Leigh Xuereb CD on my upcoming Carnival Legend Cruise - Tell Me How Great He Is!

[KmomChicago]

I know some people think the cruise directors are an important part of the fun and some don't really care.  I am of the former group! We have been on three Carnival Cruises and enjoyed all of the cruise directors.  I don't know anything about Leigh but looking forward to hearing what makes him stand out. Help!

[BroadwayGirl]

I’m on the legend this fall as well. We had him back on the Pride in 2016 on his last cruise before signing off of the ship for vacation. Nothing honestly stands out for me.  We saw him more in the steakhouse when we were dining there and he had his farewell dinner with his staff than the entire cruise. We’re hoping it was just due to the timing of him signing off after our week. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

We had him on the Conquest in 2018 and I didn’t really care for him. He might have had a bad week but he cracked so many jokes about cruisers eating and being greedy that it put us off. It might be true but he was really rough on what he apparently thinks about his customers. 

[nycruise1]

He was also our cruise director on the Pride, in 2018.  He had previously worked on RCL.  I chatted with him a bit comparing the cruise lines.  Found him to be personable and friendly.  Would rate him as average, not necessarily someone who stands out as a top director, nor someone to be avoided, but a good, competent cruise director.

[sparks1093]

 We found him to be enjoyable most of the time and he is approachable. He made the shows he hosted more enjoyable which isn't a bad thing.

[Bgcruising]

We've sailed with him 3-4 times and really liked him. He will host the quest, lol.

[KmomChicago]

On 12/4/2021 at 11:31 AM, Bgcruising said:

We've sailed with him 3-4 times and really liked him. He will host the quest, lol.

I don’t think Quest is a thing anymore.

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

I don’t think Quest is a thing anymore.

Not sure if it's a permanent deletion but it wasn't on Legend a couple weeks ago.

[Bgcruising]

I'm assuming its like the lobby parties, probably not happening right now but will be back.

[KmomChicago]

I like Leigh. He’s a bit different in that he has no catchphrase or clever branded nickname as all our other Carnival CD’s have had. However he is visible and energetic and has a great entertainment staff whom he supports every step of the way. He’s not some zany character but has a good balance of casual warmth and professionalism. 

[KmomChicago]

So today he told us during the Life Onboard Q and A how he was on RCI before Carnival. He sort of bridges a gap between what we’ve seen of CD’s on both lines. Explains the lack of silly gimmicks in his persona, though he is very personable and a good host. He did say several Carnival CD’s retired to other careers during the pause and that Mike Pack is finished now. 
 

It sounds like a difficult existence over time. I asked him his happiest memory of his cruise career and he gave two, both of which involved dogs because he hasn’t been able to have a dog during his 17 year career. 😢😢😭😭😭😭🐶🐕🦮🐩🐕‍🦺🐾🦴🥺🥺🥺🥺

 

I think it’s a good first career for young people maybe.

[CookieShip]

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

So today he told us during the Life Onboard Q and A how he was on RCI before Carnival. He sort of bridges a gap between what we’ve seen of CD’s on both lines. Explains the lack of silly gimmicks in his persona, though he is very personable and a good host. He did say several Carnival CD’s retired to other careers during the pause and that Mike Pack is finished now. 
 

It sounds like a difficult existence over time. I asked him his happiest memory of his cruise career and he gave two, both of which involved dogs because he hasn’t been able to have a dog during his 17 year career. 😢😢😭😭😭😭🐶🐕🦮🐩🐕‍🦺🐾🦴🥺🥺🥺🥺

 

I think it’s a good first career for young people maybe.

Good question! I was interested to hear more about the service dogs onboard, but I didn't want to bother the owners too much. I might have been low key stalking the doggies the entire trip, lol.

[KmomChicago]

1 hour ago, CookieShip said:

Good question! I was interested to hear more about the service dogs onboard, but I didn't want to bother the owners too much. I might have been low key stalking the doggies the entire trip, lol.

