How important are the cruise director and casino hosts?

[Cpbryant]

I'm going on my second cruise in a couple weeks, on the Dream. I'm a Facebook page for that particular cruise, and some folks are asking about who the cruise director is, and who the casino hosts are.

 

On my first cruise, I had a great time and I had no clue who the cruise director was and didn't set foot in the casino, so I didn't care about casino hosts--and if I had, I'd only be concerned about winning.

 

So, question: Why is who is the cruise director a big deal to some folks? And same for casino hosts? Shoot, I'd be more concerned about who my ship's captain is. What am I missing? To me, I'll have a great time no matter who is in charge.

[gottaluvcruises12]

It's not a big deal to me. I am going on my 4th cruise and if you asked me who any of those people were. I wouldn't have a clue. I just don't pay attention to them and they don't make or break my cruise. I'm not worried.

[DaKa2002]

We don't pay attention to either!

[evandbob]

I haven't met Carnival's best CD yet, that's the one with laryngitis who keeps messages short like most other lines do. On Carnival, they are just like the old snake oil salesmen, JMO, YMMV.

 

The casino hosts have scripted messages (prob from their corporate) just like the CD's. The times I enjoy them are when I'm on a casino fare cruise, otherwise....see above.

[coevan]

"like the old snake oil salesmen" This is kind of a weird statement, what exactly are they selling.

[jdemps]

As far as i'm concerned the Cruise Director is just the annoying person with the annoying voice interrupting my naps to be sure I know about the gold by the inch sale going on! lolol

 

All of the fun times look exactly the same across the fleet so I doubt the CD is coming up with fun ideas.

 

The welcome and shopping shows are just cheesy so we skip every one of them.

 

They need to be there to organize the staff and that's about it.

We would have fun no matter who is CD.

[tef43]

A good CD makes no difference at all, but a bad CD can certainly diminish the enjoyment of a cruise. I try to ignore them.

 

Never met a casino host, and hope I never will.

 

Most all of the public-facing employees are there for one reason and one reason only, to try and sell you something.

[BTHodgeman]

"like the old snake oil salesmen" This is kind of a weird statement, what exactly are they selling.

 

I think what they are saying is that the CD frequently announces things about shore excursions, the casino, bingo, the shops, and specialty dining over the loudspeakers.

 

I actually haven't had a CDs push too hard on the "sell." For the most part, I've found the CDs enjoyable and personable. Some do better at the entertainment aspect of their job, including guest engagement, keeping the atmosphere fun, etc.

 

I also usually skip the events purely designed to drive revenue: "Fun Aboard, Fun Ashore;" "Fun Shops Rep" events; etc.

 

As for the original question, the CD can only enhance my cruise. I am going to have a fun time, regardless of who the CD is. I would not book a specific cruise for a specific cruise director... but if the CD is great, interactive, friendly, my cruise may be slightly better.

 

For Casino Hosts, there's no way I know of to find out who the hosts are in advance, and they play absolutely no part in the booking process. (Perhaps you could e-mail the land-based hosts and they might be able to tell you...) So, very much like the CD, a Casino Host can only serve to enhance my experience in the casino. A great casino host may even also encourage me to spend more time in the casino and as a result spend more money.

 

A good example was on my last cruise on Fascination. The casino host was Daisy. Every day when I walked into the casino, she came and said hello, asked if there was anything I needed, called over a bar waiter right away, etc. I would have had a good time without her doing that, but by her being so friendly, I probably spent a little bit more time in the casino.

[maxydu]

I too have never met the Casino Host on any of my 13 Carnival cruises. The Cruise Director on the other hand is a vital part

of the cruise experience. If the CD is full of energy it seems as though the rest of the staff is and there are smiles all around.

A bad CD in my opinion is one who likes to hear himself/herself talk.....non stop. Only had one of them.......

[Micahs Grandad]

A good CD can add to the fun but some go on and on about the wonderful "sales" going on around the ship and we tune them out.

 

lately a huge turnover in CD's

[It's a Ship!!!]

I've never encountered a Casino Host. I mainly play the slots so I guess there isn't ever an opportunity.

 

Cruise Director is a very minor part of my cruise experience. Some of them are funny, some of them are annoying, but none of them really changed my experience one way or another. I would say the ones I like best are the ones with a sense of humor.

[fkfad]

We became good friends with the Casino Host during our last cruise. She continued to check up on us when she saw us in the casino. My husband ended up playing blackjack with her in a St. Marteen casino...they were having a wonderful time. It was funny to see a casino host playing blackjack in a casino! In the end, we received a bounceback letter, offering us a nicely discounted cruise, which we quickly reserved. I'm sure we received it due to the amount of gambling we were doing, not because we befriended the Casino Host...but, she certainly made sure we were enjoying ourselves!

[broadwaybaby123]

I'm going on my second cruise in a couple weeks, on the Dream. I'm a Facebook page for that particular cruise, and some folks are asking about who the cruise director is, and who the casino hosts are.

 

On my first cruise, I had a great time and I had no clue who the cruise director was and didn't set foot in the casino, so I didn't care about casino hosts--and if I had, I'd only be concerned about winning.

