When The Love Boat debuted on ABC on September 24, 1977 America immediately fell in love with cruising. Each week for ten seasons viewers were magically transported onto the Pacific Princess, the Princess Cruises ship which served as the backdrop for the show. We were introduced to Captain Stubing, Isaac the Bartender, “Doc” appropriately named the ship’s doctor and “Your Cruise Director,” Julie.
With clipboard in hand, Julie flawlessly check passengers in without the aid of a computer, check-in lines, boarding passes, all while bearing a pearly white grin which has become the trademark of cruise directors ever since episode one.
On a cruise ship the job of the cruise director has evolved over the years. It used to be that these men and women would not only lead the entertainment, but often times “were” the entertainment. Instead of lavish broadway-style production shows after dinner, it was the cruise director who would take the stage, croon for the audience, tell a few jokes and bid everyone a pleasant evening as they left the theatre and headed upstairs for the all-but-forgotten midnight buffet.
Today cruise directors are still front-and-center and play a vital role in the day-to-day action that happens onboard ship. From the good morning television show that briefs passengers on the day’s activities, to the announcements touting the shopping opportunities onboard, the drink specials, and what’s happening at 3pm on the lido, the cruise director is there to keep you entertained and informed.
When they’re not walking the decks mingling with passengers and leading their team, cruise directors are hosting shows, contests at the pool and working with other shipboard departments to ensure that the passenger’s needs and expectations are being met. After all, it’s the cruise director who – for the most part – is the “face” of your cruise vacation.
Having been on dozens of ships, I’ve experienced different “styles” of cruise director – which is somewhat dictated by the line. For example, a cruise director on Regent Seven Seas may be low-key doing his or her work in the background, while a CD on a Carnival or Royal Caribbean ship would be in the thick of things hosting different contests at the pool or leading an evening pub crawl.
Cruise directors are the ships resident celebrity and many frequent cruisers book their vacation based on when a particular CD will be on the ship of their choice. You’ll find many cruise directors having their own websites and Facebook fan pages where they keep in touch with their guests long after debarkation day.
While Julie from The Love Boat made many of us very jealous of her career choice, the job of the cruise director is anything but easy. Like most of the ship’s company, CD’s work months-long contracts with a few months off in between. Their day starts when most of us are still sleeping and ends long after we call it a night. They frequently change ships which means they could be in the Caribbean in the winter, Alaska in the summer and the Med in the spring.
While it sounds exciting to be traveling the globe and visiting places many will never get to see, the cruise director’s job is anything but easy. Even when they’re having a bad day, they still have to be “on” at all times – after all, they have a boat-load of vacationers who are looking to have the time of their lives. It’s up to them to deliver on that.
The cruise director with the best perks is obviously the one who has been with his/her line the longest. They’re the ones who usually get picked to deliver a new ship, introducing the line’s latest vessel and wow-inspiring amenities to thousands of cruisers wanting to experience that new ship smell and the excitement that goes along with the inaugural season.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet and subsequently become good friends with one of the “original” cruise directors – Eddie Capone. Eddie joined Carnival Cruise Lines in 1985 as an assistant cruise director and in just one year landed the Cruise Director position on ships including the first ship in the Carnival fleet, the Mardi Gras, Holiday, Celebration, Festivale, Tropicale, Jubilee and Fantasy.
During the next seven years, Eddie sailed around the world entertaining thousands of guests while teaching the next generation of cruise directors the tricks of the trade – including Carnival’s senior cruise director, John Heald.
After hanging up his CD hat, Eddie didn’t leave ship life far behind. Since 1992, he continues to entertain cruisers with his unique style of comedy in the Punchliner Comedy Clubs onboard Carnival Cruise Line ships as well as being a featured entertainer for Holland America Line.
When he’s not onboard a ship, he’s entertaining guests on land or joining me for Lasagna Night at the Boca Raton Resort & Club where we share cruise experiences and I get a taste of what cruising was like before ships had robotic bartenders, six story waterslides and two dozen different restaurants!
If you’re looking to have a good laugh and really be entertained, check out http://www.eddiecapone.com and see if he’s going to be performing near you or on a ship you’ll be sailing on in the near future.