Meanwhile, back on the ship…

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My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

May & June 2024

Two cruises into my time on the Diamond Princess, Dan Falconer went home and Lauren Meyer joined as Entertainment Director. When I was on the Coral Princess Lauren had come on as Fleet Supervisor to install Deal or No Deal on the Coral. We only worked together for about a week, but in that time she not only helped me with my trivia and gave me some extra ideas for Arts and Crafts, but she gave me some insights into how to work with the Cruise Directors that were coming and going on the Coral. I really liked her then, and I was looking forward to her coming to the Diamond.

The day Lauren arrived, we all gathered in the Ward Room (the bar for officers – before it opened) for our weekly team meeting. I felt some deja vu as Lauren tried to attach meaning to the Japanese words and names and match them to the people in the room. It was fun to see someone else navigate the challenge I had experienced so recently. As each day passed, I liked her more and more. She is so good at making me feel trusted and appreciated, and she strategically does this to everyone on the team, boosting morale and inspiring everyone to give their best. She makes people feel heard in this environment that requires so much adapting and flexibility, while at the same time setting the boundaries and expectations that are called for by her position. She made me want to be better at my job in every way, and she made me feel like it was my idea (which is exactly the kind of manager I love and the kind of manager I want to be).

During my second contract with Princess I worked with Matt Barnard as a Cruise Director and he took me under his wing. I had just been promoted to Assistant Cruise Director, and at least five times a day he would turn to me and say, “Now, when you’re Cruise Director…” and then give me some advice. I took everything in that he said, while at the same time, I was thinking that I had just been promoted to ACD and wanted to get a grasp on this job before I started going after the next promotion. Matt would literally take me by the hand and sit in the back of events with me and we would discuss what worked and what didn’t work. He would coach me on landing a joke until I nailed it and taught me how to adjust to the sense of humor of different demographics. Soon it seemed like discussing how to make things better was more fun than landing a joke, and it got to the point I was a bit disappointed when I mastered a joke. I have been asking the Universe to work with Matt, or someone like him since we parted ways in 2020, but hadn’t yet encountered another mentor quite like him. Until I got Lauren.

Lauren was promoted to Entertainment Director to fill a need on a ship that didn’t have one and she had to figure out how to do a lot of the job on her own. She is now teaching me the things she learned on the job as well as how she navigates the challenges she faces from scheduling with different demographics to all the unexpected challenges that show up day to day. For the last couple of years I have told my superiors that I’d like to be a Cruise Director some day, but I know there is a huge gap between what I know how to do as an Assistant and what they do as Cruise Directors. Suddenly on this ship I am getting the training to fill in that gap. Lauren is always available to answer my questions, analyze events to make them the best they can be, talk about how to most effectively use what we have to make a great entertainment product, and she frequently checks in to make sure that I’m doing okay personally. Lauren has made me feel more inspired professionally than I have felt in a long time, while also making me feel incredibly valued. I’m going to learn as much as I possibly can from her while she’s here, and then keep asking the Universe to pair us up together again in the future.

A few cruises after Lauren arrived, I was paged with a vague request for me to come to the office. I tried not to panic as my mind started guessing what this might be about. First I did a quick review of what I might be in trouble for. Then I had a flashback from when this same thing had happened on the Caribbean. I really did not want to be trans-shipped. Then I remembered that Dave, the Cruise Director, was going on vacation and, as far as I knew, didn’t have a replacement.

I cautiously stepped into the office with Lauren, Dave and Mikiko (The Japanese Cruise Director) and they closed the door. Lauren had a serious look on her face and then admitted that she couldn’t even pretend that I was in trouble because she was too excited for me. Dave would be leaving before the next cruise finished, but his replacement wouldn’t arrive until turnaround day, three days after he left. Would I be willing to take over his duties for those three days?

Yes.

As their plan was unveiled to me, I couldn’t believe how cool and ideal this opportunity was.

