem on the old, old Royal Princess in July 2003 cruising to Norway, Iceland, and Ireland. Talented, personable, and fun loving...crossing the Arctic Circle in the "bluenose" ceremony I led a passenger revolt that refused to exit the pool until J.J. joined us. Off came his watch, his shoes, his wallet and bingo, fully clothed, into the pool he jumped. Great fun for those of us in the pool and those watching. He really bonded with us and we all laughed together for the remainder of the cruise. Kelvin on the Sapphire Princess to Hawaii in April 2011 was also a hoot. He was so accessible and friendly. When he was out and about the ship (sailaways, roaming about the ship, etc.) he always had time to chat and his hosting of Princess Theatre events was quite entertaining. He even helped me present a gift to my bride--that's a long story in short I locked her on the balcony for an hour and I had to make restitution-- before a show. Both J. J. and Kelvin greatly improved the ambiance of the sailing. Hope to cross paths with them again someday. Sadly, my recollection of other CD's on 20 other cruises is totally fuzzy with nobody else standing out as either exceptionally good or not so hot. Captain's Circle hosts and hostesses also can add to the cruise experience. Joy Casaru on Coral Princess in April 2008 was a jewel. Hello Princess: Please try to list the names and photos of CD's and CC hostesses on your website for our reference as we initiate planning future cruises.

[cathi]

It's funny you only remember the CD's that really do their job. Have to echo what Aussie Girl said about Sami Baker. We've done a couple of cruises with her and she really is amazing. The job of a CD has to be one of the hardest on a ship. I think the job the do or don't do in some cases really sets the tone for the whole cruise. Trying to satisfy everyone on board whether they show up at every event or don't do any of them is not easy. Our last cruise was with a CD who had no personality and little in the way of organizational skills. It was one of the worst cruises we've been on and we're in the mid-20's now. Still didn't stop me from enjoying my cruise. It just wasn't as "good" as some of the others! Hey for me any day spent on a ship is better than any day spent doing anything else!!!

So yes I think a CD makes a big difference on a cruise whether you actually notice or not!

[quincytoo]

When you do get a poor CD, it does impact your cruise enjoyment whether you notice him/her or not. If the Patter doesn't come until the next morning so you don't know what's going on or whether there's anything you'd like to do, or the late arrival means you can't coordinate what you'd like to do with your traveling companion because one or the other might be already up and out, it impacts your cruise. If that happens several times on a cruise, you wonder whether the CD is organized or capable of handling the job. If, once the Patter does come, and there are continuous PA announcements the next day about events not included in the Patter or wrong times/meeting places, you do more than wonder. It's downright annoying plus people get the impression that Princess makes continuous activity announcements.

 

Hi Pam :)

 

You are describing the CD on the Jan 11 cruise that we were both on, aren't you?

Jodi

[Pam in CA]

J.J. King was an absolute gem on the old, old Royal Princess in July 2003 cruising to Norway, Iceland, and Ireland. Talented, personable, and fun loving...crossing the Arctic Circle in the "bluenose" ceremony I led a passenger revolt that refused to exit the pool until J.J. joined us. Off came his watch, his shoes, his wallet and bingo, fully clothed, into the pool he jumped. Great fun for those of us in the pool and those watching. He really bonded with us and we all laughed together for the remainder of the cruise. Kelvin on the Sapphire Princess to Hawaii in April 2011 was also a hoot. He was so accessible and friendly. When he was out and about the ship (sailaways, roaming about the ship, etc.) he always had time to chat and his hosting of Princess Theatre events was quite entertaining. He even helped me present a gift to my bride--that's a long story in short I locked her on the balcony for an hour and I had to make restitution-- before a show. Both J. J. and Kelvin greatly improved the ambiance of the sailing. Hope to cross paths with them again someday. Sadly, my recollection of other CD's on 20 other cruises is totally fuzzy with nobody else standing out as either exceptionally good or not so hot. Captain's Circle hosts and hostesses also can add to the cruise experience. Joy Casaru on Coral Princess in April 2008 was a jewel. Hello Princess: Please try to list the names and photos of CD's and CC hostesses on your website for our reference as we initiate planning future cruises.

Joy is a gem... agreed. She was our Captain's Circle Host on the Coral in January 2010 when my brother-in-law got sick. She was wonderful.

