Who's your CD?

[ryano]

"Captains attitude"...Have you been on a ship that the Captain had a bad attitude ?...In my many years of cruising can't say I have.

 

Ok so maybe that was a poor choice of words. I have not seen a bad attitude but I imagine some Captains are more engaging with their crew than others and that sets the tone and attitude of the crew.

[KeywestK]

I also don't care who the CD is, but I do recognize that a really good one can set a fun tone for the activities on a ship. We've had a few that were yawners, and some that were excellent, and either way, it is what it is. I'm gonna have fun either way:D

[DonnaK]

Ok so maybe that was a poor choice of words. I have not seen a bad attitude but I imagine some Captains are more engaging with their crew than others and that sets the tone and attitude of the crew.

 

I know exactly what you meant. Some captains run a tighter ship than others. Some are more highly respected by the crew. I know that the crew loves to work under Captain Johnny, for example, and a happy, well-managed crew translates to better service and a more hospitable environment onboard.

[cruisegirl1]

I really don’t care. I only recall the names of a few CDs and that is likely because they are mentioned on CC. Some CD’s have enhanced my cruise experience, however, I don’t think a less than stellar CD ( or an annoying CD) has ever had an negative effect on my enjoyment. They all tell (nearly) the same jokes, and try, often too hard, to have some unique “signature” greeting. I can probably state that I would never book a cruise because of a particular CD. I know , never say never, but I can’t imagine that it would make a difference for me.

 

M

[cruisegirl1]

Ok so maybe that was a poor choice of words. I have not seen a bad attitude but I imagine some Captains are more engaging with their crew than others and that sets the tone and attitude of the crew.

 

I know exactly what you meant. Some captains run a tighter ship than others. Some are more highly respected by the crew. I know that the crew loves to work under Captain Johnny, for example, and a happy, well-managed crew translates to better service and a more hospitable environment onboard.

 

Some captains are more charismatic than others, but honestly I’ve never seen any correlation between the personality of a captain and the way the ship was run, or how safe I felt. I have , over the years, noticed a shift to a more personable captain, one that is a bit more visible and engaging with passengers, performing on stage etc.

 

m

[caribbean sailor]

Am I the only one who doesn't care who the CD is and can't name a single one from all of my cruises? Of course we meet and listen to them as they open and close shows and some are better than others but none seem critical to the enjoyment of our cruising.

 

Does the CD help make your cruise? Do they set the tone for their staff? Would you choose a cruise just because who the CD is going to be?[

 

 

 

No you are not the only one,i could care less who the CD IS.Seems a lot of people like Richard Spacey,and find him funny.His humor seemed silly to me.Probably a age thing. :)

[lag9122]

I was on the freedom of the seas last week and had Richard Spacey and Jamie . After seeing them I would say the cruise director has alot to do with the games and activity on the ship Richard Spacey is great . I laughed so much the whole cruise.

[KreiderCarter]

A CD doesn't make or break our cruise but some are obviously better than othersfor instance Joff is still very memorable for us, he was absolutely awesome(we were on his first cruise with RCCL when he came over from Princess--I think). We wouldn't book a cruise just because he was CD but would consider it a "bonus".

 

What I don't get is the people who seem "start struck" by the Captain.

[hazeleyez3]

I know exactly what you meant. Some captains run a tighter ship than others. Some are more highly respected by the crew. I know that the crew loves to work under Captain Johnny, for example, and a happy, well-managed crew translates to better service and a more hospitable environment onboard.

 

Now what would be great for me is a button to push at 11:55am to mute Capt. Johnny's annoying and long Noon anecdotes. :)

[akcruz]

Now what would be great for me is a button to push at 11:55am to mute Capt. Johnny's annoying and long Noon anecdotes. :)

 

We sailed with Captain Johnny last week and he did NOT do his noon announcements. Realized it a few days into the cruise. I very much enjoy the ship when he is onboard, but have to agree with this one.

 

As the CD, I would not have thought it made a difference until we had saw a very bad one and a very good. Did it make or break my cruise, absolutely not, that's up to me, but it definitely made a difference!

 

I like to know going in who the CD and captain will be, but will not book depending on who it happens to be.

[printingchick]

I didn't used to care about cruise directors, until I had Mike S. on Adventure of the Seas. Along with Mike on that voyage, we had the only captain I'd list as a FAVORITE, Captain Tommy. They made the cruise really special. Unfortunately, Mike returned to Canada and doesn't work on the ships any more. I'm not sure where Captain Tommy is now, but you should have seen him in the crew versus passenger dodge ball game! What a riot!!

 

I also really enjoyed Casey Pelter on Voyager of the Seas and the infamous Richard Spacey on Freedom of the Seas. Dennis Charles was great on Serenade, but we actually got to know his staff (Omar and Carlos) better than we got to know him.

 

I took 6 cruises on Carnival before switching to Royal and found the CDs all pretty forgettable. I think RCL has an advantage in that category.

 

The CD doesn't make or break my cruise, but a really excellent one is a noticeable enhancement!!! A good cruise director can make a really good cruise a really GREAT cruise!!

[printingchick]

Nope...you're not the only one! I don't care and can't remember who a CD is...or the Captain, or my waiter or room attendant.

When I'm in a hotel, I don't know who the manager is, nor do I really care. I don't "make friends" with the waitstaff in restaurants.....

 

I don't know why folks get so "chummy" with the staff on a ship, when they most likely don't in any other venue!

 

Now, don't think I don't appreciate the work the staff does....because that's not the case! Just like on land, good service is rewarded....I simply don't need to know their names or life story.

 

Ha ha! Had to laugh reading this because this is exactly what I LIKE about cruise versus land vacations. You get to know the staff and your fellow passengers. You make friends and form bonds, some that last LONG after the cruise is over. On a land vacation, people arrive and leave at different times. On a cruise, we all embark and disembark together (some some exceptions). We see the same people over and over again.

 

I really LIKE the social aspect of cruising and consider it a big plus.