Cruise Directors are not trying to win over millennials

[bilyclub]

6 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

Which ship?  Is he two timing then?  I'm confused by the Good Morning Britain stuff.  I didn't look into it closely though.

Dan

 From the CD thread:

 

Does anyone know who will be CD on the Ovation from 30 March to 17 April? The list here says Joff will be on till the 30th, his wife said they'll be on vacation from 17 April.... so that leaves a gap of 17 days. Hopefully the CD won't be Angelle.

[The Fun Researcher]

9 minutes ago, bilyclub said:

 From the CD thread:

 

Does anyone know who will be CD on the Ovation from 30 March to 17 April? The list here says Joff will be on till the 30th

 

 Thank you, hopefully we run into them again sometime 

 

Dan

[OCruisers]

Next up with money to spend on cruising are the Yuppies.  

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, OCruisers said:

Next up with money to spend on cruising are the Yuppies.  

They'll go to Virgin.

[nelblu]

On ‎2‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 8:53 PM, time4u2go said:

Lol eventually everyone that remembers the 70's is going to die off.  I would bet RCI will still be doing 70's night even then!

 

I'm not sure about the 70 nights, but on my Feb. 2 Symphony cruise, the Macarena was all over the place--whether at the Zumba classes, a night at the MDR and even on a tour to the Blue Lagoon in Nassau.  It was crazy.  On this cruise, the CD was Simeon who was the emcee at the adult comedy show on Allure, otherwise I don't pay too much attention to any CD. Some will sing and dance, but otherwise they simply intro the various acts and relay any important info from the Captain.

[CruisingJoe09]

On 15 February 2019 at 5:13 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

A bad cruise director really is forgettable, a good one makes you wish they were on every ship you board, because they really do add a fun vibe to the whole cruise.

 

Our best has been Joff Eaton and his partner in crime the activity director (forgot his name, shame on me).  They were a really fun team and set the tone for the whole cruise.  This was on the Indy back in 2014.

 

Looks like he's moved onto Good Morning Britain!  Much deserved.

https://twitter.com/joffeaton?lang=en

Dan

Joff's still on ships. The GMB photo was from when they opened the new studio.

[SRF]

On 2/15/2019 at 4:50 PM, Glitterati said:

Who is to say my generation can’t afford it? A bit harsh! 

 

No one says that no one in your generation can afford it.  But typically, younger people have less disposable income for things like cruises.  Not all, but a lot.

 

 

[Cel_cruise]

 
No one says that no one in your generation can afford it.  But typically, younger people have less disposable income for things like cruises.  Not all, but a lot.
 
 

I think disposable time is another important component... 10-15 PTO days a year goes quickly for those at the younger age range. It’s not impossible and some jobs have much more flexibility than others - but if you have to take some days off for bachelor parties or destination weddings, possibly being sick a day or two, and any of the holidays that aren’t paid - you will need to manage closely to take 5-6 work days off per cruise...

I am a GenX-er, not a millennial and currently have 2 kids...so I don’t think I will be on Virgin anytime soon...and I also definitely appreciate how a good CD can impact my cruise.

The good CDs make sure that there are activities appropriate for everyone on board and adapt week to week to the different demographics.

The good CDs make sure that everyone is engaged if they are attending an event - this might be indirect based on how they hire or Coach their activity staff - but this stems from the top. If this means a CD or AM is engaging guests at a headliner show or making sure everyone is moving and grooving at silent disco or making sure Trivia is being held in a space big enough for all those who want to attend - I expect them to do it! Because That’s their job! (I Live is Massachusetts - we are all part of the NE Patriots ‘Do Your Job’ generation)




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CruisingJoe09]

This is a very interesting topic. I personally feel that the CD who is currently on SY is not one whose style would appeal to millennials, but this is "off-season" and more cruisers are older and would likely prefer a low-key style CD. The CD who was on SY during the holidays is younger, more energetic and likely to appeal to the millennials. He will be back in time for the spring break cruises. 

 

It's all an issue of demographics. That being said, I do agree with your post. There seem to be a lot low energy CD's who don't fit what a younger clientele are looking for. I think that they do need more who are high energy and engaging as more younger people are cruising now. That's my 2 cents.

[Maraprince]

A bad CD is a bad CD no matter what your age!!!  Some only show up at the shows for no more than 5 mins. and their staff are really the ones who run things on board all day long.  Then there are the CDs that are everywhere.