 

As for JJ, everyone probably has a different impression. While not the worst, I wouldn't jump for joy if he were the CD. We found him a pompous jerk. My sister is a wonderful knitter and needlepointer and ever since she started cruising, decades ago, she brought projects along to work on. On every cruise, she contacts the CD and asks for a corner of a lounge or somewhere with good light and a mention in the Patter for a "Needle Arts" get-together on sea days. Every single CD has immediately responded favorably except for JJ on the Royal years ago and Lee Childers on our January cruise. There are usually 15-20 people who show up every single time with everything from crewel to needlepoint, knitting, jewelry making, etc. On one cruise, we had so many who showed up (40+) the CD wound up giving us a section of the unused dining room every day. JJ refused, saying that no one would show up and no one was interested. She finally persuaded him to do it and he was amazed that 30 people showed. There are many, many passengers, particularly on the longer cruises with lots of sea days, who bring projects to work on so I don't understand why the CD doesn't plan this as a regular activity. Sammi did last year, and even planned projects, and they ran out of craft kits within minutes. She planned it in the Explorer's Lounge and it was almost filled. Anyway, I don't think much of JJ based on my personal experience. I run across jerks all the time, such as when I'm buying a new car and taking test drives. The oily car salesmen keep on looking over my shoulder, wondering why the "little woman" is buying a sporty car and looking for a husband to appear. One even asked me if I was buying it for my daughter. No, you jerk. Me. Anyway, JJ reminds me of car salesmen who are uncomfortable or don't know how to work with a woman.

 

You are describing the CD on the Jan 11 cruise that we were both on, aren't you?

Ya think? :)

[shepp]

We found him a pompous jerk.

 

Please, don't restrain yourself. Tell us what you really think. :D

[arizonaperson]

It has never occurred to me to care who the cruise director is. But, maybe I'm missing something. So, this is a real question. What does a cruise director do, or not do, that shapes your cruising experience?

 

I'm asking this question on other boards as well.

 

Sometimes the CD's are great,interacting with the passengers and other CD's are just boring when they speak. They usually introduce and speak nightly in the Princess theater. I like a jolly CD.

[lorenzod]

It's funny you only remember the CD's that really do their job. Have to echo what Aussie Girl said about Sami Baker. We've done a couple of cruises with her and she really is amazing. The job of a CD has to be one of the hardest on a ship. I think the job the do or don't do in some cases really sets the tone for the whole cruise. Trying to satisfy everyone on board whether they show up at every event or don't do any of them is not easy. Our last cruise was with a CD who had no personality and little in the way of organizational skills. It was one of the worst cruises we've been on and we're in the mid-20's now. Still didn't stop me from enjoying my cruise. It just wasn't as "good" as some of the others! Hey for me any day spent on a ship is better than any day spent doing anything else!!!

So yes I think a CD makes a big difference on a cruise whether you actually notice or not!

 

Is Sami the same CD who worked for Dolphin Cruise Line?

[sherryf]

David Cole is one of the best on Princess.

 

So glad we will be sailing with him again tomorrow!! :D

[Elua]

Yes, Sammi did work for Dolphin/Majesty Cruise Line years ago....I used to be her ACD back in the day....great lady and a great CD

[Astro Flyer]

A cruise director who is doing their job properly might not even be noticed except for those who are very outgoing. But when they don't even do some of the basic functions properly, then it can affect our cruise.

 

Such an example was the CD on our Sapphire cruise in May. Late TD time was at 7:45 & the CD never could schedule performances in the Princess Theater that worked for late TD. He scheduled the shows for late TD from 45 minutes prior to our TD time to as late as 2 1/2 hours after it.

 

We're not very demanding however when a CD (Tim Donovan) can't even do something as basic as to schedule the main theater's shows to work with dining times, then the CD is noticeable to us...and for the wrong reason. :rolleyes:

[Pam in CA]

Please, don't restrain yourself. Tell us what you really think. :D

You mean I don't? :)

[arewethereyet]

A cruise director who is doing their job properly might not even be noticed except for those who are very outgoing. But when they don't even do some of the basic functions properly, then it can affect our cruise.

 

Such an example was the CD on our Sapphire cruise in May. Late TD time was at 7:45 & the CD never could schedule performances in the Princess Theater that worked for late TD. He scheduled the shows for late TD from 45 minutes prior to our TD time to as late as 2 1/2 hours after it.

 

We're not very demanding however when a CD (Tim Donovan) can't even do something as basic as to schedule the main theater's shows to work with dining times, then the CD is noticeable to us...and for the wrong reason. :rolleyes:

Was that the LA to Vancouver cruise? If so, I sort of remember the guy, but never noticed whether he was good or bad.

 

Anyway, that was a fun cruise. Tasted a lot of wine. :)

[rja4969]

One of the best CD's we have ever had was "Good Ole Stu". He set up and attended two M&G's, was very visible, always had time to chat, did an excellent job scheduling and didn't "try" to be a comedian as many of them (Billy London comes to mind" before and after the production shows.

[boomerone]

Joy is a gem... agreed. She was our Captain's Circle Host on the Coral in January 2010 when my brother-in-law got sick. She was wonderful.