 

So, question: Why is who is the cruise director a big deal to some folks? And same for casino hosts? Shoot, I'd be more concerned about who my ship's captain is. What am I missing? To me, I'll have a great time no matter who is in charge.

Ok so I can only answer for the Cruise Director, as I am in a similar profession. They are important as they are the ones that will be your go-to if you have any questions while on the ship. They will also be the ones who, along with the rest of the Activities Staff will be running activities onboard. They will also keep you "in the know" throughout the cruise by relaying announcements and getting the daily schedules out.

 

How they interact with you may set the tone for the rest of the cruise. I find that if I'm not excited about the activity that I am conducting (I work with senior citizens), they won't be excited about it either. The same applies to all the Activities Staff onboard: if they're not excited about what activity they're doing, we (the cruisers) won't be either. Attitude is everything in this field!

 

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[coevan]

On our Magic cruise, we were looking forward to Dr.E and were disappointed he was on vacation. His replacement was Schwartz, who had mixed reviews. We thought he was great, very engaging and very visible. We had a chance to sit down with him in the Alchemy Bar. The most memorable was John Heald in the late 90's. He did some of the funniest shows.

[siestakeys04]

I always wondered the same thing, I don't care who it is I'm just cruising. When I go to some shows Love & Marriage they are entertaining but I couldn't tell you who it was.

[buddylover]

We too have never met a casino host, actually didn't even know there was one whose job was to interact with passengers in the casino?? As for CD's......a good one will make the cruise really memorable and FUN.....a lousy one ends up being a annoyance...we have experienced both!! Some CD's are much more visible than others and always seem to be around, and those have been the good FUN ones.....others you never see, but instead just "hear" them non-stop in announcements (and that makes them annoying).

[Wayfairers]

I don't think the CD made a big difference on the cruises we have taken and I didn't even know there was a casino host. But, then, I don't think any of the ship employees make a big difference on how much I enjoy the cruise. I've enjoyed talking with the crew members and officers when our paths crossed, but that didn't affect my cruise. Some people think ship employees are very important to their cruise....not me.

 

 

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[tef43]

They are important as they are the ones that will be your go-to if you have any questions while on the ship.

Serously?

 

 

No, if I have a question I head to the Purser's Desk.

 

I can easily remember the names of the lousy ones (Jeff Bronson, Sparkle, Donkey (they call him that for a reason)), but the mediocre ones not so much. Never met a "good" CD since the late Malcolm Kennedy. We've sailed with the Fat Man, and he's not all that.

[Micahs Grandad]

Serously?

 

 

No, if I have a question I head to the Purser's Desk.

 

I can easily remember the names of the lousy ones (Jeff Bronson, Sparkle, Donkey (they call him that for a reason)), but the mediocre ones not so much. Never met a "good" CD since the late Malcolm Kennedy. We've sailed with the Fat Man, and he's not all that.

 

We have sailed with some good ones that have added to our cruise. Mike Pack and Dr E quickly come to mind

[IamtheRainKing]

Like most have said, CDs can add to a cruise. If they are engaging, they can get a party started or facilitate social activities. Which is cool, if you're looking for that.

 

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

A good CD is important. They can really make the trip. Never met a casino host.

 

As one poster said John Heald was a great CD. He made the boring marriage show really funny.

[stobe1]

It has never made a difference to me. I couldn't care less who the CD is.

 

I've never understood the fascination with a CD.

[GlamorousGirl]

I would only be concerned with the casino host if I was interested in earning comps. I find myself so busy on cruises I don't have much interest in the casino even though I spend a lot of time in land-based casinos, and I get my cruises comped by the land-based casinos already so I don't need to play on board to insure myself another trip. I would only be concerned with the cruise director if I had paid for a special event to occur during the cruise (for example, we had a vow renewal ceremony on another line, and spent a lot of time with the Cruise Director, who was fantastic!)

[winddawn]

I'm going on my second cruise in a couple weeks, on the Dream. I'm a Facebook page for that particular cruise, and some folks are asking about who the cruise director is, and who the casino hosts are.

 

On my first cruise, I had a great time and I had no clue who the cruise director was and didn't set foot in the casino, so I didn't care about casino hosts--and if I had, I'd only be concerned about winning.

 

So, question: Why is who is the cruise director a big deal to some folks? And same for casino hosts? Shoot, I'd be more concerned about who my ship's captain is. What am I missing? To me, I'll have a great time no matter who is in charge.

 

You're not missing a thing. I will embark on my 40th cruise this year and can honestly tell you I've never met a cruise director, nor felt that a cruise director impacted my cruise.

 

I have met some casino staff, but can't say they made a difference in my cruise experience. Some are more friendly than others, but honestly, most of the casino staff are so tired they just wander mindlessly around the casino floor.

[Bobbysjack]

On our Magic cruise, we were looking forward to Dr.E and were disappointed he was on vacation. His replacement was Schwartz, who had mixed reviews. We thought he was great, very engaging and very visible. We had a chance to sit down with him in the Alchemy Bar. The most memorable was John Heald in the late 90's. He did some of the funniest shows.

My husband and I were on the Magic with Schwartz, too, and now end every I love you with love you more...