Au revoir Ray ...

[mamaclark]

On 7/25/2024 at 3:10 PM, no fuss travel said:

We enjoyed Carson who was trained by Leslie John.  It will be interesting to see how Oceania obtains their new CD's.  There have been several young performers who would do an excellent job as they have been trained by the best.

We enjoyed Carson as well on our Alaska cruise last year. Genuinely nice and helpful.

Edited July 31 by mamaclark
Typo

[Mareblu]

On 7/26/2024 at 1:51 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Julie James will have big shoes to fill as she rises to take over the “best O CD” slot. But she can do it. Nonetheless, Ray was the dean of O CDs and still the only CD in the world ever to receive honorary membership in the prestigious Friends of Johnny Tokyo. 

I completely agree with your assessment of Julie.  She was our CD on Sirena in 2022, and we thought her outstanding.  Contrary to @lorimay, we enjoyed her announcements, and observed she was constantly in sight around the vessel, greeting and chatting to guests.  Things on that particular cruise hummed along nicely, all due, no doubt, to Julie’s efficiency.  I was hoping to find her on Vista in April, but to no avail.  We’ve enjoyed too many O voyages to list, but in our estimation, she’s right up there with the best of the fleet’s CDs.

[DeanoNorthPerth]

Big mistake by Oceania. Big, big mistake.

[pinotlover]

6 hours ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

Big mistake by Oceania. Big, big mistake.

Without knowing any details, it’s impossible to say. Was he made an offer impossible to match? Were other irreparable issues , behind the scenes, occurring? We don’t know, and wild unsubstantiated speculation doesn’t resolve anything. My favorite Oceania CD has chosen to explore new possibilities. I wish him the best. He won’t be easily, or readily replaced.

[DENIE]

On 7/25/2024 at 9:49 AM, lorimay said:

We are currently on the Vista with Julie James. She’s way down on my list of good cruise directors. And it’s not just me - we have talked to several other people on the ship who feel the same way. She clearly sees trivia in the afternoons as a chore and rushes through to get to her cocktail parties. Her announcements are awful. We loved Leslie Jon on our first Oceania cruise. 

Loved listening to Leslie John on our Vista cruise this past January. 🙂

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 7/25/2024 at 5:52 PM, SATaxman said:

Our first O cruise on Marina was last October. I had to search for a Currents to find the name of the Cruise Director. Peter Roberts. The Captain was Leo Strazicic.  We never played Trivia, were not invited to any private events with the crew. Attended the Captain's Dinner for a while. What am I missing? Why would these people have such an impact on your cruise experience?

 

Honestly, who the cruise director is doesn't matter much to me.  My primary focus is seeing the places I go, and I'm not big on activities, so it really makes no difference to me.  But my travel partner loved Ray  - probably because he loved the same music that he did.

 

 

[DeanoNorthPerth]

10 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Without knowing any details, it’s impossible to say. Was he made an offer impossible to match? Were other irreparable issues , behind the scenes, occurring? We don’t know, and wild unsubstantiated speculation doesn’t resolve anything. My favorite Oceania CD has chosen to explore new possibilities. I wish him the best. He won’t be easily, or readily replaced.

I’m in Bali at present and had lunch with Ray two days ago. All I said in my post was that O has made a big mistake so I’m not sure why you would call that “wild unsubstantiated speculation”. Seems a bit over the top, even for an Oceania cheerleader.

[pinotlover]

45 minutes ago, DeanoNorthPerth said:

I’m in Bali at present and had lunch with Ray two days ago. All I said in my post was that O has made a big mistake so I’m not sure why you would call that “wild unsubstantiated speculation”. Seems a bit over the top, even for an Oceania cheerleader.

We have no idea what you mean or what you’re talking about. If you believe Oceania made a mistake, please define the mistake. I might readily agree with you. Otherwise, it merely sounds like speculation.

Edited August 2 by pinotlover

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We have no idea what you mean or what you’re talking about. If you believe Oceania made a mistake, please define the mistake. I might readily agree with you. Otherwise, it merely sounds like speculation.

Details are unnecessary. Deano is a legitimate/trusted source of info on this particular issue. And, at the bottom line, all of our “casual observer” opinions won’t change anything. Ray has chosen to move on and O has lost (yes lost) its most popular cruise director.

[Kay S]

Instead of "beating this topic to death," let's just wish Ray well on his future endeavors.

[pinotlover]

11 hours ago, Kay S said:

Instead of "beating this topic to death," let's just wish Ray well on his future endeavors.

Agreed! Best to Ray, my favorite CD🥂!

 

13 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Details are unnecessary. 

Unfortunately, an often held position by many posters.

[chloemonkey]

Have been on 10 Oceania cruises and 53 others....and would not be able to tell you ANY of their names.....but wishing Ray well.....whoever you are!

 

[topcat76]

We had Carson on our cruise in March and he was great!

[DeanoNorthPerth]

13 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

Have been on 10 Oceania cruises and 53 others....and would not be able to tell you ANY of their names.....but wishing Ray well.....whoever you are!

 

I’m guessing you’re not a Trivia participant. That seems to be the best way of getting to know the CD on Oceania cruises.

[MEFIowa]

19 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

Have been on 10 Oceania cruises and 53 others....and would not be able to tell you ANY of their names.....

Though that may depend upon what you need or do....

 

Found Dottie so helpful on Sirena 11/2022. She helped me organize a self-hosted Veterans Meet & Greet in Martinis on a sea day and I had the opportunity to worship with her twice on Sunday. She led the Christian worship gathering. And, of course, got to meet and speak with her husband, Tom Drake, the magnificent comedian! Too bad I don't think they're going to be on Sirena when we board her 8/28/24!

[Tansy Mews]

On 7/25/2024 at 5:52 PM, SATaxman said:

What am I missing? Why would these people have such an impact on your cruise experience?

We have cruised with Oceania enough times to earn Silver in Oceania Club, but partly due to longer cruises. We didn't hobnob with the crew or CD. However I appreciate the work of the CD and it does feel different if you have a good one. But one thing that a CD did that was really useful to me (may have been Dotty) was during tendering to a port was annoucing that "now is a good time for independent travelers to go ashore" - due to a lull in shipboard excursions. 

[ORV]

11 hours ago, Tansy Mews said:

We have cruised with Oceania enough times to earn Silver in Oceania Club, but partly due to longer cruises. We didn't hobnob with the crew or CD. However I appreciate the work of the CD and it does feel different if you have a good one. But one thing that a CD did that was really useful to me (may have been Dotty) was during tendering to a port was annoucing that "now is a good time for independent travelers to go ashore" - due to a lull in shipboard excursions. 

I’ve noticed most of them do that. 

[lcand1923]

I haven’t sailed on Oceania since 2007, a cruise where Leslie Jon was the CD.  I STILL talk about him and the way he handled Trivia.  The first day, there were maybe three teams.  By the end of the cruise, there were close to thirty teams!  The way that he handled the final question of the final trivia session was absolutely, positively BRILLIANT!

[Senior Citizen]

We were just on Vista with Julie James.  Apparently, she will be retiring at the end of her contract in mid-September.  So, there goes another old timer…. The job of CD is difficult.  Up early in the morning, still up late at night.

 

Best wishes to all the CDs who are retiring or moving on to new positions with other lines.