Maybe I'm the only one, but I doubt it....

[macruisefan]

I keep reading threads about good and bad cruise directors, experiences with the Hotel Manager, or meeting the captain. And I get that it's kind of an old school tradition in cruising. I also don't mind one bit if people find these things important.

 

But I don't. Not in the slightest. In all my cruises, I've never once cared to meet the captain. I couldn't imagine encountering the hotel manager unless I had a huge problem that had to be elevated up the chain. And as for the cruise directors, they have never been a factor in any of my experiences.

 

Again, I am not knocking those who find these things important. But it does make me wonder one thing?

 

Am I alone in this perspective or are there others out there who agree with me?:confused:

[Jborosara]

Agree completely!

[ghstudio]

The more we cruise, the more we find that captain's, hotel director and cruise director actually make a large difference....they set the tone for the ship, the crew, the officers.

 

I agree that I don't really care if I shake the captain's hand or not, etc.....but they do make a difference.

[macruisefan]

they set the tone for the ship, the crew, the officers.

 

Yeah, I hear people say this, but I'm not really sure what it means. My "tone" is usually set by those I am traveling with, or what we choose to do. I guess maybe there are some events on board (maybe some shows or trivia contests) that may be more or less lively based on crew. But the way I cruise, these activities are never really a remarkable part of the experience. Sure I might take in a show, or participate in a trivia contest. But they're not something that tends to be a highlight to me.

 

And beyond these things, I'm really not sure how the crew is supposed to affect the "tone" of my vacation?

[packedandready]

agree...

[Azulann]

macruisefan,

I am with you on this factor.

I have no idea what the hotel director or cruise director does?

Just hope they do their job.

I am on vacation , enjoying myself with my friends both old and new.

I can see if some one has a problem that cannot be solved it might ultimately get to their desks?

But then I don't play any orgainzed games, or even go to shows in the theater.

Might have to try these event to see what they are all about.

[CruzrMom]

My family and I have cruised many times on multiple lines before deciding =X= was for us. All in all I've found that it's my traveling companions that have made the cruise memorable and marvelous. But I also agree that the crew (dining room/lido staff, housekeeping) can add much positive to the experience with a smile or helpful nature. As long as the Captain keeps the ship safe I'm happy. Happy cruising!

[garycarla]

As the OP said, I am not knocking those that care.

 

But, I just shake my head every time somebody asks who the CD or Caption will be on a certain cruise. As to the meeting the Captain - I think he has better things to do than be cordial to me, or the other 3,000 people onboard.

[dkjretired]

I keep reading threads about good and bad cruise directors, experiences with the Hotel Manager, or meeting the captain. And I get that it's kind of an old school tradition in cruising. I also don't mind one bit if people find these things important.

 

But I don't. Not in the slightest. In all my cruises, I've never once cared to meet the captain. I couldn't imagine encountering the hotel manager unless I had a huge problem that had to be elevated up the chain. And as for the cruise directors, they have never been a factor in any of my experiences.

 

Again, I am not knocking those who find these things important. But it does make me wonder one thing?

 

Am I alone in this perspective or are there others out there who agree with me?:confused:

 

Agree also, especially the cruise director. I don't believe its important that he's funny or can sing, the most important job he has is being a manager of the entertainment.

[JRJARS]

MACruisefan...I couldn't have said it any better. What does setting the "tone" mean. The cruise director is worthless...they put on their tux or dress and come on stage each nite and make announcements, they show up in the main dining room on the nite to announce the chefs and staff...other than that they have their staff run all pool games and bingo. I am amazed though at how many threads get started with "Who is going to be the CD on blah blah ship in 2 years" does someone actually plan their cruise based on this info. I personally think a lot has to do with those passengers that want to be recognized by crew because they have sailed so many times.

[deserttraveler]

Until about my 9th cruise, I would have agreed with you. I don't cruise for the entertainment, so couldn't care less who the cruise director is. But I do cruise for the leisure aspect - cabin maintained, food and drink how and when I want them.

