Cruise Directors

How about Voyager in May? Who?

How about Voyager in May? Who?

I'll be on the Voyager - departing April 8th. I can ask when onboard. It won't be Ray Solare since he should be getting off of the ship for vacation soon after our cruise.

Travelcat. We join the Voyager at Dubai. It looks as though our paths will not cross, as we’d like to meet you.

Travelcat. We join the Voyager at Dubai. It looks as though our paths will not cross, as we’d like to meet you.

Would enjoy meeting you as well. Hopefully someday.......!

We don't have the experience of many of you but in our dozen or so cruises we have had the great pleasure of having Tammy and Andy Heath as our CD(s) twice and they are, for us, by far the most personable, friendly, and all around best. It seems the CD is important to many of you, and you need not worry if you encounter the Heaths.

Andy and Tammy Heath are CD/Social Hostess on Explorer for the next couple of months and then fly directly to Voyager in Beijing where they will be for two and a half months to allow (?) to have his/her vacation. Both are first class, IMHO, and have a long and happy relationship with Radisson/Regent/Oceania, so may be familiar to some here.

All this talk of CD has made me wonder who will be the CD for the 2019 World Cruise?

Jamie Logan will be CD . . . .

Peggy

I was interested to read about Regent CDs, having met a few. It is funny how some people adore certain ones, and others do not like them at all! We loved dear old Ray Solaire many years ago - I think on Silversea - but can see he is not everyone's cup of tea, whereas on Seabourn we found John Barron very brash and in your face, and he is very popular.

It takes all sorts, as they say.

Jamie Logan will be CD . . . .

 

Peggy

Thank you, but I see he doesn't get mentioned much at all, so any thoughts on his style?

Oh and what nationality is he.

Thanks

He’s American, as is his wife Dana, the Assistant Cruise Director. They are fantastic!! We sailed with them on the 2017 World Cruise and the Capetown to Rio this spring on the Navigator.

We never saw the CD once on our Voyager Cruise. I guess he was at the show which we never went to and I know he had a program on the TV which we never watched. The Asst CD we loved because he was always very visible on the gangway each morning and afternoon helping folks to get to their tours. Not exactly sure what the job description of the CD is.

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We don't have the experience of many of you but in our dozen or so cruises we have had the great pleasure of having Tammy and Andy Heath as our CD(s) twice and they are, for us, by far the most personable, friendly, and all around best. It seems the CD is important to many of you, and you need not worry if you encounter the Heaths.

+1, one of our best cruises was with the Heaths.

He’s American, as is his wife Dana, the Assistant Cruise Director. They are fantastic!! We sailed with them on the 2017 World Cruise and the Capetown to Rio this spring on the Navigator.

Thank you. Can you tell I'm all new to this :D

How do you doooo! That is Ray Solaire's patented greeting to crew and guests, with his proper British inflection. .What a delightful gentleman. Have cruised with Ray several times, the latest while aboard Navigator in June. He is the epitome of the Regent "brand": professional while also personable and approachable.

Here is an example as to how a great cruise experience can be enhanced by a sharp CD.

Ray acceded, as best he could, to several passengers' (myself included) requests to include more classical music performances--whether predinner; or as part of "tea time". It was our good fortune that on that Navigator cruise, the band pianist as well as the fellow who normally performs after dinner in one of the Lounges were (are) accomplished classical pianists. Therefore, several mini-concerts were presented.

Have also had the pleasure of having dinner with him--at his invitation--on these cruises. He is a genuine guy, who related several stories from his years-ago musical theater and stand-up routines in Great Britain which had me--almost--falling out of my chair overcome by laughter. Suggested to Ray that he do a separate "performance" one evening just devoted to these "war stories".

Then, there is John Barron. He was CD on last year's Explorer Miami-Barcelona-Venice btb segments. Engaging, and funny, to a fault. Best of all--he laughed at (some) of my quips and comments. None of those will be repeated here. He did, however, repeat one of them in the Theater just-before introducing Jason Montague for a Q&A session.

Folks like these really do put a dab of whipped cream on the ice cream of a positive cruising experience. Hopefully, we will see John and Ray either later this year; in 2019, and 2020.

GOARMY!

Ray is a gem even though I’m not really a fan of his style of entertainment. However, he captured my affection this year as we traveled from Singapore to Sydney. In Samarang, Indonesia, we encountered flooding monsoon rain. The dock was flooded and we were in water up to our shins. Despite the rain and wind, Ray was on the gangway greeting bedraggled retuning passengers.

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Jennifer, marvelous post that communicates so expressively in words complemented by your fabulous photo. Thanks for sharing.

Yep, I would expect no less from Ray. He has the ability (and costume closet replete with puppet friends and assorted costumes) to respond with alacrity to every possible contingency. Ray has been doing this gig for over 40 years on various cruise lines. He has, no doubt, dealt with every possible (and impossible) onboard situation dealing with weather, medical evacuation, mechanical, "Acts of God" such as volcano eruptions, and civil unrest/revolution requiring altering the posted itinerary we guests signed-on to perhaps a year before the sailing date. Ray has that soothing voice to facilitate putting such matters into perspective.

Flexibility.

Regent is fortunate to have him aboard on whatever ship. We have had the good fortune to interact with him on three Regent ships. Ray can maintain a "professional distance" from guests; yet, he can communicate one-on-one when the situation requires. He has extended this courtesy to Sue and me when "stuff" has happened. Therefore, we consider him our friend.

GOARMY!

Speaking of Cruise Directors, We are huge fans of Paul Reynolds (and John Barron and Lorraine). Although all Regent CD's are great, each of us tend to connect with different people.

In 31 cruises, we have only sailed with Jamie and Dana once (they were great) and have not sailed with Andy and Tammy.

Anyone know who will be the CD for Navigator's Amazon Cruise 11/25/18?? REALLY hope it's Paul !!

Maybe this should be on the Crystal/Regent thread, but one difference is that Crystal posts the name of the CD and other public facing officers/staff to their website. Really reduces these "who will be...." questions.

Maybe this should be on the Crystal/Regent thread, but one difference is that Crystal posts the name of the CD and other public facing officers/staff to their website. Really reduces these "who will be...." questions.

Think that it may easier to know who officers will be when you only have two ocean going ships. On Regent, they did (do?) list officers for people in the U.K. But the list became obsolete quickly. There are many reasons why officers change and maybe Regent would rather not list them rather than post information that may end up not being correct

Just a thought.

Ray has been doing this gig for over 40 years on various cruise lines. GOARMY!

Ray informed us this summer on Navigator that next year will be his 50th year at sea.

Ray informed us this summer on Navigator that next year will be his 50th year at sea.

Wow - that is amazing!