I got to pet them at the Christmas service this morning but didn’t understand why they were onboard either.

[Brookie80]

Im late to this topic but heres my story. I LOVE Leigh!!!! I had the best time with him and he totally made my cruise for me. I had just gone thru a breakup and we were supposed to go on the cruise together with my family. I seriously thought about canceling because I thought it would be hard and depressing being by myself. I couldn't have been more wrong. Leigh was so much fun and always stopped to talk to me when he saw me around. We had a canceled port due to to docking issues and  I asked him if he could get me some

80s trivia added to the itinerary and he said he would. I told him right there to be prepared because I was going to win and I did. He told everyone there that his friend told him she was going to win and he knew I would. I was so sad to leave that ship and go back to reality when it was over. He gave me the biggest hug on my way out and I thanked him for making me smile again. I even wrote Carnival singing his praises. That was 2017 and I still havent forgotten him and how he made a broken hearted girl forget about everything and smile again. He is the best and I really hope I get to sail with him again one day. 

[joand452]

We had Leigh on one of his last Royal cruises (Explorer of the Seas 2012).  We thought he was great fun; we've had only one good CD on Royal since then (Abe Hughes) and now he's shoreside.  Is his buddy Frank a CD as well?  They made quite a pair on Explorer. 

 

In case anyone is interested, I'm over here trolling for threads about the Mardi Gras.  DH really wants to sail on her.  We last did Vista in 2017.

[najnelle]

We had him as a CD a few years ago. We really liked him. He was visible, personable, and involved. Not over the top, but very nice, funny, and approachable. 

 

 

[brilliantseas]

Lee was the CD on my December Legend cruise. He wasn't a standout like Butch Begovich, Mike Pack, Matt Mitcham, or Jaime Dee, but he was an unobtrusive Cruise Director who was primarily seen on stage and rarely heard on the PA. He didn't add significantly to the onboard experience, but didn't detract, either. 

[Gumbo4Life]

Leigh was our CD on our first cruise on the Breeze and has been the standard that all CD's are measured against, and he is still on top.  He was everywhere, all the shows, venues, games, etc. and PA.  Many of the CD's we have had (and many that were really popular) were just average, hardly seen or heard on the PA way too much.  Leigh did the CD role in a way that made you excited to be on the ship.  Would be very happy to sail with him again. 

[KmomChicago]

On 1/15/2022 at 9:05 AM, Brookie80 said:

Im late to this topic but heres my story. I LOVE Leigh!!!! I had the best time with him and he totally made my cruise for me. I had just gone thru a breakup and we were supposed to go on the cruise together with my family. I seriously thought about canceling because I thought it would be hard and depressing being by myself. I couldn't have been more wrong. Leigh was so much fun and always stopped to talk to me when he saw me around. We had a canceled port due to to docking issues and  I asked him if he could get me some

80s trivia added to the itinerary and he said he would. I told him right there to be prepared because I was going to win and I did. He told everyone there that his friend told him she was going to win and he knew I would. I was so sad to leave that ship and go back to reality when it was over. He gave me the biggest hug on my way out and I thanked him for making me smile again. I even wrote Carnival singing his praises. That was 2017 and I still havent forgotten him and how he made a broken hearted girl forget about everything and smile again. He is the best and I really hope I get to sail with him again one day. 

You'll want to go soon.  He too is thinking about how much longer he wants to do this.  He must be in his late 30's or perhaps a year or two past that, and I think the long pause gave these folks a taste of a normal home life that they had been missing.  He gently mentioned being a bit weary of it all at this point and ready to be settled in one place.  There are so many hospitality jobs available that it is not difficult for them to get hotel management work.  In fact it seemed the only thing stopping him at this point is making a decision where to go and being able to establish a visa or residency to finally set down roots somewhere on planet earth - he is an Australian citizen and I am not sure back home is where he wants to end up. 

