Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Is Ken Rush a fun CD?

petesweet

Recommended Posts

petesweet

petesweet

Posted
Posted

I tried searching this but just got a lot of unrelated posts.

We had Richard Spacey on our Oasis cruise awhile back, and he is the first CD who ever made an impression on me. (And WHAT an impression!!) We loved him. Hope Ken Rush is also popular. Looks like he will be on the Allure in late October.

Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sassy12

sassy12

Posted
Posted

We had Ken Rush on the Allure for the first week of our B2B and loved him. He was very friendly, approachable and was not in hiding on the ship as some CDs are. Yes, put him with Captain Johnny and you get quite a pair!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mpoole3

mpoole3

Posted
Posted

I had Ken Rush on the Allure a few years ago...

 

He knows how to do the Cruise Director position very well. However, I did not feel that true fun excitement out of him. Almost like he was burnout from his 20+ years experience at sea.

 

Good yes, great not so much...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cpa2be

cpa2be

Posted
Posted

We had Ken on 4 or 5 cruises. At first pass, we enjoyed him very much, but each cruise we've noticed it was the same pat delivery. On the Allure in June, it seemed that he delivered his lines so quickly, it was difficult for me to understand what he was saying. I got the impression he wanted to rush through each event.

Richard Spacey and Graham Seymour win the top honors for me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
smeck

smeck

Posted
Posted

On our explorer cruise last year we had Richard Spacey as our cruise director. On the Allure this past May we had Ken Rush. Both were excellent but I give the edge to Spacey he seemed more versatile and athletic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DEIx15x8

DEIx15x8

Posted
Posted

I've had him twice, during the Liberty of the Seas inaugural season and during the Oasis of the Seas inaugural season and absolutely hated him. I can honestly say that out of the thousands of employees royal caribbean has he is the only one that has left a blemish on my vacation experience. He is rude, arrogant, and adds 0 entertainment value to a sailing.

 

I've been amazed by so many other CDs and their ability to adapt to the audience. CDs I've never even heard mentioned on these boards have been incredible, but Ken Rush is the only one who lives by a script. He does the same jokes and comments in the same order every time. He seems to lack any ability to adjust based on his audience.

 

He spends all his time trying to get in with a select few guests that he thinks can help him and could care less about the rest. He spends all his free time schmoozing, even to the crew while wasting passenger space. This really annoyed me on the Liberty. He was sitting in the Windjammer with a table of crew every day for hours just talking while passengers wondered around searching for free tables. Didn't use the windjammer on Oasis but I'm sure he probably did the same.

 

I enjoy dirty humor and don't consider myself a prude by any means. But his behavior I found often bordered more on sexual harassment that comedy. He's the only CD that actually made me feel uncomfortable to be in the audience with.

 

The final straw for me though was his general behavior and I can easily name 3 moments that pushed me over the edge. From the moment we boarded the Oasis he set the tone for the entire week. I was traveling with my mom requires a cane or wheel chair to get around. She used a wheel chair to board and then we walked over to one of the interactive TVs to get directions to where we wanted to go. New passengers on a new ship, this is a reasonable thing to do. Often times crew members walking by will ask if they can help when they see passengers searching for directions. When Ken Rush walked by with a group of other crew members. We were near the wall using the TV so long a normal person the group walked through the center of the hall and many said hi as they went by. Ken Rush being himself cut between us and the wall forcing us to step out of his way and couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge us. I can understand not helping, and honestly didn't expect or really want any, but his behavior was out of line and the rest of his group clearly paid attention in their training seminars (or were just raised properly). The second time was during the Captain's Corner in which he was standing up front next to Captain Bill Wright, the Senior VP of Maritime Operations at the time. This is someone who is on the executive team in Miami and far more important than anyone else at sea. You would think that would put ken on his best behavior, but sadly his best still falls short. During the event while passengers are asking questions and officers were trying to answer them, he was constantly on his cell phone. Standing right at the front of the theater talking loudly on the phone. IMO that was completely rude and inappropriate behavior. I know he is supposed to be running the entertainment onboard, but during an even like that he should be able to focus or excuse himself. The third moment and IMO the one that truly showcased him, was during the fountain show. We were sitting trying to enjoy the show along with a nearly full venue of passengers. About a third of the way through we started hearing some rude guy talking loudly behind us. Not even trying to watch the show, completely absorbed in his own conversation. When I turned around I expected to see a rude passenger, but instead was shocked to see Ken Rush sitting their on his phone. A crew member having personal conversations while sitting in the audience at a show. This is completely over the line behavior. If a passenger were to be doing that they would be in trouble, a crew member of his level should never have even thought this was appropriate.

