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If there were no CDs


golfb4cruzing
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IMHO, that's a shortsighted suggestion. Who do you think would be in charge of organizing and scheduling your daily activities?

 

It would be a cluster$&@# if there was nobody in charge of entertainment. That Fun Times with that long list of things to do doesn't organize or schedule itself.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited by Tapi
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Tapi is that their primary function? I read JH talk about it but I would assume, maybe incorrectly, there already are mgmt. types for each area or dept. Some are so behind the scenes and are pretty much invisible except for rare appearances that I wondered why they exist.

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IMHO the CDs serve no real purpose. An introduction here and there, annoying announcements on the PA but nothing else. What could we do with those dollars saved? Bring back the steel drum bands?

 

I think the CDs are important. Who would schedule all the activities, who would supervise the entertainment staff. They are the public face for the Captain, he doesn't have time to address all the silly complaints that people have during the course of the cruise. And more importantly, in the case of an emergency it's his voice that you are going to hear on the PA system.

 

I admit, that after 31 cruises I don't really "need" a cruise director keeping me informed....I rarely go to production shows and I even more rarely have to interact with the CD.........but I'm not a newbie cruiser.......if I were to ever sail with another cruise line (which is highly unlikely), I would look to the cruise director and his staff to help me learn how things are done on that ship.

 

I would be happy with Caribbean style music being more predominant on the Lido deck.......especially on embarkation day........but I don't think the Steel Drum's are coming back and it's just beating a dead horse to keep bringing them up.

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Just sailed on Celebrity, they limit the CD's announcements to once, sometimes twice a day, instead of Carnival's constant shilling every 2 hours. All the CD's follow the same script handed to them and approved by corporate, and after a few cruises one has memorized their spiel.

 

Why not just limit the announcements, or at the very least, turn down the volume a bit?

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I think the CDs are important. Who would schedule all the activities, who would supervise the entertainment staff. They are the public face for the Captain, he doesn't have time to address all the silly complaints that people have during the course of the cruise. And more importantly, in the case of an emergency it's his voice that you are going to hear on the PA system.

 

I admit, that after 31 cruises I don't really "need" a cruise director keeping me informed....I rarely go to production shows and I even more rarely have to interact with the CD.........but I'm not a newbie cruiser.......if I were to ever sail with another cruise line (which is highly unlikely), I would look to the cruise director and his staff to help me learn how things are done on that ship.

 

I would be happy with Caribbean style music being more predominant on the Lido deck.......especially on embarkation day........but I don't think the Steel Drum's are coming back and it's just beating a dead horse to keep bringing them up.

 

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IMHO the CDs serve no real purpose. An introduction here and there, annoying announcements on the PA but nothing else. What could we do with those dollars saved? Bring back the steel drum bands?

 

The things you mentioned are only a small part of the CD's duties. I agree with TAPI, without the CD there would be no organization at all with the entertainment onboard. Without a CD there wouldn't be anyone to schedule the Steel Drum Bands. See this article that gives a good description of their jobs. http://work.chron.com/cruise-director-job-description-19480.html

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IMHO the CDs serve no real purpose. An introduction here and there, annoying announcements

on the PA but nothing else. What could we do with those dollars saved?

Bring back the steel drum bands?

 

 

Hi Golfb4cruzing :)

 

A Cruise Director is responsible for all the entertainment aboard ship and

shipboard activities. From guest entertainers, to Production cast, to Guest

Lecturers, to all the bands all over the ship.

 

They have a multi-million dollar budget that they must control.

 

Many of their job requirements include:

 

* Responsible for all policies, procedures and programming of activities

relating to the smooth and efficient operation of the Cruise Program.

 

* Responsible for liaising with other department heads to create synergy in

order to provide the best overall product and resultant ratings and maximize

revenue

 

* Responsible for guiding his/her team to develop activity programming

sensitive to guest demographics and itinerary fluctuations.