 

As for JJ, everyone probably has a different impression. While not the worst, I wouldn't jump for joy if he were the CD. We found him a pompous jerk. My sister is a wonderful knitter and needlepointer and ever since she started cruising, decades ago, she brought projects along to work on. On every cruise, she contacts the CD and asks for a corner of a lounge or somewhere with good light and a mention in the Patter for a "Needle Arts" get-together on sea days. Every single CD has immediately responded favorably except for JJ on the Royal years ago and Lee Childers on our January cruise. There are usually 15-20 people who show up every single time with everything from crewel to needlepoint, knitting, jewelry making, etc. On one cruise, we had so many who showed up (40+) the CD wound up giving us a section of the unused dining room every day. JJ refused, saying that no one would show up and no one was interested. She finally persuaded him to do it and he was amazed that 30 people showed. There are many, many passengers, particularly on the longer cruises with lots of sea days, who bring projects to work on so I don't understand why the CD doesn't plan this as a regular activity. Sammi did last year, and even planned projects, and they ran out of craft kits within minutes. She planned it in the Explorer's Lounge and it was almost filled. Anyway, I don't think much of JJ based on my personal experience. I run across jerks all the time, such as when I'm buying a new car and taking test drives. The oily car salesmen keep on looking over my shoulder, wondering why the "little woman" is buying a sporty car and looking for a husband to appear. One even asked me if I was buying it for my daughter. No, you jerk. Me. Anyway, JJ reminds me of car salesmen who are uncomfortable or don't know how to work with a woman.

 

Ya think? :)

Warning to all readers, this might be one of those "snarky" posts! Don't read this if you are easily offended. I am coming to J.J.'s and all CD's defense.

 

Pam---perhaps in the 8 years since sailing with J.J. the number of rude, pushy, smelly, snobby, loudmouth, hoity-toity, crude, unfriendly, overly (and unreasonably) demanding, intoxicated, obnoxious, self-righteous, insensitive, self-agrandizing, and to use your words "pompous jerk" passengers who think the world revolves around them has taken a toll on him (and other members of the crew). If you don't agree those people exist on every cruise you and I have been on I don't know where you've been hanging out while onboard. I suspect that you, like me, have witnessed behaviors of fellow passengers that deserve keelhauling. Why some believe that since they've paid for a cruise they are entitled to treat crewmembers like dirt is beyond me. Perhaps constant exposure to these types of people unfortunately influenced his attitude and performance to the point where he was not, at least on your cruise, the outstanding CD I observed and fondly remember on mine. Have you cruised with J.J. more than once? I'll give J.J. the benefit of the doubt as I suspect his ideas of "Needle Arts" changed on his subsequent sailings. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt bad at slighting the request your sister made. I'd sail with him again in a minute and if I had the same assessment of his performance as you had I would politely confront him with my observation of his performance but I would keep it between the two of us. My Mom taught me "if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything". She also taught me "What goes around, comes around". As other posters have said and I totally agree with them the CD's job is likely one of the most difficult on the ship. We should all cut them some slack when necessary. We have no idea what difficulties they face daily with scheduling events, CD staff issues, primadonna celebrities performing onboard, getting the Patter printed, interaction with the types of people I mentioned above so we should allow them the opportunity to have a less than great day. Their daily routine is exhausting. They have to flip a switch from who they really are to who the performer in them is constantly and that must be tiring. We cannot confuse their everyday persona with their stage persona and we cannot confuse stage personality with overall slickness. The old, old Royal carried about 1200 people and now most Princess ships carry up to 2.5times that amount but still have only one CD. I'm sure you'd agree the stress on the CD is immense when compared to the Royal. While they all should realize they are expected to bring their "A-game" every day, wouldn't you agree that's pretty difficult during a 4 month contract period? Go ahead and write them up (positive or negative) on your post-cruise critique. Madam, I find your response to my post to be excessively critical and certainly unkindly judgmental toward J.J. but you are entitled to your opinion. Comparing him to a used car salesman is pure vitriol. Perhaps our paths will cross on the high seas someday and I would like to meet you. We undoubtedly have opinions about each other, wouldn't it be good to meet each other in person? You'll likely be pleased to learn that I know how to work with a woman. Happy sailing!

[arewethereyet]

Lol

 

There are at least two sides to every story.

[Pam in CA]

Warning to all readers, this might be one of those "snarky" posts! Don't read this if you are easily offended. I am coming to J.J.'s and all CD's defense.