 

Out of every passenger and crew member that I have sailed with only one has continuously angered me with every interaction, and it's Ken Rush. Still don't know why he hasn't been fired. I am going to be stuck with him again on the first 2 Quantum of the Seas sailing, and I've already sent several more letters to Royal Caribbean to complain about him. Hopefully they will have taken care of him by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Merion_Mom

Merion_Mom

Posted
Posted

Well, I was just going to write that he is NOT a "fun" guy, but the post above mine stopped me in my tracks.

 

I am no Ken Rush fan.

 

Although I have not experienced what DEIx15x8 did, I have to say that none of it surprises me.

 

That's not a good thing.

 

Those of you who love him: good for you. Go on enjoying. Me? I will always wince if I hear that KR is the CD on a cruise which I have booked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ommboz

ommboz

Posted
Posted

I'm not a huge fan of Ken Rush. I have had him several times on various cruises that I've been on, and his jokes are EXACTLY the same every time. He loves to hear himself talk and is more concerned about his image than taking care of passengers. I have tried to keep an open mind but he hasn't changed over the years at all. If you have him for the first time, you'll be fine with him. But once you have him more than once or twice on a couple cruises, you'll understand and hear the same jokes over and over and over. Will he ever stop me from cruising on RCCL? No. He's not a deal breaker, more annoying than anything. Even the crew on the ships know all his jokes and exactly when he will tell them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Langley Cruisers

Langley Cruisers

Posted
Posted

KR gets a lot of time on these boards. We have had him on 2 of our cruises, including our very first cruise on Viking Serenade back in 1993. I would never, ever give a CD the power to make or break my cruise. It simply is a non-issue. For me, it has to be.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Loyal2RCCL

Loyal2RCCL

Posted
Posted
KR gets a lot of time on these boards. We have had him on 2 of our cruises, including our very first cruise on Viking Serenade back in 1993. I would never, ever give a CD the power to make or break my cruise. It simply is a non-issue. For me, it has to be.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

The only reason he ruins a cruise for us is the fact that he NEVER shuts up! It's real hard to avoid a bad CD when they're on the P.A. with 20 minute speaches every chance they can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
welshrich

welshrich

Posted
Posted

I've never sailed with Ken, but have with Richard spacey - twice, and I feel the same way, I don't get him, I know he's popular so he must be doing something right, but I find most of his jokes and routines were repeated show to show and ship to ship, he only seemed to be visible when there was a big event on whereas on other cruises you see the CD around the ship during the day and evening chatting with passengers etc. I would never avoid a ship because of the CD but it impacts a little when you have to sit through their spiel at the beginning of a show as it's the only way to get a good seat and also having to be there earlier to not impact on other passengers. Spacey fan club, please don't flame me, this is only my opinion. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
petesweet

petesweet

Posted
  • Author
Posted

WOW! I thank everyone for your remarks. I guess we will not be enjoying the CD as much as I had hoped (but that will not spoil the cruise:)).

I knew his name was familiar from my years of reading these boards, but I could not remember why. I guess it was his negative publicity.

Happy sails.

Kathy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
finallyonboard

finallyonboard

Posted
Posted

My 1st. cruise with KR was 1999. I didn't care for him then and my opinion has not changed. My 1st. cruise with Richard Spacey was when he was assistant CD to Ken Rush. I thought he was so much better then and still do. Mr. Rush has no time for you unless you can further his career or social status.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't need to be BF with the CD, but I do appreciate common courtesy, such as Good Morning. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites
EV2008

EV2008

Posted
Posted

We have been on 4 sailings where KR was the CD and I am no fan of his as well - he is too sold on himself for my taste, and his jokes are OLD same old crap like the first cruise we sailed with him on the Monarch - it would not stop me from a cruise but it would stop me from going to anything he hosts, he never sticks around long when they do any activities he can't be bothered he lets his 2nd in command run things he seem just too important

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...