They were going to tell the guests from the beginning of the cruise that Dave would be going on vacation before the cruise ended, and say that this was an opportunity for me to step up for a few days and try out being a Cruise Director. From what I’d seen and heard, ACD’s were usually given a chance to step up unexpectedly and without any notice, preparation, or sense of how long they would be in the position (like when the Cruise Director was sick or delayed by travel). Most of the time the change happened on Embarkation Day when the guests didn’t know who anyone was and expected a Cruise Director who knew what they were doing. In this situation, I only had three days to do a bunch of stuff I hadn’t done before, but it would be at the end of the cruise when all of the guests knew me and were cheering me on, and they also knew that I was doing things I hadn’t done before, so if I messed up, it was much more likely that they would forgive me. Plus, I would have Mikiko right by my side the whole time. It wasn’t yet the end of that cruise, so I would be spending the last three days of the current cruise shadowing Dave, watching and filming everything he did so that I would be as prepared as possible. I couldn’t imagine a better situation to step up.

Before I got too excited, they emphasized that this was not actually a promotion, that I still would keep my same cabin and status, and Mikiko was still my boss. I had not assumed any of those things, so that was fine. They also said that I was being chosen in this case because I was the native English speaker and the English Cruise Director was the one leaving the gap and it was a directive from head office. They also had their eye on Hiroshi, and they would be training him to be Cruise Director as well. I was so pleased to hear that they also saw the potential that I saw in Hiroshi, and couldn’t agree more with this assessment.

So for the next cruise I did my regular activities as well as closely watching and studying Dave to prepare to do my best for my three days in the spotlight. I hoped that I would be able to get some good footage for the reel that I needed to apply for Cruise Director, and I’d get a better sense of whether or not I actually wanted the promotion.

I felt so supported by my team. Dave, Mikiko and Lauren all took time to coach and teach me extra things that the guests don’t necessarily see. Mikiko helped me pick out my best outfits for each event. They brought me onto the Princess stage to practice taking the shows on and off with the microphone. I had done intros and outros in Princess Theaters on various ships before, but now when I was practicing, I was fumbling all over the place. I couldn’t remember how to walk, where to stand, what to do with my hands or what I needed to say. When everything needs to be said in both languages, I had to think about how to say things more succinctly, to pause in places that made sense in sections that weren’t too long or too short and to end with a period instead of an exclamation (so people wouldn’t cheer before Mikiko could say the Japanese version). I learned how to listen for key words while Mikiko was speaking a language I mostly didn’t understand, where to place my feet, how to hold the microphone and where to look. I hoped that I had gotten all the mistakes I was going to make out in the rehearsal, and that the real thing would go better.

As the days approached I was so focused on preparing for both my regular events and my new ones that I had to remind myself to be excited.

My first day as Cruise Director we were in Jeju, South Korea, so it was a port day. I filmed the wake show in the morning with Hiroshi as my co-host. I had been on the Wake show many times, but it was different being the one responsible for making sure that everything that needed to be said was said while also making the show fun and entertaining. After that Hiroshi and I went to practice more walking, talking and microphone technique with Lauren. Then I went back to my cabin to study everything I would have to say for the next few days. I watched the videos I had taken of Dave, transcribed everything he said, then rephrased some things to put them into my own words, and made bullet point notes.

And then surprise! Fernando showed up! Fernando was the incoming Cruise Director who we thought wouldn’t arrive until we got to Yokohama. Since Mikiko and Dave had already told the guests that I would be stepping up, they decided to stick to that plan and give Fernando a few days to acclimate to the ship and the time zone and to film all of the videos of the Cruise Directors that play around the ship.

That evening there was a production show in the theater called Born to Be Wild. At the end of the show Mikiko nudged me onstage at the right time. We thanked the cast and then talked about what was happening tomorrow in Kagoshima – about immigration, what to do in Kagoshima, what was happening in the theater tomorrow night, and then where the guests could go after the show. Tomorrow, tomorrow night, tonight. I walked off stage with my adrenaline pumping. It reminded me of the first time I hosted the auditions for the Voice of the Ocean. I was so focused to trying to remember everything I needed to say and how I needed to stand, that when it was over I was just proud that I had done it. And then I realized that I would have to do it again for the second show! Mikiko and I went back to the office to check the schedules for the next day and send it out to the team. I watched the wake show, and took note of the shot, how I talked and where I looked. Hiroshi was so good at looking at the camera in a way that made the viewer feel like you were his best friend. I wanted to do that. I took note of all the things I wanted to do better next time. After the second show I co-hosted Entertainment Team & Friends Presents – a talent show of the cruise staff. Mikiko and I introduced each performer as Hiroshi, Kosuke, Masataka and Mikiko sang, one of our dining staff danced, and Ryota played the drums. I hadn’t seen the show before because I was usually hosting the event in the other lounge. I loved seeing what they could do beyond their normal cruise staff duties. During the rehearsal almost everything I said came out all jumbled, and luckily the actual show went much better. I also got lots of practice walking on and off stage presenting a performer, which is something Cruise Directors do a lot more often than Assistants.