 

RCL is not the only line that seems to stick to the same type of music which is considered to be "safe" for all ages.  Kids do attend shows and other events on board that are really geared towards adults.  Even if announcements are made that the material in some shows is not suitable for children due the language it contains you will still children in attendance.

 

 

MARAPRINCE

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I just saw the headline of this thread...and immediately thought "thank goodness".

 

Millennials are coddled regularly. Let them conform to the real world, instead of the world changing to their every wish.

 

A good CD is a good CD. A great CD is a great CD. If some faction of people have a contrarian opinion...fine. The world isn't going to cater to ever whim of the me, me, me generation.  Just point those folks to a nice corner and tell them they can take nice selfies until they turn blue as the ocean...that'll keep them busy for hours. 

 

Deal with it millennials, rather than becoming a dumbagraphic.

 

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[eroller]

38 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

I just saw the headline of this thread...and immediately thought "thank goodness".

 

Millennials are coddled regularly. Let them conform to the real world, instead of the world changing to their every wish.

 

A good CD is a good CD. A great CD is a great CD. If some faction of people have a contrarian opinion...fine. The world isn't going to cater to ever whim of the me, me, me generation.  Just point those folks to a nice corner and tell them they can take nice selfies until they turn blue as the ocean...that'll keep them busy for hours. 

 

Deal with it millennials, rather than becoming a dumbagraphic.

 

 

 

 

Voice of reason.  Bravo!

[lazydayz]

On 2/13/2019 at 8:08 PM, time4u2go said:

I'd be happy if they would just ditch 70's night and maybe consider moving to something more recent (like at least 80's night?).

 

Just off the Brillance today. On our four night cruise, we had both 70s and 80s dance parties. Nice to have the variety.

 

And the cruise director, Chris, is young and full of energy.  

[lazydayz]

On 2/16/2019 at 2:33 PM, Ahmne said:

My first RC cruise is coming up and the CD seems to be less important than on Carnival. We had Rev. E on the Carnival Magic last cruise and he definitely had an impact on how much more fun the experience was vs. our cruise on Celebrity. 

 

We love Rev. E. The cruise director of many voices. 

[CruisingNole]

I’m 35 so technically a millennial. The CD and AM are heavily involved in the “fun” activities (at least what I deem to be fun) like Love and Marriage and of course the best of all, The Quest. On Oasis last year we had Dan. He’s obviously a “veteran” but I thought he was still OK, all things considered. However during those more energetic shows he would turn things over to a younger guy (didn’t catch his name) who appeared to be in training. He definitely resonated more with the crowd.

 

The best CD we ever had was Tim Connor who I have heard is no longer with the company. He was under 40, energetic and fun. A perfect fit, IMO.

[CruisingNole]

50 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

I just saw the headline of this thread...and immediately thought "thank goodness".

 

Millennials are coddled regularly. Let them conform to the real world, instead of the world changing to their every wish.

 

A good CD is a good CD. A great CD is a great CD. If some faction of people have a contrarian opinion...fine. The world isn't going to cater to ever whim of the me, me, me generation.  Just point those folks to a nice corner and tell them they can take nice selfies until they turn blue as the ocean...that'll keep them busy for hours. 

 

Deal with it millennials, rather than becoming a dumbagraphic.

 

 

 

What an ignorant statement. And probably the exact same sentiment the generation before yours thought of YOU when you were young.

 

As has been pointed out, RC’s current marketing campaigns are targeted to millennials. Fact. So naturally, the experience onboard should match what has been advertised if they want repeat customers.

 

Regardless of how old you may be, it’s common business sense.

Edited February 19, 2019 by CruisingNole

[CRUISEFAN0001]

7 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

What an ignorant statement. And probably the exact same sentiment the generation before yours thought of YOU when you were young.

 

As has been pointed out, RC’s current marketing campaigns are targeted to millennials. Fact. So naturally, the experience onboard should match what has been advertised if they want repeat customers.

 

Regardless of how old you may be, it’s common business sense.

Of course...we knew an insult was probable...as it's standard operating procedure for a few people without foundation.

 

Exactly the point...business sense is in the eye of the beholder.  Using that same kind of logic would mean the same kind of coddling could be used for people who insist on comfort animals...which has been thankfully rejected by the travel industry...since many of those claimed needs have proven to be nothing more than "me, me, me" whims as well - and not by just one generation.

 

With multiple millennials in the fold here...they have been taught that the world doesn't revolve around them and that they need to join the world family to enjoy life to its potential. Such age generations have existed before, but not requiring the world to kiss their feet.

