Day in the Life of a Shore Excursions Director

The first thing to know about ships is that none of them are the same. In our case, even though corporate set some standards, the reality was that every hotel manager had different requirements and every onboard team had different dynamics. Because of this, we used to say (only half-jokingly) that going to a new ship was like going to an entirely new job. The outline below, then, is an amalgam of all the ships and all the teams I encountered during the three years I spent as an excursions director.

6:00 to 8:30 - morning prep

All officers were expected to be up and at 'em by 6:00 (unless it was embarkation day, in which case we started at 5:00!). I didn't directly supervise any employees, so I spent the first part of the morning on my own, catching up on emails, printing the day's stack of paperwork, and delivering newspapers to the suites.

After that was done, I headed to our management meeting. Since we all had varying schedules, this was our one chance to get together and provide updates or ask for any help we might need that day. Usually, this meant telling the team how many guests would be leaving the ship to go on excursions, letting the restaurant manager know if any excursions would cut into meal times, or asking the hotel manager to assign crew for excursions that needed additional support.

By the time the meeting ended, guests were beginning to come down for breakfast. I spent the next hour or so in the restaurant or the guest services office, making myself available for any last-minute excursion questions. I then loaded coolers with ice and water for the motorcoaches before heading out to the day's second meeting.

8:30 to 12:00 - morning excursions

On a good day, the ship would be fully docked well before excursions were scheduled to start, giving me plenty of time to meet with the lead coach driver, stock the coaches, and relay the drivers' lunch orders to the chef. (On a not-so-good day, we might be docking an hour late or missing the port entirely, which completely altered the trajectory of my day.) For our line, each ship had an assigned group of coach drivers who followed us from port to port, which not only helped foster communication between drivers and excursions directors but also built relationships between drivers and guests. Some guests even picked their excursions based on who was driving!

After meeting with the drivers, I would move on to my third meeting — with the tour guides and/or CVB representatives. Once everyone was in place, I let the ship know that they could officially open the gangway for guest traffic. At the time, things were still very much paper-based, so I relied on printed attendance sheets to know who was going on which excursion. In some ports, there could be as many as five excursions leaving at the same time, so making sure I caught everyone and directed them to the right coach was typically the most chaotic part of my day.

As the name suggests, excursions directors were required to go on excursions, so after all the guests were accounted for, I would also board a coach. Some excursions, by design, didn't have tour guides, so I (or another crewmember) always had to go on those to provide narration en route and assist the guests at the excursion site. In ports where all excursions were guided, I was usually able to pick which one I joined.

12:00 to 1:30 - guest lunch

In a perfect world, the excursions would have all gotten back before noon and not started again until 2:00, giving everyone (including excursions directors!) time to eat lunch. However, in the real world, that noon to 1:30 block was often my busiest period. Once the excursions returned to the ship, I had to restock the coolers, address any guest feedback from the morning excursions, and make sure the drivers got lunch. Then it was on to the next one.

1:30 to 8:00 - onboard activities

Assuming we weren't spending the whole day in port (in which case, the afternoon looked a lot like the morning), underway time — when the ship was sailing — tended to be more open ended. I might give a future cruise presentation, work on paperwork, or assist the cruise director with games and other events; sometimes, I might even have time to hide in my cabin for 15 or 30 minutes. Visibility was the name of the game, though, so I spent most of my "free" time either in the guest services office or at the rebooking table, where I helped guests plan their next cruises.

Around 4:00, we would have crew dinner, which was often the first and last time most of us would be together after the morning meeting. Contrary to (apparently) popular belief, we didn't eat the same meals as the guests, though we did occasionally get their leftover desserts! This was often one of my favorite parts of the day, as we were able to get together in a casual setting and rehash all of the day's excitement.

After that, we rolled right into the guests' cocktail party and dinner. As far as excursions directors were concerned, not much changed from breakfast: I tended to set up shop at the rebooking table right outside the restaurant and stay there until evening entertainment started.

8:00 to 10:00 - evening entertainment

On smaller ships, there tends to only be one evening show per night, so all our activity centered around the main lounge. Immediately before the show, the cruise and excursions directors would take the stage and give a briefing about the next day's schedule (docking time, excursion availability, etc.).

On most days, I was able to call it a night after that; however, once or twice a cruise, each manager had to take a late night shift. On those nights, we manned the office and assisted the bartender during the show, which usually lasted until 9:30. After that, we did one final walkthrough to make sure the ship was shined up and ready to do it all over again the next day.

And then, finally, to bed.