 

We think of them as fun characters with a happy go lucky life that must be like an endless vacation, and of course they are none of those things. They are people managers, talented in working with an international staff and keeping morale high during long contracts with little rest and far more complaining, hard to please customers than you'd realize.  I worked at Medieval Times and Disney World in Florida, five years at each, and for the dozens or hundreds of happy guests you meet every day, the relatively tiny percentage of mean ones can ruin your day, or week, or month, or career. 

 

Which all is just to say, Leigh has transferable skills that would work great within hospitality at many other places. 

[cocomango]

Leigh was our CD on the Legend. I went to the Q&A and found him to be very no-nonsense, tell it like it is.  His announcements were bare minimum, no gimmicky stuff.  His appearances were cut to a minimum during our sailing as a precaution so we didn't see him around the ship at all.  It was a bit sad when he talked about how he can only be at the show, then get his food and eat in his room (which is pretty much the reality for all the staff- work, sleep, eat alone). 

 

That said, I did kinda miss the gimmicky, fun stuff, but totally understand keeping things at a minimum during this time. 

[KmomChicago]

9 hours ago, cocomango said:

Leigh was our CD on the Legend. I went to the Q&A and found him to be very no-nonsense, tell it like it is.  His announcements were bare minimum, no gimmicky stuff.  His appearances were cut to a minimum during our sailing as a precaution so we didn't see him around the ship at all.  It was a bit sad when he talked about how he can only be at the show, then get his food and eat in his room (which is pretty much the reality for all the staff- work, sleep, eat alone). 

 

That said, I did kinda miss the gimmicky, fun stuff, but totally understand keeping things at a minimum during this time. 

Yes at our Q and A on Christmas Day, he mentioned how they were just at the point of moving everyone to that protocol and they were all disappointed. A few weeks later and I’m sure it’s just more depressing every day for them. He specifically mentioned rationing toothpaste as they can’t get off in any port. 

[brilliantseas]

Has anyone heard from Leigh lately? He was my CD on the Legend again in March and said that he would be signing off shortly for vacation, but was planning to be back for his longest contract yet, something like June through New Year 2023? Just before he was supposed to return to the ship, he disappeared from the Carnival CD schedule. 

 

Did he end of switching ships, or even cruise lines, or has Leigh retired from the cruise life? 

[KmomChicago]

15 hours ago, brilliantseas said:

Has anyone heard from Leigh lately? He was my CD on the Legend again in March and said that he would be signing off shortly for vacation, but was planning to be back for his longest contract yet, something like June through New Year 2023? Just before he was supposed to return to the ship, he disappeared from the Carnival CD schedule. 

 

Did he end of switching ships, or even cruise lines, or has Leigh retired from the cruise life? 

 

I want to say, someone posted that he had decided to retire from his seagoing days after all.  During the Q & A on our Christmas 2021 cruise, he was open about how it's wearing eventually to feel you have no home, no roots. He was asked about some of his favorite moments and he mentioned our cruise because there was a service dog onboard he got to interact with, and he has missed having a pet dog all these years at sea. 

 

I don't remember who posted that about him retiring or when exactly.

[KmomChicago]

On 1/15/2022 at 5:58 PM, joand452 said:

We had Leigh on one of his last Royal cruises (Explorer of the Seas 2012).  We thought he was great fun; we've had only one good CD on Royal since then (Abe Hughes) and now he's shoreside.  Is his buddy Frank a CD as well?  They made quite a pair on Explorer. 

 

In case anyone is interested, I'm over here trolling for threads about the Mardi Gras.  DH really wants to sail on her.  We last did Vista in 2017.

 

Wow, @joand452 I am sorry I did not respond sooner to your post here. I was on the Mardi Gras' second sailing, second week of August, 2021 and I did a live review, my first, specifically because of the novelty of the ship.  Some things have changed of course since that one, and the ship was only about 2/3 full as one of the first voyages during the resumption of service.  It's linked in my signature if you are interested.  It was a great cruise and led me to booking 3 more on Carnival within the following ten months.