 

To this thread topic...Cruise Directors work extremely hard, put in long hours, and have a wide range of assignments onboard. "Common business sense" means performing their duties to be betterment of the entire passenger mix, without favoritism to the overly-zealous needs of the snowflake generation.

Edited February 19, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[John&LaLa]

8 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

I’m 35 so technically a millennial. The CD and AM are heavily involved in the “fun” activities (at least what I deem to be fun) like Love and Marriage and of course the best of all, The Quest. On Oasis last year we had Dan. He’s obviously a “veteran” but I thought he was still OK, all things considered. However during those more energetic shows he would turn things over to a younger guy (didn’t catch his name) who appeared to be in training. He definitely resonated more with the crowd.

 

The best CD we ever had was Tim Connor who I have heard is no longer with the company. He was under 40, energetic and fun. A perfect fit, IMO.

 

Dan is off this week. Someone named Mike is onboard. Have not seen him yet

[CRUISEFAN0001]

49 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Dan is off this week. Someone named Mike is onboard. Have not seen him yet

Dan's been good on 2 cruises where he served as our CD. He made every effort to have anyone onboard enjoy the cruise as much as possible.

Edited February 19, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[John&LaLa]

7 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Dan's been good on 2 cruises where he served as our CD. He made every effort to have anyone onboard enjoy the cruise as much as possible.

 

We've sailed with Dan a lot, go figure. But he's very old school.  I enjoy him, but really dont look forward per se.

 

FWIW, Millenials are in minority this week on Oasis.  Maybe it's the activities I'm attending, though.  I didnt see any in Comedy Club last night.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We've sailed with Dan a lot, go figure. But he's very old school.  I enjoy him, but really dont look forward per se.

 

FWIW, Millenials are in minority this week on Oasis.  Maybe it's the activities I'm attending, though.  I didnt see any in Comedy Club last night.

Yeah...agree with your Dan observation.

 

Glad to hear the Oasis cruise this week is enjoyable as it should be.

 

Hopefully Royal continues to offer the best ships to the best places for a wide range of passengers, in contrast to transforming into a Carnival-like wild party-boat cruise line.

[CruisingJoe09]

This isn't about millennials being the "me me me" generation. This is about customers who have spent well-earned money on a cruise which Royal has marketed towards people of their generation. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to have particular expectations.

 

I'm not saying that the world revolves around millennials, but a cruise line like Royal is one which tends to appeal to a younger market and markets itself as such, so customers should expect the experience that they have been advertised. It's not like anyone is wanting changes to take place on one of the sister companies such as Azamara or Silversea which are more geared to an older clientele.

Edited February 19, 2019 by CruisingJoe09

[HBE4]

On 2/15/2019 at 4:48 PM, Glitterati said:

Everything I have read has appealed to me, and I’m a millennial. They have stated their main target audience is the 18-35 age group who either haven’t cruised before or want a different experience to what is already out there. No buffets, no dress code, all night parties with up and coming DJ’s, 24 hour food venues, no upcharge restaurants, all is included and there are multiple venues to choose from. The cabin beds that turn into a large L shaped sofa during the day, WiFi included in all fares. It’s not just on the ship either, they are intentionally doing overnight stays so guests can experience nightlife of the cities, they don’t have a private island they have built a beach club in the Bahamas. I could go on, but all the Marketing and language used in the campaigns is very millennial/gen z orientated. 

 

I'm in my early-to-mid 50's and everything about this appeals to me. Well, maybe not the free wi-fi.  But love the idea of all-night food, different parties, no upcharge, etc.

 

Look's like I'll be the old guy on this cruise line.....which is a different change of pace from always being one of the younger ones Bordon.

[HBE4]

On 2/15/2019 at 4:54 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

Sounds like a lot of fun! Have you heard of Fyre Fest?

 

Anybody that has Netflix and/or Hulu has heard for Fyre Fest, It's impossible to avoid the advertisements.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

17 hours ago, CruisingJoe09 said:

This isn't about millennials being the "me me me" generation. This is about customers who have spent well-earned money on a cruise which Royal has marketed towards people of their generation. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to have particular expectations.

Actually for the most part...it is...to capture that segment in numbers...it'll take a ton of freebie and entitlement satisfaction offers that extend well beyond today's passenger enticements. Considering anything involving a long term commitment is also frightening to the snowflakes...the idea of booking a cruise a year in advance may be totally terrifying to many (since that's as long as some millennials hold any one job).