The next morning we were in Kagoshima, and I was IPM (In Port Manning where I stay onboard for safety duties and run the activities) so I filmed the wake show and then changed back into my blue uniform to do my regular port day activities like trivia and ring toss, and spending any extra time I could find cramming more words I would need for that night and the next day into my brain. That night was Back to the 80’s night, so Mikiko and I hosted the show in the Princess theater: Syan, a World Champion Balloon Artist. I had watched Syan’s show the previous cruise so that I could personally describe it when promoting the show on the Wake Show, in the theater and around the ship. After the show we talked about tomorrow (a sea day with lots of things to highlight), tomorrow night in the theater (the Farewell Variety show with different show times) and tonight. The weather was bad, so even though we announced an open deck party after the first show, we relocated the 80’s party down to the Grand Plaza where we still had a great time.

The next morning I woke up before my alarm and set the intention to remember to have fun- I only had one more day. I had enough time to finish making the Father’s Day trivia I was scheduled to do at the beginning of the next cruise and read through and practice all the things I had to remember to say that day. I met Mikiko in the office for the morning announcement before we snuck into the theater for the Culinary Demonstration, where I introduced and interviewed the Executive Chef, the Director of Restaurant Operations and the Food and Beverage Director before I ran off to film the Wake Show with Fernando for the next cruise. I quickly changed into my Assistant Cruise Director uniform to teach line dancing, where I got all sweaty, took a second shower of the day and put on a new outfit to host the Guest Showcase and the Do You Wanna Dance Gameshow.

After that I had less than an hour to change into evening wear before making the evening announcement and then going to the ceremony to give a giant check to a guest who had won a free cruise. I put on the black dress that I had been saving for last, and I had run out of time. My hair fell out of the towel and it had just the right amount of product in it that I decided to risk wearing it down. I very rarely wear my hair down because it gets too hot and tends to expand as the night goes on. Well, as I was furiously studying what I needed to say for the Farewell Variety show, Lauren came up to me and said, wow – now I looked like a Cruise Director. So now I guess I’ll have to figure out how to look like that more frequently. Did I take a picture? No – I was too busy. Mikiko and I had a lot of scripted things to say for the the Farewell show, and by the second show I figured out how to transition between unrelated subjects and I finally felt more comfortable on stage. And then it was over.

I was so appreciative of this opportunity even though what I got out of the experience was very different from what I expected. I thought I would have fun basking in the spotlight. I actually spent the majority of the time just trying to remember what I had to say and to master my presence and physicality onstage. I thought I would get lots of great footage of me actually dressed as a Cruise Director doing Cruise Director things that I could use for my reel. Instead I learned all of the things I want to work on. My voice gets high pitched when I get excited and I want to practice keeping it, to quote Lauren, ‘low and slow.’ I want to look at the camera like it’s my best friend like I learned from Hiroshi. I want to have better links and transitions between the facts that I share. I want to be aware of what my face is doing while I’m trying to remember all of these things. By the final performance (the sixth show in the Princess Theater and the 11th event as a Cruise Director) I started to feel the flow of feeling good about what I was doing.

So was it fun? I can’t say that is the best way to describe it, but I can see how I would have fun once I’ve done everything a couple of times. It has been a while since I’ve done so many things I hadn’t done before in such a short time and I was thrown off by the learning curve. With that being said, I am probably my harshest critic, and I got lots of compliments, so I think I did okay. My point is that I’m more excited about finding more things that I can work on than I am about the glory of being able to hold this coveted position.

After those three intense days, I have to admit that I was a little relieved to step back into the chorus, so to speak. I like having the variety of being the center of attention as the main host of an event and having a more supportive role. With the recognition that I love figuring out how to make things better (as much if not more than doing things to the best of my ability) my world has now expanded. So now I have a better idea of what to watch, think about and work on so that I’ll be even more ready when the next opportunity presents itself. Part of the reason I haven’t applied to be a Cruise Director yet is that I love doing all the things I love to do in my current position that I’m concerned that I won’t love doing the things a Cruise Director does more. Now that I’m getting a closer look at what those things are, I think I’m going to put together my application.