Cruise Directors?

[Vacation Nut]

We just "experienced" Graham on our caribbean princess cruise and I have to say that for us he was definitely the best of the 4 we have had so far for the following reasons:
He is funny and very quick with comments when interviewing passengers etc.
I liked his morning show because of his sarcasm
I felt he let his whole cruise staff have opportunities to shine - he didn't do all the games and introductions, his deputy and assistants all had opportunities to be in charge.
The atmosphere, changed when Graham was there, you knew you were going to have fun.
He can really sing - the Island Party was great.
His cruise staff seem to like working with him - we came back on a tender with some of them and they all said he's as nuts as he appears to passengers and a great laugh.
How do Americans understand all his British jokes? (I am a Brit living in the US)

[HahvadYaad]

Cruise Directors didn't really have an influence on my past cruises....I never really paid attention as to who they were and how effective they were at creating the ambience of the ship w/ the exeption of Chris Nichols, and that was because the ship (PP) was so small that he was everywhere.

My last trip on the Star was Frank...something... People who post here don't seem to like him but I thought he was friendly and had a great attitude.

There is one cruise director who's posted on here occasionally, unfortunately I don't remember his name, but I visited his website and turns out I went to the same college for one year that he did in Rhode Island.

BTW, I transferred to a better school.

[roohound]

I had Brian Price on our Coral Princess trip this May and he was great. I dind't see him around the ship much tho (which is fine, he had his things to do, I had mine ;) )

Had Tim Donovan on the Grand in Sept 2002...I adored him..we'd run into each other a lot and I'd say Tim......whassup????????? and he'd just start cracking up.

I'm dorky enough to enjoy the morning news shows..some of them can be pretty darn funny

[WendyG]

[COLOR=Purple]The morning shows are hysterical...I wish they would put them on the cruise video tape they sell, I'd buy one for sure![/COLOR]

[kruisey]

Mybe I am the only one that found Dan Gibbons the only CD yet that really kept me laughing....he made my trip.The group with him also seemed a happy lot. WE had several days at sea so we needed him.
Dan worked early in the morning on TV and was around in the evening...checking for comments after the shows in the Princess Theater.
He arranged an interview with the Captain.....On the TV he showed us around the ship staff quarters and Bridge.....Even caught on camera by the Head Chef stealing chocolate cake (All over his face) in the desert pantry. Who couldnot like the guy.He worked his butt off for us.

[Vacation Nut]

When do you think they record those morning shows? My bet is that they are not done live at 6:00 a.m. after the CD has been up introducing shows and parties to the wee hours of the morning. They could record a whole week of shows in one go and just change clothes!!!

[kruisey]

Party Pooper you are Vacation Nut.....!!!!!!
It was live man ,live at 7.00AM

[Tahitian Princess]

We got off the Tahitian Princess on 8/25, our CD was Janet Planet(Edwards).
It was her last cruise on the TP, I don't know where she was going next.

[aaannnthony]

Last year on our 18 day San Fran to Tahiti on the Pacific Princess, 12 sea days, I fed some material each day, by mail, to CD John Cleland and his assistant Dan. I kidded around with them every opportunity, and, asked if I could be a guest host. John challenged me to find the studio when they do the taping, and, he would let me join them. That night, at the conclusion of the first show, I followed John......right to the studio.....the Captain's conference room. I co-hosted the show with him, with Dan coming in at the end to apologize for over-sleeping. It was a lot of fun.

[WendyG]

[COLOR=Purple]I didn't think they would take a sip of "the drink of the day" at 6 am.

I did see Graham one early afternoon wearing a majorly bright yellow polo shirt (couldn't forget it) which is what he was wearing on the morning show that same day.

Who knows when they tape it? Someone should ask....[/COLOR]

[bdjam]

[font=Bookman Old Style]The Morning shows are taped the previous day. Most of the cruise staff have late nights and being up in time for the morning show is prohibitive…[/font]

[Host Caroline]

[quote name='Cruise38']I have two that I really enjoyed - John Lawrence usually does the Baltic Cruises because he is an expert on the area and gives excellent talks on the ports. J J King is a very visible people person without being obnoxious and is a tremendous entertainer.

Barbara[/QUOTE]
We had John Lawrence for 3 cruises in the '90s and he and Janet Edwards (once on Island Princess 11-night Alaska in '98) are my favorites. John's really the only cruise director that I was really "excited" to see on return voyages. A real gentleman and a really good entertainer..

[aaannnthony]

As I noted yesterday, the "Morning show" on the Pacific Princess was taped between the early & late shows the night before. I learned that from John Lawrence who volunteered that info on a previous cruise on the "Golden"! You'll notice that their attire is the same as for the prior evening's show.