 

But when the Hotel Director has apparently lost interest or alienated his or her staff, this aspect of the cruise will suffer. Cabin attendants who are lazy or cavalier about their duties - definitely the minority of cabin attendants - go uncorrected. If the Hotel Director does not work well with or effectively supervise the dining room supervisors, the housekeeping supervisors, all of these functions will break down. Staff become brittle and careless or cynical. Calls to customer relations the third morning in a row that your toilet doesn't flush, the third morning you've made the same call, are treated as just one more annoying passenger telling them something they already know, etc.

 

Because hotel operations on the vast majority of my cruises have been excellent or better, it was the breakdown on one cruise that revealed the importance of this complex job. Trouble didn't make me want to meet the person, nor does excellence (the norm) make me want to meet him/her. But a comment on the end of cruise survey can note how smoothly cabin services, customer relations, and food and drink operated. An effective Hotel Director makes this happen.

 

As for tone: If bars are your thing, and all the bartenders are cranky, it affects the tone. If dining is your thing, and it becomes clear that your waiter and assistant waiter are working at cross purposes, or that the dining room manager is sharp with staff repeatedly, then it affects the tone. Etc. A good hotel director maintains awareness all the way down chain of command that the service is excellent for the passenger. Keeping employees not only well trained but happy is part of this.

[PSCruiser]

I'll half agree. The Captain and Hotel Director have important jobs, and if they do them well the running of the ship goes great and you should have little need to interact with them.

However the CD and his staff are to some extent performers, and cruisers that take advantage of many ship-run activities such as trivia, dancing, game-shows etc. find that the quality of the CD and staff make a big difference in the experience. Found this out recently on RCL Voyager heading from the US to China - started with the experienced CD staff, then partway through they were replaced with "rookies" willing to do the China crusing season - what a shock!

[Orator]

At one time I would have completely agreed with the OP. However, the more I've cruised with Celebrity the more I find knowing the Senior Staff can enhance my cruising experience. I've given specific examples before and will not repeat here, but here are just a few examples: Invitations to the Bridge for sailaway, Comp dinners in Specialty Restaurants, Wine delivered to my cabin and getting assigned to my table of choice. I would never think of asking for anything special, it just happens when you develop a special relationship with others.

[Project_gal]

The more we cruise, the more we find that captain's, hotel director and cruise director actually make a large difference....they set the tone for the ship, the crew, the officers.

 

I agree that I don't really care if I shake the captain's hand or not, etc.....but they do make a difference.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth! The senior management on board make a huge difference to a cruise.

 

Sue

[Tropic]

I think I generally agree with the discussion here, but I would point out that from my experience there are Captains who set the tone to "actually" fix the problems whatever they may be. Some seemly don't "want to know" and leave it to department Management people, etc.

 

At the very least a Captain in my mind, should request accountability for items outstanding and should know of problems occuring on his ship (imagined or real).

 

So I do think the Captain does make a difference. However, do I choose my cruises based on who the Captain is... for me it's the itinerary, itinerary, itinerary in that order! I never ask beforehand... but would hope that HAL pays attention to this trait in their Captains.

[ORV]

Yeah, I hear people say this, but I'm not really sure what it means. My "tone" is usually set by those I am traveling with, or what we choose to do. I guess maybe there are some events on board (maybe some shows or trivia contests) that may be more or less lively based on crew. But the way I cruise, these activities are never really a remarkable part of the experience. Sure I might take in a show, or participate in a trivia contest. But they're not something that tends to be a highlight to me.

 

And beyond these things, I'm really not sure how the crew is supposed to affect the "tone" of my vacation?

 

While I agree with your original post it's should be pretty obvious what GH means by tone. The leadership the various dept heads exhibit is going to directly impact the service and actions of all the people that we do interact with. Waiters, stewards, bartenders, entertainment staff, etc.

 

Personally though I've yet to encounter a CD that I care for. I don't think I've ever seen a profession as a group that has egos the size of theirs.

