Does the CD really impact your cruise experience that much?

[motheroftwocats814]

I only remember MAYBE four CD's out of all of the cruises we have been on. I know many sail certain ships because of the CD's, but for us it makes no difference. Just curious what others think. Happy cruising.

[mcatmcat]

most people will say no but my answer is yes

IM gald Ken Rush is no longer a cruise director

[RCCL Fan]

There have been some AMAZING SHINING STARS.....   but I've never booked a cruise just to sail with them.  

 

8 out of 10 cruise directors haven't meant much, but those 2 who did .... really impressed me. 

 

I would be thrilled to hear I had them again, but no, I wouldn't chase them in booking a cruise.  Ok --- maybe I would Richard Spacey.  (He's no longer a cruise director, but if he were, and I knew I could get him again... yep  I would)

[goncruzn]

17 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

There have been some AMAZING SHINING STARS.....   but I've never booked a cruise just to sail with them.  

 

8 out of 10 cruise directors haven't meant much, but those 2 who did .... really impressed me. 

 

I would be thrilled to hear I had them again, but no, I wouldn't chase them in booking a cruise.  Ok --- maybe I would Richard Spacey.  (He's no longer a cruise director, but if he were, and I knew I could get him again... yep  I would)

I agree.  Out of almost 20 cruises the only names I know are Ken Rush and Richard Spacey. Ken Rush was not that funny to me but Richard Spacey was hilarious. If I knew he was on a particular ship I would consider sailing.

[loveheart]

I can only really remember Graham Seymour who we had on Indy twice. many years ago. He was the best. I also remember Cubby as he was on our last cruise but only because it was 2 weeks ago. As for all the others and there were quite a few I can't remember them and probably wouldn't recognise them again.

[holiday-shrek]

2 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

Ok --- maybe I would Richard Spacey. 

+1

[BlueSkySailing]

Here is my 2 cents. I never pick a cruise around CD's. I don't always remember the good ones I've sailed with. But I can tell you about how bad the shows were with the 2 CD's I didn't like. FYI- I sail a lot of the 4 nighters out of Port Canaveral and Mark Walker (Bing Bong) has been the CD for few of my sailings. I think he makes the shows enjoyable. Happy Sailing!!!!

Edited July 27, 2019 by BlueSkySailing

[Clarea]

The good CDs can enhance the cruise experience.  The others are hardly noticible.

[CruisingJoe09]

If you like going to the main events and shows, yes. Their hosting can make or break particular events, especially Love & Marriage where the enjoyment of the show is 100% dependable on the CD's hosting abilities. I think that they also affect the atmosphere on the ship.

 

I've sailed with 11 different Royal Caribbean CD's. 4 were exceptional, 5 were pretty good, 1 wasn't my cup of tea but still gave it his best, and there was 1 that was terrible who didn't have the right personality for the job. My cruises haven't really been negatively affected by a poor CD, but it does impact on the entertainment side of things.

 

IMO, a CD makes more of a difference on a Caribbean itinerary or one where there are plenty of at sea days. On port-intensive cruises, I don't think that they matter much.

 

Not chose a ship for CD, but part of the appeal of returning to Harmony this year was to sail with Marc Walker as CD and he didn't disappoint.

Edited July 27, 2019 by CruisingJoe09

[Billy Baltic]

I don’t remember any CD’s, including the one on Oasis less than 2 months ago. I’d be a lot more interested in the quality of the food than the entertainment. Actually, what’s the role of the CD? I think I’ve only ever seen them act as MC for events. 

[DfDinLA]

I've been on 3 cruises and cannot remember the CD for any of them. To me they are irrelevant.   I saw them for a few minutes each night before the show.  None made much of an impression on me.  Somebody maintains a list of CDs for each ship and I can't figure out any use for it.

[Snit13]

12 cruises on Royal to date and 15 cruises on Celebrity and I can not name a single CD.  Other cruises to long ago to care.  I am much more interested in Hotel Director, Food & Beverage Manager and Head of Housekeeping that the CD.

[Big_G]

Probably not a popular opinion on Cruise Critic but I don't think cruise directors get enough credit for what they do behind the scenes. Yeah, some are memorable because of their great personalities but cruise directors manage all the entertainment on the ship and it's no 9 - 5 job. While I don't remember many of their names, I do appreciate how they sometimes directly but always indirectly make my cruise enjoyable.

[bigque]

Of all my cruises o think I remember the names of 2. Before my cruises I don’t research who the CD is because it’s not a big deal to me. I have been on cruises though where I thought the Activities person was better than the CD. 

[vickiw0318]

45 minutes ago, Big_G said:

Probably not a popular opinion on Cruise Critic but I don't think cruise directors get enough credit for what they do behind the scenes. Yeah, some are memorable because of their great personalities but cruise directors manage all the entertainment on the ship and it's no 9 - 5 job. While I don't remember many of their names, I do appreciate how they sometimes directly but always indirectly make my cruise enjoyable.

I was going to add something along these lines.  The CD's stage presence is just one facet of the job.  They are involved in all aspects of the ship's entertainment schedule down to how the entertainers in the various areas are miked.  If you enjoyed the entertainment activities on board, then you had a good cruise director.

[island lady]

Maybe I don't go to the shows much, (most are repeats anyway), but the CD on a ship makes no difference to me in the least.  Some cruises, I never see them at all, or know who they are.  

[Iamcruzin]

All of the lines have their Captain, CD and lounge entertainment groupies. I don’t get it and would never book a cruise based on that. Also we saw a really good men’s vocal group on Anthem. DW would have purchased a CD but then realized that we no longer have a CD player as we have been streaming music since it began. We didn’t like them so much that we would book a cruise around them but there are people who do that.

[HBE4]

3 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

The good CDs can enhance the cruise experience.  The others are hardly noticible.

 

Agreed. And as others have mentioned, it goes beyond hosting the stage events or the morning show. Yes, I actually watch the morning show. DJ Mike was one of the best in my opinion.

 

Having said that, I can't imagine booking my cruise around a CD. The current CD thread only goes a few months out, how do people that book cruises 18-24 months in advance know who the CD will be?

 

[CruisingJoe09]

24 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

how do people that book cruises 18-24 months in advance know who the CD will be?

  

They don't usually, it's just pot luck. Although it is fairly easy to guess which CD's won't be on particular ships/itineraries if you are trying to avoid one that you dislike.

[bermudadude54]

They have no impact on our cruises.  Some we have liked and some not so much but I could not give you one of their names.

[John&LaLa]

I did a Live thread trying to find 200 things more important than the CD.  I think I got to just over 100. 😇

 

Warning - Lots of CATS references

Edited July 27, 2019 by John&LaLa
added link

[bouhunter]

10 hours ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

 know many sail certain ships because of the CD's, but for us it makes no difference. 

There are people who have their favorites, but I doubt there are many people who actually book a cruise based on the CD.

 

A fun and entertaining one is nice, but it has nothing to do with our choosing a cruise.

[ILCTCRUISER]

There was probably a time when a CD was an important part of the cruise experience.  Julie on The Love Boat?  As ships got larger and larger, CDs became more and more "invisible."    

[matj2000]

On 23 voyages I can only remember 2.

 

1.  first cruise, it was a woman with a great English accent on Carnival Fantasy.

 

2.  Some guy on RC who wore a Union Jack suite.   That's all I remember  I think he was on 2 different cruises.

 

Other than that I have no idea who any others where.    Never even saw them,  don't care...….

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

 ...  As ships got larger and larger, CDs became more and more "invisible."    

 

We have noticed that the CD on Oasis class ships seems much less visible than on the other ships.