[cruisnfool]

I think it depends on how much you attend the cruise staff related functions.
My son was a casino dealer for Princess for 3 yrs and he said the CD sets the pace for the rest of the staff. Two Goldens I was on the staff including Allastair were so energetic it was infectious. I have also sailed on Celebrity where I couldn't tell you one name of a staff or CD, very sedate. But I think Celebrity likes their CD sedate.
Typically RCI has energetic CD's and staff

[figmentdj]

Allastair made our Sea Princess cruise. Then we stepped onto the Golden, there he was again. It was a pleasant surprise. It was like coming home. We can have fun without a great CD but it sure does add something to the "whole" cruise. I guess we'll have Billy Hyde? On the Diamond. Anybody know about him? If I had my way, I'd take Allastair and Bert Stratton on all my cruises.

[Podgieree]

We had Frank Castiglione on the Regal in 2002. I found him funny and informed. We used to sail on Sitmar "in the olden days" and I have it in my head that many CD's are kind of "Hollywood". That said, I loved that planned activities on the Regal and my DH, who had never been on a cruise before, can't wait to leave on the Island next week! (BTW, DH has a Liverpool accent and sounds like a Beatle. He doesn't look like one though.... he's Chinese!)

[aaannnthony]

We had Billy Hygate b-2-b on the Diamond, 9/20 Coastal, and, 9/25 Mexican Riviera......can't imagine how he's survived all these years!

[jowahe]

In the early, early days of Princess, Mark Ianollo (or was it Ianozzo, as an earlier poster said) was the best I've ever seen on 16+ Princess cruises. Janet Edwards was also very good. The others left no impression good or bad.

[suep]

I have to agree with Mike A. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to enjoy John Heald on the Carnival Triumph. He is hysterical!! It seemed like before we cruised on the Triumph, we didn't pay much attention to CD's. After that cruise, we started paying attention to CD's, and they just didn't hold a candle to John! We will be sailing the Sapphire Princess next October. Does anyone know who the CD is on that ship??

[lynwar]

We had James Lay on our cruise on the Caribbean Princess in Sept. From earlier posts, we thought we would be having Tim Donovan, who was replacing Graham Seymour. James was OK-perhaps a little green in his job. I enjoyed his deputy CD, Scott, more. Most of the Activities Staff was British, Irish or close. James tried hard, but his favorite word was "fantastic", to the point that it got to be annoying.The worst time to hear him was in the casino when he made an announcement.The speakers were so loud in the back area, that we had to put our hands over our ears. He and his staff did try to give us a good time, though, and we had no overall complaints.About the only way I remember CDs is if I happen to remember the voice or think I've seen them before. We were on the Golden in 2001, and Grand in 2002, so probably had the others you spoke of, but don't remember their names. I th ink my Patters from those cruises have been "misplaced" so have no way to go back and check from this end. I tried. I also didn't think the morning show was necessary. Lynne

[Trijntje]

I never met a CD in personal. The only thing I see them doing is announcing the shows.
I think they find theirself very funny.:p
So my and husband have the feeling that they don't mean anything to us. Maybe it's because w're not realy partyanimals.
W've been on cruises, where we seemed to be the only ones from Holland, but the CD did'nt notice.:confused:
Trijntje

[lstone19]

[quote name='aaannnthony']We had Billy Hygate b-2-b on the Diamond, 9/20 Coastal, and, 9/25 Mexican Riviera......can't imagine how he's survived all these years![/QUOTE]
We had Billy Hygate on our first Princess cruise in 1993. Let's just say we cruised Princess again in spite of him. Seemed to be extremely impressed with himself. I guess that's good for him that someone was as we certainly weren't.
My biggest problem with him was he wanted to be more of a headline entertainer and less of a Director. Cruise Director is a management position first - leave the performing to those who are supposed to be performers. I was particularly unimpressed when we'd show up for the advertised show but before it would start, we'd have to listen to Billy singing for 5 or 10 minutes rather than him just introducing the act and getting to what we were there for. If he wants to sing, schedule a show that's billed as him singing so I can skip it.

[aaannnthony]

I-19.....good news for you, he sang not a chord in 12 days.....bad news is his scheduling of shows/activities is not very good. For example, many days he could have had late diners go early for the theatre show, and, later elsewhere, but, he didn't make that offer......and, very few "trivia" sessions, even once on a sea day. Lastly, his staff was not congenial to reporting criticisms to him; I tried more than once, unsuccessfully!

[Druke I]

Different perceptions for different people.

Years ago (1989), Billy Hygate was CD on a trans-Pacific on the old Sea Princess (originally Kungsholm, later Victoria, now Mona Lisa), and both my wife and I thought (and still think) Billy was one of the best CDs we had seen. Always about, very socialable, and a good entertainer in his own right. His wife, a choreographer for Princess, was also aboard.

[SHayesShip]

I don't care whether I have one or not.
The more I cruise the less important the CD becomes.
Years ago ships had less things to offer and CD's were more important.
However, with the ships today there are so many things to partake of that I do not need a CD to lead me around.

Steve Hayes