[rbuenger]

I keep reading threads about good and bad cruise directors, experiences with the Hotel Manager, or meeting the captain. And I get that it's kind of an old school tradition in cruising. I also don't mind one bit if people find these things important.

 

But I don't. Not in the slightest. In all my cruises, I've never once cared to meet the captain. I couldn't imagine encountering the hotel manager unless I had a huge problem that had to be elevated up the chain. And as for the cruise directors, they have never been a factor in any of my experiences.

 

Again, I am not knocking those who find these things important. But it does make me wonder one thing?

 

Am I alone in this perspective or are there others out there who agree with me?:confused:

I absolutely agree with you on this, I couldn't care less who the Capt, CD, or HD are for my cruises, they have no impact on my vacation. Something would have to be very wrong for me to seek out the HD to report an issue, which has never happened to me. Then again, I am not a stickler for many of the things that some care to complain about.

 

On our trip in Solstice this summer, I was down at Guest Services and a couple was demanding to see the HD because they were upset that their inside stateroom didn't have a window! No matter how much the lovely GS woman tried to explain that none of the inside staterooms had windows, they were not buying it...LOL! The gentleman just kept saying that it was illegal and a fire hazard to not have a window in their room. Everyone in line behind they was laughing and finally several guests spoke up an out him in his place. They booked an inside stateroom because they "didn't want to have to sleep outside"! Meaning, they thought that any stateroom that wasn't marked as "Inside", somehow meant that they were "Outside"......The light finally clicked on with his wife, she couldn't pull him away from the desk quick enough...

[Orator]

Looks like someone needed to be directed to Cruise Critic.

[wales4ever]

If they all do their jobs correctly and to a good enough standard, there is no need at all to see any of them...

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I agree with the comments about the senior staff setting the tone for the ship. When you're on one and everything is humming like a fine swiss watch and the staff is happy and doing their jobs well, it just makes it a better cruise.

 

Now, would I choose a cruise based on who is running the ship? No. You can't know that too far in advance. But I have seen the difference that a great staff can make. And it added to my cruise experience--just took it to a higher level.

[CruisinGirl777]

You are not the only one.

 

I wouldn't even think of asking who the captain was or the cruise director before I booked. Not something that matters in day to day cruising for me. Of course, I want them to be competent a la not Costa Concordia. But we enjoy our time based on other things.

[tserface]

We would not likely think of asking either, but the CD and others have made our cruises better. For example, the captain on Silhouette last March was incredibly clever and I think his wit and cheery disposition spilled out to the rest of the staff. It made our cruise that much more enjoyable. Lisa the CD was also a lot of fun. I wouldn't book a cruise based on the personnel, but we've definitely appreciated some crews more than others and we're sure to note it on our comments.

 

Tom

 

 

You are not the only one.

 

I wouldn't even think of asking who the captain was or the cruise director before I booked. Not something that matters in day to day cruising for me. Of course, I want them to be competent a la not Costa Concordia. But we enjoy our time based on other things.

[cruiseacecat]

While I agree with your original post it's should be pretty obvious what GH means by tone. The leadership the various dept heads exhibit is going to directly impact the service and actions of all the people that we do interact with. Waiters, stewards, bartenders, entertainment staff, etc.

 

Personally though I've yet to encounter a CD that I care for. I don't think I've ever seen a profession as a group that has egos the size of theirs.

Than you have probably never met Alejandro. :) He is the exception.

 

Anne

[Orator]

Than you have probably never met Alejandro. :) He is the exception.

 

Anne

 

Met Alejandro on Solstice. You're right, he's fantastic!

[MAGNUM PI]

On all of the five cruises that I have taken so far, the ship's officers have always been

introduced to the cruisers, in some way.

 

I find it interesting to learn from what country they originate.

 

At the Captain's Party, I do attempt to have my photo taken with him.

 

But as far as lower level crew staff, such as CD--have no interest in them. There are very long threads on Cruise Critic-about concerned cruisers trying to ascertain their ship's CD.

 

The CD has absolutely no impact on my cruise experience, whatsoever. But to some people, their whole existence-rides on the identity of the CD.