 

* Monitors production shows, variety shows, musicians, lectures and

activities to gain a firm awareness of each, to include strengths, as well as

areas that may need further attention for improvement.

 

* Monitors all technical areas within his/her department through continued

communication with all technical sub-department managers

 

* Ensures that guests receive high-quality, effectively scheduled

entertainment and top quality service expected of his/her staff. These

duties and services are to be carried out in accordance with brand

standards.

 

* Furnishes, at the request of the Hotel Director, budget proposals covering

the accounts for which he/she is responsible. Maintains a thorough record

of all expenditures and base requirements.

 

* Completes all requirements in regards to submitting reports before signing

off for transfer or vacation.

 

* Manages and maintains departmental finances within budgetary requirements

 

 

Qualifications:

 

* Minimum of five years experience in an upscale hotel, resort, cruise ship,

entertainment or recreational industry (shipboard experience preferred)>

 

* Master of Ceremony or professional entertainment experience and skills

required.

 

* Bachelor's degree preferred

 

* Very strong management skills in a multicultural and dynamic environment

and possesses a good understanding of numbering flow "Debits/Credits",

adjusting entries and corrections.

 

 

More info located at:

 

A Cruise Director's Calling

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=306

 

What to Expect From Your Cruise Director

http://www.cruiseholidays.com/resource-center/cruise-related-articles/onboard-experience/cruise-directors---what-they-do.aspx

 

 

:)

Edited by PortSideCruzan
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We know a number of CDs pretty well, and the amount of time they spend in a supervisory capacity and on paperwork significantly beats the amount of time they have to make announcements and socialize. They have a difficult and complex job that is vital to the smooth operation of the ship. They are hardly expendable.

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IMHO the CDs serve no real purpose. An introduction here and there, annoying announcements on the PA but nothing else. What could we do with those dollars saved? Bring back the steel drum bands?

 

I don't know if this is the norm, but there was NO CD on our CTN. There was someone making a couple of announcements, but no CD. It was actually quite refreshing. None of that corny nonsense they think you want to hear every cruise.

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I'm sure they are in charge of organizing activities and have a lot of responsibilities, but I never pay attention to them. I read a lot of reviews that say that a certain CD ruined or made their cruise, but I couldn't even tell you the name of the CD on any of my cruises!

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I'm guessing what the OP really is getting at is "does the CD, while doing his/her job, need to be as publicly intrusive as they are on Carnival?" It seems to me every time I hear/see the CD in a public setting they are yapping about something which is already easily known by anyone who cares (i.e. what that show is tonight and what time it starts) or simply trying to pump up sales (i.e. don't forget about all the "valuable" jewelry and art on sale TODAY ONLY!). I'm pretty sure nobody would argue that the entire entertainment department on a ship needs quite a bit of managing. But so does the dining operation, which is just as important to most passengers as the entertainment, except we don't hear 15 announcements a day from him/her. How about the housekeeping/hospitality manager, let's hear 10 messages a day from them about how you can purchase those wonderful robes and it looks like most of our stewards have completed the morning cleaning of your rooms. After cruising on Celebrity last year and coming off the Freedom a few weeks ago the amount of messages/hawking of products/reading of Fun Times is really intrusive.

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I'm guessing what the OP really is getting at is "does the CD, while doing his/her job, need to be as publicly intrusive as they are on Carnival?" It seems to me every time I hear/see the CD in a public setting they are yapping about something which is already easily known by anyone who cares (i.e. what that show is tonight and what time it starts) or simply trying to pump up sales (i.e. don't forget about all the "valuable" jewelry and art on sale TODAY ONLY!). I'm pretty sure nobody would argue that the entire entertainment department on a ship needs quite a bit of managing. But so does the dining operation, which is just as important to most passengers as the entertainment, except we don't hear 15 announcements a day from him/her. How about the housekeeping/hospitality manager, let's hear 10 messages a day from them about how you can purchase those wonderful robes and it looks like most of our stewards have completed the morning cleaning of your rooms. After cruising on Celebrity last year and coming off the Freedom a few weeks ago the amount of messages/hawking of products/reading of Fun Times is really intrusive.