 

Pam---perhaps in the 8 years since sailing with J.J. the number of rude, pushy, smelly, snobby, loudmouth, hoity-toity, crude, unfriendly, overly (and unreasonably) demanding, intoxicated, obnoxious, self-righteous, insensitive, self-agrandizing, and to use your words "pompous jerk" passengers who think the world revolves around them has taken a toll on him (and other members of the crew). If you don't agree those people exist on every cruise you and I have been on I don't know where you've been hanging out while onboard. I suspect that you, like me, have witnessed behaviors of fellow passengers that deserve keelhauling. Why some believe that since they've paid for a cruise they are entitled to treat crewmembers like dirt is beyond me. Perhaps constant exposure to these types of people unfortunately influenced his attitude and performance to the point where he was not, at least on your cruise, the outstanding CD I observed and fondly remember on mine. Have you cruised with J.J. more than once? I'll give J.J. the benefit of the doubt as I suspect his ideas of "Needle Arts" changed on his subsequent sailings. I wouldn't be surprised if he felt bad at slighting the request your sister made. I'd sail with him again in a minute and if I had the same assessment of his performance as you had I would politely confront him with my observation of his performance but I would keep it between the two of us. My Mom taught me "if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything". She also taught me "What goes around, comes around". As other posters have said and I totally agree with them the CD's job is likely one of the most difficult on the ship. We should all cut them some slack when necessary. We have no idea what difficulties they face daily with scheduling events, CD staff issues, primadonna celebrities performing onboard, getting the Patter printed, interaction with the types of people I mentioned above so we should allow them the opportunity to have a less than great day. Their daily routine is exhausting. They have to flip a switch from who they really are to who the performer in them is constantly and that must be tiring. We cannot confuse their everyday persona with their stage persona and we cannot confuse stage personality with overall slickness. The old, old Royal carried about 1200 people and now most Princess ships carry up to 2.5times that amount but still have only one CD. I'm sure you'd agree the stress on the CD is immense when compared to the Royal. While they all should realize they are expected to bring their "A-game" every day, wouldn't you agree that's pretty difficult during a 4 month contract period? Go ahead and write them up (positive or negative) on your post-cruise critique. Madam, I find your response to my post to be excessively critical and certainly unkindly judgmental toward J.J. but you are entitled to your opinion. Comparing him to a used car salesman is pure vitriol. Perhaps our paths will cross on the high seas someday and I would like to meet you. We undoubtedly have opinions about each other, wouldn't it be good to meet each other in person? You'll likely be pleased to learn that I know how to work with a woman. Happy sailing!

Point taken. :) There are always two sides. I believe we cruised with JJ on the Royal in 1999; can't remember if it was that cruise or the next Royal Princess cruise. He was perfectly nice to us since we discovered after boarding that the couple teaching bridge were very good friends of my sister and brother-in-law and we spent some time with them and had a chance to chat with JJ, which is why we were surprised at his reaction to a request that had been made of every other CD and always enthusiastically embraced, and his response. Perhaps CDs are like coffee. :)

[doubletree07]

One of the best CD's we have ever had was "Good Ole Stu". He set up and attended two M&G's, was very visible, always had time to chat, did an excellent job scheduling and didn't "try" to be a comedian as many of them (Billy London comes to mind" before and after the production shows.

 

 

We had "Good Ole Stu" this past March on the Coral. Thought he was excellent.:) His sidekick "Boogie" not so much.

[UandMe4Ever]

Lol

 

There are at least two sides to every story.

 

Yes, at least two sides. But I think usually three, as the saying goes: "Yours, Mine and the TRUTH"....;)

[chris2597]

Is Neil Chandler still working for Princess?

 

Hi All

 

Never paid any attention to CD on my first cruises then met Neil Chandler

 

lots of things going on onboard, guy was out and about chatted away,

 

helped with some requests .

 

Since then have often spent time with CD,s setting up CC meets or other

 

events, so all depends on what you want from your cruise, do not go to

 

shows do not go to bingo, but if lots and lots of others do, then it means

 

ship is less crowded for me to do the things I want.

 

yours Shogun

[TracieABD]

Had some good CDs and some who were not so memorable. They just won't make or break a cruise for me (yet...).:)

[lissyc1]

How do i find out who the CD is or is it a surprise until i board?

 

Melissa

[rja4969]

How do i find out who the CD is or is it a surprise until i board?

 

Melissa

 

You will probably get an email about two weeks before giving you some details.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Neil left Princess not long after he got married , never know he might return one day

 

 

yours Shogun

[kywildcatfanone]

It has never occurred to me to care who the cruise director is. But, maybe I'm missing something. So, this is a real question. What does a cruise director do, or not do, that shapes your cruising experience?

 

I'm asking this question on other boards as well.

 

We have completed 9 cruises with Princess and it has never occurred to me to find out who the cruise director is. I guess if you participate in many of the on-board activities, it would be beneficial to know who the cruise director is, but other than that I don't know. Who the cruise director is has no bearing on our cruise experience.

 

Mike

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Pic of Sam from the Ruby who is now on the Crown as Ron is on holiday

 

yours Shogun