Cruise Directors: A Job as Big as the Ship They Sail In

Some play it straight. Some steal the show. Some are even in the show.

They’re all front and center. It’s tough to ignore your cruise director.

Ever since Julie’s voice penetrated the PA on the “Love Boat,” the cruise director has become a pivotal presence on ships. Part customer service rep, part salesman, part cheerleader, part actor—and even sometimes, part comedian—the cruise director is, undoubtedly, the most visible crew member onboard.

The cruise director tells us what’s going on every day, and what we should spend more money on. “He”—because in 20 cruises+, we’ve only had one “she”—hobnobs with cruise loyalists, and is quick with a handshake and small talk.

He emcees events—indeed, can make or break them. There’s been more than one “Love and Marriage” game show where the CD came to the rescue with a nudge, a tease, an innuendo—anything to liven up the contestants.

Kicking off the aqua show on Allure of the Seas

Yet this is only the part we see. Behind the scenes, they’re organizing, managing and keeping the entertainment running smoothly. This piece from Travel Weekly gives a glimpse into what it’s really like. In short, it’s exhausting!

While some cruise directors are laid back, more often they’re not. They’ve got their own TV shows. They hold the mike and grab the attention.

But when the urge comes to try something different, CDs shift to a corporate job, only to find themselves longing again for the shipboard spotlight. That’s where they’re a celebrity—second only to the captain.

Sometimes they even overshadow the entertainers they’re introducing. Some CDs are so beloved by passengers that they become the attraction themselves. Cruisecritic.com forums praise some of them by name. Some threads even track what ship each CD is sailing on. John Heald’s blog charts the CDs on Carnival ships. Disney too posts a schedule not only for CDs, but captains too.

Whether you like your CD in the foreground or background, making you laugh or just giving directions, you have to admire them for the efforts they put into making sure you—and thousands of your cruise companions—are having a great time.

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As a Cruiser, Do You Know Your Rights?

If you don’t remember the Carnival Triumph engine fire and power loss in the Gulf of Mexico in February 2013, be glad.

It wasn’t one of the industry’s shining moments.

But it did have one positive outcome: in the wake of the event, the industry was spurred to create the Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights in May of that same year.

With its upcoming five year anniversary, it’s a good time to revisit the proclamation.

So, what is it exactly? 

It’s a set of standards for the cruise lines to ensure we are safe, comfortable and well cared for during our cruise.

It was created by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the trade association for the cruise industry. To continue to be part of CLIA, its more than 50 cruise line members had to pledge to abide by these standards.

In short, you’ll be pleased to know that Carnival, Celebrity, Cunard, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are part of CLIA and are thus bound to comply.

They have agreed that you, as a cruiser, have the right:

To get off a docked ship if basic essentials such as food, water, restroom facilities and medical care can’t be provided onboard*

To access full-time, professional emergency medical attention while you’re on the ocean, until you can get it on land

For a ship that’s well trained in emergency and evacuation procedures

These relate to mechanical failure on board:

For a full refund for a trip cancelled, or partial refund for one ending early because of such a failure

For lodging if you have to get off the ship and stay overnight in an unscheduled port if a cruise ends early because of a mechanical failure

To get transportation to the port of disembarkation or your home city if the trip ends early for the same reason

Timely updates on itinerary changes due to mechanical failure

Needless to say, we all hope we don’t need to test out these rights on our cruise, but it’s comforting to know the lines have committed to adhering to them in case something does, indeed, go wrong.

Now, the cruise lines have some expectations of their own from us. Check back in two weeks as we take a look at the cruise contract. 

If you’re not sure what that is, it’s that long document with the tiny print that you electronically sign when you check in online. And if you’ve never read it, you’re not alone.

See you in two weeks!

*Subject to the ship’s concern for safety and port immigration requirements

Source: cruising.org

Kinda Kooky Cruiser Christmas Gifts

Looking for something a bit different for the hard-to-please cruiser on your list? You’ve come to the right place. Check out these kinda kooky, kinda wacky and even a few practical gifts that will stand out. Maybe you’ll even want them for yourself.

What’s outside is almost as good as what’s inside. No bottle of guavaberry should be without a Santa hat. Find these cuties in the Sint Maarten shop in Philipsburg. Or buy the liquor online.

Send your family on a cruise all year long. If only through the pages of Porthole.

Float their boat and beer. Know someone who likes to take their brew to the beach? They won’t lose it to the sea with this little beer saver. Find it in the Navigator of the Seas’ gift shop.

Bring the bedding to your buddy. You and partner slept like babies on your Royal Caribbean cruise? Must have been the bedding. Do it again, this time in your own home, with linens from the cruise line. Rocking motion’s extra.

When monopoly is a good thing. Yes, there’s still such a thing as board games, but this one you won’t find anywhere but Philipsburg. You might say St. Maarten has a monopoly on it.

They can wear it on their sleeve. Someone passionate about cruising? Deck them out with a Cruise Critic tee shirt from their online store.

Bring on the bling. This is the perfect jewelry travel case—it’s got separate zipped sleeves and the whole thing folds into a tight compact case. It’s only 10 bucks, but you’ll need to fight the crowds at the onboard $10 sale to buy one. Get there early; they go fast.

Captain Mickey on your tree. Hang Captain Mickey Mouse by his ear with an ornament for your holiday tree. Find it at Disney’s online store.

Book it. This will take some work, but send your best cruise photos to Costco, Shutterfly or online others that will make a coffee table book out of it. It’s great for bringing back memories and working on that you’ll-never-catch-me-cruising person you happen to know.

Missed out on the photos? Disney will let you order photos from your trip even after you’ve walked down that gangway—but you’ve got to act fast. In six weeks, deleted!

Get those pictures out of your smart phone. And into something your cruiser will like. Think calendar, mug or mouse pad.

For the kid or kid at heart. I mentioned this one in the posting, “Keeping the Cruise Going After It’s Gone: Part II”: Princess’ adorably smiling stuffed captain teddy bear. Best yet, if you don’t have a Princess cruise on the horizon, you can pick one up from the cruise line’s website.

Clip ‘em. Walk by the pool on any ship and your eye will be caught by bright clips some folks use to keep their towel from shimmying down their chair. Amazon has a bunch of choices—they’re cute, functional and cheap. Some of them look like flip-flops or sea shells. Great for stuffing those stockings--or keeping them up.

Tag ‘em. Another Amazon cheapie but goodie are plastic holders for the cruise luggage tags you print up when you do online check in. We just bought some and they’re a perfect fit for the tags, and come with metal loops for slipping around your suitcase handles. Beats stapling any day.

Can’t end without this one. The best gift of all is the one they want the most—another trip on the wide open sea. And while you’re at it, give one to me!