 

Only the OP can tell us for sure - but since they mentioned "those dollars saved", it sounded to me like they didn't think they should be employed by Carnival.

 

I agree with your comparison between Celebrity and Carnival. Carnival is much more about advertising the heck out of all the revenue generating events (Bingo, store "blow outs", and the casino). I can't recall once where an announcement mentioned the Seaday brunch or the the Seaday BBQ. Celebrity much more subdued. I guess I have tuned out the Carnival announcements so they don't bother me as much - but I wouldn't miss them if they were gone.

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IMHO the CDs serve no real purpose. An introduction here and there, annoying announcements on the PA but nothing else. What could we do with those dollars saved? Bring back the steel drum bands?

 

IMHO this is the most ridiculous thing I have read here in a long time. Obviously, no thought was given before posting this. Substituting a person who organizes, supervises, and plans all activities on board for a steel drum band that starts to get really annoying after listening to them for the first five minutes is a brilliant suggestion.

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IMHO this is the most ridiculous thing I have read here in a long time. Obviously, no thought was given before posting this. Substituting a person who organizes, supervises, and plans all activities on board for a steel drum band that starts to get really annoying after listening to them for the first five minutes is a brilliant suggestion.

 

Well after 8 cruises with no interaction with a CD and seeing no use for one, the question begged to be asked. At one time you probably thought you couldn't get off a ship by yourself without a CD calling a zone.

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Well after 8 cruises with no interaction with a CD and seeing no use for one, the question begged to be asked. At one time you probably thought you couldn't get off a ship by yourself without a CD calling a zone.

 

I haven't interacted with a CD either. In fact, my first cruise I don't even think I was aware there was a CD. My second was John Heald, so since then I've become a little more aware.

 

I do believe this is like many jobs, there is the job the public think you do, and the actual job you do, which can be pretty different. I know my own job is a lot more than just what people think it is.

 

I agree, I could do without the public face of the CD, but I don't think that makes the position necessarily useless. The other cruises people mention that don't do the same things a Carnival CD does probably still have someone in the same type of role, they just don't do the public part.

Edited by 1kaper
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Well after 8 cruises with no interaction with a CD and seeing no use for one, the question begged to be asked. At one time you probably thought you couldn't get off a ship by yourself without a CD calling a zone.

 

I tend to agree with you to a certain extent. I have no need for a cruise director telling me what is going on and what to do next. I rarely do any of the ship activities anyway. I think an intern in the corporate office could write the activity plan for the ship to be honest.

 

That said, all of the managerial duties the CD is responsible for are indispensable. There is a lot they do that has no direct line of sight by me on any given cruise, but if they weren't there doing it, I would probably notice.

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I agree with your comparison between Celebrity and Carnival. Carnival is much more about advertising the heck out of all the revenue generating events (Bingo, store "blow outs", and the casino). Celebrity much more subdued..

 

Carnival relies much more heavily on ancillary, or onboard spending to generate a revenue. That's one of the reasons why they can consistently keep their prices lower than cruise lines like Celebrity. So these annoying announcements on Carnival are a "necessary evil" if you want to sail for less.

 

Another reason for the difference in announcement style between cruise lines is simply because of the type of cruiser each one attracts. The average Carnival cruiser wants to feel like they are getting a good deal, thus the constant "sales" and "today only" specials. Average cruiser on other cruise line may be more willing to get that spa treatment, or nice watch at the duty free shop whether it's on sale or not, but just because they want it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited by Tapi
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Someone has to come on the PA after the Captain speaks and tell passengers what he just said. I for one can't understand a word most of the Captains say. :rolleyes:

 

I call it Captain's Golf.

 

They all have the same information to pass along to the passengers. The one with the least amount of intelligible words wins! :D

Edited by The4Cruisers
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